Doubt

Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to assent to any of them.

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Doubt . God (Allah)

I read the Quran and know the truth about Islam, but I keep having doubts about the existence of Allah (swt) and I feel very troubled by such thoughts. What should I do?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 6 years ago

It is normal for human beings to occasionally doubt things they cannot see directly.

There are many reasons for this.

* It could be a phase or part of your own personal religious/spiritual growth, as part of expanding your concept of the nature of God.
* The materialism and busyness of the modern lifestyle can drag people down to focus on worldly issues only
* Sometimes, things we do (such as certain sins) or certain things such as overeating, overly watching television, or anything else that makes us overly like a vegetable can also interfere with our "spiritual hardware" that makes us aware of what is beyond this.

It could be all of this or none of it.

Anyway, since your concern is specifically over whether God exists, you could:
* Spend time reading books and watching videos discussing the existence of God. There are a lot of valuable materials both by Muslims and also people of other faiths.
* Spend time reading the Qur'anic discussions about God - keeping in mind that many of them were aimed at people who didn't believe in God
* Read hadith about the nature and existence of God (you could probably find some on this website)
* Prayer - one of the most personal ways that people come to appreciate the existence of God is through answered prayers. I came across someone once who empirically tested prayer and made lists of prayers that he did and when they were answered, and he concluded after a year or so that prayer was effective. Although God is above being tested, it doesn't hurt to try!
* Prayer for guidance - If you ask God to prove to you that He exists, your prayer will likely be answered.
* Spending time in nature, if it is possible, is also a good opportunity for contemplating on spiritual matters. After all, one of the main arguments for the existence of God put forward in the Qur'an as well as by philosophers is the order and beauty of the natural world. Sadly, many of us are separated from it today due to living in cities and other things and we do not always appreciate what is out there.

I am sure you will find your way - take this as an opportunity to explore a very important question of theology (the existence of God) in-depth and become an expert on it, rather than just taking it for granted!

62375

Doubt . Najasa (Impurity)

If one doubts whether they have cleaned an impurity on their clothes or not, should they be considered impure or pure?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 6 years ago

If you are sure that the impurity touched your clothes and made it Najis, but not sure about cleaning it, it is then Najis till you become sure that it have been cleaned.

Wassalam.

55160

Body . Doubt . Ghusl

When performing Ghusl Janabat under a shower I wash the body parts multiple times to ensure I haven't missed any area, and it takes me approximately 30 minutes to complete it. Is this reasonable or am I am being too careful?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 6 years ago

Bismihi ta'ala

A ghusl itself should not take you more than a minute or two. Please keep in mind that when one excessively doubts and repeats their act multiple times, this will lead to waswasah, and simple things will become very difficult.

Please watch this tutorial on ghusl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtDGChWoSeE

Also, on the topic of waswasah, watch this lesson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz2HGVepaC8&list=PLHj5BjXrLabga8Y6BJGjty6oNCzrwmXL-

With prayers for your success.

Body . Doubt . Ghusl

No, it is sufficient to perform Ghusl al-Janabah with a single pitcher of water. It is better to balance the concern over washing everything with the concern of not wasting water. Remember that Islam came from the desert! And in most of human history people didn't have showers. Also, maybe it is not good for your skin to take very long showers.

Of course, please don't start worrying that you are committing a sin by washing too much or using too much water! Just keep in mind that Islam is meant to be easy and that Allah is forgiving; as long as you are trying to do it correctly, He is not going to punish you if you accidentally miss one small spot, and eventually you will do another ghusl for one reason or another and that spot will be taken care of.

54314

Salah (Prayers) . Doubt

While praying I easily get distracted with background sounds and so repeat the recitation. I also often get doubts if I pronounced the words correctly and I would repeat them multiple times. Why does this happen and how can I tackle this challenge?

If the doubt is rare, then you can repeat to be sure that you recite properly, but if the doubts are repeatedly happening, then you do not need to repeat nor to care for such repeated doubts because it can be from Shaitan who tries to spoil your worship by creating repeated doubts.

1. Always start your Prayers with seeking help of Allah from Satanic whispering by saying after Takbiratul Ehraam : A’ootho Billah minashaytan Arrajeem أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم.

2. Try your best to focus on your Prayers and do not let any other thought penetrate into your mind while praying.

3. Remember while praying the grave, the Day of Judgement, The Paradise, the Hellfire and your need to the Mercy of Allah.

4. Pray as if it is your last prayer because every one from us is exposed to death any time.

5. Pray to Allah ( SWT) as if you see him in your heart and talk to him directly.

wassalam.

Salah (Prayers) . Doubt

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 6 years ago

Thank you for your question. This usually happens because of a fear that without pronouncing the Arabic letters correctly the prayer will not be vaild. But when that fear is out of balance this can lead to someone over pronouncing the letters or repeating many times. The way to get over this is to not think about it so much and to ignore the urge to keep repeating. Get your pronunciation checked by someone and then don’t worry about repeating.

As for being distracted that is normal and there are things you can do to help such as praying in a quite place and turning off your phone.

May you always be successful

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Salah (Prayers) . Prostration (sujud) . Doubt

What should I do if I get a doubt during Isha prayer whether I am praying 3rd or 4th rakat after completing the second sajda?

Thank you for your question. The following is the ruling found in Ay Sistani’s Islamic Laws translated by Shaykh Muhammad Ali Ismail (1) 303-304. Your question pertains to the first scenario for someone whow doubts about the number of rakats in a four rakat prayer:

Ruling 1185. In nine situations if one doubts about the number of rakʿahs in a four rakʿah prayer, he must think [about the doubt]; then, if he becomes certain or he supposes that a particular possibility is correct, he must act according to that possibility and complete the prayer; otherwise, he must act according to the instructions that will be mentioned later. The nine situations are as set out below.

First: after starting the second sajdah, one doubts whether he has performed two rakʿahs or three rakʿahs. In this situation, he must assume he has performed three rakʿahs and perform one more rakʿah and complete the prayer, and after the prayer he must perform one rakʿah of ṣalāt al-iḥtiyāṭ in a standing position; and based on obligatory precaution, performing two rakʿahs in a sitting position will not suffice.

Salah (Prayers) . Prostration (sujud) . Doubt

What should I do if I get a doubt during Isha prayer whether I am praying 3rd or 4th rakat after completing the second sajda?

Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 6 years ago

According to Ayatollah Syed Mohsin al-Hakim Tabatabai, when you doubt as to whether you have completed three or four raka'at, complete the salah assuming that you have completed four raka'at. Then do salat al-ihtiyat, consisting of one raka'a standing, or two raka'at sitting.

Salah (Prayers) . Prostration (sujud) . Doubt

What should I do if I get a doubt during Isha prayer whether I am praying 3rd or 4th rakat after completing the second sajda?

Nour Tessie Jørgensen, Nour Tessie Jørgensen has an MA in Islamic studies from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and a degree in Philosophy of Ethics at Al Mustafa International University in Qum, Iran. She works as... Answered 6 years ago

You should assume that you have performed 3 units (rakat) and finish the prayer after performing one more rakat. After you finish the prayer (saying salam), without turning to the sides (meaning you are still in prayer) you should pray one rakat Ihtiyat-prayer (standing) as an obligatory precaution. It is a one unit prayer which symbolize the third or forth rakat.