Severe Waswas help

[Lowest-Slave]

Aslaamu Alaikum,

I pray that you are all in the best of health, wealth and Imaan insha’allah.

For the past few months, I began suffering from waswas. Although this has happened to me in the past, I have always ignored it and gone about my way. However, for the past few months, the waswas has been extremely severe, to the extent that I get shirk thoughts so much, almost as if it is constant throughout the day. I get these thoughts especially during Salah, and in particular, during rukuh and sujood. No matter how much i try to ignore it, I still get these bad thoughts during these positions. I has got to a point where I have to keep renewing my intention during salah itself that i am praying to Allah alone, and if i dont, i start panicking.

The rest of my day goes thinking whether these shirk thoughts were my own, or whether I had t committed shirk. Sometimes I feel very confused in even differentiating my own intention with thoughts.

Any advice would be greatly welcomed. As a result of these thoughts, i started praying 5 times, I started zikr more often, and I have also began offering additional nawafils. However, I feel scared and depressed that I have transgressed and Allah won’t forgive me.

Any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jazaak’Allah khair

[Hamza Asadullah]

Aslaamu Alaikum,

I pray that you are all in the best of health, wealth and Imaan insha’allah.

For the past few months, I began suffering from waswas. Although this has happened to me in the past, I have always ignored it and gone about my way. However, for the past few months, the waswas has been extremely severe, to the extent that I get shirk thoughts so much, almost as if it is constant throughout the day. I get these thoughts especially during Salah, and in particular, during rukuh and sujood. No matter how much i try to ignore it, I still get these bad thoughts during these positions. I has got to a point where I have to keep renewing my intention during salah itself that i am praying to Allah alone, and if i dont, i start panicking.

The rest of my day goes thinking whether these shirk thoughts were my own, or whether I had t committed shirk. Sometimes I feel very confused in even differentiating my own intention with thoughts.

Any advice would be greatly welcomed. As a result of these thoughts, i started praying 5 times, I started zikr more often, and I have also began offering additional nawafils. However, I feel scared and depressed that I have transgressed and Allah won’t forgive me.

Any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jazaak’Allah khair

Assalaamu Alaikum,

Please refer to the following thread which has years of articles and advices to help tackle Waswasa in worship. Go through it and practice and implement what you have read and if you need any further assistance then please do not hesitate to post back:

How to overcome Waswas (Shaythans whispers) in worship

[whitedove]

You don't lose anything by getting ruqyah done to rule out any other causes.

[Flos]

There's also one thing that might help you a lot. Waswasas are constant whisper. Shaytan keeps telling you one thing for so many times until it gets to your mind. It's like hypnosis.

So, what do you need to do is to repeat the opposite, the more the possible. Like, in your case - shahadah, but repeat it firmly with an attitude of a true believer.

If you get idea that Allah wont forgive you something, then just tell yourself outloud - Allah is Al Gafar, Al Gafur, Ar Rahman... and He promised to forgive. Allah never breaks His promises... - So things like this. Like in this thread, shared by brother - get the knowledge.

Also, recite surah Falaq and Nnas a lot. That's what Allah sent us as a very simple remedy.

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[Labayk]

Aslaamu Alaikum,

I pray that you are all in the best of health, wealth and Imaan insha’allah.

For the past few months, I began suffering from waswas. Although this has happened to me in the past, I have always ignored it and gone about my way. However, for the past few months, the waswas has been extremely severe, to the extent that I get shirk thoughts so much, almost as if it is constant throughout the day. I get these thoughts especially during Salah, and in particular, during rukuh and sujood. No matter how much i try to ignore it, I still get these bad thoughts during these positions. I has got to a point where I have to keep renewing my intention during salah itself that i am praying to Allah alone, and if i dont, i start panicking.

The rest of my day goes thinking whether these shirk thoughts were my own, or whether I had t committed shirk. Sometimes I feel very confused in even differentiating my own intention with thoughts.

Any advice would be greatly welcomed. As a result of these thoughts, i started praying 5 times, I started zikr more often, and I have also began offering additional nawafils. However, I feel scared and depressed that I have transgressed and Allah won’t forgive me.

Any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jazaak’Allah khair

Brother, this is clearly from shaitan. Proof of this is the fact that you don't like these thoughts at all. That they are intrusive and occur without your consent or desire. This all shows that it is not from you but somewhere else.

However, I feel scared and depressed that I have transgressed and Allah won’t forgive me.

Bro, even if we were to all assume the worst (which I don't agree with), then all one needs to do is make Tawbah and there will be no harm inshaAllah. Even if one were to commit full-blown shirk with Allah (wa authoo billilah), if that person made tawbah Allah would forgive him/her and admit him/her into His Mercy.

Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.1Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (az-Zumar: 53)

I very much agree with what Flos said. Constant Thikr for constant waswas. If shaitan sees that you are persistent he will have no choice but to eventually leave you alone, otherwise you will keep earning ajr.

[SoldierAmatUllah]

Waswas are a headache.We shouldn't let it consume ourselves,rather work against it... shouldn't stop just because of them.

Last few weeks I said aloud that I won't listen to waswas,nor stop anything because of them& I succeeded but sadly it's all back& I'm gonna try hitting it out because it's from devil& yet it seems so so much as if it's a punishment.

[Labayk]

Waswas are a headache.We shouldn't let it consume ourselves,rather work against it... shouldn't stop just because of them.


Last few weeks I said aloud that I won't listen to waswas,nor stop anything because of them& I succeeded but sadly it's all back& I'm gonna try hitting it out because it's from devil& yet it seems so so much as if it's a punishment.

I also have tried that and have successfully gotten only so far as well. Doing that has to be combined with constant Thikr. Allah said:


"And whoever turns away from remembrance of the Most Merciful - We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion." (Az-Zukhruf: 36)

Allah (Subhana wa ta Ala), in His Decree, gives the shaitan power over the one who neglects to remember Allah. This can happen in degrees. For the Muslim, once he/she neglects Thikr of Allah, the shaitan then has a chance and will have some influence over that person in accordance to how negligent they are. If the Mumin has times throughout the day when they aren't remembering Allah, these act as gaps in his/her defenses and the shayateen have opportunities to attack. For the one who turns away from Islam completely and completely abandons the thikr of Allah, then shaitan will have more or less complete authority over him/her.


The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “I command you to remember Allah. Verily, the parable of that is a man who goes forth while his enemies are fast upon him, and then he comes to a safe fortress, where he protects himself from them. In the same way, a servant will not protect himself against Shaytān except by the dhikr of Allah.” [Tirmidhī 2863]

...remember Allah much that you may be successful. (al-Anfal: 45)


"O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance." (al-Ahzab: 41)

Ibn 'Abbas said: "Allah did not enjoin any duty upon His servants without setting known limits and accepting the excuses of those who have a valid excuse-- apart from Thikr, for Allah has not set any limits for it, and no one has any excuse for not remembering Allah unless he is oppressed and forced to neglect it. "

With Salah we have the five daily prayers. As long as the Muslim says the five prayers, he has fulfilled his obligation (even though he can do more). With fasting, we have the month of Ramadan. With Zakat, we have a fixed amount. With Hajj, we have once in a lifetime. But for Thikr, the obligation is as much as humanly possible. We have to be constant in Allah's Remembrance. Then shaitan will have no chance. This is not something voluntary or extra, it is mandatory and one should repent and make Tawbah if an extended amount of time goes without doing Thikr.

yet it seems so so much as if it's a punishment

Afflictions from shaitan and the struggle we go through because of him are a test from Allah. But even if it is a punishment, then the solution will still be the same:


The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “For everything there is a polish, and the polish of the heart is the remembrance of Allah. There is nothing better a person can do to save himself from Allah’s punishment than to remember Him.” [Bayhaqī 1/ 319-320]


Whether we are living a life of ease and comfort, or we are living a life of suffering and hardship, in both cases what we will do constantly until death, inshaAllah, is search meticulously for any errors or flaws in our actions/habits and seek out whatever exists within our character that is not 100% in accordance with Allah's Book and the teachings of His Noble Messenger (Salalahu 'Alaihi wa Salaam) and strive our best to bridge that gap while seeking Allah's forgiveness for our inevitable shortcomings. If we do that Allah will not Punish us:


"What would Allah do with [i.e., gain from] your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing." (an-Nisa: 147)