Question: I didn’t pray or read the Quran. I asked relatives to teach me and help me understand certain aspects, and it helped me become a better Muslim. I’ve been praying now for over a year. Recently I’ve been having these terrible thoughts and doubts about Allah. Is this from Shaytan?
Answer: Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question.
The ability to control your thoughts is an undertaking but very doable. I pray that Allah guides you out of this and brings you back to your original zeal. Please see the following links for full information on your question.
Types of Thought, Blasphemy, and Sin
Plagued by Many Obsessive Thoughts
Plagued by Thoughts of Faith in Allah
Remember that your worry about having these thoughts and your contempt of them is a sign of clear faith. Don’t despair in the mercy of Allah and that He can remove them from you. I assure you: you are capable of getting rid of them.
Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, came to him and said, ‘We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to speak of.’ He said, ‘Are you really having such thoughts?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That is a clear sign of faith’ [Muslim].
There are different types of thoughts, and they do have different moral weights. However, one is not held accountable for passing thoughts if one acknowledges the ones that are bad and discards them immediately.
These negative thoughts could be from the Shaytan, or from one’s own ego (nafs), so occupy yourself with ridding yourself of these thoughts and not where they are from. As soon as the thoughts comes to you, seek refuge from the Devil, and make dhikr. Continue this and soon it will become a habit and the Devil will learn that his whispering only causes you to remember Allah, so he will stop. May Allah help you through this and purify all of our souls.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.