Treatment of Obsessions

The questioner : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, I suffer from many intrusive thoughts, especially between the adhan and the iqamah. I doubt my wudu, and sometimes I invoke a forbidden supplication against myself without realizing it. I feel constrained and burdened with many worries, and sometimes I feel that I have committed disbelief and that I am not a Muslim.

The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.

The questioner : So what do you advise me?

The Shaykh : Be glad, my brother. This is the purest form of faith. By the purest form of faith, I mean its essence.
For Satan does not bring such great intrusive thoughts except to one who is a believer, in order to corrupt his faith and his worship. But one who is not a believer and not obedient, Satan does not come to him with such things. For this reason, you will find that open sinners do not have this thought occur to them at all, because Satan has finished with them. Rather, Satan wants to destroy the one who is upright, not to ruin what is already ruined. It was said to Ibn Abbas or Ibn Mas'ud that the Jews say, "We pray, but we do not have intrusive thoughts in our prayer." What does "we do not have intrusive thoughts" mean? We do not think or have doubts. He said, "They speak the truth. What can Satan do with a heart that is already ruined?" Is this word clear or not? Why would Satan come to make the Jew have intrusive thoughts in his prayer when he is a disbeliever who has no faith in him? Rather, Satan comes with such intrusive thoughts to one whose faith is pure. But a person must rely on Allah and not be cowardly. He should seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan and turn away from these thoughts completely. He should continue in his prayer. If thoughts about the Divine Essence occur to him, he should turn away from them. He should take the mushaf and read, or take a book of hadith and read hadith. The important thing is that he turns away from them. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: when a person feels such things, let him seek refuge in Allah and let him stop. He seeks refuge in Allah by saying, "I seek refuge in Allah," but from a heart that is needy of Allah the Exalted, believing that Allah will avert this affliction from him. And let him stop by turning away. By doing so, what afflicts him will disappear. Know that this and similar things will cause their souls to feel constrained, their chests to feel tight, and they will undergo a great hardship, even when using the seeking of refuge and stopping. But let them be patient. Let them be patient against their enemy. The outcome is for the righteous. We say to this brother: Be patient, my brother. Be patient with what you are going through, but do what is the cure. Rather, do what is the healing from the cure. And what is it, my brother? Yes. This is one: seeking refuge in Allah from Satan. The second is turning away, meaning turn away from this, ignore it, and do not let it concern you.