Back to search

What is the ruling regarding an individual afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who experiences intrusive blasphemous thoughts during prostration or thoughts of committing forbidden acts or insulting people, knowing that he is aware of his OCD and is undergoing treatment for it, and in light of the noble Prophetic Hadith: "Indeed, Allah has overlooked for my Ummah (community) what their souls whisper to them, as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Worrying thoughts and self-talk attack the heart without a person's choice. Allah has forgiven these as long as they are not acted upon or spoken, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah has forgiven my Ummah for whatever thoughts cross their minds or what they say to themselves, as long as they do not act upon it or speak of it." The servant's dislike of these whisperings is a sign of the soundness of his belief and the strength of his faith. This applies to both ordinary whispers and obsessive-compulsive whispers, as the afflicted person has no control over the thoughts that come to him, and he is considered to be in a state of necessity, so he is not held accountable for what occurs to him.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy