Home » Hanafi Fiqh » Askimam.org » I have OCD and miss my salah because I’m constantly taking showers after using the washroom. What should I do?

I have OCD and miss my salah because I’m constantly taking showers after using the washroom. What should I do?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

Physchiatrist say’s I have OCD. I am changing my clothes alot as a result of constantly getting dirty could have been that I have touched something or whilst using the toilet I make a mistake as a result of which due the area dirty I can only easily wash with it with a bath and I am having to bathe. I feel tired as a result and miss prayer’s even when in a dirty state. I don’t go the mosque for the same reason. Basically I am constantly making mistake’s that call for a change of clothes, shower. I am deeply stressed this has been going on since 2003 as a result of which i wasn’t able to graduate from University and even now I don’t work to my full potential at Dad’s Takeway. My mind is constantly occupied.

Answer

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

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

May Allah grant you relief and cure you. Ameen.

Aside from taking a bath for personal hygiene and the obligation to take a bath after discharge of semen or intercourse, you do not need to take a bath to perform salah and there is no such requirement in Islam to do so.

In short, you do not need to take a bath if you are not doing anything that obligates a ghusl, and by this repetitive action you are missing your salah and ruining your life. Here are some steps you can take toward getting back to a normal life, Insha-Allah:

First and foremost, make dua daily asking Allah to cure you and protect you from the whisperings of Shaytan.

Secondly, consult a professional to get treated for OCD. If you cannot consult a professional immediately, start by making small reductions in your cleaning rituals and monitoring them until you can get professional treatment.

Start by monitoring the number of times you take a bath in a week and note it down. The following week make it your goal to reduce that number by 1 or 2. For example, if you take 14 showers a week, reduce it to 13 or 12 the next week and so on, until you gain enough control over your OCD to stop taking showers repetitively.

Likewise, monitor the average length of time you take in the washroom for washing up and wudu and write it down. Then make it your goal to reduce this time in the washroom by a little every day until it goes down to an acceptable time.

Example: If it takes you 45 minutes normally, set a time-limit of 44 or 43 minutes and so on. Gradually reduce your time in the washroom every day even if its by just a minute.  Do not give up. Write it down so that you can note your progress. Here is an example to use:






Date

Start Time

End Time

Total Time

Reduction

04/21/15

9:00 am

9:40 am

40 minutes

 –

04/22/15

9:00 am

9:39 am

39 minutes

1 minutes

04/23/15

9:00 am

9:37 am

37 minutes

2 minutes

04/24/15

9:00 am

9:36 am

36 minutes

1 minutes

If you know for sure that a portion of your clothing or body was soiled when you used the washroom, then as long as the impurity is equal to or less than 2.75 cm in diameter (1.08 inches) if it’s liquid or 4 grams (0.14 ounces) if it’s solid, salah will still be valid without washing it off. While it will be better to wash off that impurity, it is not necessary to do so for the salah to be valid. If you wash it off, only wash the soiled portion whether on your clothes or on your body. Then perform wudu and pray your salah. There is no need to take a bath for this. [i] 

Doubt is one of the main features of OCD. The principle you need to keep in mind is that: “Certainty is not negated by doubt,” meaning that as long as you only have a doubt about impurity on your clothes or body, you do not need to change or wash your clothes. They will be considered pure and your salah valid. Allah has made following Islam easy. Tell yourself that you are a slave of Allah and you will follow His rules instead of making up your own rules.

Likewise, while performing wudu, when you have poured water over each limb three times and passed your wet hand over it, consider that limb complete. Do not keep rubbing it nor pouring more water over it, even if you get doubts. [ii] 

After wudu, if you get any doubts that you did not perform wudu correctly say to yourself that you performed wudu according to the way of Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and that is the perfect way. Insha-Allah your misgivings will go away.

If you don’t start on a plan to defeat your OCD, these misgivings will continue to affect you daily. You don’t have anything to lose. Start implementing the above steps daily and see a professional at your earliest convenience.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Sohail ibn Arif,
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

والأقرب أن غسل الدرهم وما دونه مستحب مع العلم به والقدرة على غسله، فتركه حينئذ خلاف الأولى، نعم [i]

 الدرهم غسله آكد مما دونه، فتركه أشد كراهة كما يستفاد من غير ما كتاب من مشاهير كتب المذهب.
ففي المحيط: يكره أن يصلي ومعه قدر درهم أو دونه من النجاسة عالما به لاختلاف الناس فيه. زاد في مختارات النوازل قادرا على إزالته وحديث «تعاد الصلاة من قدر الدرهم من الدم» لم يثبت، ولو ثبت حمل على استحباب الإعادة توفيقا بينه وبين ما دل عليه الإجماع على سقوط غسل المخرج بعد الاستجمار من سقوط قدر الدرهم من النجاسة مطلقا اهـ ملخصا.
أقول: ويؤيده قوله في الفتح: والصلاة مكروهة مع ما لا يمنع، حتى قيل لو علم قليل النجاسة عليه في الصلاة يرفضها ما لم يخف فوت الوقت أو الجماعة. اهـ. ومثله في النهاية والمحيط كما في البحر، فقد سوى بين الدرهم وما دونه في الكراهة ورفض الصلاة، ومعلوم أن ما دونه لا يكره تحريما إذ لا قائل به، فالتسوية في أصل الكراهة التنزيهية وإن تفاوتت فيهما، ويؤيده تعليل المحيط للكراهة باختلاف الناس فيه إذ لا يستلزم التحريم.

 رد المحتار، ١/ ٣١٧

قوله: لطمأنينة القلب لأنه أمر بترك ما يريبه إلى ما لا يريبه، وينبغي أن يقيد هذا بغير الموسوس، أما هو فيلزمه [ii]

 قطع  مادة الوسواس عنه وعدم التفاته إلى التشكيك؛ لأنه فعل الشيطان وقد أمرنا بمعاداته ومخالفته رحمتي، ويؤيده ما سنذكره قبيل فروض الغسل عن التتارخانية أنه لو شك في بعض وضوئه أعاده إلا إذا كان بعد الفراغ منه، أو كان الشك عادة له فإنه لا يعيده ولو قبل الفراغ قطعا للوسوسة عنه

 المرجع السابق، ١/ ١١٨ – ١١٩

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

Read answers with similar topics: