Fatwa #3416814 October 2015United Kingdom
I have evil thoughts. Am I still Muslim?
Question
Recently I have been having some evil thought in my mind. While most of them are involuntary I am concerned some may be voluntary. For example one day I kept on randomly having evil thought about the Mother of the Believers. I then went to pray Asr where in ruke a thought came into my head about anal sex. My mind then wandered to what have I been thinking about all day, and then astaghfirullah the thought of anal sex and Mother of Believers came into my head. I then tried really hard to clear this thought. Does the fact I let my mind wander of to the Mother of the Believers make me sinful and does it take me out of the fold of Islam.
Later on that day I was on the computer late and I gave into my desire to masturbating. I knew this may trigger evil thoughts or actions but thought I will control and went ahead. Evil thoughts came into my head but I quickly dismissed them. Does the fact I knew there was a possibility while carrying out this act I could have evil thoughts or astaghfirullah be led to an evil action concerning the Mothers of Believers but yet proceeded with act take me out on the folder of Islam.
I have made a firm resolve to stop this filthy act or masturbating and prior to this evil thought had also greatly reduced it.
JazakAllahu Khayr for your time.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
You state you have been experiencing involuntary thoughts. An involuntary thought is beyond ones control. One does not do anything that leads to the thought.
You should honestly ask yourself and assess if the thoughts you refer to are really involuntary. Why would you have such thoughts? Ask yourself, “Did I see or read something that evokes these thoughts”? If so, then these are not involuntary thoughts. They are the consequences of your own doings. If you read or see evil, you will think evil! If the thoughts you refer to are actually involuntary and you were sensitive to such thoughts, then why would you still go and commit another despicable act?
If you honestly believe that you are responsible for the evil thoughts, then bring up the courage and reform yourself. Abstain from evil sights and evil reading and replace them with pure and wholesome information. If you read about chastity, piety, and taqwa etc., then the mind will be trained in that way and the mind will think pure.
To see evil and to hear evil is a major sin. It contaminates the purity of the mind. Evil thoughts do not lead to Kufr,[1] rather the thoughts are the evils of Kufr.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Abdullah ibn Mohammed Aijaz
Student Darul Iftaa
Baltimore, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] صحيح مسلم (1/ 119)
حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَسَأَلُوهُ: إِنَّا نَجِدُ فِي أَنْفُسِنَا مَا يَتَعَاظَمُ أَحَدُنَا أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ، قَالَ: «وَقَدْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ؟» قَالُوا: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: «ذَاكَ صَرِيحُ الْإِيمَانِ»،