Causes of Waswas (Obsessive Thoughts) in Many Women

Question:
Honorable Shaykh Salih, what is the reason? We ask many of the sisters about waswas (obsessive thoughts) in women; what is its cause, O Shaykh?

Answer:
This is a psychological illness. Allah knows best its causes. One of its causes may be staying up late, excessive staying up late. Many people nowadays have been afflicted with staying up at night. Staying up late affects a person; it may affect his mind, it affects his brain. Staying up late affects even camels and mountains. How could it not affect a person?
The weak one. Perhaps one of the causes is excessive staying up at night. Also, one of the causes is the little remembrance of Allah the Exalted. A person may be negligent of the remembrance of Allah, and Satan may gain power over him. And one of the causes, and this is very close, is excessive looking at these destructive media. The satellite channels and the evils and calamities they bring, and the ugly or perhaps terrifying scenes people watch cause this mental confusion. So the Muslim should avoid these matters: avoid staying up at night, avoid watching these dramas, these films, and these terrifying and stimulating scenes. Avoid them, because a person is human; if he watches them excessively, they affect his thinking and stick in his mind. He should avoid these matters. He should also increase the remembrance of Allah, maintain the prayer, and maintain the recitation of the Qur'an. This keeps Satan away from him and keeps the waswas (obsessive thoughts) away from him. Yes.