Assalamu Alaikum,
I have been experiencing severe waswasa with regards to hesitation and intention during wudu and salah. It can take me longer than 40 minutes to pray sometimes because I keep stopping prayer before I finish the first rakah. This has happened so many times during each salah sometimes I even miss prayer time even though I have been trying to pray for over half-an-hour. I know it isn’t permissible to stop prayer for no good reason, but I don’t even feel like I’m in control of my own thoughts. My main issue is for every minor thing that happens after I start prayer (mispronouncing something or having someone enter the room I’m in or hearing my brother yell), my mind immediately goes ‘should I stop prayer?’ or ‘this has invalidated my prayer I need to start again’ . It feels automatic, like it’s a thought that comes to my mind whether I like it or not. And since hesitation in intention invalidates salah, I feel that thinking this has already has invalidated my salah so I feel the need to start all over again. This happens many times before every salah, and it’s causing a lot of hardship and resulting in me missing prayers at times and I don’t know how to control it. People say to ignore it but I don’t know how, I feel like the hesitation is automatic and then obviously my salah is invalid. How do I get rid of this waswasa, for example are there any specific dua’s to read?
My second question is about conditional intentions. For example, while making wudu while you have a bad stomach you think ‘I intend to make wudu but if I feel the need to pass wind I will just let is pass’. Or, for example, I am very terrified of insects and there tends to be centipedes and large insects that go across the floor occasionally as I live in the basement floor. For me to intend to make salah while knowing in my mind that if a bug ran out I would end my prayer as I would be way too scared to remain still. Are conditional intentions such as these invalid? (note that I cannot help being terrified when I see insects, I really have no control over it)
Jazakallah
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother in Islam,
At the outset, you need to determine whether you are performing an act of Ibadah through wudhu and Salaah or you are worshipping your feelings.
If you intend making ibadah through wudhu and Salaah, then that is the order of Allah which has to be fulfilled with the rules of Shariah.
You cannot perform an act of ibadah with your rules. That is not ibadah. In fact it is worshipping your feelings.
Shariah clearly states once you commence your Salaah, you will have to continue.
If you break your Salaah for all the reasons you mentioned, that is not Salaah. You are following your feelings under the misconception that you are perfecting your Salaah. You are wrong in doing so and thinking so.
Condition your mind before making wudhu and performing Salaah that you will continue until the end. If need be, write a note in your wudhu area or Salaah area. Continue wudhu, Salaah until completed. If you are distracted focus on the note to strengthen your thought and proceed.
This will gradually form into a habit. Remember, perform wudhu and Salaah and worship Allah.
Don’t worship your thoughts and feelings.
There is a maxim in jurisprudence:
اليقين لا يزول بالشك
Certainty is not dispelled by doubt.
There are many ways to deal with Wasaawis (evil whisperings):
(1) Constantly recite the undermentioned supplication recommended by Rasulullah Sallalahu Alai Wasalam for removing these whisperings. The supplication (dua) is as follows:
اَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ وَسَاوِسَ قلبي خَشْيَتَكَ وذِكْرَكَ واجْعَلْ همتي وهَوَايَ فِيْمَا تُحِبُّ وتَرْضَى
“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.”
(Al Hizbul Aa’zam)
(2) Recite the Ta’awwudh as much as possible.
(3) Recite the following Du’aa:
لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله
There is no power to neither do any good nor prevent any evil except in Allah
(4) Whenever any doubt/waswasa arises, tell yourself that your Salaah, wudhu, ghusl and everything else is correct and valid no matter what Shaytani whisperings enter the mind. As a remedy, tell yourself that every action of mine is valid irrespective of the evil whisperings. This may be difficult for the first few times, but it will become much easier after effort and hard work.
(5) Implore Allah Taalah in Du’aa to alleviate you from your predicament. Du’aa is the most powerful weapon of the believer.
(6) Read the book “Combating the whisperings of Shaytaan” by HadhratMoulanaYunus Patel Saheb (RahmatullahiAlayhi).
Kindly refer to this link to download the book.
My 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 trick of Shaytan.
May Almighty Allah alleviate you from your predicament. Aameen.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Muhammad I.V Patel
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.