OCD

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

I am writing this mail to request you to take into consideration the issues related with ocd patients. The number of ocd patients with taharah related issues is rising day by day. According to my experience the whole problem begins with the issue of urine or madhi drops. I know so many friends who got ocd because of problem of urine drops. 

I am suffering from ocd since last 5 years and sometimes it becomes very severe. My studies and academics suffered very severely since last five years. I used to get urine and madhi drops regularly. I had to wash my underpants before every salah. But many times madhi or urine drops used to come just after washing the underpants so i used to wash them again. If drops came during salah then i had to repeat the salaah after washing my underpants. I could not concentreate in my salah. During salah always i used to think about my private parts and whether drop has come or not. Many a times drop came just before the imam said takbir e tahrima and i was totally confused whether to leave the jamaah or not. I developed a fear of salaah with jamaah. I avoided praying in the first row due to fear of getting drops and not being able to leave the jamaah. I explained my situation to a mufti sahab and he told me to pray every salah with one wudhu and put a tissue paper infront of  your private part and remove it before every salah. But putting a tissue paper and removing it before every salah is very difficult. That needs  a toilet or a closed space wherever you go. My mind was always stuck in -oh i have to remove the tissue paper before salah. I have to find a closed space etc Sometimes the private part used to slip away from the tissue paper and I used to get doubt that madhi drop has come to the underpant. All this lead to severe and very severe ocd. Initially it was just about taharah but later the ocd spread to almost every aspect of life. I am getting continous doubts regarding AQAID too. Later one mufti sahab told me that 1 dirham najasat is excused. But then I started getting continous doubt about whether the najasat has exceeded 1 dirham or not. All my focus the whole day is about my private parts and whether drop has come or not or whether it has exceeded 1 dirham or not. But still i did not come in the category of maazur because in between every salaah i got the the time to complete the salaah without urine drops( though without any concentration)

I told the problem to mufti sahab and then he told me to pray salaah with najasat on  underpants even if it exceeds 1 dirham. He told me that i dont need to wash the najasat. He gave this ruling keeping in mind my ocd problem.This has really helped me in getting concentration in salaah.

But now i am getting doubts that the ruling which mufti sahab gave to me is about maazur and I am not maazur so will my salah be valid with this ruling???  I know 110% that my ocd will never get cured if i dont follow this ruling.  But is my salah valid with najasat on my underpants that may exceed 1 dirham??? I perform one wudhu for every salaah and if drops come i dont repeat the salah. Do i have to repeat my salah in future?? I have been praying salah like this since last many months.

I request the ulama to sit together and find out certain relaxations in purity matters for ocd patients. Please I request darul ifta to write an article after consulting other ulama about relaxations given to ocd patients. The problem of ocd is getting worse in muslim populations due to purity issues. I think that the condition for maazur in hanafi fiqh is very strict. A person will 100% get ocd before that condition is met.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

May Allah Ta’ala grant you complete Shifa. Aameen.

OCD is a medical condition. We advise you to consult a physician who will be able to correctly diagnose you and prescribe the required medication InShaAllah.

In the meantime, you should ignore the whispers of Shaytaan and perform your Salaah and other Ibaadaat with a clear conscience.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Yusuf bin Moulana Abdur Rahim Khan

Student Darul Iftaa
Chatsworth, Durban, KZN, South Africa                   

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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