Fatwa ID: 09022
Answered by Maulana Nahid Uddin
Question:
If i see an individual is struggling with their prayers and wudhu so much through OCD, that its causing them depression, when/is it okay to encourage them to take a step back from prayers?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It would not be correct to encourage a Muslim to ‘take a step back’ from the obligatory prayers, as they remain a necessary obligation under all circumstances, so long as the person possesses intellect and basic capacity to pray. Rather, what is required here is not abandonment, but correction of the manner in which the person is approaching purification and prayer. The Prophet SAW taught us ‘Indeed, the religion is ease’ (Bukhari). [1] Thus, the Shariah does not burden a person with obsessive repetition or hardship.
In cases of waswasa (obsessive doubts), the fuqaha explicitly instruct that such doubts are to be ignored. As the legal maxim states, ‘Certainty is not removed by doubt’. [2] Likewise, in wudhu, once a limb is washed properly, repeating it due to doubt is not commendable.
Therefore, rather than advising the person to leave prayer, one should guide them to perform it in the simplest valid manner, ignore intrusive doubts, and, if needed, seek both scholarly and medical support for their OCD.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Maulana Nahid Uddin
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
– إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, H39)
[2]
– يتبين من حلول الشيباني في بعض مسائله أنه يراعي قاعدة الاستصحاب وإن لم يصرح بهذا الاسم. فالمسائل التي تبنى على أن اليقين لا يزول بالشك تعتبر أمثلة على هذا (٢).
Kitab Al-Asl, Chapter of Istishab, Page 225. Assessed on Maktabah Al-Shamilah, 30-04-25