Is one who thinks about matters of disbelief, such as cursing or insulting, without them being intrusive, an infidel, bearing in mind that he may sometimes think about them voluntarily, but he hates them and seeks refuge from them, and taking into account Al-Nawawi's statement that "Thoughts and self-talk, if their owner does not settle on them and persist in them, are pardoned by scholarly consensus, because he has no control over them," and that "What is meant by it are thoughts that do not settle... So, whoever has a thought of disbelief, a mere thought without intending to achieve it, and then dismisses it immediately, is not an infidel"?

The interpretation of the whispers (waswas) that afflict a person is that Satan and the commanding soul (nafs al-ammarah bi al-su') whisper, and the presence of one does not mean the other is dormant. A person is not held accountable for these whispers as long as they do not settle in the heart and turn into a belief. The fact that a person dislikes and is repelled by these whispers is a sign of the soundness and strength of their faith, fulfilling the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: "That is pure faith." Allah has forgiven the Ummah of Muhammad for what their hearts whispered, as long as they do not act upon it or speak of it, because whispering is merely an inner hesitation to which the heart does not settle. Imam Al-Nawawi's (may Allah have mercy on him) words in "The Chapter on Backbiting with the Heart" mean that suspicion is forbidden, just like speech, and that thoughts are not held against a person unless they settle in the heart, but they must be repelled and ignored. Finally, some whispers may result from psychological illnesses like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and the person afflicted with it is excused and rewarded for their struggle.