BENEFIT 62: Avoid and Ignore Obsessive Thoughts

Question: When a person performs wudhu, they might be plagued by obsessive thoughts saying, "You didn't wash your nails, or your ankles, or your feet." Is it permissible for the person to ignore these thoughts and dismiss them? Sheikh 'Uthaymeen: Some people have many doubts, questioning whether they completed washing a body part every time they perform wudhu. Such doubts should not be given any attention. If a person considers all these frequent doubts, they will be exhausted. However, if the doubt is genuine and not frequent, then this doubt should be considered, and certainty should remove this doubt. Questioner: And if one does not know how many times? Sheikh: Then this means he has obsessive thoughts; he is still in doubt. Questioner: And some Āyaat he might read more than once, as well as the Tashahhud! Sheikh: No, this person is obsessive. What I see is that he should abandon these obsessive thoughts because if he opens the door to them, he will be exhausted. The devil will come to him, causing doubts in his prayer and even in his belief in Allah Almighty. It might reach the point where he doubts Allah, and he may even doubt his wife, wondering if he divorced her or not. Therefore, a person should abandon these doubts. Questioner: How should this be done? Sheikh: He should ignore it; meaning, if he doubts, he should not pay attention to the doubt. Questioner: Is it permissible to repeat the Āyaat and read it a second time? Sheikh: He should not read it again at all. If he has read it once, that is sufficient, and if he doubts his reading, he should ignore it. [Liqaa' Al-Baab Al-Maftooh, Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, Part 1, Page 6] ____ Anecdote: A man came to Abu Hazim Al-Qadhi and said, "Shaytan comes to me and tells me that I have divorced my wife, thus causing me to doubt myself." Abu Hazim replied, "Didn't you come to me last night and divorce her infront of me?" The man said, "No, by the Lord of the Ka'bah and the Creator of the heavens and the earth, I only came to you today, and I have not divorced her in any way." Abu Hazim then said, "Swear to Shaytan as you swore to me, and you will be free from any concern." @ruqyachannel