Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Ritual Purity and Prayer

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, my brother is afflicted with obsessive thoughts (waswas), and he asks me a lot about repeating his actions. He doubts that something has come out of him during the prayer, and he is very much afflicted with obsessive thoughts, particularly regarding matters of ritual purity. In fact, he sometimes takes a full ritual bath for every prayer. Indeed, he sometimes has obsessive thoughts about his disbelief, thinking that he has left the religion. So what should I advise him, and what should I say to him? May Allah grant you success.

Answer:
This illness has become common among young people, especially, and it is more prevalent among women and those in higher grades. This illness, which is the illness of obsessive thoughts, is treated by the remembrance of Allah. Even if the patient is stubborn, he should also use the *ruqyah* (healing by Qur'anic recitation) in the morning and evening, increase in the remembrance of Allah the Exalted, and seek refuge in Allah from Satan. He should also not pay attention to the obsessive thoughts; he should leave them, discard them, and never act upon them. By doing so, it will be removed from him, if Allah wills, because if he acts upon the obsessive thoughts, they will increase over him, and Satan will gain power over him. But if he rejects them, leaves them, and builds upon his prayer and his ablution without paying attention to the obsessive thoughts, then the obsessive thoughts will be forgotten by him, by the permission of Allah. This is the best treatment: not caring about it and not paying attention to the obsessive thoughts.