Issues Troubling the Minds of Young People

Thoughts and delusions that are not compatible with religion do not bother a dead heart, because such a heart is already lifeless and ruined and that is all that Satan wants. It was said to one of the pious predecessors: "The Jews and Christians say that they do not suffer from the problem of waswas (insinuous whispers)."  He replied:  "They are speaking the truth, for what would Satan want with a house that is in ruins?"[1]

On  the  other  hand,  if the  heart  is lively  and  contains  a degree of iman (faith, belief), Satan will launch a merciless and relentless  war  against  it  and  will  inflict  upon  it contradictory insinuations  about  the religion  of  its owner.  This war can be highly destructive if the person succumbs to it. Satan will go to the extent  of  making  the  person  skeptical  about  his  or  her  Lord, religion, and belief. If Satan senses any weakness or defeat in the heart, he will prevail upon it until he drags it to apostasy, but if he finds the heart to be powerful and resistant, he will be disgraced and badly defeated.

Nevertheless, all the devilish insinuations that Satan casts on the heart will be ineffective if one uses the cures recommended by the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

Ibn 'Abbas (radiya Alldhu 'anhu) reported that a man came to the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and said:

 “I experience thoughts about things regarding which I would prefer to become charcoal or ashes than to utter them.” The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) replied: “Praise be to Allah, Who has sent Satan's trick back to him.” (An authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawood and Imam Ahmad)

In another hadith, some of the Companions came to the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! We get some  thoughts  in  our  minds  which  we  consider  too  awful  to express. The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) answered: “Is that so?” They replied: “Yes.” Then he (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “That is pure iman.” (Recorded by Muslim) It is  as  if  the  Prophet  (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) were  telling  his  Companions:  "The meaning   of   it   being   pure   iman   is   that   these   emerging insinuations and your shunning of them and regarding them as too horrible  will cause  no  harm  to your  iman  but  it is rather  an indication  that your  iman is pure  and unadulterated."

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have said: “Satan may come to one of you and say: Who created so-and-so? Until he says: Who created your Lord?  So when  he inspires  such  a question,  one should  seek refuge  with  Allah,[2][2] and  give  up  such  thoughts.” (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)

In another version, the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “One should then say:  I believe in Allah and His Messenger.”   (Recorded by Muslim)

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said: “The people will nearly ask too many questions, so that one of them may say: 'Allah created all of creation, but who created Allah?'  If they say this, then say: “Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One, Allah the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.” (Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112: 1-4), spit (without actually releasing spittle) to your left three times, and seek refuge with Allah from the devil.” (A sound hadith according to as-Suyooti)

In all the aforementioned  hadiths,  the Companions  (may Allah  be  pleased  with  them  all)  described  the  disease  to  the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)  and he in turn prescribed the treatment for it in the following  four actions:

1. Shunning these insinuations entirely, forgetting them as if they had not existed at all and preoccupying oneself with safe thoughts

2.  Seeking refuge with Allah from the thoughts and from the accursed Satan

3.  Saying the phrase: "I believe in Allah and His Messenger"

4.  Reciting: “Say: He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any   equivalent.” (Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas,   112: 1-4)   then   spitting   drily (without   spittle)   to   the   left   side   three   times saying: "A'oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytan ir-rajeem. (I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed)."