Is my statement, "If I were given a choice and had the power to do this act, I would say, 'God forbid that I do it,' then it is a whisper," correct when in doubt about whether an act is a whisper? And is it correct not to pay attention to any self-talk and to seek refuge in Allah from Satan, provided that the talk is unstable or disliked? And is it necessary to ascertain each time that the self-talk is unstable or disliked? And what are examples of actions for which the one afflicted with whispers (waswasa) is not excused, based on the distinction between what is within one's capacity and what is not?
Whoever suffers from waswas (whispers/obsessive thoughts) must completely disregard them, realizing that they will not be held accountable for inner thoughts, and should not overthink whether they disliked the waswas or not. Their heart is at peace with faith and does not incline towards such false whispers. As for what the Sheikh mentioned, it is correct: the person afflicted with waswas is held accountable if they were able to struggle against the waswas and stop them but failed to do so. An example of this is someone who abandons prayer due to waswas; they are mistaken because they are capable of struggling against them by disregarding them. Therefore, they must repent, turn away from the waswas, and maintain their prayers.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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