The increase in recent times of those who complain of the disease of waswas: what is the effective cure for it from the Book and the Sunnah?
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The questioner : The increase in recent times of those who complain of the disease of waswas: what is the effective cure, in your view, from the Book and the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : The effective cure for waswas, whether in matters of creed or in deeds, is for a person to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan and to cease from it completely. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about what a person finds in his heart regarding Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and he commanded two things. The first is to cease, turn away, and not pay attention, and to ignore it completely. The second is to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. If he does this, this waswas will be lifted from him by the will of Allah the Exalted. Then, it is obligatory for us to know that the original state of what is in doubt is its non-existence. So, if a person doubts whether he has broken his wudu' after performing it, the original state is that the wudu' remains. And if he doubts whether he has divorced his wife, the original state is that the marriage remains, and so on.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The effective cure for waswas, whether in matters of creed or in deeds, is for a person to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan and to cease from it completely. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about what a person finds in his heart regarding Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and he commanded two things. The first is to cease, turn away, and not pay attention, and to ignore it completely. The second is to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. If he does this, this waswas will be lifted from him by the will of Allah the Exalted. Then, it is obligatory for us to know that the original state of what is in doubt is its non-existence. So, if a person doubts whether he has broken his wudu' after performing it, the original state is that the wudu' remains. And if he doubts whether he has divorced his wife, the original state is that the marriage remains, and so on.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.