Is the person afflicted with intrusive thoughts held accountable for them?
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Question:
From Khartoum, Sudan: (A. A. A) says in this question: If a person is mentally ill with the illness of obsessive-compulsive disorder that controls him at every moment of his life, and as a result of this illness he commits wrong actions, will he be held accountable for these mistakes? Are these actions considered a trial from Allah ? Will he be rewarded for this trial? Or are they actions of Satan for which he is held accountable and for which he is not rewarded? Please guide us in this matter.
Answer:
Intrusive thoughts are from Satan [An-Nas:4]. It is obligatory for the one afflicted with them to be wary of them, to be humble before Allah, to seek His protection from Satan, so he seeks refuge in Allah from Satan, asks his Lord for well-being, and is wary of giving in to the intrusive thoughts; because Allah has commanded him to seek refuge, He said: [Fussilat:36]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one who asked him about intrusive thoughts: .
So the believer seeks refuge in Allah from Satan and does not yield to the intrusive thoughts; because they are from Satan, and he is not rewarded for that, rather he is held accountable for it, and he is to be feared of punishment and sin if he gives in to them and is negligent, so the obligatory thing is to be wary.
As for if he cannot, and is overcome; then there is no sin on him [Al-Baqarah:286] if he is overcome by it, having no choice in it; then this is like the insane and the madman.
But it is obligatory for him to hold himself accountable, to strive against it for the sake of Allah, and to seek refuge in Allah from Satan; so that he fights these intrusive thoughts. And when some of the Companions complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that, he said to him:Sunan an-Nasa'i 3776Sahih (Darussalam) He said: So I did it, and Allah removed from me what I was feeling.
And some of the Companions said to him: O Messenger of Allah! One of us finds in himself what he would prefer to fall from the sky rather than speak of? He said: That is the intrusive thought. Then he ordered them that when they find that, they should seek refuge in Allah from Satan, and say: I believe in Allah and His messengers. He said to them: meaning Satan whispers to him: Who created your Lord, who is such and such, there is no Paradise, there is no Hellfire, and the like of that.
So when he finds these intrusive thoughts; then it is prescribed for him to say:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3452Sahih (Darussalam) So if he does this; he is safe, and Allah saves him from the evil of these intrusive thoughts, and he is safe from their evil and their sin.
As for if he is negligent with these intrusive thoughts and yields to them; then he sins, we ask Allah for well-being. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen, may Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
From Khartoum, Sudan: (A. A. A) says in this question: If a person is mentally ill with the illness of obsessive-compulsive disorder that controls him at every moment of his life, and as a result of this illness he commits wrong actions, will he be held accountable for these mistakes? Are these actions considered a trial from Allah ? Will he be rewarded for this trial? Or are they actions of Satan for which he is held accountable and for which he is not rewarded? Please guide us in this matter.
Answer:
Intrusive thoughts are from Satan
From the evil of the retreating whisperer -
مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِAnd if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah
وَإِمَّا يَنْزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِSpit to your left three times, and seek refuge in Allah from Satan and his evil three times, then turn over to the other side
انفث عن يسارك ثلاث مرات، وتعوذ بالله من الشيطان، ومن شره ثلاث مرات، ثم انقلب على الجنب الآخرSo the believer seeks refuge in Allah from Satan and does not yield to the intrusive thoughts; because they are from Satan, and he is not rewarded for that, rather he is held accountable for it, and he is to be feared of punishment and sin if he gives in to them and is negligent, so the obligatory thing is to be wary.
As for if he cannot, and is overcome; then there is no sin on him
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاBut it is obligatory for him to hold himself accountable, to strive against it for the sake of Allah, and to seek refuge in Allah from Satan; so that he fights these intrusive thoughts. And when some of the Companions complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that, he said to him:
It was narrated from Mus'ab bin Sa'd that his father said: "We were talking about something, and I had only recently left Jahiliyyah behind, so I swore by Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah said to me: 'What a bad thing you have said! Go to the Messenger of Allah and tell him, for we think that you have committed Kufr.' So I went to him and told him, and he said to me: 'Say: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah (There is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner) three times, and seek refuge with Allah from the Shaitan three times, and spit dryly to your left three times, and do not say that again.'"
انفث عن يسارك ثلاث مرات، وتعوذ بالله من الشيطان ثلاث مراتAnd some of the Companions said to him: O Messenger of Allah! One of us finds in himself what he would prefer to fall from the sky rather than speak of? He said: That is the intrusive thought. Then he ordered them that when they find that, they should seek refuge in Allah from Satan, and say: I believe in Allah and His messengers. He said to them:
If one of you finds that, let him say: I believe in Allah and His messengers, and let him seek refuge in Allah from Satan
إذا وجد أحد ذلك فليقل: آمنت بالله ورسله، وليتعوذ بالله من الشيطانSo when he finds these intrusive thoughts; then it is prescribed for him to say:
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the rejected (A`ūdhu billāhi minash-shaiṭānir-rajīm).
آمنت بالله ورسله، أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيمAs for if he is negligent with these intrusive thoughts and yields to them; then he sins, we ask Allah for well-being. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen, may Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.