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Will Almighty God punish someone afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that causes them to doubt the purity of their clothes and belongings, along with the accompanying ill thoughts of God and abandonment of prayer? And how does one repent from this state?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

We ask Allah to grant you healing, well-being, and sincere repentance. What afflicts you is not necessarily a punishment; rather, it could be a trial. Do not succumb to obsessive whispers (waswasah). If it whispers to you that something has exited or that impurity has transferred, do not pay attention to it. The fundamental principle is that purity remains unless you are absolutely certain, with definitive conviction, of impurity. Treat your body, clothes, and things as pure, and do not rule them impure except with absolute certainty. If you are certain that urine continues to exit, wait for it to stop, then perform ablution and pray, and do not prolong your stay in the lavatory. Remember that Satan seeks to prevent you from goodness and worship, so strive against him with sincerity and determination. As for whispers concerning creed, they do not harm you as long as you dislike them and are averse to them; rather, you are rewarded for striving against them. However, you are sinful if they push you to disobedience and it was possible to repel them.

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

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