Are you held accountable for self-talk if it is accompanied by involuntary facial movements like smiling or frowning?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Allah has lifted from the Ummah accountability for the whispers of the heart as long as they are not acted upon or spoken. Smiling falls under the category of action. There is no accountability for unintentional smiling. The default ruling for smiling is permissibility, unless it is a forbidden smile, such as mockery. If the questioner is experiencing obsessive whispers, they should repel these whispers by ignoring them and seeking refuge with Allah from Satan.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/128326
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 128326
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy