OCD hampering my ibadah

[RaihanBD]

Salaam,

I’m suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) for the past 2-3 yrs and this is hampering my Ibadah in many ways. Unfortunately there is no known cure for OCD except for a few drugs and these drugs have side effects. So will Allah SWT punish me for the mistakes I do due to my illness and is there any cure for this illness in the Qur’an.

Jazak Allah

[Woodrow]

You are quite correct in saying there is no cure and yes the few drugs do have side effects that can be worse than the disorder.

Naturally the best thing is to continue to make Du'a for relief from this problem.

Until releif is found perhaps you can find some good uses for your disorder. I once had a friend and her compulsion was continuous cleaning of the house, she could not stop and had actually worn the paint off of some of the walls. She decided to try a job as a house cleaner, and did fantastic at it. After several years, she gained some good control over her disorder and while she was working to gain control, she was providing a beneficial service.

I do not know what your compulsion is, but perhaps you may be able to think of a way to use it to benefit others.

Sadly, most people do not understand OCD and can not comprehend how it can interfer with the victims life to such a large degree.

My understanding is Allah(swt) does not punish us for the mistake we make that are the result of illness.

I will remember you in my Du'as

[Muslim Knight]

Remember me as well in your Du'a, Uncle. I have OCD too. I keep forgetting whether I've locked the car or not.

[- Qatada -]

I think that this is a really big trick of shaytan, and he uses this against alot of people so that they give up their hope in Allaah Almighty.


One example of this is when people have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD]:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

“Beware the whispers with regard to water (i.e., wudoo’) which is caused by a devil called al-Walhaan” – because that causes a person to go to extremes with regard to doing wudoo’, as was explained in Sharh Mishkaat al-Anwaar.

----

This is from another post, so some things might not relate to you. But its referring to the waswasa (satanic whispers) so it might be of some help insha'Allaah.



jazak Allaah khayr for explaining your situation, because the cure to ignorance is asking, as our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his beloved family) said.



I just want you to know that what you are experiencing now is quite common to happen to the believer (the mu'min) and it is a sign of faith. In islam, its called waswasa (the whisperings of satan) and it is one of the ways shaytan will try to put someone off the right path.


Its also important to remember that one of the main reasons you feel weak is because you believe in Allaah, but you don't have any evidence in your mind to prove those satanic thoughts wrong. And the only cure to that is by reading more and more from the Qur'an and Sunnah to clear the misconceptions that satan puts in your mind. This way, the more evidence you have - the more stronger a believer you will become insha'Allaah, and the more evidence you will have to drive away them satanic thoughts insha'Allaah.

We advise you not to pay any attention to these whispers, and to ignore them, and to do the opposite of what they are calling you to do. For these whispers (waswaas) come from the Shaytaan to cause grief to those who believe. The best way to deal with them is to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr), to seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan [by saying: a`udhu billahi mina ash-shaytani ar-rajim; I seek refuge and protection in Allah from Satan, the accursed).], to keep away from sins and wrong actions which are the means by which Iblees gains control over the sons of Adam. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, he [the Shaytaan] has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord (Allaah)”

[al-Nahl 16:99]

It is worth quoting here what Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (may Allaah have mercy on him) said about dealing with waswasah in his book al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, 1/149. This is what he said:

“He was asked about the problem of waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan), and whether there is a remedy for it.

He replied by saying that there is an effective remedy for it, which is to ignore them completely, no matter how frequently they may come to mind. When these whispers are ignored, they do not become established, rather they go away after a short time, as many people have experienced. But for those who pay attention to them and act upon them, they increase until they make him like one who is insane or even worse, as we see among many of those who have suffered from them and paid attention to them and to the devil whose task it is to insinuate these whispers, whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against when he said, “Beware the whispers with regard to water (i.e., wudoo’) which is caused by a devil called al-Walhaan” – because that causes a person to go to extremes with regard to doing wudoo’, as was explained in Sharh Mishkaat al-Anwaar.


In al-Saheehayn there is a report which supports what has been mentioned above, which is that whoever suffers from waswaas should seek refuge with Allaah and turn away from the waswaas. So think about this effective remedy which was taught by the one who does not speak of his own whims and desires to his ummah, and understand that whoever is deprived of this is deprived of all goodness, because waswasah comes from the Shaytaan, according to scholarly consensus, and the accursed one (the Shaytaan) has no other desire than to make the believers go astray, make them confused, make their life a misery, cause them distress to the extent that they leave Islam without realizing it.

“Surely, Shaytaan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy”

[Faatir 35:6 – interpretation of the meaning]

According to another hadeeth, the one who suffers from waswasah should say, “Aamantu Billaahi wa bi rusulihi (I believe in Allaah and in His Messengers).” Undoubtedly, whoever thinks of the paths of the Messengers of Allaah, especially our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will find that his path and his law is easy and clear, with no hardship in it.

“… and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship”

[al-Hajj 22:78 – interpretation of the meaning]

Whoever ponders this and believes in it sincerely, the problem of waswasah and listening to the Shaytaan will go away. In the book of Ibn al-Sunni it is narrated via ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), “Whoever suffers from this waswaas, let him say ‘Aamantu Billaahi wa bi rusulihi (I believe in Allaah and in His Messengers)’, three times, and it will go away from him.”

Al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam and others mentioned something similar to the above. They said: the treatment for waswasah is to believe that this is an idea from the Shaytaan and that Iblees is the one who is bringing these thoughts to his mind, and he should strive to fight him. Then he will have the reward of the mujaahid, because he is fighting the enemy of Allaah. If he does that, then the Shaytaan will flee from him. This is what mankind has been tested with from the beginning of time, and Allaah has given him (Iblees) some power over man as a test for him, so that Allaah may show the truth to be true and falsehood to be false, even though the disbelievers may hate that.


In Muslim, hadeeth no. 2203, it is narrated that ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi’l-‘Aas said: “The Shaytaan was interfering with my prayer and recitation of Qur’aan. He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ] said: ‘That is a devil called Khanzab, so seek refuge with Allaah from him and spit drily to your left three times.’ I did that, and Allaah took him away from me.”

This hadeeth proves the point we are making, which is that waswasah can only overpower the one who is ignorant and confused and does not know what’s what. But the one who has knowledge and understanding will the Sunnah and keep away from bid’ah. The worst of the innovators are those who follow waswaas, hence Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that his shaykh al-Rabee’ – who was the imam of the people of his time – was the fastest of the people in relieving himself and doing wudoo’.


Ibn Hurmuz used to be slow in relieving himself and in doing wudoo’, and he used to say “I have a problem, do not follow my example.”


Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said that one of the scholars thought it was mustahabb for the one who was affected by waswasah with regard to his wudoo or prayer to say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, for when the Shaytaan hears dhikr (remembrance of Allaah) he slinks away, and Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah is the best of dhikr, and the most effective remedy for warding off waswasah is to remember Allaah a great deal.

We ask Allaah to take away the waswasah that you are suffering and to increase us and you in faith, righteousness and piety. Ameen.

And Allaah knows best.


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[aamirsaab]

:sl:

Salaam,

I’m suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) for the past 2-3 yrs and this is hampering my Ibadah in many ways. Unfortunately there is no known cure for OCD except for a few drugs and these drugs have side effects. So will Allah SWT punish me for the mistakes I do due to my illness and is there any cure for this illness in the Qur’an.

Jazak Allah

Could you provide an example of your OCD as there are different types. I studied OCD during psychology A level, I may be able to help if more details are given (my notes are still in my room :D)

[RaihanBD]

Jazak Allah all of you for taking the time to reply to me. I will make Dua as suggested by most of you and I ask you all to make Dua for me.

[Pk_#2]

:sl:


Could you provide an example of your OCD as there are different types. I studied OCD during psychology A level, I may be able to help if more details are given (my notes are still in my room :D)

urgh u geek

[Pk_#2]

Jazak Allah all of you for taking the time to reply to me. I will make Dua as suggested by most of you and I ask you all to make Dua for me.

AsalamuAlaykum,

Make du'aa ma benny bruva :)

hehe i'll make dua inshaAllah Tc of yourself :D

[RaihanBD]

AsalamuAlaykum,

Make du'aa ma benny bruva :)

hehe i'll make dua inshaAllah Tc of yourself :D

Who's benny??? And who's Sheffy!!! Oh n btw.. ur sig... "apparently" has 2 p's :giggling:

[Muslim Knight]

:sl:


Could you provide an example of your OCD as there are different types. I studied OCD during psychology A level, I may be able to help if more details are given (my notes are still in my room :D)

I keep forgetting whether the car is not locked or not. How to cure this? I keep walking back to the car. It's deliberately making me late for things.

[Woodrow]

I keep forgetting whether the car is not locked or not. How to cure this? I keep walking back to the car. It's deliberately making me late for things.

This is probably the result of feeling uncomfortable about wanting to go to your destination. The best thing would be to concentrate on the reason you want to be there and the positive benefits for going. Also keep reminding your self that you deserve those benefits and have a right to them.

You seem to be engaging in a form of self sabatoge either because you are anticipating the worse or you feel undeserving to gain the benefits of your destination.

What you can do is get small note book, on each page write "Locked Car" then each time you lock the car, make a short notation as to where you are and the time. When you get the feeling look into the notebook and see if you made the notation, instead of walking back to the car. Very soon you should find yourself substituting the notebook for the walking back.

As you make the notations say a short Du'a to Allah(swt) asking his help to give you the strength in remembering the car locking. Another thing is to be certain you leave for you destination in ample time where you will arrive early enough that if you do walk back to the car it will not make you late. Also make Du'a to be given patience and to understand that it will take time for this habit to end.

[syilla]

:sl:

how to recognize that we have mild OCD?

can you please lists the characteristics or the behaviour of mild OCD.

[Umar001]

Salaam,

I’m suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) for the past 2-3 yrs and this is hampering my Ibadah in many ways. Unfortunately there is no known cure for OCD except for a few drugs and these drugs have side effects. So will Allah SWT punish me for the mistakes I do due to my illness and is there any cure for this illness in the Qur’an.

Jazak Allah

Wa aleykum salam,

It is established in hadeeth that a lady came to the prophet, peace be upon him, she had a problem, she had an illness and when the illness took place she became naked.

Allah's apostle actually gave her the option, you can keep the illness and be patient and you will recieve paradise! She accepted but she asked him to pray that she does not become uncovered when the effects of the illness take place and he prayed for her.

Allahu Alim if this applies to you.

[Muslim Knight]

Wa aleykum salam,

It is established in hadeeth that a lady came to the prophet, peace be upon him, she had a problem, she had an illness and when the illness took place she became naked.

Allah's apostle actually gave her the option, you can keep the illness and be patient and you will recieve paradise! She accepted but she asked him to pray that she does not become uncovered when the effects of the illness take place and he prayed for her.

Allahu Alim if this applies to you.

masha Allah! I remember reading this hadeeth too!

May Allah shower all of us with His Blessings and Mercy. Ameen!

[Skillganon]

I keep forgetting whether the car is not locked or not. How to cure this? I keep walking back to the car. It's deliberately making me late for things.

I use to have the same problem. I use to keep forgetting if I switched of the Gas on coocker mainly during night time.
AS woodrow said: it because I feared the worse.

My partial cure was stop using the cooker. So I don't.

You migth wan't to sell the car to me, or maybe not.

[aamirsaab]

:sl:

how to recognize that we have mild OCD?

can you please lists the characteristics or the behaviour of mild OCD.

Obessive Compusive Disorder has a variety of types. Most common is washing hands. OCD generally stems from a form of extreme paranoia.

I keep forgetting whether the car is not locked or not. How to cure this? I keep walking back to the car. It's deliberately making me late for things.

From what I've learned, technically that would classify as a "minor" (or mild) form of OCD. However, I myself would diagnose you as just cautious. It's difficult sometimes to draw a line between forms of OCD and being generally prudent/cautious. Some psychologists would call one thing OCD, some wouldn't call it OCD at all.

You migth wan't to sell the car to me, or maybe not.

Or ride a bus....:p

Seriously though, there are several techniques one can use to help "cure" OCD. I'll have to read up on my notes to give you the full list.

[Re.TiReD]

I'm doing OCD in college...studying it that is...its all in the mind really isnt it...you should know that if you DONT do a certain thing for example washing your hands 5 million times....no harm will come to you :) just work on your thought processes :w:

[anonymous]

:sl: brothers and sisters.

i have an issue, im which inshallah, you can help me clarify, and deal with.
you see, a few monthds ago, i went through this OCD stage, where i thought that cetain things i done, consisted of kufr, and shirk. as a result, I got into this habit of doing ghusl, sometimes more than once a day,a nd on top of this, i have OCD with wodoo/ghusl in general, eg at the time of purification form menses. Alhamdulilah, i am over that stage (about the kufr/shirk), but the thing is, because of my OCD with the ghusl, i am abit hesidant on finiding/reseaching about things (islamic) about aqeedah, tawheed, etc. the reason being is that im afraid that i may find out that i may have done some act/s of kufr/shirk, therefore resulting in the OCD regarding ghusl, starting again.
my question is, how do i overcome this? i mean issuees such as aqeedah, are very important.
also, in general, i abit scared to find out/read/listen to lectures/books about hell, death, etc. i find the topics very disturbing.
i mean., i want to be a good servant of allah, but these things are in my way.

jazakallahu khair

:sl:

[Abdul Fattah]

It's very hard to say anything about this. OCD means obsessive compulsive disorder right? To what extend do you have control over such actions? What is the underlying problem? What exactly were the things you've done. I'm sorry but I think you should go and talk to an imam, I don't think this is a problem we can help you with here.

[- Qatada -]

I think that this is a really big trick of shaytan, and he uses this against alot of people so that they give up their hope in Allaah Almighty.


One example of this is when people have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD]:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

“Beware the whispers with regard to water (i.e., wudoo’) which is caused by a devil called al-Walhaan” – because that causes a person to go to extremes with regard to doing wudoo’, as was explained in Sharh Mishkaat al-Anwaar.

----

This is from another post, so some things might not relate to you. But its referring to the waswasa (satanic whispers) so it might be of some help insha'Allaah.



jazak Allaah khayr for explaining your situation, because the cure to ignorance is asking, as our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his beloved family) said.



I just want you to know that what you are experiencing now is quite common to happen to the believer (the mu'min) and it is a sign of faith. In islam, its called waswasa (the whisperings of satan) and it is one of the ways shaytan will try to put someone off the right path.


Its also important to remember that one of the main reasons you feel weak is because you believe in Allaah, but you don't have any evidence in your mind to prove those satanic thoughts wrong. And the only cure to that is by reading more and more from the Qur'an and Sunnah to clear the misconceptions that satan puts in your mind. This way, the more evidence you have - the more stronger a believer you will become insha'Allaah, and the more evidence you will have to drive away them satanic thoughts insha'Allaah.

We advise you not to pay any attention to these whispers, and to ignore them, and to do the opposite of what they are calling you to do. For these whispers (waswaas) come from the Shaytaan to cause grief to those who believe. The best way to deal with them is to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr), to seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan [by saying: a`udhu billahi mina ash-shaytani ar-rajim; I seek refuge and protection in Allah from Satan, the accursed).], to keep away from sins and wrong actions which are the means by which Iblees gains control over the sons of Adam. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, he [the Shaytaan] has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord (Allaah)”

[al-Nahl 16:99]

It is worth quoting here what Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (may Allaah have mercy on him) said about dealing with waswasah in his book al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, 1/149. This is what he said:

“He was asked about the problem of waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan), and whether there is a remedy for it.

He replied by saying that there is an effective remedy for it, which is to ignore them completely, no matter how frequently they may come to mind. When these whispers are ignored, they do not become established, rather they go away after a short time, as many people have experienced. But for those who pay attention to them and act upon them, they increase until they make him like one who is insane or even worse, as we see among many of those who have suffered from them and paid attention to them and to the devil whose task it is to insinuate these whispers, whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against when he said, “Beware the whispers with regard to water (i.e., wudoo’) which is caused by a devil called al-Walhaan” – because that causes a person to go to extremes with regard to doing wudoo’, as was explained in Sharh Mishkaat al-Anwaar.


In al-Saheehayn there is a report which supports what has been mentioned above, which is that whoever suffers from waswaas should seek refuge with Allaah and turn away from the waswaas. So think about this effective remedy which was taught by the one who does not speak of his own whims and desires to his ummah, and understand that whoever is deprived of this is deprived of all goodness, because waswasah comes from the Shaytaan, according to scholarly consensus, and the accursed one (the Shaytaan) has no other desire than to make the believers go astray, make them confused, make their life a misery, cause them distress to the extent that they leave Islam without realizing it.

“Surely, Shaytaan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy”

[Faatir 35:6 – interpretation of the meaning]

According to another hadeeth, the one who suffers from waswasah should say, “Aamantu Billaahi wa bi rusulihi (I believe in Allaah and in His Messengers).” Undoubtedly, whoever thinks of the paths of the Messengers of Allaah, especially our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will find that his path and his law is easy and clear, with no hardship in it.

“… and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship”

[al-Hajj 22:78 – interpretation of the meaning]

Whoever ponders this and believes in it sincerely, the problem of waswasah and listening to the Shaytaan will go away. In the book of Ibn al-Sunni it is narrated via ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), “Whoever suffers from this waswaas, let him say ‘Aamantu Billaahi wa bi rusulihi (I believe in Allaah and in His Messengers)’, three times, and it will go away from him.”

Al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam and others mentioned something similar to the above. They said: the treatment for waswasah is to believe that this is an idea from the Shaytaan and that Iblees is the one who is bringing these thoughts to his mind, and he should strive to fight him. Then he will have the reward of the mujaahid, because he is fighting the enemy of Allaah. If he does that, then the Shaytaan will flee from him. This is what mankind has been tested with from the beginning of time, and Allaah has given him (Iblees) some power over man as a test for him, so that Allaah may show the truth to be true and falsehood to be false, even though the disbelievers may hate that.


In Muslim, hadeeth no. 2203, it is narrated that ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi’l-‘Aas said: “The Shaytaan was interfering with my prayer and recitation of Qur’aan. He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ] said: ‘That is a devil called Khanzab, so seek refuge with Allaah from him and spit drily to your left three times.’ I did that, and Allaah took him away from me.”

This hadeeth proves the point we are making, which is that waswasah can only overpower the one who is ignorant and confused and does not know what’s what. But the one who has knowledge and understanding will the Sunnah and keep away from bid’ah. The worst of the innovators are those who follow waswaas, hence Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that his shaykh al-Rabee’ – who was the imam of the people of his time – was the fastest of the people in relieving himself and doing wudoo’.


Ibn Hurmuz used to be slow in relieving himself and in doing wudoo’, and he used to say “I have a problem, do not follow my example.”


Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said that one of the scholars thought it was mustahabb for the one who was affected by waswasah with regard to his wudoo or prayer to say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, for when the Shaytaan hears dhikr (remembrance of Allaah) he slinks away, and Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah is the best of dhikr, and the most effective remedy for warding off waswasah is to remember Allaah a great deal.

We ask Allaah to take away the waswasah that you are suffering and to increase us and you in faith, righteousness and piety. Ameen.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)

http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&QR=62839

If you feel uncomfortable with lectures which deal with the afterlife, i think you should listen to Muhammad al Shareef because he focuses on how to become a more stronger muslim:

http://www.kalamullah.com/muhammad-alshareef.html

[Muezzin]

Have you seen a psychiatrist about your OCD? It seems to be a variation of the compulsive hand-washing disorder thingy. I'm not sure how to cure it, but a psychiatrist would be.

Of course, also make dua to help you overcome this condition.

[anonymous]

:sl: brothers and sisters.
jazakallahu khair for your replies.
You see, the odd thing is, even up to now, i think that i do acts of kufr/shirk. but the odd thing is, i still get other wiswaas, like the ones about allah, and evil thoughts like that in geneal, for example thoughts like worshiping others, eg doing rokoo for other than allah. so i ask myself how it is possible to go have these thoughts and at the same time not be muslim. I don't get it?? this is one of the things, by the will of Allah that is stopping me from starting the OCD again.
please note that the evil thoughts about allah, occur and are at their stongest when im in prayer.

To what extend do you have control over such actions?

well brother steve, i have good and bad days. sometimes it reaches an extent where it may become an unconcious habit, that is, i don't feel like its me anymore, i know that sounds weird. Like sometimes i get OCD during wodoo, i keep on reapting my wodoo to the extent, i can't even exaplin exactly how it feels, but the closest thing i can think of is that i'm not concious that there is a me personaly. like basicallly i'm just moving and doing something in general.I hope that makes sense.

than, alhamduliah, i have good days, where i get so confused, and it gets to me that i jsut place my affairs in allahs hands. like whatever happens happens. and it is in allahs hands.

im worried that because of this OCD, my aqedah (not iman) itself will change. because the thing is, you begin to make up in your head these really weird things, such as possile reasons why this and that may be allowed, etc which as far as i know, have no basis in islam
. this is the reason why i need to kow the correct aqeedah, and want to find out about islam, but like i said before, the OCD regarding ghusl is what im afarid of.

and another thing is, even if i do do a ghusl, or if domeone provides me with an answer that im not guilty with what i think i maybe gulty with, im still gonna think of all these reasons as to why i need to do a ghusl. for example i'll give a similar situation. during prayer, sometimes i think that i have moved, and therefore not facing the qiblah, so i say to myself, okay just turn around and face it again (please DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE, i may be WRONG). but then if/when i do that, i say to myself, ohh, but you started with facing it, but then you moved, so you have to satrt the prayer again.
so, thats what i do, i start the prayer again.
my point is, is that it happens in footsteps. and thats wht im worried about. opening doors that i will find it hard to close
jazakallahu khair for all your replies.

:sl:

[Dhulqarnaeen]

:sl: brothers and sisters.
jazakallahu khair for your replies.
You see, the odd thing is, even up to now, i think that i do acts of kufr/shirk. but the odd thing is, i still get other wiswaas, like the ones about allah, and evil thoughts like that in geneal, for example thoughts like worshiping others, eg doing rokoo for other than allah. so i ask myself how it is possible to go have these thoughts and at the same time not be muslim. I don't get it?? this is one of the things, by the will of Allah that is stopping me from starting the OCD again.
please note that the evil thoughts about allah, occur and are at their stongest when im in prayer.

To what extend do you have control over such actions?

well brother steve, i have good and bad days. sometimes it reaches an extent where it may become an unconcious habit, that is, i don't feel like its me anymore, i know that sounds weird. Like sometimes i get OCD during wodoo, i keep on reapting my wodoo to the extent, i can't even exaplin exactly how it feels, but the closest thing i can think of is that i'm not concious that there is a me personaly. like basicallly i'm just moving and doing something in general.I hope that makes sense.

than, alhamduliah, i have good days, where i get so confused, and it gets to me that i jsut place my affairs in allahs hands. like whatever happens happens. and it is in allahs hands.

im worried that because of this OCD, my aqedah (not iman) itself will change. because the thing is, you begin to make up in your head these really weird things, such as possile reasons why this and that may be allowed, etc which as far as i know, have no basis in islam
. this is the reason why i need to kow the correct aqeedah, and want to find out about islam, but like i said before, the OCD regarding ghusl is what im afarid of.

and another thing is, even if i do do a ghusl, or if domeone provides me with an answer that im not guilty with what i think i maybe gulty with, im still gonna think of all these reasons as to why i need to do a ghusl. for example i'll give a similar situation. during prayer, sometimes i think that i have moved, and therefore not facing the qiblah, so i say to myself, okay just turn around and face it again (please DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE, i may be WRONG). but then if/when i do that, i say to myself, ohh, but you started with facing it, but then you moved, so you have to satrt the prayer again.
so, thats what i do, i start the prayer again.
my point is, is that it happens in footsteps. and thats wht im worried about. opening doors that i will find it hard to close
jazakallahu khair for all your replies.

:sl:

:sl:
Do more dhikr to Allah. And say bismillah in whatever you wanna do.
Just forget about all those weird actions you feel. Try to start study about aqidah, and read more fatawa from ulama. INsha Allah pice by piese your bad habits will be decreased. And pray to Allah azza wa jalla.
Study aqidah is wajib for eveyr muslim, and if you find something confucing you, then first have a good thought about it and then ask someone who expert.

[Snowflake]

anonymous.. is it possible u can PM me? Or would that reveal ur identity?

[- Qatada -]

:salamext:


Remember anonymous, that of the strongest weapons against waswasa is constant dhikr of Allaah (i.e. reciting subhan Allah, alhamdulillah, Laa illaaha illAllaah, aoodhu billaahi min-ashaytaan ir-rajeem etc.)


Another important thing to remember is to ignore it, even if you get them thoughts - continue in that ibaadah insha'Allaah. Ibn ul Qayyim (Ra) said that 'aoodhu billaahi min-ashaytaan ir-rajeem' [i seek refuge in Allah from shaytaan, the accursed] is like a sword, even if it is the best of swords, you can't handle it well unless you have a strong forearm. The sword is this dhikr, and the forearm is your faith and remembrance of Allaah insha'Allaah.



Even though you may be afraid to learn about aqeedah, i think one of the best things you can actually do is to learn about it so you see the difference between what is right and wrong, because if you don't do this, you're going to be in continuous doubt, even in situations which may not involve shirk etc. I know you're afraid that if you learn, you may feel that you've got more limitations upon you and feel more blameworthy, but this waswasa is trying to use this against you so you should oppose it and actually learn the difference between right and wrong so you can fight against that waswasa instead of be controlled by it insha'Allaah.

1) Constant Dhikr & Seek refuge in Allah azawajal.

2) Ignore it.

3) Learn Aqeedah so you can actually fight back instead of be in a constant feeling of doubt.

[anonymous]

:sl: brothers and sisters.
jazakallahu khair for all your replies.
I htink i'm gonna take your advice brothers Fi Sabililah, and DhulQarnaeen. I, myself thought of ignoring it,and just seeking knowledge, becuase as mentioned, it my actually clear up alot of doubts, and maybe i'll find out that i maybe am taking things to the extreme. I don't want to die with the wrong aqeedah.
jazakallahu khair.

:sl:

[Abdul Fattah]

:sl: brothers and sisters.
jazakallahu khair for your replies.
You see, the odd thing is, even up to now, i think that i do acts of kufr/shirk. but the odd thing is, i still get other wiswaas, like the ones about allah, and evil thoughts like that in geneal, for example thoughts like worshiping others, eg doing rokoo for other than allah. so i ask myself how it is possible to go have these thoughts and at the same time not be muslim. I don't get it?? this is one of the things, by the will of Allah that is stopping me from starting the OCD again. please note that the evil thoughts about allah, occur and are at their stongest when im in prayer.

If the thoughts aren't your own but suggestions of Shaytan then they are perfectly normal. The hard part is realising when they are whispers and when they are our own thoughts. We've heard those whispers since we were born it's very common for people to think they're part of our own mind. Personally I noticed that indeed these "suggestions" of thoughts are most active during prayer, it is then that shaytan gets more desperate. The best way to fight that is to do even more rakaath or dikr then you would normally do every time you get this. Eventually shaytan might leave you alone out of fear that you'll get extra reward from Allah subhana wa ta'ala in the end trough his temptations. Trying to counter these thoughts is hopeless. First of all there's no point, second of all he had thousand years of training, he's got all the right answers and questions to confuse us.

To what extend do you have control over such actions?

well brother steve, i have good and bad days. sometimes it reaches an extent where it may become an unconcious habit, that is, i don't feel like its me anymore, i know that sounds weird. Like sometimes i get OCD during wodoo, i keep on reapting my wodoo to the extent, i can't even exaplin exactly how it feels, but the closest thing i can think of is that i'm not concious that there is a me personaly. like basicallly i'm just moving and doing something in general.I hope that makes sense.

Yeah I think I got what you mean. Well in this case (doing wudu) at least your doing nothing wrong, as for the shirk stuff, look at control like this: If you can't control it you're not responsible and if you can control it then you can beat this. So either way you should have a positive prospect. Here's a hadeeth that might be relevant:
The Imam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rahimahullaah) said:
"Repel the (evil) thought, for if you don't it becomes an idea. So repel the idea, for if you don't it will become a desire. So fight against the desire, for if you don't it will become a determination and a passion. If you don't repel that, it will become an action. If you don't replace it with the opposite of this action, it will become a constant habit, and at that point it will be difficult to change."
See sometimes we think we don't have control but we actually still do and it's more a matter of realizing how to take control. I'm no expert on OCB though, so I can't really say that this is the case here.

im worried that because of this OCD, my aqedah (not iman) itself will change. because the thing is, you begin to make up in your head these really weird things, such as possile reasons why this and that may be allowed, etc which as far as i know, have no basis in islam

Yeah this all sounds familiar, it's also one of shaytans tactics. Saying stuff like: "oh a rule is only meant for this, so since that doesn't apply to this case it shouldn't be that important." Just remember there's no innovation in religion and in the end there might be other reasons that we fail to understand. Remember that we should be slaves to Allah subhana wa ta'ala and just follow the rules as an act of worship, those thoughts should be enough to stop this.

. this is the reason why i need to kow the correct aqeedah, and want to find out about islam, but like i said before, the OCD regarding ghusl is what im afarid of.

Well you shouldn't let fear inhibit your search for truth. Look at it this way: Shaytan is blackmailing you and telling you not to look stuff up because you'll start the ghusl thing again. This is because he knows what kind of reward you might eventually get from looking stuff up (and bringing the information to practice). So I think you need to be brave and ignore the ghusl thing and look that stuff up anyway. Who knows, maybe you'll be just fine? And if it does restart, deal with it then in the best way possible.

and another thing is, even if i do do a ghusl, or if domeone provides me with an answer that im not guilty with what i think i maybe gulty with, im still gonna think of all these reasons as to why i need to do a ghusl.

Also keep in mind, the ghusl thing, although it is very bothersome, strictly speaking you're not doing anything wrong by taking an unnecessary bath. But not looking up stuff even though you need to is kind of a bad thing.

for example i'll give a similar situation. during prayer, sometimes i think that i have moved, and therefore not facing the qiblah, so i say to myself, okay just turn around and face it again (please DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE, i may be WRONG). but then if/when i do that, i say to myself, ohh, but you started with facing it, but then you moved, so you have to satrt the prayer again. so, thats what i do, i start the prayer again.

Yeah, we're dealing with shaytan here again, you know I heared of people actually committing suicide because of this kind of shaytanic harassment. I know sometimes I felt like banging my head into the wall because I felt I couldn't take it. So be carefull with his whispers. They are dangerous and you need to arm yourself with knowledge against them. For example in prayer, if you think you missed something but aren't certain or are not certain about the number of rakaath you did there's the forgetfulness prostation. There's a whole bunch of rules on when you can do this or not, so at first it seems like it's even more complicating, but in the end this is meant to make it easier. and once you know it, it does make prayer easier. Here's a link:
http://www.al-sunnah.com/pdf/sahw.pdf

my point is, is that it happens in footsteps. and thats wht im worried about. opening doors that i will find it hard to close
jazakallahu khair for all your replies.

I understand what you mean it can be intimidating at some times. Remember Allah subhana wa ta'ala does not strain us harder then we can endure, so you have to got faith that you will be able to deal with it. And don't let shaytan intimidate you, the truth is, the more you'll learn about these rulings, the easier things become.

May Allah subhana wa ta'ala protect you from this and make things easier for you

[anonymous]

:sl: brothers and sisters
jazakallhu khair for all your replies.
Yeah I think I got what you mean. Well in this case (doing wudu) at least your doing nothing wrong, as for the shirk stuff, look at control like this: If you can't control it you're not responsible and if you can control it then you can beat this. So either way you should have a positive prospect.

this indeed is an interesting way of looking at it. i never even thought about it.

Yeah, we're dealing with shaytan here again, you know I heared of people actually committing suicide because of this kind of shaytanic harassment. I know sometimes I felt like banging my head into the wall because I felt I couldn't take it. So be carefull with his whispers. They are dangerous and you need to arm yourself with knowledge against them.

I also have heard of people commiting suicde, and even becoming apostates. it's abit scary. and whats even scarier is that you actually feel like you are doing something wrong, and when you follow what you think you are doing wrong, it gets even harder.
I have also gone through the pahse of wanting to whack my head really hard, but then the thoght of heads being whacked against a wall, really hurt,alhamdulilah, so i thought better against it.

anyways, jazakallahu khair.
:sl:

[- Qatada -]

:wasalamex


Masha'Allaah, may Allaah make it easy for you and all the muslims in this world and the hereafter, ameen.


Like you said, the best thing is to ignore it. The people who fall into suicide etc. are usually people who may actually follow that waswasa, even though i know that it is deeper than that. It may even happen to non muslims, and shaytaan keeps them in that state of confusion all the time till death overtakes them, the difference is that we have islaam and we have the Qur'an and Sunnah to explain to us shaytaans techniques so we can overcome them insha'Allaah and have a more blessed life in this world and the hereafter insha'Allaah. ameen.



:salamext:

[anonymous]

:sl: brothers and sisters.
jazakallahu khair for all your replies. may allah reward you.

Like you said, the best thing is to ignore it. The people who fall into suicide etc. are usually people who may actually follow that waswasa, even though i know that it is deeper than that.

yes, it is deeper than that, because you feel so trapped somtimes. like, yes i want to ignore this because I know that if i do, than inshallah, it will become easier, and shaytaan will have been defeated. than theres the I want my prayer to be accepted, but it really feels that i have done something.
anyways, jazakallahu khair once again.

:sl: