Tazkiyah
Waswasa in Islam: Causes, Signs, and Treatment
Thaqib ibn Fazle
This article explains waswasa, its causes, its effects on a person’s religious life, and the Islamic guidance for dealing with it. Extracted from al-Ilaj al-Shar’i lil-Waswas al-Qahri by Dr. Mutlaq al-Jasir.
Definition of Waswasa
Waswasa (وَسْوَسَةٌ) refers to inner speech, thoughts, and satanic suggestions concerning matters in which there is neither benefit nor good. It may consist of vile and reprehensible thoughts that undermine faith or call a person toward sins. It may also concern matters of no real value, consisting of trivial thoughts and fantasies based on illusion and imagination.
Linguistically, waswasa refers to something that repeatedly occurs within the soul without reassurance or stability. It may come from several sources[1], and Allah knows best:
- Inner speech.
- The devils among human beings.
- The devils among the jinn.
Difference Between Waswasa and Shubuhat
Waswasa and shubuhat, or specious doubts, are not the same.
Waswasa Is Unwanted
The person afflicted by waswasa does not desire the thoughts that come to him. He knows that Allah exists and that Islam is true, but an unwanted thought suddenly enters his mind, alarming him. His alarm can then cause the thought to recur even more frequently.
Shubuhat are different. The person listens to the doubt, willingly considers it, and turns it over in his mind. He may regard it as a legitimate logical objection and consider it potentially true, eventually becoming uncertain about his faith.
Waswasa Persists Despite Knowing the Answer
A person suffering from waswasa may initially be unaware of the answer to a thought that arises. He may ask about it, but even after learning that the thought is incorrect, it continues to return.
In contrast, someone who has a genuine doubt will normally have his uncertainty removed once he learns a convincing answer. His heart becomes settled and the thought leaves him.
Ruling on Waswasa
Whoever experiences waswasa that causes doubts concerning faith or the Creator, or finds within his heart something deficient or insulting while intensely hating it and being unable to repel it, has no blame or sin.
Thoughts and inner speech are pardoned as long as they do not become established and a person does not persist in them. A person has no choice over the mere occurrence of such thoughts and has no means of completely freeing himself from them.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَتَكَلَّمْ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ
“Indeed, Allah has overlooked for my nation what their souls whisper to them, so long as they do not speak it or act upon it.”
[Muslim, 127]
The Sahaba themselves experienced such whispers themselves. They said to the Messenger ﷺ:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ أَحَدَنَا يَجِدُ فِي نَفْسِهِ شَيْئًا، لَأَنْ يَخِرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ
“O Messenger of Allah, one of us finds within himself something such that falling from the sky to the earth would be more beloved to him than speaking of it.”
He said:
ذَاكَ صَرِيحُ الْإِيمَانِ
“That is clear iman (faith).”[2]
The occurrence of such waswasa, together with a hatred and rejection of it is from clear iman. If one did not possess iman, such whispers would not warrant hatred in the first place.[3]
Causes for Waswasa
Shaytan’s Enmity Toward Humanity
Among Shaytan’s evils is that he lies in wait along every path of goodness available to the son of Adam. There is no path of good except that he lies in ambush along it, seeking to prevent a person from taking it. If the servant resists him and proceeds along that path, Shaytan attempts to discourage and obstruct him, confusing him with obstacles and interruptions.
Shaytan is a highway robber to the servants of Allah. Whenever a servant intends to travel toward Allah, Shaytan seeks to cut him off from the path. Whenever the servant turns his heart toward Allah, whispers come to him to obstruct his way.
Ignorance of the Sunnah
A primary cause of waswasa is the mistaken belief that excessive repetition in acts of worship, such as extreme scrubbing, or verbalizing intentions constitutes piety. In reality, exceeding the bounds taught by the Prophet ﷺ is a deviation from the Sunnah and an obedience to Satan under the guise of piety.
Those afflicted by it have obeyed Satan, responded to his call, followed his command, and turned away from following the Sunnah and way of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If one afflicted by these whisperings were to perform wudhu in the same manner as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, or bathes as he bathed, he’d belief he hasn’t purified himself. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform wudu with a mudd, yet the person afflicted by waswasa considers this amount insufficient even to wash his hands.
He ﷺ performed wudu washing each limb once, and he did not exceed three times. He ﷺ said:
مَنْ زَادَ عَلَيْهَا فَقَدْ أَسَاءَ وَتَعَدَّى وَظَلَمَ.
“Whoever exceeds this has done wrong, transgressed, and committed injustice.”
[Sunan Abu Dawud, 135]
The unlearned worshipper does not know how Islamic law resolves uncertainty, leading them to believe every passing doubt nullifies worship. Thus, they rely on their own misinformed deductions rather than the Qur’an and Sunnah, they fall into an endless cycle of invalidating their own prayers and purification.
As Imam al-Ghazali said: “Waswasa is caused either by ignorance of the Shari’ah or by mental disorder. Both are among the greatest deficiencies and faults.[3:1]
Indulging & Entertaining Whispers
When Shaytan sees that a person is receptive to doubts and misconceptions, and readily affected by whispers and passing thoughts, he overwhelms him with them until he becomes unable to repel them. One thought leads to another, each feeding the next, until Shaytan ultimately drives the person toward spiritual ruin.
Shaytan’s overarching goal is to plunge the believer into persistent sorrow and despair.
Waswasah replaces the sweetness of iman and ‘ibadah with suspicion, anxiety, and turmoil, leaving the believer deficient, rejected, or spiritually impure.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ
“And the delight of my eyes has been placed in prayer.”
[Sunan al-Nasa’i, 3939]
However, waswasa turns the very prayer that was meant to relieve the burdens of worldly life into an agonizing cycle of trivial doubts.
Isolation & Neglecting Allah’s Remembrance
Allah says:
اسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَأَنْسَاهُمْ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ حِزْبُ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ الشَّيْطَانِ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ
“Shaytan has gained mastery over them and caused them to forget the remembrance of Allah. They are the party of Shaytan. Indeed, the party of Shaytan are the losers.”
[al-Mujadilah 58:19]
A person who remembers Allah is in the fortress of remembrance. When he becomes heedless, the door of the fortress is opened, allowing the enemy to enter, after which it becomes difficult to drive him out.
Allah also says:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ مَلِكِ النَّاسِ إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ
“Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the lurking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind.”
[al-Nas 114:1–6]
Sa’id ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn 'Abbas concerning Allah’s statement, ‘the lurking whisperer’:
“Shaytan crouches upon the heart of the son of Adam. When he becomes distracted and heedless, he whispers to him; but when he remembers Allah, he withdraws.”[4]
Disobedience to Allah
Allah said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا
“Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was only Shaytan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned.”
[Al 'Imran 3:155]
Disobedience creates an opening through which Shaytan gains access to a person, causing him to slip and leading him into actions that distance him from Allah.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
وَلِلْمَعَاصِي مِنَ الْآثَارِ الْمُضِرَّةِ بِالْقَلْبِ وَالْبَدَنِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ مَا لَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، فَمِنْهَا: أَنَّهَا مَدَدٌ مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ يَمُدُّ بِهِ عَدُوَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَجَيْشٌ يُقَوِّيهِ بِهِ عَلَى حَرْبِهِ.
“Sins have harmful effects upon the heart and body, both in this world and the Hereafter, the extent of which is known only to Allah. Among them is that they constitute reinforcement supplied by a person to his enemy, providing him with an army through which he becomes stronger in waging war against him.”[5]
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD/Al-Waswas al-Qahri)
Obsessive thoughts can reach to the point of becoming a psychological and mental illness. The intrusive thoughts persist with such intensity that the person is unable to rid himself of them, despite making great efforts to turn away from them and repeatedly seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan.
This is a severe illness that must be treated through both the legislated means prescribed by Islam and appropriate medical means. Many cases, however, are mild or moderate and, with Allah’s help, can be overcome through sincere effort and the Islamic remedies found in the Quran and Sunnah.
Treatment for Waswasa
Affirmation of Faith
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لَا يَزَالُ النَّاسُ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ حَتَّى يُقَالَ: هَذَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ، فَمَنْ خَلَقَ اللَّهَ؟ فَمَنْ وَجَدَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَلْيَقُلْ: آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ
“People will continue to ask one another until it is said, ‘This is Allah, who created creation, so who created Allah?’ Whoever finds anything of that, let him say: I believe in Allah.”
[Sunan Abu Dawud, 4721]
The Prophet therefore instructed the person confronted by such thoughts to say, “I believe in Allah,” or “I believe in Allah and His Messenger.” This is itself faith and remembrance of Allah, by which the person repels thoughts that contradict what is naturally and certainly known.
The same applies to waswasa in acts of worship. A person may repeatedly doubt whether he said the takbir, recited al-Fatihah, formed the intention, or washed a particular limb. Yet he directly witnesses himself washing, hears himself reciting, and knows that he intended the prayer just as he knows when he intends to eat, drink, ride, or walk.
Such knowledge is immediate and certain. It is not dependent upon speculation, inference, or demonstrative proof, and is among the basic premises upon which such reasoning itself depends. In this way, he remains firm upon what he knows to be true and rejects the waswasa. Shaytan then sees that he cannot make the person submit to his doubts and withdraws from him.
Situating Oneself Within Precedent
A person afflicted by waswasa should know with certainty that it does not indicate weakness or deficiency in his faith. The Companions themselves, who were the best generation, experienced such whisperings.
Their hatred of these thoughts and rejection of them were evidence of sound faith. This is the meaning of the Prophet’s statement: “That is plain iman.”
Seeking Refuge and Remembrance
Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
يَأْتِي الشَّيْطَانُ أَحَدَكُمْ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا؟ حَتَّى يَقُولَ: مَنْ خَلَقَ رَبَّكَ؟ فَإِذَا بَلَغَهُ فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ وَلْيَنْتَهِ
“Shaytan comes to one of you and says, ‘Who created such-and-such?’ until he says, ‘Who created your Lord?’ So when it reaches that point, let him seek refuge in Allah and desist.”
[Sahih Muslim, 134]
Nothing removes Shaytan’s whisperings from the heart except remembering something other than what he is whispering about. When the remembrance of something occupies the heart, what preceded it is displaced. However, everything besides Allah and what pertains to Him can itself become an arena for Shaytan. The remembrance of Allah therefore provides the heart with protection.
A thing is treated with its opposite. The opposite of Shaytan’s whisperings is remembrance of Allah.
Occupying Oneself
Turning away from waswasa and occupying oneself with other things is among the greatest means of repelling it. The Prophet instructed the person experiencing such thoughts to “seek refuge in Allah and desist.”
This means refusing to engage with the whispering and instead occupying oneself with activities and tasks that require physical or mental effort.
However, this approach does not apply to shubuhat that have genuinely taken hold of a person and originated from an external doubt. Such doubts must be addressed through argument and proof. Waswasa, by contrast, is dealt with through seeking refuge in Allah and turning away.
Thoughts can therefore be divided into two types.
- Passing thoughts that have not settled and are not based on an actual doubt. These are repelled by turning away from them. This is the type properly described as waswasa: it arises suddenly without a foundation and therefore does not require examination or refutation.
- Settled thoughts produced by a genuine doubt. These require argument and examination to refute them.
Thus, passing waswasa is treated by seeking refuge in Allah and turning away from it, whereas genuine doubts that have settled in the mind are addressed through sound evidence and argument.
Conclusion
Waswasa is not overcome by repeatedly examining every thought that enters the mind, but by understanding its nature, following the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah, and refusing to give it attention. The believer should seek refuge in Allah, remember Him, affirm his faith, remain upon what he knows with certainty, and turn away from passing doubts rather than entertaining them. At the same time, genuine doubts should be addressed through sound knowledge and evidence.
