How to Treat the Whispers of Satan Against the Servant

Your Eminence, Shaykh Abdulaziz! This message reached us from the sender, the one who is poor before the Exalted, Abdullah Abdulrahman from Erbil, Iraq. He says: To the honorable scholars who answer the questions of listeners on the program "Light on the Path" on the "Call to Islam" radio station, my honorable scholars! Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
And after that:
He says: O servants of Allah! I spent my youth seeking knowledge in the mosques and religious schools, and I took a share from every branch of Islamic and Arabic knowledge. But the problem I face, which disturbs my sleep, spoils the tranquility of my life, and makes me feel anxious and afraid, is that illusions, whispers, and thoughts control me. Some of them are disbelief, but I have not spoken them aloud. I tried my best to treat them by increasing the remembrance of Allah, turning to Allah, and supplicating to the Exalted to save me from these thoughts, but to no avail. I complain of severe hardness in my heart, and of boredom, tedium, and laziness in performing the obligatory duties. I feel as if my heart is a barren desert and a pitch-black darkness, and all the diseases of the heart control me, such as arrogance, showing off, hatred, love of praise, and hatred of blame... and so on. He says: So I do not know, am I held accountable for these thoughts? And how can I deal with my soul that commands evil? I ask you to help me and guide me to the straight path. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows: O questioner! You should know that these thoughts, these illusions, and these things that harm you are all from Satan, all from the enemy of Allah. When he saw your eagerness for good, your seeking of knowledge, your benefit, and your striving, he wanted to disturb your life and spoil it for you with these illusions, these doubts, and these things that disturb your sleep. You should fight them by the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and the Majestic, and by preparing for meeting Him, the Exalted and Majestic. You should know that they are from Satan. You should abandon them and beware of them, and turn to reading the Noble Qur'an with reflection and understanding, and increase in the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and occupy yourself with what benefits you in this world and the Hereafter. This will be a gain for you... this will be a deed that occupies you away from some of these whispers, along with turning to Allah, increasing in the recitation of His Noble Book, and supplicating to Him to protect you from the evil of this enemy and his illusions and what he casts upon you of whispers. Your Lord, Exalted and Majestic is He, is generous and bountiful. He is the One who said, the Exalted: [Surah Ghafir: 60]. So ask Him, Exalted and Majestic is He, and supplicate to Him until He saves you from these whispers, these illusions, and these plots that the enemy of Allah plots.
This happened to the Companions, the followers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they complained to him (peace and blessings be upon him) about this and said: And in another wording: , and in another wording: meaning: pure faith and its essence, meaning: what occurs in the hearts of hatred for this thing, its denial, and its magnification. This is from faith and from the clear manifestation of faith.
So praise your Lord, for what has befallen you has befallen others of the righteous predecessors. So strive against your soul in this matter and be glad of good and health. And when you are sincere with Allah, Allah will suffice you from the evil of these whispers. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one to whom Satan came and said to him: And in another wording: So when you find these whispers, say: I believe in Allah and His messengers. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. And stop. And abandon following these whispers and being soft with them. Abandon them and stay away from them and beware of them. Do not be soft or relaxed with them, for that is what gives Satan hope. But abandon them, fight them, and occupy yourself with something else from the remembrance of Allah, reading the Qur'an, and other such occupations that occupy you away from them, from matters of religion and the world alike. And this is the treatment, in our belief. And Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is the One who grants success.