The Ruling on Obsessive Thoughts in Intention and Ablution
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This question is from one of the unfortunate cases. It is written with the letter "sin" and "ayn"—it says it is very serious—and I ask that it be read in full. It is from Shaykh Sa'na. It says: "Shaykh, my problem has been for years that I do not form the intention for wudu' (ablution) and prayer. I now repeat wudu' and prayer more than three times, especially regarding the takbir (saying Allahu akbar) and ruku' (bowing). Does this invalidate my prayer? And is my prayer accepted?"
Answer:
The questioner (may Allah guide her) should avoid obsessive thoughts, doubts, and illusions, for they are from Satan to distract her from her religion. She must be decisive and resolve to perform the act of worship with her heart and proceed with the worship without looking at the intrusive obsessive thoughts and illusions, for they are from Satan. If she rejects them, leaves them, and continues with her action, Satan will move away from her. This is to be done along with seeking refuge in Allah from Satan at the beginning of the prayer and saying the name of Allah at the start of wudu' by saying "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). She must resolve to perform the act of worship with her heart and proceed with the worship without hesitation. If she stands for prayer, she has formed the intention. If she sits for wudu' and brings the water, she has formed the intention for wudu'. The intention is determined by the heart and established by the action and movement. There is no need for her to hesitate about whether she formed the intention or not. Simply standing for prayer is the intention. Simply sitting for wudu' and bringing the water is the intention.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
This question is from one of the unfortunate cases. It is written with the letter "sin" and "ayn"—it says it is very serious—and I ask that it be read in full. It is from Shaykh Sa'na. It says: "Shaykh, my problem has been for years that I do not form the intention for wudu' (ablution) and prayer. I now repeat wudu' and prayer more than three times, especially regarding the takbir (saying Allahu akbar) and ruku' (bowing). Does this invalidate my prayer? And is my prayer accepted?"
Answer:
The questioner (may Allah guide her) should avoid obsessive thoughts, doubts, and illusions, for they are from Satan to distract her from her religion. She must be decisive and resolve to perform the act of worship with her heart and proceed with the worship without looking at the intrusive obsessive thoughts and illusions, for they are from Satan. If she rejects them, leaves them, and continues with her action, Satan will move away from her. This is to be done along with seeking refuge in Allah from Satan at the beginning of the prayer and saying the name of Allah at the start of wudu' by saying "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). She must resolve to perform the act of worship with her heart and proceed with the worship without hesitation. If she stands for prayer, she has formed the intention. If she sits for wudu' and brings the water, she has formed the intention for wudu'. The intention is determined by the heart and established by the action and movement. There is no need for her to hesitate about whether she formed the intention or not. Simply standing for prayer is the intention. Simply sitting for wudu' and bringing the water is the intention.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/243 — archive.org (4:03)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.