Back to search

Does one who searches for another legal ruling that contradicts a legal ruling he has already found, due to obsessive-compulsive disorder that makes him believe he might commit an act of disbelief for the most trivial reasons, become an apostate?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Beware of obsessive thoughts, for indulging them leads to great evil. Do not pay attention to what Satan makes you imagine. For one whose Islam is established with certainty, it does not vanish except with certainty. A Muslim is not considered an apostate unless he commits a saying, act, or belief of disbelief that is proven by the Qur’an and Sunnah or by the consensus of scholars, along with the fulfillment of the conditions of excommunication and the absence of its impediments. A person suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder is not considered to be acting by choice. Therefore, treat the matter by completely ignoring it. Occupy your time with what is beneficial, recite the Qur’an and engage in remembrance frequently, and avoid solitude. There is no harm in your searching for another opinion, for the person suffering from obsessive thoughts is permitted to adopt leniency from the sayings of scholars as necessitated by his need.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy