Zaydi Literature on Depression/Grief

السلام علیکم 

Would like to know if there are sayings/writings and that from the ahl al-bayt/early imams which mention the topic of grief or depression, specifically? Even, more extensive Zaydi works?

Thanks.

Wa Alaikum Salam,

 1. From Abdullāh b. Masūd, he said: the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: If one of you is inflicted with worry, or sadness. Then, say:
O Allāh, I am Your servant, and the son of your servant-man, and servant-woman. I am in Your possession, my forelock is in Your hand, Your decree is established upon me, and Your judgement upon me is just. I ask You by every name that is Yours which You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your Book, taught anyone from among Your creation, or made known from Your knowledge of the unseen:
That You make the Magnificent Qurʾān the springtime of my heart, the light of my chest, The eradicator of my grief, and the remover of my worry.

He said: There has not been an instance where a servant has said these words and his worry was not removed.

They [the companions] said: Shall we learn them, O Messenger of Allāh?

He said: Assuredly, it is upon every Muslim who has heard them to learn them.


«عن عبد الله بن مسعود، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: «إذا أصاب أحدكم همٌّ أو حزن فليقل: اللهم إني عبدك وابن عبدك وابن أمتك وفي قبضتك، ناصيتي بيدك، ماض فيَّ حكمك، عدل في قضاؤك، أسألك بكل اسم هو لك سميت به نفسك أو أنزلته في كتابك أو علمته أحداً من خلقك أو استأثرت به في علم الغيب عندك أن تجعل القرآن العظيم ربيع قلبي، ونور صدري، وجلاء حزني، وذهاب همي، قال: فماقالهن عبد قط إلا أذهب الله همه، وأبدله مكان حزنه فرحاً. قالوا: أفلا نتعلمهن يا رسول الله؟ قال: بلى فإنه ينبغي لكل مسلم سمعهن أن يتعلمهن»‮

- Kitāb al-Dhikr, pg. 213.

 2. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: "Ignore pain otherwise you will never be happy". - Nahjul Balagha, Book 3, Chapter 213.

3. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said in condoling Ash‘ath ibn Qays about (the death of) his son:

O’ Ash‘ath, if you grieve over your son, certainly it is the consequence of the blood relationship; but if you endure, then Allāh provides recompense for every affliction.

O’ Ash‘ath, if you endure even then matters will move on as ordained by Allāh but in that case you will deserve reward; while if you lose patience, matters will again move as ordained by Allāh, but in this case you will be bearing the burden (of sins).

- Nahjul Balagha, Book 3, Chapter 291.

4. it is related that Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays by way of condolence on the death of his son: Either endure like great people or else you will forget like animals. - Nahjul Balagha, Book 3, Chapter 414.

5. {So be patient with your Lord’s decree, and do not be like the Companion of the Whale when he cried out, while he was distressed} [Ṣūrah al-Qalam: 48]

The meaning of {So be patient} is: endure and do not despair. Restrain yourself in times of anger and sorrow, and do not be anxious.- Tafsīr al-Imām al-Hādī Yaḥyā b. al-Ḥusayn (2/274)

6. al-Imām al-Ḥusayn, peace be upon him, said:
"Verily, this world has become unrecognizable, and what was once familiar has faded away, leaving only a desolate vessel and a wretched existence. Do you not see that truth is no longer upheld, and falsehood goes unchecked, making one yearn for the meeting with their Lord? For I perceive death not as a lamentable fate but as a blissful departure, and life alongside the oppressors as nothing but misery."
- Amālī Abī Ṭālib

7. The Duʿāʾ of al-Imām al-Ḥusayn, peace be upon him : 
"O Allah, You are my trust in every distress, and my hope in every hardship. In every matter that afflicts me, I place my trust in You and rely on You. How many worries weaken the heart, and how feeble the means become, the friend abandons, and the enemy mocks. So, I have turned to You with it, and complained to You about it, seeking relief and assistance from You alone, for there is no one but You. You are the guardian of every blessing, the companion of every goodness, and the ultimate fulfillment of every desire. O Most Merciful of the merciful."

‎اللهُمّ أنت ثقتي في كل كرب، ورجائي في كل شدة، وأنت لي في كل أمر نزل بي ثقة وعدة، كَمْ هَمٍّ يضْعُفُ به الفؤادُ، وتَقِلُّ فيه الحيلة، ويَخْذُلُ فيه الصَّديقُ، ويشْمَتُ فيه العدوّ، فأنزَلْتُه بِكَ، وشكوتُهُ إليك، رغبةً فيه إليك عمّن سواك ففرجتَه وكشفتَه، أنت وليُّ كلِّ نعمة، وصاحب كل حسنة، ومنتهى كل رغبةٍ، يا أرحم الراحمين.
- Al-Maṣābīḥ


 

Quote number 6 is all too real. Thank you!