Role of Religion in Spiritual Health

The Studies of a researcher show that religious teachings can play an effective role in the mental and spiritual health of people, and neglecting them may lead to failing to answer many of man’s inner challenges.

Minoo Assadzadeh, a researcher in the field of spiritual health, explained her theory on the “pure heart”. A summary of her remarks is available below:

Two important questions led me to research spiritual health. The first question is what is the cause of human suffering and the second question is how can these sufferings be alleviated?

My research showed that the issue of the soul has not received enough attention in today’s science. This is while according to beliefs of Abrahamic religions, humans have two material and spiritual dimensions; Meanwhile, there are various verses in the Quran which talk about the soul as the issue of the soul and believing in the soul and the unseen world has been named as one of the main conditions for the faithful.

In the Quran, the word “heart” refers to the soul and the tool by which individuals understand issues. The soul is powerful and the center of feelings and recognition. It is the soul that allows us to gain knowledge about the universe.

Through various articles, I introduced the word “pure heart” to the world of science and was able to design a model of spiritual care based on this, and various books and articles were written about this topic. In the next phase, I tried to understand the characteristics of people who have a pure heart, and for this, I used the method of scientific induction, interviews with psychology professors, patients, and their families, and studying Islamic sources.

Servitude to God ensures the spiritual health of people, making it possible to endure suffering and reduce social problems. When someone goes through the spiritual levels, he/she first enters Islam, and then by acting on what he has been informed about, he reaches the faith by heart; and people who strengthen the faith in themselves, reach piety. Humans can reach the point of feeling detached from the world, of course, this does not mean not using blessings, rather, it means not being attached to worldly things. On this path, there are few people who reach certainty and pay attention to the inner world; if the world shakes, their hearts will not be affected.

God’s satisfaction not enough, we must also be satisfied

In addition to the fact that God must be satisfied with me, I must also be satisfied with God, that is, I must be satisfied with everything that God has given and not given to me. If such a state is realized in a person, that person will achieve a pure heart.

Those equipped with a pure heart feel happy and optimistic in all situations of life. They have patience, moral virtues, peace, confidence and trust.

Modesty, courage, fairness, generosity and self-respect are other characteristics of people who have a pure heart. These people follow moderation in their lives and verbally acknowledge the existence of God and the imams as role models. As they acknowledge that God is present in the world and watching them all the time, they observe modesty and distance themselves from sins.

After reaching this status, these people can control their ego and anger and achieve the trait of generosity.

People who have a pure heart adhere to charity, kindness, and forgiveness and reach the position of intercession and can attain the peak of health. Courage in these people makes them avoid pride, selfishness, and anger toward God’s servants as they remain honest, modest, and humble. Among the other characteristics of those who have a pure heart is being just which prevents them from wrong affiliations, enmity with the believers, and favoring falsehood. The owners of the pure heart are reformers of society and they enjoin what is good and forbid what is bad.