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This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Are the whispers of Satan a type of OCD? Ever had the thought that you haven't properly made wudu? Or that you may have forgotten to recite something while you were praying? Or maybe an unwanted negative thought about God or about religion? Most people experience unwanted thoughts. Most people can ignore them without thinking twice. Some people, however, are unable to stop the unwanted thoughts from completely consuming their lives, becoming unwanted, obsessive and repetitive actions. This is usually diagnosed as a mental health or anxiety disorder known as OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder. But when these obsessions are related to religion, it becomes a specific classification of OCD known as scrupulosity, or specifically for Muslims, al-waswas al-khahri. Al-waswas al-khahri is an Arabic word that literally means overwhelming whispers, and is specific to Muslims suffering from scrupulosity. Both al-waswas al-khahri and scrupulosity refer to intrusive thoughts that cause cognitive dissonance. In Western psychology, there are different theories about where OCD comes from, but two potential organic sources are the brain and the gut. In Islamic psychology, these intrusive thoughts come from two sources. Number one, from the nafs, which are intrusive internal thoughts that can come from your own self and from biological forces. And number two, from waswas, which are intrusive external thoughts that come from Satan. Waswas literally means whispers. This doesn't mean you can hear Satan's voice whispering in your head, but it refers to experiencing thoughts that are very distressing. The thoughts are within the person, but triggered by an external force, much like the idea of an angel and devil on the shoulders influencing the person. Many Muslims have heard of the concept of waswas as a common phenomenon, but there are two types of whisperings. General waswas are mild, occasional, intrusive thoughts, what most people experience.
Al-waswas al-khahri are excessively overwhelming intrusive thoughts. This is the medical subset of OCD, a condition known clinically as scrupulosity. So what exactly is scrupulosity? It is when a worshipper of any religion is preoccupied with religious matters beyond normal limits, when the preoccupation is extremely distressing, and when the preoccupation negatively impacts the daily functioning of a person. You can see this in action in the three common types of al-waswas al-khahri as seen in clinical settings. Number one, al-waswas al-khahri in ibadah, or acts of worship. In this type, patients obsess over particular acts of worship, worrying they did something to invalidate it. Common signs are feeling the act of worship is not good enough, are constantly seeking perfection, or spending hours repeating the same act of worship over and over again. Number two, al-waswas al-khahri in tahara, or purity. In this type, patients are excessively concerned about spiritual, physical, and or ritual acts of purity. They may have an irrational fear of contamination, or an irrational fear that their wudu, or ritual evolution, is invalid. It is very common for patients of this type to spend hours compulsively checking their clothes, cleaning themselves, or getting ready for prayer. Number three, al-waswas al-khahri in aqeedah, or belief with conviction in religion. In this type, patients are obsessively concerned about matters of belief and faith. It is very common for them to have an overwhelming fear of accidentally falling out of Islam. For example, they may obsess over a negative thought they had about God or Islam, and worry that they are no longer Muslim. This can cause them to repeat the declaration of faith, or the shahada, more than a hundred times a day. And when they are unable to say the shahada, they can feel physically distressed and overly anxious. So what's the treatment for al-waswas al-khahri?
Many people believe that these mental health disorders are a result of, or a sign of low iman, or faith. It is extremely important to know that they are not a result of low iman, or faith. The Prophet, salallahu alayhi wasalam, said, Allah has forgiven my ummah that which is whispered to them, and which crosses their mind, so long as they do not act upon it, or speak of it. Clinically, it is important to know that intrusive thoughts are just thoughts, and they do not reflect on you as a person. The problem is not with the thought itself, but rather how you cope with the thought or urge. People who suffer from al-waswas al-khahri need a holistic solution. Although it may seem like a religious problem, treatment is through a combination of two equally important things. Number one, effective cognitive behavioral therapy in collaboration with a clinician. This works best if the clinician understands the client's culture. And number two, Islamic interventions in collaboration with an imam, who can help in cognitive restructuring, which is reframing unhealthy spiritual beliefs with healthy ones. Najwa Awad, a licensed clinical social worker, mentions that, although al-waswas al-khahri is a complex mental health disorder that is not yet officially recognized, it's being addressed in a lot of informal articles and inquiries. This suggests that this is a disorder that needs a lot more attention than is being given, and more research to identify what specific clinical and Islamic treatments yield the most effective results.
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