A clear case of Waswasah (obsessive whisperings) about repentance
Fatwa No: 240049

Question

I fear I might have accidently said something that Islam does not agree with, for the stuff that I don't remember but want to repent from what do I do? What about the mistakes I have made while describing or teaching others about Allah (I think I made a mistake while saying you can't give Allah new names by saying you can't give Allah the name "spinner of the fan" but that's more of a description than a name but I thought it was a name at the time (like the shaitan the weak)" Or what if I was trying to recite an Ayah from the Quran but I couldn't remember but said maybe it is this and recited what I thought it was, is that allowed? I've made several mistakes in speech and I regret them so much but I fear I haven't repented correctly because if you exit islam don't you have to say the Shahada to enter again? What if I exited Islam because of something I did but I don't know about.. How can I repent of this? This might be on your website already but it doesn't satisfy my doubts I am sorry.. please explain it to me.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

It is quite clear that you are suffering from Waswasah (obsessive whisperings). We advise you to ward off these devilish whisperings and disregard them entirely and never pay attention to them. In principle, you have not committed any act of disbelief taking you out of the fold of Islam – Allaah forbid - unless proven otherwise.

Therefore, you should repel such bad thoughts and devilish whisperings. It suffices that you to turn to Allaah in repentance; repent from all your past sins and misdeeds and resolve never to commit them ever again and to adhere to the straight path, abide by the religious obligations, and avoid all that is forbidden. This is sufficient for you: to repent from any sin you may have committed whether you know it or not.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 23074 and 86527.

Regarding reciting an Ayah (verse) from the Quran while doubting the correctness of its wording, this is impermissible. Instead, you have to verify the wording of what you are reciting and to make sure that it is correct.

Allaah knows best.

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