Question
I am 17 years old and I am suffering from severe waswasa. This started small, regarding issues of taharah (related to bathroom and ghusl following noctural emissions). Then, I met with my masjid’s imam and discussed some preventative steps. Alhamdulillah, now these waswasas are dwindling. But, since then, my waswasa is getting into areas of kufr and shirk and I never had them before. I offer all of my prayers Alhamdulillah and have complete and full faith in Allah SWT, his Prophets, his Books, the Last Day, and the other tenets of faith. However, recently, I’ll get ABSOLUTELY horrible kufr & shirk waswasa and I struggle to escape/control them. Recently, they’ve gotten so bad that I cannot even escape their physical reaction; for instance, out of the blue, I’ll get a waswasa related to kufr or shirk and then I won’t be able to control my laughter and end up producing some laughter on it Astughfirullah. Other times, I’ll end up blinking the second I get a waswasa which is then followed by another waswasa that seems to indicate “because you blinked at this waswasa, this means you agree with it” Astughfirullah. I despise this SO much and I feel like such a sinner afterwards. The regret and embarassment I feel is so strong, I feel like crying and I sob to Allah SWT asking for forgiveness following this laughter because I am embarrassed for my sin. My question is, will I be responsible for these reactions to my waswas. Due to these physical reactions, I constantly ask Allah for forgiveness and repeat my shahadah. Will I be punished for these reactions to waswasa?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother in Islam,
We sympathize with you in your predicament. May Almighty Allah alleviate the predicament you are faced with. Aameen.
Brother, this life is filled with challenges and adversities. Every individual faces his/her own challenges. Almighty Allah has promised to test us in this world with various things. It is natural to feel anxious and experience grief.
You will not be punished for such whisperings of Shaytaan. Almighty Allah does not take one to task for the involuntary thoughts that come across his mind. Infact, in your situation, you will be rewarded for striving against such thoughts.
We advise you not to ponder and build on these thoughts, as you will be aiding the Shaytaan in fulfilling his mission. Do not allow the whispers of Shaytaan to intimidate you.
Hereunder are some ways to combat the whisperings of Shaytaan:
- Constantly recite the undermentioned supplications/duas :
رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَنْ يَحْضُرُونِ
Translation: O Allah! I seek your protection from the evil whisperings of the Shaytaan, and, O my Rabb, I seek Your protection that they (the Shaytaan) approach me (because they always approach with evil).’”
(Surah Al-Mu’minoon, Verses 97-98)
اَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ وَسَاوِسَ قلبي خَشْيَتَكَ وذِكْرَكَ واجْعَلْ همتي وهَوَايَ فِيْمَا تُحِبُّ وتَرْضَى
Translation: “O Allah! Make Your fear and remembrance the obsession of my mind and divert my will and courage to the performance of deeds that please You.”
لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله
Translation: There is no power to neither do any good nor prevent any evil except in Allah
- Recite the Ta’awwudh as much as possible.
- Recite Surah Al-Falaq and Surah Al-Naas
- Implore Allah Taalah in Du’aa to alleviate you from your predicament. Du’aa is the most powerful weapon of the believer.
- Read the book “Combating the whisperings of Shaytaan” by Hadhrat Moulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahimahullah).
Kindly refer to the following link to download the book:http://islamicexorcism.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/combating-the-whisperings-of-shaytaan.pdf
Our beloved Ustaadh Hadhrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai Saheb Hafidhaullah advises:
When you are on a highway filled with smoke that obscures the road, you will not worry to remove the smoke. You will focus on the road and drive through the smoke. You will pay attention on the road and not at the smoke.
The wasaawis are like the smoke. Ignore the wasaawis and work through them even though your work might feel obscured. Do not get caught up with the tricks of Shaytaan.
We also advise you to consult a medical expert to assist you overcome the challenge. Medical treatment has proven to be extremely helpful. There are many people who experience similar problems and get medical treatment.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Muhammad I.V Patel
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Nabeel Valli
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia