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)