Fatwa #1433614 June 2006United States of America
Also does a heart affected with the desease of criticism or doubt can also be a source of such thoughts???
Question
I wanted to ask a question which has become a serious issue in regards to my concentration in the worship. The question is that according to islam shaytan does not know everything in my heart. It is only the quality of Allah (swt) that Only He knows what is hidden in our hearts and what we expose. But following particular incident has been occuring very often with me. That whenever I am planning to do something good for example helping out a muslim family, and that plan is still within my heart and I am still planning as to how to do it. I start to get thoughts in my mind that would ruin the intentions of my action of helping out the muslim brother. Then I keep thinking that may be these sinful thoughts are coming from the shaytan because he does not want me to do this good action with pure intentions. But then I would talk to myself that how come shaytan knows about this wherease I have not even revealed it to anyone and its is still within my heart. Please explain this matter to me that from where these thoughts are coming and why. Are they just random thoughts within my mind or my heart is filled with darkness in terms of pure intentions.
Also when someone is not concentrating in the salah and his mind starts to wonder around and his previous experiance are started to recount. Are these thoughts are still named as waswasa or not. Because we all know that mind is always busy, and if we dont concentrate in the duty it will wonder around. so in terms of salah, when our mind is occupied with worldly thoughts, do we call them as waswasa or something else. If these are waswasa then its source has to be shaytan wherease random thoughts has no source or they come from no where. Please explain these two matters as clearly as you can because they are keep confusing me whenever i am trying to do anything whether it is salah or studying or driving.
As a short sentence, I want to know how can I tell wether some thought that came to my mind it was from shaytan, or just a random thought (if there is any) and how can shaytan knows the condition of my heart wherease it is only the quality of Allah(swt). Also does a heart affected with the desease of criticism or doubt can also be a source of such thoughts???
Please do answer these questions clearly and explain the matter to me so that I do not have to ask anyone else.
Answer
Abu Hurayra [radhiallaahu anhu] narrates that Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘Allah has forgiven my Ummah regarding those Waswasa (whisperings of the Shaytaan) that creep into the heart so long as they do not act upon them or mention them.’ (Mishkaat)
From this Hadith and many similar Ahaadith, we understand that Shaytaan will try his utmost to create Waswasa in the hearts of the believers, especially, when they are engaged in Ibaadah like Salaat. The object of Shaytaan is to drive a person’s attention away from his Ibaadah by creating worldly thoughts and doubts in his mind. Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said that Shaytaan sits on the corner of a person’s heart. When he/she is about to perform Salaat, Waswasa, i.e. whispers of Shaytaan, may also occur outside Salaat and in other acts of Ibaadah, e.g. Wudhu.
Waswasa is generally of 2 types, a) Voluntary, and b) Involuntary. It is natural for thoughts to come to a person. However, it is not permissible to entertain evil thoughts. If a thought strikes a person, he should ignore it and not entertain it. Surely, it will go away. If a person entertains such evil thoughts, a person will soon become inclined and then determined to act upon the thought. Therefore, one should ignore the thought and recite ‘Laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa billaah’.
Remember, Shaytaan is our enemy and will try to mislead us in every possible way. His tool of Waswasa is one way to mislead man. Therefore, one should not be fooled or misled by the evil whispers of the Shaytaan. One should rather ignore the thoughts and continue with one’s actions. Never allow the mind to be idle for an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The hearts gets affected by information brought by the 5 senses and by internal faculties such as imagination, etc. The most important influence comes from the random thoughts and ideas which are projected by the devil in the mind to ward off such thoughts one should engage in Dhikr.
The heart is like a Castle and a man must guard its entrances against the enemy, who is the devil. The main entrances are: Desire, envy and greed, eating one’s full, love for adornment, avarice and fear of poverty, etc. The heart should be cleansed from these traits and purified with Dhikr of Allah.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai