Whispers of Apostasy
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Fatwa No. ( 7654 ):
Q: I hope you will read my letter in full to understand my inquiries: When does a person become an apostate, may Allah protect us from that? My question may seem strange, but it confuses me greatly. Sometimes, I am plagued by intrusive thoughts regarding some of my actions and deeds, imagining these actions as signs of apostasy, may Allah protect us from that. I wish to inform you that, praise be to Allah, my heart is completely at ease with faith. It is only that doubts assail me, as I mentioned, in every action I perform or before I perform it. For example: when I speak to a person or several people, doubts intrude before I utter the word, that this word might indicate disbelief, may Allah protect us from that. So I hesitate in my speech and stammer. Sometimes, I do not find an opportunity to review my self to decide whether to say it or not. Due to the awkwardness and my continuation of the conversation, the word comes out of me involuntarily, without my intending by it disbelief, may Allah protect us from that. Then intrusive thoughts
assail me: Am I at that moment like one who has apostatized? I seek refuge in Allah from that. And what increases my intrusive thoughts is that I felt the word before I said it. So am I like one who was coerced into disbelief, since the eyes of the people I am speaking with are fixed on me, waiting for me to continue the conversation? Then I find that this is a weak excuse, and my doubts increase. And despite this, I feel that I will never leave this religion, no matter how much I am tormented. So what is my state in those moments during the conversation? It is a strange feeling that assails me and disturbs my sleep. And if I try to ignore it, I cannot, because doubts intrude again. Do I have to perform the full ritual bath now, like one who wants to enter Islam, so that my prayer is not valid except with it? And are all my previous good deeds annulled, like one who has apostatized, may Allah protect us from that? So I would have to, for example, repeat the obligatory Hajj. And what also happens to me in cases of distress or anger is that I find myself driven by desire toward certain thoughts—I cannot mention them—then I do not delay before I control my nerves and try to get rid of these thoughts. Is that considered disbelief, may Allah protect us from that? And what I want to say is: I read a noble hadith to the effect that: if a Muslim declares his brother a disbeliever, it returns to one of them. Does this mean: if a Muslim declares another person a disbeliever, he has become a disbeliever, meaning: his ruling becomes exactly like the ruling of an apostate? What if I feel that that person, for example, is a disbeliever but I do not state it explicitly? And I want to ask as well: Is believing in some superstitions, like the number
of bad luck (13) or taking an omen as a bad sign from throwing nails on the ground and other such superstitions, considered disbelief? Knowing that the one who believes in them is a complete Muslim and believes in everything that came in the message of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And if a person repents and no longer believes in them, is he like one who entered Islam, meaning: he has to perform the full ritual bath and the like? Then I want to ask: Are my intrusive thoughts and doubts in my self, no matter how much they are, a sin for which I will be held accountable or not? Knowing that I sometimes spend hours thinking about them, trying to get rid of them. I will not lengthen my letter beyond this, and I place this question in summary for all the above, which is: When does a person become an apostate? I do not want to ask how an apostate is known, but how does a person know himself if he has apostatized, may Allah protect us from that? As I also want to ask: Does an apostate who wants to return to Islam have to perform the full ritual bath, like a disbeliever who becomes a Muslim, even if he did not have major ritual impurity during his period of apostasy? And another question: Hajj is an obligation performed once in a lifetime, except in the case of apostasy, may Allah protect us from that. Are there other cases in which it becomes obligatory for a Muslim to perform Hajj a second time?
A: First: Islam has many nullifiers, which the scholars have explained in the chapter on the ruling of the apostate. Among them: And one who apostatizes from Islam and then returns to it does not have what he previously did during his days of Islam of good deeds annulled; for His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:217]
So He, the Exalted, conditioned the annulment of deeds upon the death of their owner in a state of disbelief. Second: Psychological thoughts and Satanic whispers do not hold a Muslim accountable, nor do they cause him to apostatize from Islam, if his belief is settled; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 8:133 It is agreed upon that it is authentic. Third: Repel from yourself the intrusive thoughts and evil whispers, and seek refuge in Allah from them, and say: I believe in Allah and His messengers. And increase in the remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Qur'an, and keeping the company of the righteous. And treat yourself with a doctor of psychological and nervous diseases. And fear Allah as much as you are able, and turn to Him in everything that befalls you, so that He may remove the distress from you and eliminate what afflicts you. Allah the Exalted said: [At-Talaq 65:2-3] We ask Allah for your healing. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: I hope you will read my letter in full to understand my inquiries: When does a person become an apostate, may Allah protect us from that? My question may seem strange, but it confuses me greatly. Sometimes, I am plagued by intrusive thoughts regarding some of my actions and deeds, imagining these actions as signs of apostasy, may Allah protect us from that. I wish to inform you that, praise be to Allah, my heart is completely at ease with faith. It is only that doubts assail me, as I mentioned, in every action I perform or before I perform it. For example: when I speak to a person or several people, doubts intrude before I utter the word, that this word might indicate disbelief, may Allah protect us from that. So I hesitate in my speech and stammer. Sometimes, I do not find an opportunity to review my self to decide whether to say it or not. Due to the awkwardness and my continuation of the conversation, the word comes out of me involuntarily, without my intending by it disbelief, may Allah protect us from that. Then intrusive thoughts
assail me: Am I at that moment like one who has apostatized? I seek refuge in Allah from that. And what increases my intrusive thoughts is that I felt the word before I said it. So am I like one who was coerced into disbelief, since the eyes of the people I am speaking with are fixed on me, waiting for me to continue the conversation? Then I find that this is a weak excuse, and my doubts increase. And despite this, I feel that I will never leave this religion, no matter how much I am tormented. So what is my state in those moments during the conversation? It is a strange feeling that assails me and disturbs my sleep. And if I try to ignore it, I cannot, because doubts intrude again. Do I have to perform the full ritual bath now, like one who wants to enter Islam, so that my prayer is not valid except with it? And are all my previous good deeds annulled, like one who has apostatized, may Allah protect us from that? So I would have to, for example, repeat the obligatory Hajj. And what also happens to me in cases of distress or anger is that I find myself driven by desire toward certain thoughts—I cannot mention them—then I do not delay before I control my nerves and try to get rid of these thoughts. Is that considered disbelief, may Allah protect us from that? And what I want to say is: I read a noble hadith to the effect that: if a Muslim declares his brother a disbeliever, it returns to one of them. Does this mean: if a Muslim declares another person a disbeliever, he has become a disbeliever, meaning: his ruling becomes exactly like the ruling of an apostate? What if I feel that that person, for example, is a disbeliever but I do not state it explicitly? And I want to ask as well: Is believing in some superstitions, like the number
of bad luck (13) or taking an omen as a bad sign from throwing nails on the ground and other such superstitions, considered disbelief? Knowing that the one who believes in them is a complete Muslim and believes in everything that came in the message of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And if a person repents and no longer believes in them, is he like one who entered Islam, meaning: he has to perform the full ritual bath and the like? Then I want to ask: Are my intrusive thoughts and doubts in my self, no matter how much they are, a sin for which I will be held accountable or not? Knowing that I sometimes spend hours thinking about them, trying to get rid of them. I will not lengthen my letter beyond this, and I place this question in summary for all the above, which is: When does a person become an apostate? I do not want to ask how an apostate is known, but how does a person know himself if he has apostatized, may Allah protect us from that? As I also want to ask: Does an apostate who wants to return to Islam have to perform the full ritual bath, like a disbeliever who becomes a Muslim, even if he did not have major ritual impurity during his period of apostasy? And another question: Hajj is an obligation performed once in a lifetime, except in the case of apostasy, may Allah protect us from that. Are there other cases in which it becomes obligatory for a Muslim to perform Hajj a second time?
A: First: Islam has many nullifiers, which the scholars have explained in the chapter on the ruling of the apostate. Among them: And one who apostatizes from Islam and then returns to it does not have what he previously did during his days of Islam of good deeds annulled; for His saying, the Exalted:
And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally.
وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَSo He, the Exalted, conditioned the annulment of deeds upon the death of their owner in a state of disbelief. Second: Psychological thoughts and Satanic whispers do not hold a Muslim accountable, nor do they cause him to apostatize from Islam, if his belief is settled; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Allah, the Most High, has forgiven my followers what they contemplate on within themselves
إن الله تجاوز عن أمتي ما حدثت بها أنفسهاAnd whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (3) And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا (2) وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.