Most people are familiar with the term ‘OCD’ (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), and use the word to describe individuals who are tidy or organised. However, few are aware of the detrimental impact it can have on well-being, especially when intersecting with religious practices, as it did with mine. OCD is a common mental illness which affects people from all walks of life around the world. It affects 1 to 4% of people in the UK alone. Those who receive a diagnosis usually suffer debilitating symptoms ranging from intrusive thoughts to compulsive rituals, health anxiety and repetitive actions. 

How does OCD affect religious acts?

I was diagnosed with OCD at the age of twelve and suffered daily with intrusive thoughts. As I began performing salah regularly, it became almost impossible to maintain the minimum requirements for Islamic obligations. My struggle with fasting started soon after I was diagnosed, although I didn’t know that my mental health was the main factor. Fasting worsened my anxiety which in turn triggered my OCD and increased my compulsive rituals. I would furiously scrub my hands with soap, sobbing until they were red and raw. 

The symptoms weren’t limited to cleaning impulsively; I would sit for hours ruminating on pointless things and exaggerating scenarios in my head. My anger, anxiety and OCD became uncontrollable, and by the time Maghrib arrived, I could not sit with my family and eat. I felt it was better to stay alone in my room where my symptoms would only affect me until I calmed down.

Praying was similarly challenging as the rituals drained my energy. I was so weakened by hunger and compulsive behaviours that I just couldn’t pray. Moreover, the khushu (focus) I once had during salah had vanished, reducing the awaited conversations with my Lord to mere obligations. Many of us strive to complete our five daily prayers on time every day, however, it can become difficult when dealing with worldly commitments. It is even harder to manage praying while suffering from symptoms of OCD. Although OCD becomes a diagnosed mental disorder when it becomes overwhelming, you can still experience intrusive thoughts and impulsivity without the label.

How often do we question a missed rakah, or let our subconscious wander? These distractions can make one doubt the validity of their prayer and induce a need to start the prayer from the beginning.

Wudhu is a necessary act that precedes salah; however, it becomes an exhausting task when paired with illness. Intrusive thoughts hinder the completion of wudhu, allowing people to doubt their actions, leading them to believe their ablution has been broken or wasn’t performed correctly. 

My intrusive thoughts appeared in the form of an alter ego, a harsh voice in the back of my head feeding me the worst negative affirmations. It told me I wasn’t going to Jannah and that Allah ﷻ didn’t love me anymore. Sometimes I was able to quieten it for a while and hear my own voice assure me that I was worthy, at other times it became an engorged darkness which suffocated me and told me that there was no hope and that there never would be. 

My mind would convince me I wasn’t ‘clean’ enough to stand before Allah ﷻ. I firmly believed that my prayer wouldn’t count if I had missed a spot, and the years I spent being scolded for not being able to perform wudhu correctly by my Islamic school teachers didn’t help either. I also thought that I would be severely punished if I chose to ignore the ‘missed’ areas. 

Having Contamination OCD can come with sensory issues, such as feeling like the skin on one arm doesn’t ‘match’ the other. For example, I would wash my right arm, then my left, only to feel the right one wasn’t as clean, leading me to wash my right arm again. This became a cycle, causing me to miss my prayers, or stop making wudhu and praying salah altogether. This brought further distress, anxiety, and an unshakeable feeling of guilt and resentment. I started resenting mandatory acts, only to feel guilty for doing so. 

As my disorder spun out of control, it became harder to retain the energy to fast and perform other duties in Ramadan. I felt the blessed month was not so blessed for me, and my guilt and resentment were exacerbated by a lack of understanding from other Muslims. As these thoughts, which can also be called waswas, worsened – my iman felt weakened, heightening negative feelings and convincing me I was a bad Muslim.

When it comes to mental health help from religious professionals, it’s sad to say that there isn’t much. Scholars are qualified to provide religious and spiritual advice, however, when it comes to religious, spiritual and mental health advice combined, they’re suddenly at a loss. This is a recurring dilemma within the Muslim community, a problem which doesn’t have a concrete solution, although this is improving gradually. 

What is Waswas?

Waswas is an Arabic word meaning “whispers.” Essentially, these are intrusive thoughts from the devil whispering into your subconscious. Waswas is referenced in the hadith as negative thoughts from Shaytan, and not from oneself.

There are two types of waswas, the first one comes from the nafs (the self) and the other from the Shaytan. It is the second type which becomes overwhelming and obsessive, leading to extreme disruption in life and interfering with duties. Waswas plays on an individual’s fears, exaggerating them, making you believe they have occurred, or will, occur.

It took a long time for me to distinguish my own voice between the ‘bad’ one, and there are still days, even months, where I’m unable to tell the difference. What worked for me, was learning to sit with my thoughts, and come back to them once things seemed a little clearer. When an intrusive or obsessive thought enters my mind, I let it be, I wait, and I continue. This action, along with prescribed medication from my doctor, made my disorder manageable. When I started medication things started to get better, and slowly I began working on my spiritual relationship with Allah ﷻ again. 

The Qur’an and Hadith on OCD

Although the Qur’an itself does not explicitly mention OCD, there are many verses which touch on the struggles associated with it. Waswas is clearly written in Surah An-Nas.

Allah ﷻ says,

‘Say, (O Prophet) “I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind, the Master of humankind, the God of humankind, from the evil of the lurking whisperer—who whispers into the hearts of humankind— from among jinn and humankind.”’ (Surah An-Nas 114:1-6)

Allah ﷻ also talks about the evil eye in Surah Al-Falaq, warning us that black magic and envy exist and that we need to protect ourselves against them.

He ﷻ says, ‘Say, (O Prophet) “I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak. from the evil of whatever He has created, and from the evil of the night when it grows dark, and from the evil of those ˹witches casting spells by˺ blowing onto knots, and from the evil of an envier when they envy.”’ (Surah Al-Falaq 113:1-5)

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has mentioned waswas, stating that Shaytan uses intrusive thoughts to break down a believer—it is a sign of strong faith if you experience these. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah RA said: “Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, ‘We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to speak of.’ He said, ‘Are you really suffering from that?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That’s a clear sign of faith.”’ (Muslim)

Furthermore, the Prophet ﷺ has also expressed to us that if we suffer from intrusive thoughts without verbalising them, then we will not be held accountable and Allah ﷻ will forgive us. He ﷺ said, “Allah forgives my followers those (evil deeds) their souls may whisper or suggest to them as long as they do not act (on it) or speak.” (Bukhari)

The beautiful structure of Islam assures us that our suffering will bring rewards beyond comprehension.

Lack of Support from Scholars and Community

A wider problem within our community is the limited understanding Islamic scholars have of mental health itself. Unfortunately, when it comes to individuals struggling with depression or even schizophrenia, many professionals are unaware of the mind’s ability to display a variety of emotions and coping mechanisms. You may hear talks of people in the community being ‘possessed’ or having ‘Jinn’ living inside their bodies. This may be true in some cases, most of these are undiagnosed disorders and illnesses. It is often easier to believe in the paranormal than fathom the complexities of the mind.

Denial plays a significant part in preventing treatment as the older generation refuses to acknowledge the issue. There is also a stigma attached to mental health as it is often an obscure concept for the Muslim community – and as a result – considered taboo.

Generally, it is quite difficult to find scholarly advice for mental illnesses. However,  I was lucky to have found a scholar, a local Imam whom my family knew, who made things easier for me – as I struggled with reassurance and needed it before I made a decision. The scholar helped in assessing my situation and providing a solution which goes to show that there are good scholars out there, it is only a matter of finding one with good character and a deep sense of empathy instead of judgement. 

It is a good idea to search for scholars in your local area. This way, you can request recommendations and consider which Imams’ ideologies align with your concerns. Counselling and Psychology training are necessary for integrating both Islamic teachings and science to move communities forward. It is important to search for a trustworthy scholar who can offer support and is willing to understand your experiences.

Furthermore, when individuals confess to depression or intrusive thoughts – scholars often advise them to pray more, do more dhikr and make more du’a. The lack of psychological knowledge only causes increased suffering, doubt and isolation. The interpretation of Qur’anic texts and hadith often links mental health struggles to the weakness of faith, suggesting that low iman equals decreased acts of worship. However, this is not necessarily the case. We know that our Prophet ﷺ struggled with feelings of emptiness and despair and in response, Allah ﷻ sent Surah Ad-Duha to console him ﷺ and remind him ﷺ of His ﷻ love and mercy.

Allah ﷻ says, ‘Your Lord has not taken leave of you, (O Muhammad), nor has He detested (you).’ (Surah Ad-Duhaa 93:3)

Allah ﷻ reminds Muhammad ﷺ that he is not alone, neither are his emotions invalidated. We can take comfort in knowing Allah ﷻ understands us better than anyone else, and His ﷻ love for us is greater than any other.

Accessing Help

It is important to look for the right support when struggling with mental illness and experiencing overwhelming symptoms. First and foremost, making an appointment with your GP and accessing medical help is vital to ensure you are getting the right treatment. Additionally, a qualified professional, from a reliable Muslim counselling service, who understands your cultural and religious background, can help to talk through your emotions. Services such as Aafiyah Healing and Muslim Women’s Network Helpline are easily accessible and available. In times of crisis, always call a helpline; Samaritans are readily on hand for calls and can guide you through difficult situations. Sometimes, discussing your problems with a third party can help considerably. Therapy is a construct which encourages conversations between individuals and therapists, resulting in a connection which relaxes the mind and allows the patient to discuss issues and reach short-term and long-term objectives.

Above all else, always remember that Allah ﷻ is the best of Planners, and your reward for bearing your suffering will surpass any pain you went through in this temporary world.

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References

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Obsessive-compulsive disorder: How common is it? 
2. Muslim Central, OCD The Dark & Light Of The Human Mind (2023) 
3. University of Cambridge, Mental Health Services for Muslim communities in England and Wales: developing a more collaborative model, Sehrish Abrar & Julian Hargreaves (2024) pp. 925-940 
4. Front Psychiatry, The Attribution of Mental Health Problems to Jinn: An Explorative Study in a Transcultural Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic (2018) 
5. The Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, Spiritual beliefs and mental health: a study of Muslim women in Glasgow (2019) p.17
6. Aafiyah Healing 
7. Muslim Women’s Network Helpline
8. Mental Health America, Science Behind Therapy