Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
- Complete talk: youtu.be/4v3YeJ1vfgY
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More mental health talks: mcceastbay.org/mental-health
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Women’s Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
Would any of us dare say that Prophet Yaqub عليه السلام didn’t have enough faith? That he wasn’t a good believer? That he just needed to pray more?
Of course not.
And yet—these are the same harmful things people say today when someone is experiencing depression, anxiety, or deep sadness.
The Qur'an itself is a source of healing—shifa—as Allah says. It’s not just about reading or memorizing, but also reflecting on its meanings through tadabbur (pondering) and tafakkur (contemplation).
In Dr. Rania's newest book, she explores how the concepts of mindfulness and meditation used in psychology are rooted in Islamic teachings, far stronger and more beneficial for Muslims. Through tadabbur, we’re encouraged to connect with the Qur’an in a way that speaks to us personally—whether through science, language, or even psychology. It’s about pausing, reflecting on our relationship with Allah, and realizing the bigger picture.
When we practice this, even the ‘Firauns’ in our lives shrink in comparison to the greatness of Allah. May we all benefit from this healing and reflection, insha'Allah
- Complete talk: youtu.be/4v3YeJ1vfgY
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More mental health talks: mcceastbay.org/mental-health
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Women’s Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
This talk was delivered via the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California. It was delivered at at MCA Bay Area on October 7, 2023. For more great content like this, please subscribe to MCA's amazing YouTube page: youtube.com/live/pJmccjv2kws?si=KE2LDNf-_2JY1tdC
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
Ustadha Rania Awaad
Shaykah Dr. Rania Awaad M.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she is the Director of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab as well as Stanford University's Affiliate Chaplain and Affiliate Professor of Islamic Studies. In the community, she serves as the President and Co-Founder of Maristan, a holistic mental health nonprofit serving Muslim communities, and the Director of The Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Muslim women and girls. Prior to studying medicine, she pursued classical Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria, and holds certifications (ijaza) in the Qur’an, Islamic Law, and other branches of the Islamic Sciences. Follow her @dr.raniaawaad
Raised in the U.S., Ustadha Rania Awaad began her formal study of the traditional Islamic sciences when her parents permitted her to travel to Damascus, Syria, at 14. Her desire to continue studying the Deen resulted in multiple trips back to Damascus, interspersed between her high school, college, and medical studies. She was honored to receive Ijazah (authorization to teach) several branches of the Shari’ah sciences at the hands of many renowned scholars, including many female scholars. She has received Ijazah to teach Tajwid in the Hafs and Warsh recitations from the late eminent Syrian scholar Shaykh Abu Hassan al-Kurdi. In addition to completing several advanced texts of the Shafi’i madhhab, she is licensed to teach texts of Maliki fiqh, Adab, and Ihsan. Currently, Ustadha Rania teaches online and local classes for The Rahmah Foundation, Rabata. She is on the faculty of Zaytuna College, where she teaches courses in Shafi’i fiqh and women’s issues in fiqh. She has also helped develop and co-direct the Tajweed and Hifz program.
Ustadha Rania is also a medical doctor with a specialty in Psychiatry. She completed her Psychiatric residency and fellowship training at Stanford University, where she is currently on the faculty as a Clinical Instructor in the Stanford Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department. Her medical interests include addressing mental health care concerns in the Muslim community- particularly that of Muslim women and girls. She has been awarded grants from the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) to research this topic and has presented her findings at several medical conferences. Other ongoing endeavors include compiling manuscripts addressing female-related mental health and medical issues from a fiqh-oriented perspective.
Learn more about Dr. Rania and her amazing work at http://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/research/MuslimMHLab.html
- Complete talk: youtu.be/4v3YeJ1vfgY
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More mental health talks: mcceastbay.org/mental-health
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Women’s Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
Would any of us dare say that Prophet Yaqub عليه السلام didn’t have enough faith? That he wasn’t a good believer? That he just needed to pray more?
Of course not.
And yet—these are the same harmful things people say today when someone is experiencing depression, anxiety, or deep sadness.
The Qur'an itself is a source of healing—shifa—as Allah says. It’s not just about reading or memorizing, but also reflecting on its meanings through tadabbur (pondering) and tafakkur (contemplation).
In Dr. Rania's newest book, she explores how the concepts of mindfulness and meditation used in psychology are rooted in Islamic teachings, far stronger and more beneficial for Muslims. Through tadabbur, we’re encouraged to connect with the Qur’an in a way that speaks to us personally—whether through science, language, or even psychology. It’s about pausing, reflecting on our relationship with Allah, and realizing the bigger picture.
When we practice this, even the ‘Firauns’ in our lives shrink in comparison to the greatness of Allah. May we all benefit from this healing and reflection, insha'Allah
- Complete talk: youtu.be/4v3YeJ1vfgY
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More mental health talks: mcceastbay.org/mental-health
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Women’s Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
This talk was delivered via the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California. It was delivered at at MCA Bay Area on October 7, 2023. For more great content like this, please subscribe to MCA's amazing YouTube page: youtube.com/live/pJmccjv2kws?si=KE2LDNf-_2JY1tdC
- More from Dr. Rania: mcceastbay.org/rania
- More Dr. Rania's Friday Evening Halaqas: mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
- LinkTree for Dr. Rania Awaad: https://linktr.ee/drraniaawaad
Ustadha Rania Awaad
Shaykah Dr. Rania Awaad M.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she is the Director of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab as well as Stanford University's Affiliate Chaplain and Affiliate Professor of Islamic Studies. In the community, she serves as the President and Co-Founder of Maristan, a holistic mental health nonprofit serving Muslim communities, and the Director of The Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Muslim women and girls. Prior to studying medicine, she pursued classical Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria, and holds certifications (ijaza) in the Qur’an, Islamic Law, and other branches of the Islamic Sciences. Follow her @dr.raniaawaad
Raised in the U.S., Ustadha Rania Awaad began her formal study of the traditional Islamic sciences when her parents permitted her to travel to Damascus, Syria, at 14. Her desire to continue studying the Deen resulted in multiple trips back to Damascus, interspersed between her high school, college, and medical studies. She was honored to receive Ijazah (authorization to teach) several branches of the Shari’ah sciences at the hands of many renowned scholars, including many female scholars. She has received Ijazah to teach Tajwid in the Hafs and Warsh recitations from the late eminent Syrian scholar Shaykh Abu Hassan al-Kurdi. In addition to completing several advanced texts of the Shafi’i madhhab, she is licensed to teach texts of Maliki fiqh, Adab, and Ihsan. Currently, Ustadha Rania teaches online and local classes for The Rahmah Foundation, Rabata. She is on the faculty of Zaytuna College, where she teaches courses in Shafi’i fiqh and women’s issues in fiqh. She has also helped develop and co-direct the Tajweed and Hifz program.
Ustadha Rania is also a medical doctor with a specialty in Psychiatry. She completed her Psychiatric residency and fellowship training at Stanford University, where she is currently on the faculty as a Clinical Instructor in the Stanford Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department. Her medical interests include addressing mental health care concerns in the Muslim community- particularly that of Muslim women and girls. She has been awarded grants from the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) to research this topic and has presented her findings at several medical conferences. Other ongoing endeavors include compiling manuscripts addressing female-related mental health and medical issues from a fiqh-oriented perspective.
Learn more about Dr. Rania and her amazing work at http://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/research/MuslimMHLab.html
