The Origin of Whispers and How to Get Rid of Them

The listener (S. A. N.) from Makkah al-Mukarramah sent a message saying: I hope you will be kind enough to present this message to His Eminence Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz: For two and a half years, I have been afflicted with whispers, doubts, and thoughts, some of which I cannot repel. This has caused me some fear, anxiety, and distress, until these thoughts and whispers have taken hold of me. I am extremely afraid of them, as I fear they will harm me in my religion, because some of them concern my creed. When I ask some scholars, they tell me: "Whispers are from faith." But to this day, these whispers and thoughts have not left me. Sometimes I am overcome with despair due to the abundance of whispers. I ask your Eminence to guide me to salvation from this calamity and to clarify the whisper about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: The origin of whispers is Satan; he is the one who dictates to man what harms him and confuses his religion and his heart, as Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Nas: 1-4]. So he is a whisperer in times of heedlessness and a retreater in times of remembrance; he shrinks and retreats when Allah the Mighty and Majestic is mentioned. So, my brother, you should increase in the remembrance of Allah, the recitation of the Qur'an, and seeking refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was told about this, some of the Companions said to him: The meaning is: When Satan despaired of them, he came to them with severe and dangerous whispers regarding their religion and creed, such that falling from the sky would be easier for them than uttering them.
This is part of his wicked scheme. It is clear faith in terms of what is in the heart of the believer: his hatred of these whispers, his denial of them, and his caution against them. This is clear faith. The whisper itself is not clear faith; rather, clear faith is the hatred of it, the fear of it, and the caution against it. The fact that it is easier for the believer to fall from the sky than to utter it—this is clear faith in their hearts. That is, their hearts denied those whispers and considered falling from the sky easier than uttering them. It is as if he says to him: "Allah does not exist," or "It is not permissible to call upon Allah," or "There is no harm in associating others with Him in supplication and worship," or he says as came in the hadith: and similar whispers concerning the existence of Allah, His right to be worshipped, and that He is the Creator and the All-Knowing, or concerning Paradise and Hell, such as whispering that there is no Paradise, there is no Hell, no resurrection, and no gathering. All of this is from the whispers of the enemy of Allah. Denying these whispers is clear faith; denying them and believing in their invalidity is clear faith.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided the believer that if he sees such a thing, he should say: This is how he commanded the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) He said to them: This is the cure for these wicked whispers. If the believer sees them, he says: "I believe in Allah and His messengers, I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast," and he proceeds with his need, continuing in his need without relying on them or turning to them.
As for the other whispers in his prayer and in his ablution, they are also from Satan. He must not turn to them; he must be cautious of them. If he performs ablution, he does not repeat the ablution, and if he prays, he does not repeat the prayer because of whispers. No, rather, he believes that his prayer is valid and his ablution is valid, and he does not turn to the whispers of the enemy of Allah, for he is eager to corrupt the deeds of the children of Adam, confuse their hearts, and put them in difficult situations. It is obligatory to be cautious of him by seeking refuge in Allah from his evil. You say: "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast," even in prayer. If he whispers to you in prayer and the whispers increase upon you, you say: "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast," and you spit, spitting to your left three times, and you say: "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast."
Uthman ibn Abi al-As al-Thaqafi (may Allah be pleased with him) complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: [He was instructed] to spit to his left three times and say: "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast" three times. So Uthman did that, and that whispering was removed from him. So, my brother, if it increases upon you in your prayer or in your ablution, you spit to your left and say: "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast" three times, and Allah will protect you from him .
And so in all matters, you seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast, you increase in the remembrance of Allah, and you say: if it is in the creed, and by this you are safe from the enemy of Allah and his scheme is invalidated, just as the Companions did by the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Allah invalidated his scheme against them and granted them safety from these whispers. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good and benefit us with your knowledge.