Yaser Birjas – Social Discontentment: Leading Causes of Depression

About this lecture

In this lecture, Sheikh Yaser Birjas explores the psychology of social comparison — how it drives depression, spiritual emptiness, and poor decision-making in Muslim communities. Drawing on Quranic verses, hadith, and real-life examples ranging from birthday parties and weddings to career choices and Ramadan dinners, he explains why Islam's framework for success is fundamentally different from society's. He concludes with a powerful call to use the Prophet ﷺ as the true standard of comparison and to volunteer for charity work as a practical antidote to social discontentment.