Why Allah has made me sick? A reminder why our illness is a blessing.

As Salaamu Alikam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu,

Insha Allah you are all well and have been enjoying our facebook page here, we have a youtube page as well here which we will be uploading more videos Insha Allah.

For many of us diagnosed or not formally diagnosed with mental illness/es we may question why Allah subhana wa ta'ala has put this illness on us.
Some questions or thoughts we may have could be as follows:

•  Did we anger Allah subhana wa ta'ala?
•  Why me?
•  What did I do for this punishment?
• Is this punishment for my sins?
• Why would Allah subhana wa ta'ala curse me with this
• This is a curse
  and possibly many other thoughts/questions
  
  If we talk to other muslims about our concerns as above, many tell us to not question Islam/Allah or to just deal with it/ get over it.
  Unfortunately this is a simple answer and doesn't really work in day to day things.
  We are allowed to ask questions in Islam as long as we do not overstep and fall into things that could put us in the danger zones like shirk, bidáh or kufr.
  Allah subhana wa ta'ala has His reasons for the things He has done to us, whether it is a internal thing (body/mind) or external (surroundings/work/home/finance etc). He doesn't always let us know why He has decided to do something, but sometimes He does let us know. Not from a one on one conversation but by experiences and things falling into place, duás being answered or not answered and so on.
  
  
  Alhamdillah illness is a huge blessing, it may not feel like it sometimes but it has so many rewards to be sick for the rest of your life or when Allah subhana wa ta'ala decides to cure you (whether in this world or in the hereafter).
  Do not worry if you haven't reached the point in your mental health journey where you can be appreciative of your illness, it does take time and that is okay.
  
  We can see that illnesses are a blessing in many aspects of our religion.
  
  Stated in Hadith Bukhari 7:564;
  
  I visited Allah's Apostle while he was suffering from a high fever. I touched him with my hand and said, "O Allah's Apostle! You have a high fever." Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you have." I said, "Is it because you will get a double reward?" Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, no Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves."
  
  When Allah subhana wa ta'ala placed upon the Prophet Muhammad sallahu alayhi wa salaam, he reminds us in this Hadith that sickness is a blessing. Allah subhana wa ta'ala removes our sins just like a tree sheds its leaves, just because we are sick!
  Now imagine having a chronic illness like what we have, Allah subhana wa ta'ala is constantly shedding our sins when we experience different parts of our illness/es.
  Whether it is mania, depression, a neutral point with some difficulties and more.
  How lucky are we in that aspect of our religion? Being constantly forgiven of sins while we are sick.
  
  As we continue to look at Hadith we see more and more how trials, sickness and disease is a form of blessing by our Lord.
  
  Stated in Hadith Bukhari 70:548;
  Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials." 
  
  Alhamdillah! When our Lord wants to do good for us, he afflicts us with trials and the experience of mental illness/es is a trial which can be bumpy.
  
  Hadith Bukhari 70:555;
  Narrated 'Ata bin Abi Rabah: Ibn 'Abbas said to me, "Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?" I said, "Yes." He said, "This black lady came to the Prophet and said, 'I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.' The Prophet said (to her), 'If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.' She said, 'I will remain patient,' and added, 'but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.' So he invoked Allah for her." 
  
  Even though her personal journey meant experiencing seizures (which can happen with some mental illnesses/other sicknesses also) she was give Jannah if she had sabr. If we continue to have sabr then insha allah we can enter Jannah too just by being trialed with mental illness/es.
  
  We may never know the exact reasons for being afflicted with mental illness/es during our journey in this world, but we can know we are taken care of by Allah subhana wa ta'ala and he is blessing us during our trials if we have sabr and we make duá to Him.
  
  As long as we continue to learn about our condition, find ways to cope so we are in a sane state and continue our ibaadah as best as we can at the current time were in then insha allah we can get closer to our Lord and He blesses us to enter Jannah through the cleansing of our sins via our illnesses or other means of entering Jannah.
  
  May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make it easy for us all and keep each other in our duás.
  
  Sister
  Ayisha