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How to combat these Evil thoughts?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

Islamic question : one of my friend name I m not mentioning due to his request 

He is very upset and depressed due to weak faith and believe. 

He tells his faith towards all Islamic pillers and akhirah are weak in past he  were fine but since more than 2 Year suddenly his imaan going weak even he started 5 times pray , tasbihat etc but not getting faith back he has a fear of die he always think about death and thereafter what happens even he is now almost psycho and fully depressed he said he cannot explain what thoughts comes in his mind he not comfortable to say but he said believe on everything are going weak even sometimes like worse Believe on Allah , prophet ,about paradise and  hell ,grave life all his believe very doubtful (naauzubillah) due to this he cries many times he try to involve in religious activities but he faced more problems when he listens something about his doubts. 

He has major fear of die

& die without imaan 

He always think I m on right track or  not if I am wrong and died on wrong religion (Naauzubillah) than what happens even as Muslims .

He also mentioned one thing, in past he not offered prayers and his imaan were well protected but when he started prayer thereafter starts gradually these issues : 

I have no answer for this how respond him .kindly explain shariah rulling on the above mentioned matter may Allah give u jaza ameen

Answer

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

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

We make dua that Allah Ta’ala remove your friend’s doubts and makes him and us steadfast on Islaam.

Allah Ta’ala created us and informed us that Shaytaan is our enemy, Allah Ta’ala says,

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ

Translation:

“Indeed Shaytaan, to man, is a manifest enemy”. [Quraan 12:5]

 

Shaytaan himself vowed to miss lead the believers, Allah Ta’ala informs us the Quraan,

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا

Translation:

And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss. [ Quraan/ 4:119]

Shaytaan being our enemy will employ different tactics to accomplish his mission of misleading us and making us loose our Imaan(faith). Your friend’s feeling of concern and worry about his thoughts are not something new. In fact, the Sahaabah (May Allah be pleased with them) complained to Nabi (Sallahu Alayhi Wasaalam) about evil thoughts. Consider the following report narrated by Abu Hurarah (May Allah be pleased with him),  

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلُوهُ إِنَّا نَجِدُ فِي أَنْفُسِنَا مَا يَتَعَاظَمُ أَحَدُنَا أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ وَقَدْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ ذَاكَ صَرِيحُ الإِيمَانِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

Translation:

Some people from amongst the Companions of the Nabi (ﷺ) came to him and said: Verily we perceive in our minds that which every one of us considers it too grave to express. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you really perceive it? They said: Yes. Upon this he remarked: That is the faith manifest. [Muslim/ Hadeeth No. 239&247]

You say that when your friend was not punctual on his Salaah, then he did not have these doubts but now after becoming punctual, he is getting doubts. This makes sense because since Shaytaaan’s objective is to mislead the believers, he devotes more time and energy to those who are on the right track, why mislead the misled? A thief will not break in to an empty house, rather he will break into a place which have valuables. This is why getting doubts and being troubled by it is a sign of Imaan as this demonstrates Shaytaan’s extra effort to mislead you.

When these thoughts trouble your friend, he should recite, Ta’awudh,

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Also recite;

لَا حول وَلَا قُوَّة إِلَّا بِاللَّه الْعلي الْعَظِيم

Advise your friend to spent time in the company of the pious. Also, your friend should try his utmost to keep himself occupied as it is well known that an idle mind is a devil’s worship.

And Allaah Ta’aala Knows Best

Muhammed Al-Ameen Bin Moulana Ismail Akoo

Student, Darul Iftaa

Newcastle; 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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