Waswas

Waswas (also waswasah) means whispering: intrusive doubts that return again and again.

What it means for me: The answers on this site use the word in a few settings. One answer describes intrusive thoughts that may come as being from Satan and as thoughts that must be repelled. Another calls obsessive whispering one of the most dangerous ailments, to be struggled against and not allowed to take hold. A third says Allah has commanded us to disregard and ignore whispers, and not to indulge in them. It gives the reason: the great evil they cause.

Example: A woman finishes wudu and wonders whether a drop on her sleeve was impure. She checks, and the doubt returns. She searches for the name of what she is feeling.

Where it appears in rulings: Two answers tie the word to worship. One tells a person afflicted by waswas to rule nothing impure (najis) except with absolute certainty. One answer says do not resort to swearing an oath at the start of worship, as this is due to waswasah. This entry only reports what these answers say. Each link opens the answer.

Appears in about 4,200 answers on this site.