OCD hampering my ibadah

  • Thread starter Thread starter RaihanBD
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 29
  • Views Views 10K
RaihanBD

RaihanBD

Active member
Messages
47
Reaction score
4
Gender
Male
Religion
Islam
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
 
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
 
Remember me as well in your Du'a, Uncle. I have OCD too. I keep forgetting whether I've locked the car or not.
 
assalam.gif



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
Click to expand...
 
:sl:
RaihanBD said:
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
Click to expand...

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)
 
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.
 
RaihanBD said:
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.
Click to expand...

AsalamuAlaykum,

Make du'aa ma benny bruva :)

hehe i'll make dua inshaAllah Tc of yourself :D
 
aamirsaab said:
: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)
Click to expand...

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.
 
Muslim Knight said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
:sl:

how to recognize that we have mild OCD?

can you please lists the characteristics or the behaviour of mild OCD.
 
RaihanBD said:
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
Click to expand...

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.
 
Al Habeshi said:
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.
Click to expand...

masha Allah! I remember reading this hadeeth too!

May Allah shower all of us with His Blessings and Mercy. Ameen!
 
Muslim Knight said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
:sl:
Sylia said:
how to recognize that we have mild OCD?

can you please lists the characteristics or the behaviour of mild OCD.
Click to expand...
Obessive Compusive Disorder has a variety of types. Most common is washing hands. OCD generally stems from a form of extreme paranoia.

MuslimKnight said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.

Skillganon said:
You migth wan't to sell the car to me, or maybe not.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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:
 
advice please

: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:
 
Re: advice please

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.
 
Re: advice please




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
Click to expand...



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​

 

Similar Threads

Back
Top