A man who fasts and prays and worships Allah the Exalted, but fears things he finds in his heart that cause him anxiety, yet he cannot control what is in his heart; does he become a disbeliever because of them?
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The questioner : A man who fasts and prays and worships Allah and praises Allah for that, says: But I fear things I find in my heart, and I am constantly very anxious about them, but I cannot control what is in my heart. Does a person become a disbeliever because of what is in his heart without speaking it? Please advise us, and may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : A person does not become a disbeliever because of the bad whispers he finds in his heart, which may lead to disbelief. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) complained of this to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he ordered them to seek refuge in Allah and to stop doing that. Thus, a person should, when he feels these whispers, turn away from them, ignore them, and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and they will go away.
It is known that Shaytan is an enemy to man. So when he sees strength in religion and strength in faith in a person, he starts to introduce these whispers to him to make him doubt his faith. And perhaps these whispers will reach the point where he says them with his tongue, and then he becomes a disbeliever. Some people afflicted with this matter—we ask Allah for safety—may reach a state where they speak with their tongues and say with their tongues, claiming that if they say it with their tongues, they will be relieved, and then they repent. This is a great danger.
So the effective remedy is to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, to ignore this, and to turn away from it completely. Then it will not harm him, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : A person does not become a disbeliever because of the bad whispers he finds in his heart, which may lead to disbelief. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) complained of this to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he ordered them to seek refuge in Allah and to stop doing that. Thus, a person should, when he feels these whispers, turn away from them, ignore them, and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and they will go away.
It is known that Shaytan is an enemy to man. So when he sees strength in religion and strength in faith in a person, he starts to introduce these whispers to him to make him doubt his faith. And perhaps these whispers will reach the point where he says them with his tongue, and then he becomes a disbeliever. Some people afflicted with this matter—we ask Allah for safety—may reach a state where they speak with their tongues and say with their tongues, claiming that if they say it with their tongues, they will be relieved, and then they repent. This is a great danger.
So the effective remedy is to seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, to ignore this, and to turn away from it completely. Then it will not harm him, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.