Engraved Light

Introduction

ADHD and OCD are psychiatric terms, but they are also moral postures. Modernity explains them through neurochemistry, cognitive models, and behavioural indices. Religion explains them through the nafs (soul)- the self in tension with itself. This is not metaphor. It is a competing anatomy.

The Qur’an outlines three states of the human soul:

• Nafs al-Ammārah: the commanding self, impulsive and untamed
• Nafs al-Lawwāmah: the self-reproaching self, guilty and over-corrective
• Nafs al-Muṭmaʾinnah: the tranquil self, serene and aligned with divine order

These are not abstract theological categories. They describe psychological patterns- desire without control, conscience without rest, and serenity without fragmentation. This article maps ADHD onto nafs al-ammarah and OCD onto nafs al-lawwamah, drawing from clinical psychology, Qur’anic commentary, and real-world observations- including divergent responses to cannabis (THC) use.

The framework is Islamic, but the inquiry is universal. Everyone has a soul. Everyone fights it.

ADHD as the Nafs al-Ammārah

Qur’anic Reference:

“Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil—except those upon whom my Lord has mercy.” (Qur’an 12:53)

This is spoken by Yusuf عليه السلام, after the wife of the minister of Egypt confessed to trying to seduce him and then blaming her infidelity on Yusuf عليه السلام. Instead of, condemnation, a confession occurred – he too feared what the untrained self could do if left unsupervised.

Classical Tafsir:

Al-Rāzī and Ibn Kathīr describe nafs al-ammarah as the base, carnal self. It does not reflect, it reacts. It is ruled by external triggers. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, in Al-Bayaan (commentary on Surah Yusuf), asserts that the soul in this state is not sinful by essence, but animalistic in nature- desire-driven, present-focused, lacking long-term alignment with ethical consequence.

Clinical Parallels:

ADHD, described by Barkley and Brown as a disorder of executive function, presents as distractibility, impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and time-blindness. There is no internal brake. The individual moves toward pleasure, avoids discomfort, and struggles to delay gratification. This is not a defect of intelligence but a disorder of will.

Case Observation:

A 21-year-old male with diagnosed ADHD was observed under THC intoxication (sativa strain). His baseline presentation was rapid speech, constant movement, inability to stay focused in conversations. Within 15 minutes of inhalation, posture relaxed, attention steadied, and tone deepened. He became emotionally available, curious, and notably more regulated. He described the experience as “finally being able to listen to myself.”

This aligns with research from Cooper et al. (Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017) suggesting THC’s dopaminergic effects can temporarily improve cognitive flexibility in ADHD subjects. The high simulates nafs al-mutmaʾinnah- a state of balance and clarity- but it is artificial, transient, and externally induced.

OCD as the Nafs al-Lawwāmah

Qur’anic Reference:

“And I swear by the self-reproaching soul.” (Qur’an 75:2)

This soul does not command; it questions. It is burdened by its own moral expectations and fails to forgive itself. This is not the tranquil believer- it is the ethical perfectionist.

Classical Tafsir:

Al-Ghazālī called it the soul that oscillates- between regret and resolve. It possesses conscience but lacks control over it. Ghamidi, in Al-Bayaan (commentary on Surah Qiyamah), says this is the stage where the human being awakens to divine standards, but has not yet developed the steadiness to uphold them. The person vacillates between guilt and overcompensation.

Clinical Parallels:

OCD is not merely about cleanliness or ritual- it is moral anxiety. Salkovskis et al. describe the core cognitive distortion as “inflated responsibility”: the belief that one’s thoughts are morally binding and potentially dangerous. The result is compulsive behaviour not to seek pleasure but to prevent catastrophe. Washing hands is not about hygiene- it’s about absolution.

Case Observation:

A 23-year-old male with OCD tendencies used THC (hybrid strain) in a quiet setting. Baseline traits included obsessive checking, verbal repetition of intentions, and spiritual scrupulosity. Under the influence, these magnified: he became anxious about his bodily presence, questioned if he had insulted God, felt watched, and experienced what he described as a “moral hallucination.” Paranoia hijacked the high. He asked to pray, then feared the prayer was invalid.

This reflects a wider pattern. THC disinhibits. For the ADHD subject, this grants peace. For the OCD subject, it removes the thin line keeping intrusive thoughts in check. The nafs al-lawwamah spirals without control.

The Problem with Medication: SSRIs and the Numbing of the Soul

Modern psychiatry treats OCD primarily with SSRIs- fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine. These medications increase serotonin levels, reducing obsessive thought loops and compulsions.

But patients frequently report a second effect: emotional blunting. A 2021 study by Cartwright et al. (Psychiatry Research) found that long-term SSRI users often experience reduced empathy, guilt, and emotional intensity. Some describe it as feeling “numb,” others as becoming “a bit sociopathic.”

This clinical flattening aligns with a spiritual diagnosis: the conscience (nafs al-lawwamah) has been medicated into silence. The moral alarm is muted, not resolved. Compulsions may stop- but so does the inner moral awareness that made one human. This is not healing. It is sedation.

The Real Ascent

From Ammārah and Lawwāmah to Muṭmaʾinnah

The Qur’an offers a third state:

“O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.” (Qur’an 89:27–28)

This nafs has discipline without repression, conscience without fear. It does not seek dopamine or certainty- it seeks proximity to the Divine.

The prophetic method was never chemical. It was behavioural, spiritual, and psychological:

Fasting for the nafs al-ammarah to learn hunger without panic Prayer for the nafs al-lawwamah to find rhythm without anxiety Night vigils, Qur’anic recitation, dhikr (remembrance of God), and tawakkul (trust in God)- all designed to train not the mind, but the soul

This framework doesn’t oppose psychiatric treatment. It transcends it. It insists that healing is not just feeling better- it is becoming aligned.

Conclusion

ADHD and OCD are not just disorders of the brain. They are distortions of the self. The Qur’an names these distortions and offers a path of return- not through escapism or emotional silence, but through regulated struggle.

ADHD mirrors nafs al-ammarah- untamed drive, craving pleasure.

OCD mirrors nafs al-lawwamah- self-attacking guilt, craving perfection.

THC exposes these differences. SSRIs suppress them. But the Qur’an transforms them.

This model speaks not just to Muslims. It speaks to anyone who senses that their suffering is not random-that their internal warfare means something, and that healing must be more than comfort. It must be clarity.

“Indeed, in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” (Qur’an 13:28)

Not in being blunted. Not in being high. In being whole.