A woman afflicted with obsessive doubts regarding ritual purity and the sensation of expelling impurity after ablution, and feeling that someone is commanding her to curse Allah and His Book, among other things.

The questioner : A woman whom Allah has afflicted with obsessive doubts regarding ritual purity, and the sensation of expelling impurity after ablution, and on one occasion she felt that someone was commanding her to curse the Qur'an and curse Allah, so she did nothing but weep. How can she be treated and freed from this obsessive doubt?

The Shaykh : By Allah, my brother, many people are afflicted with this obsessive doubt. If the question that comes to us by telephone is not repeated from a single questioner, how common is this among people? There is no power and no strength except with Allah. The cure for obsessive doubt is frequent seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, especially reciting the two chapters of seeking refuge (al-Mu'awwidhatan), for no one has ever sought refuge with anything like them: , and the first thing included in that is the evil of Shaytan, because he is among the creations of Allah. And in Surat al-Nas: , so the cure for that is frequent seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, turning to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and sincere determination, such that a person does not pay attention to the obsessive doubts that come to his heart. For example, he performs ablution once, or twice, or three times, and that is enough; he leaves the bathroom, says the takbir for entering the state of ihram, and that is enough. Even if a person feels in himself that he did not perform ablution, or that he neglected something regarding his limbs, or that he did not intend it, he should not pay attention to that.
Likewise, if he feels during his prayer, or it occurs to him, that he did not say the takbir for entering the state of ihram, he should not pay attention to that; he should proceed with his prayer and complete it.
Likewise, if what was mentioned occurs to his heart, such as cursing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) or cursing the mushaf (written copy of the Qur'an) or other forms of disbelief, he should not pay attention to it, and it does not harm him. Even if it were to pass over his tongue without his choice, he owes nothing, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: And if the divorce of the one afflicted with obsessive doubt does not take effect, then this is even more deserving of forgiveness. But he should turn away from this, and it should not concern him if Shaytan says to him: "Say this, say this." It should not concern him; he should persist and not say it.
So my advice to her and to others afflicted with this is to increase seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and to recite the two great chapters: , , and to have sincere determination. He should turn away from all of this and not pay attention to it, even if Shaytan tells him that the ablution is not complete or that the prayer is not complete, it should not concern him. Even if he casts doubt in his heart regarding Allah, or something similar, it should not concern him, because he only suffers from this doubt because of his faith. A non-believer does not care whether he doubts or not, but the one who suffers from these doubts and obsessive thoughts means that he is a believer. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Companions: meaning: what Shaytan throws into your hearts of such matters i.e., pure faith. Look now, he made it part of pure faith even though doubt comes to the heart. Why?
Because the one upon whose heart doubt comes does not find peace in that doubt, does not pay attention to it, suffers from it, and does not want it. Shaytan does not come except to hearts that are alive (full of faith) in order to destroy them; he does not come to dead hearts because they are dead. It was said to Ibn 'Abbas or Ibn Mas'ud: "The Jews say, 'We do not have obsessive doubts in our prayer.' He said, 'Yes, and what can Shaytan do with a ruined heart?'" It is true, ruined, ruined. But he comes to the alive heart to destroy it. So my advice to her, and I hope you will convey this to her or buy the tape for her to listen to, is that she should turn away from all of this, and that no doubt should enter her heart. She will suffer at first when she does this; she will see that she prayed without purity, or prayed without the takbir for entering the state of ihram, or something similar. So tell her: it should not concern her. She should be patient, and it will be removed from her by the permission of Allah. And praise be to Allah, there are people who complained of this complaint, and they were told what they should use to resist it, so Allah cured them of it.