Striving for Purity and Guarding Against Obsessive Doubts
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The Shaykh : So, my Muslim brother, strive for purity, but do not let obsessive doubts overcome you, nor doubt every illusion that comes to you. Some people imagine that they have broken their state of ritual purity, either by passing wind or by something coming out of their private part, and then they waver over whether to perform ablution or not. Then some people say: Why am I wavering? It happens once and the matter is over. Is this a solution? Yes. It is not a solution, because if he purifies himself a second time, the illusion will return to him. He goes, then breaks his state of purity again, and the one in his belly remains, and this is the problem. In any case: do not be deceived by obsessive doubts. Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and may Allah reward us for him with good, gave us a relief that we can benefit from. The meaning of the hadith is that he said: Praise be to Allah, you are excused. As long as you are not certain, do not be concerned by the illusion. Even if you have 99% certainty that you broke your state of purity and 1% that you did not, what do you do? Take the one that you did not break it. If someone were to say: Look, we now have two cautious approaches. If someone were to say what I mentioned to you a little while ago: that he will break his state of purity to be certain that he did so and perform ablution. And another said: I will not break my state of purity, but I will perform ablution out of caution. And the third said: I will not perform ablution and I will not break my state of purity. Which of them is most correct? The third is most correct. Praise be to Allah, it is a blessing. Because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had known that there was good in breaking one’s state of purity based on certainty, he would have guided to it. And if he had known that the preponderance of probability is acted upon here, he would have guided to it. But he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not guide to anything but what? The certain thing that a person perceives with his senses, hearing a sound or finding a smell. So beware of imagining. Now, if someone were to say: I feel a movement in my private part. I feel a movement in my private part. Is he required to ensure cleanliness? And take off his trousers and say: I want to see? No, he is not required to do so, he does not do it. Because it is the custom that when a person squeezes his private part, something will come out of it. So let him avoid this, and not be concerned by it. And let him stick to the straight path. The path of whom? The path of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Sahih Muslim 361. And he did not guide to ensuring cleanliness either. He did not mean: think, look, but he said: Sahih Muslim 361.
I ask Allah the Exalted to make me and you successful in following His path, and to guide us to His straight path. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And let us now take a small portion of the questions, because our discussion has been long, and I did not expect it to be this long. But the questions are now in our hands. If we wish, we can add five minutes or ten, or whatever is feasible.
If any of you feels something in his belly, let him not turn away until he hears a sound or finds a smell.
إذا أحس أحدكم بشيء في بطنه فلا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتاً أو يجد ريحاًHe should not return (from prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell (of passing wind).
لا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتاً أو يجد ريحاًHe should not return (from prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell (of passing wind).
لا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتاً أو يجد ريحاًI ask Allah the Exalted to make me and you successful in following His path, and to guide us to His straight path. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And let us now take a small portion of the questions, because our discussion has been long, and I did not expect it to be this long. But the questions are now in our hands. If we wish, we can add five minutes or ten, or whatever is feasible.