Is a person who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) sinful, and is their OCD a punishment or a trial from Allah, especially since it may lead them to abandon obligatory duties?
Obsessive whispering (waswasah) is a disease and a trial. The person afflicted with it is not held accountable for what issues from it, based on the Almighty's saying: "Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity," and because Allah has overlooked mistakes, forgetfulness, and actions done under duress.
The person afflicted with waswasah is not like the Jews; rather, they are being tested and must be patient and strive against these whispers by ignoring them and not paying attention to them.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah clarified that waswasah disappears with seeking refuge in Allah and adhering firmly to the truth, and by repelling waswasah with certainty in what one has done. If Satan sees the servant's strength and steadfastness, he turns away from him; otherwise, he continues his temptation.
Waswasah may be a punishment for a sin or a trial. In all cases, the person afflicted with it must resist the whispers to the best of their ability and not yield to them.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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