Q:

Assalamualaikum Shaikh. Recently in the time of Ramadan , probably in between the first 10 Ramadan i was getting waswasa about a Allah . Always a thought was floating in my head which is ” What does Allah eats ? ”

I knew it was from shaytan but I could not get it out of my head so I searched about the thought online. I did not look into the result because when i searched i instantly felt that I committed a major shirk. I should not have searched about what Allah eats . I said Shahada again. I repented to Allah . But I still get doubt that was it a major shirk or not. If i commit a major shirk do i have to perform ghusl ? Was my repentance accurate ? What is the most correct way to repent from major shirk ? I also get waswasa and weird thoughts like ” Does Allah have feelings?” ”What is he feeling right now?” How can I fight this waswasa ?

A:

Wa alaykum assalamu wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

Obviously, you are suffering from waswasah (doubts in belief caused by Satan). Allah, out of His Mercy, does not hold people accountable for Satanic whispers as long as they are not translated into words or deeds. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah has pardoned my ummah for whatever [evil] whispers they entertain so long as they do not speak or act accordingly.” [Al-Bukhari]

 The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) described the effective remedy for such doubtful whispers when he said, “The Satan comes to anyone of you and starts to say ‘Who created such and such? And who created such and such?’ Until he says ‘Who created Allah?’ When anyone of you reaches this point, he should seek refuge with Allah and give up [such thoughts.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] In another report he said, “People will keep asking until it will be said, ‘Allah created all created beings, but who created Allah?’ So, if anyone of you feels something like this, let him say “I do believe in Allah.” [Muslim]

Thus, the remedy is:

1- To seek refuge with Allah from these whispers.

2- To give us these evil thoughts immediately. Following after these thoughts is very dangerous for one’s belief and even psychological health. This is what you are suffering from.

3- To profess one’s faith by saying “I do believe in Allah.”

You should also keep praying earnestly to Allah to protect you from these thoughts. Moreover, you should keep yourself busy with useful and fruitful activities such as reading Quran, seeking knowledge, and associating with pious people. Leisure time is the best opportunity for the Satan to attack your mind with these thoughts.  

In sum, the best way to fight waswasah is to come closer to Allah.

Brother, just forget what you have done and never look back. Follow the prophetic remedy and be sure of the result.

May Allah help you overcome this affliction.

Allah knows best.