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Fatwa CenterDealing with continuous Waswasah
Question
Dear Brothers in Islam, assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. I request your clarification on the following:
1. How do you deal with Waswasah (devilish whisperings/obsessive doubts) which continually disturb a person during ablution and prayer/recitation of Quran and other daily activities by generating disgusting thoughts?
2.The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, told the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, that they experienced so much disgusting thoughts during their prayer and worship that they felt very ashamed to even disclose it. So the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, clarified that these thoughts were Waswasah. He said that only those people with outright faith will experience such Waswasah. It is recorded in an authentic hadith collected by An-Nasaa’i 10500 and Abu Dawood 5113 and narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, declared such Waswasah to be outright faith.
3. Could this Waswasah also be due to Sihr (witchcraft) done by one’s enemies to confuse them in their daily chores and attempt to destroy their self confidence and courage?
4. How does one differentiate whether the Waswasah is due to outright faith or Sihr?
Please clarify in detail.
May Allah protect you,
Your brother in Islam.
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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
There is no treatment for such whisperings except ignoring them and giving them absolutely no attention at all. No matter how frequent or overwhelming they are, the person should totally disregard them. There is no doubt that finding whisperings in Aqeedah (beliefs) to be hateful and disgusting is proof of outright faith, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said. However, what is more perfect and higher in degree is that the person's heart is assured with faith and that he does not experience such whispers. Therefore, this person should not get carried away with these whisperings or give them any concern whatsoever.
As for whether they are the result of Sihr, the evil eye, or otherwise, that is all possible. Whatever the cause for them is, it is not important to know it. Rather, what is important is to know the means to get rid of them. So do not preoccupy yourself with their cause, and focus your attention on finding the way to overcome them, and this can be done by resisting them and ignoring them until Allah blesses you with perfect recovery from them by His mercy and grace. You should also strive in supplicating Allah, genuinely placing your trust in Him, resorting to Him for help, and reciting Ruqyah (healing through Quranic recitation and supplication). Indeed, Ruqyah is an effective remedy for this disease, whether it is caused by Sihr or otherwise.
Allah knows best.
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