Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Dear Shaykh,
“I am struggling with intrusive thoughts, doubt and anxiety in worship. Am I sinful? Any advice would he helpful, JzkAllah“
Answer:
First and foremost, I want you to know that you are not alone in this struggle. What you are experiencing, intrusive thoughts, doubts, and anxiety in worship, is something many sincere believers have faced, including some of the sahabah.
1️⃣ You are NOT sinful, these thoughts do not make you a disbeliever.
I know these thoughts make you anxious and distressed, but they do not define you or your Iman. In fact, feeling upset by them is a sign of faith!
📖 The Sahabah once told the Prophet ﷺ:
“We have thoughts that are so terrible we would rather be burned than speak them.” The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘Allahu Akbar! Praise be to Allah who has reduced shaytan’s influence to mere whispers!'”
(Sahih Muslim 132)
💙 This means shaytan whispers to believers to make them doubt themselves. But these thoughts are not yours, and Allah does not hold you accountable for them.
2️⃣ Creating these thoughts are shaytan’s trick, your job is not to engage with them, just learn to ignore them.
These thoughts only become stronger when you pay attention to them. Shaytan wants you to repeat wudu, repeat shahada, repeat salat until you feel so exhausted that you stop praying. DO NOT LET HIM WIN.
📖 The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Shaytan will come and say: ‘Who created this? Who created that?’ until he says, ‘Who created Allah?’ If this happens, let him seek refuge in Allah and STOP thinking about it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3276, Muslim 134)
✅ What to do:
– IGNORE the thoughts completely. Do NOT debate them in your head.
– Say: “A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim” (I seek refuge in Allah from shaytan).
– Distract yourself immediately, shift your focus to Qur’an, dhikr, or any other task.
➡️ Remember: The less you engage with the thoughts, the weaker they become.
You might be getting these thoughts even in Ramadan despite shaytan being locked away, this is normal as shaytan lays down his traps and gets us used to listening to these thoughts even without him being here.
3️⃣ STOP repeating shahada, wudu and salat
I know it feels like you have to redo everything because of doubt, but repeating wudu and salat is exactly what shaytan wants.
📖 The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If one of you feels doubt in his wudu, let him not leave (his prayer) unless he hears a sound or smells something.” (Sahih Muslim 362)
✅ What to do:
– Do wudu ONCE, even if you have doubts, move on.
– Pray ONCE and do not repeat salat at all.
– If thoughts come, keep praying and ignore them.
➡️ If you fight the urge to repeat, it will get easier, inshaAllah.
4️⃣ Make salat a place of comfort again
I know salat has become a source of anxiety, but it is supposed to be your place of peace. Take small steps to make it easier:
– Keep your prayers simple and try to focus on one posture at a time.
– Listen to soothing Qur’an before salat to get into a peaceful mindset.
– Take deep breaths before praying to relax your mind.
📖 Allah says:
“And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humble.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:45)
5️⃣ Seek assistance through duas & ruqyah.
📖 Allah says:
“And if an evil whisper from Shaytan reaches you, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:200)
✅ Duas to Recite:
– A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim
– Ayatul Kursi (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255)
– Surah Al-Falaq & Surah An-Nas (morning & evening)
– La ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer.
➡️ These will help ease your heart and push away these intrusive thoughts.
6️⃣ Sometimes, waswasah(intrusive thoughts) can be linked to anxiety or OCD, which is a condition many people face. If these thoughts are making life extremely difficult, it might help to speak to one of our therapists. There is no shame in seeking help.
💙 You are NOT sinful. You are NOT a bad Muslim.
💙 Allah is Most Merciful, and He knows your struggle.
💙 You will NOT go to Hell for thoughts you didn’t bring into your mind.
📖 Allah says:
“Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins…”
(Surah Al-Zumar 39:53)
➡️ Keep going, my dear brother/sister. You are stronger than Shaytan, and Allah sees your effort. 🤍
🌸 May Allah grant you ease, comfort and a heart full of tranquillity. Ameen. 🤲
