Question
As-Salamu alaykum Brothers,
For some months I have been having a problem with waswas in both my prayers and when performing wudu. I have been having difficulty concentrating when I am praying and the littlest thing distracts me.
I feel I have to pronounce every thing clearly that even my niya for wudu and prayers, I have to keep repeating until I feel I have done it correctly, then I start praying. The more I concentrate on my pronunciations the more I keep repeating, when reciting suras.
It has reached a point where I am making sajdah as-sahu for every single prayer because my mind keeps going blank or I feel I have done something wrong.
When making wudu', I feel like I have not washed properly. I keep washing my hands. I try to ignore these whisperings but I am terrified that if I ignore it and I am wrong, that my prayers will not be answered. My prayers have become merely a ritual without any khushoo because of these problems.
I have read books and other answers given to people suffering form the same problem, some times it gets better other times its very bad. Please answer back, I need a answer that was given to me to improve myself.
Please help me
May Allah reward you.
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother, thanks a lot for your question.
Before answering your question let's first congratulate you for the keenness you show in adhering to Allah's ordinances and your pursuit of fulfilling your religious duties and obligations. We also invoke Allah earnestly to relieve you from these pains and ease your suffering.
Coming back to your question, we understand that you exert all such efforts out of fear that your prayer may not be accepted. But when we read the Qur'an and Sunnah we find that easiness and lenience are prevailing themes of our religion. It is indicative in this context that the verse concerned with the rulings of ablution and purification is concluded with the words (Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks. )(Al-Ma'idah 5: 6) Clearly, the tremendous effort you exert to prefect your ablution and prayer does not go in conformity with this crystal-clear declaration of the easiness of the Shari`ah's rulings.
However, you admit that you tried your best to ignore these worries and to stop this repetition of the parts of ablution and prayer but you failed. You may have actually determined once, or even many times, to perform ablution normally as all people do, or to perform your prayer without pronouncing you intention aloud or repeating one rak`ah (or even the entire prayer), but eventually the fears encompass you and mange to defeat your determination.
Then, what is the real problem? Can Satan be so powerful that you can not mange to escape his grasp? But Allah tells us in the Qur'an that the plotting of Satan is weak (An-Nisa' 4: 76). It can not reach this degree of controlling you and making you undergo this suffering. The problem, as we can conclude from the question, is that you most likely suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It is a well-known illness caused by an imbalance in the chemicals of the brain, which needs medication.
You can read more about this disorder; its nature and its treatment in the following counsel
OCD Should be Treated .
Thus, the first step you should take is to seek treatment on the hands of a trustworthy and reliable psychiatrist, preferably a Muslim one so that he would be able to understand and deal with your problem. You should not be scared or ashamed by the notion that you need to visit a psychiatrist. This is by no means a source of shame nor is it equivalent to being insane. OCD is an illness, like any other illness, which needs taking certain medicines prescribed by a specialized doctor. So do not feel hesitation in taking the step. Through our work, we know many persons who experienced a suffering similar to yours, but they visited a psychiatrist and followed his instructions until Allah granted them cure and health. Actually, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to seek therapy and treatment. Imam Ahmad reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said “Seek medication, O slaves of Allah, for Allah has not caused any illness but provided a medicine for it except one illness i.e. old age”
Moreover, the scholars tell us that one who has such doubts should not act upon them. That is, if you doubted whether you have washed a part or not in ablution, deem it washed. Likewise, if you doubted whether you mentioned takbeer or not, consider that you mentioned it. It is true that the original ruling is to repeat the doubted part of worship, but this ruling applies only to normal people who do not suffer such tireless doubts. As for the case in point, these doubts in fact are baseless even though they seem strong and persistent. In this context you may worry that ignoring them will render your worship void. Rest assured! What we mentioned above is the ruling with regard to your case and even if we assumed for the sake of argument that you have actually forgot a part of your ablution or prayer, Allah's Mercy is far broader than you imagine. So, do not heed these doubts and do not make Sujud As-Sahw. We know that the doubts will continue befalling you, until you receive necessary medication, but always keep in your mind that these doubts have no effect on your worship.
Thus, we can sum up our advice in the following points:
First: Consult a Muslim psychiatrist, and follow his instructions.
Second: Try your best to ignore the thoughts and doubts that befall you.
Third: Be sure that these doubts have no effect on your ablution or prayer. So do not repeat your Wudu or prayer, and do not perform Sujud As-Sahw for such doubts or attach much attention to the way you pronounce the surahs.
Fourth: Choose the easiest options while performing ablution and prayer.
Fifth: Be sure that the suffering you experience is a test form Allah, and that your patience will be of great reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "No fatigue, nor disease, nor anxiety, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."
Finally, and most importantly, a Muslim is to seek Allah's help, strengthen his relationship with Him, try his best to do good and refrain from evil deeds. One should have strong belief in Allah and His Absolute Power, as the Prophet says: "If people gather to confer a favor on you, this will never be done unless it has been predestined for you. And, if they conspire together to harm you, they will never harm you unless that has been predestined for you."
Allah Almighty knows best.