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What is the solution for persistent obsessive thoughts related to the presence of crosses in belongings and device applications, and what is the ruling on prayer with this mental preoccupation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The treatment for obsessive thoughts is to disregard them and not pay attention to them. A Muslim is not judged to be an unbeliever due to the presence of a cross in their belongings, as long as they do not worship it and dislike it. The fear of disbelief because of it indicates that disbelief is not present. To resolve the issue, it is sufficient to remove the drawing of the cross or change its shape, based on the Prophet's (PBUH) saying: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would not leave anything in his house that had crosses on it without destroying it." Destruction can be achieved by anything that removes the shape of the cross. It should be noted that some lines may appear to be a cross but are not, such as some mathematical symbols, and these are permissible.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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