How do I distinguish whether what has occurred to me in worship is doubt or obsessive whispering?
Waswasah (obsessive doubt/whispers) is an abundance of doubt, or doubt without a sign or basis. Thus, a person afflicted with waswasah does not act upon their doubt, unlike a non-afflicted person who builds upon the original principle in case of doubt. Waswasah takes three forms: doubt without a sign, assuming something that did not happen and then ruling that it did, and frequent and habitual doubt. So, if doubt in an act of worship is not based on a sign or occurs very frequently, then it is waswasah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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