Why So Many Struggle to Heal: The Hidden Role of the Qareen
From an Islamic and spiritual perspective, more than we realise, the root of many emotional struggles like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and deep emotional stagnation can be traced back to the influence of the Qareen.
The Qareen is a constant companion. A jinn that is assigned to every human being. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is not one of you except that a companion has been assigned to him.”
They asked, “Even you, O Messenger of Allah?”
He replied, “Even me, except that Allah helped me against him and he became Muslim, so he only commands me to do good.”
(Muslim)
For most people, however, the Qareen is not like that. He whispers, incites, confuses, and causes you to question your worth and direction. He thrives on your pain and unhealed trauma. He does not want you to move forward. His mission is to keep you stuck in the past, reliving pain, betrayal, abuse, and fear, so you never reclaim your connection with Allah or your sense of peace.
Even when people go to therapy, start coaching, or try to work on themselves — they sometimes find themselves stuck. Sessions may help temporarily, but the heaviness lingers. It’s like no matter how much work is being done, the root is still pulling them back.
Why? Because healing the mind alone is not enough.
The Qareen operates on a spiritual level. He targets the unseen parts of you — your soul, your thoughts, your heart. If that part of you is not protected or purified, it will keep dragging the rest of you back into sadness, anxiety, overthinking, and emotional confusion.
That is why many people say, “I’ve done everything. Therapy. Journaling. Coaching. But I still feel stuck.”
You need both:
• Psychological support to help you process, reframe, and regulate
• Spiritual strength to help you protect, cleanse, and reconnect with Allah
They are not separate. They are two parts of one whole healing journey.
The Qareen constantly whispers things like:
• “You will never get better”
• “Look what happened to you, how could Allah love you?”
• “Don’t trust anyone again”
• “You are broken beyond repair”
• “Why even bother making du‘ā anymore?”
These whispers grow louder when you are in a state of vulnerability. After heartbreak, trauma, or abuse. This is when the Qareen does his real work. Not just through waswasa, but by feeding your anxiety, draining your energy, keeping your mind trapped in loops of overthinking and fear.
What begins as a painful memory becomes a prison. And when the heart stays in pain for too long, it becomes hard to connect with Allah. It becomes hard to pray. To feel. To hope. To trust.
This is the goal of the Qareen and Shayṭān
To disconnect you from Allah
To turn your test into despair
To turn your pain into rebellion
To turn your healing into a cycle of guilt and numbness
But Allah never abandons the broken.
Healing is always possible.
And you are not weak for struggling. You are human.
Here’s how to fight back:
• Seek refuge in Allah from the Qareen and Shayṭān. Say often:
“A‘ūdhu billāhi minash-shayṭānir-rajīm.”
• Recite your daily adhkār, especially morning and evening protection du‘ās
• Listen to or read Surah Al-Baqarah frequently. It breaks all forms of unseen attachments
• Read Ayat al-Kursī, Surah Al-Falaq, and Surah An-Nās before sleep
• Make sincere du‘ā. Ask Allah to sever the influence of the Qareen over your heart and mind
• And yes — do your therapy. Do your inner work. But pair it with dhikr, tawbah, du‘ā, Qur’ān and prayer
• The more dhikr you do, the more you weaken the Qareen’s power
Do both. Tend to your inner child and your nafs. Regulate your nervous system and purify your soul. Reparent yourself and reconnect with your Rabb.
Healing your past is not just for your peace
It is to reclaim your faith
Your joy
Your closeness with Allah
And your ability to walk forward, no longer chained to pain
May Allah protect us from the whispers of the Qareen, heal our wounds, and make us people who rise from hardship with even stronger hearts.
Ameen