Fatwa ID: 07736
Answered by Alimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Question:
Assalamualikum
So I have been dealing with waswasa a lot recently. I was watching a video about prophets and there was a video about khizar (as). I never heard of him before until very recently.
I wanted to know more about him and there was a lot of misinformation about him whether he’s alive or not. there was one video in Urdu where the sheikh was saying something like “We know about Isa (as) who is hayah according to the Quran and sunnah” (as in him being alive). I misheard him and thought to myself he said “We don’t know about Isa (as) who is hayah (I thought he meant Isa (as)’s age)” because I don’t understand Urdu that much. I said to myself that Isa (as) is still alive because Allah saved him. Another video with the same sheikh saying and I heard him this time “Whoever doesn’t believe Isa (as) is hayah is a kafir”. what he meant by “hayah” here is Isa (as) being alive and I misheard him thinking he said Isa (as)’s age.
After hearing this I had a panic attack. I kept repeating to myself “Of course Isa (as) is still alive because Allah saved him and I believe that”. but I was having waswasa and I thought to myself I disbelieved in my mind for just a millisecond before watching the video and was just saying this to calm myself. I panicked even more. I wanted to see an explanation video about Isa (as) just to reassure myself that I am right so I searched “is Isa (as) alive”. no such videos came and I said to myself, “Of course there isn’t any video about this because Isa (as) is still alive”. After coming from the masjid praying maghrib I calmed down and recalled everything I thought and I still don’t know why I panicked like that or what I thought that caused me to panic. I read sura an nisa ayat 157 about certainly Allah saved isa (as).
So my question is does this mean I acted upon my waswas by searching that video? or by reassuring myself?
Was this kufr? I really did not want to search about this. I even said to myself before watching the video that “Isa (as) is alive because Allah saved him”.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Wa alaikum as salām wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh,
It is obligatory for Muslims to seek essential knowledge of their Deen to understand and practice their beliefs and rulings correctly. If someone questions aspects of the faith, such as facts about the prophets, out of genuine unawareness, there is no blame on them. However, they must strive to learn what is necessary. Since you were simply reaffirming your knowledge about Isa (AS) being alive, there was no harm done to your belief.
Your concerns are commendable but should not be to the extent of creating a difficulty for yourself. This method of overthinking can feed the obsessive thoughts (wasawas) which is a form of trouble from Shaytan. Anas ibn Malik (ra) reported to this effect:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said, “Verily, Satan flows through the human being like the flowing of blood.”
One effective way to overcome wasawas is by seeking knowledge. By learning the rulings of Shariah and understanding halal from haram and what constitutes disbelief, you will gain clarity and reduce doubts. Knowledge strengthens one’s understanding and helps one distinguish between genuine concerns and unnecessary doubts.
In Shariah, wasawas (doubts/whispers) are not given weight. This aligns with the legal maxim: “Certainty is not overruled by doubt.” Certainty remains intact unless the doubt is proven true. In this case, the certainty of a person’s Islam is not invalidated by mere doubts about their actions or behaviour. Simply doubting whether one has committed kufr does not negate their status as a Muslim. A Muslim should not let doubt overshadow the certainty of their faith.
[Al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, p. 60]
Therefore, these passing thoughts do not affect your actions or your Iman. One does not leave Islam unless one intentionally denies the core beliefs that brought them into the faith. Allah knows your heart and intentions, and He will not hold you accountable for involuntary doubts. Thus, rest assured that your Iman is intact.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Aalimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
مطلب ما يشك أنه ردة لا يحكم بها قوله ( قال في البحر الخ ) سبب ذلك ما ذكره قبله بقوله وفي جامع الفصولين روى الطحاوي من أصحابنا لا يخرج الرجل من الإيمان إلا جحود ما أدخله فيه ثم ما تيقن أنه ردة يحكم بها وما يشك أنه ردة لا يحكم بها إذ الإسلام الثابت لا يزول بالشك مع أن الإسلام يعلو وينبغي للعالم إذا رفع إليه هذا أن لا يبادر بتكفير أهل الإسلام مع أنه يقضي بصحة إسلام المكره أقول قدمت هذا ليصير ميزانا فيما نقلته في هذا الفصل من المسائل فإنه قد ذكر في بعضها أنه كفر مع أنه لا يكفر على قياس هذه المقدمة فليتأمل اه ما في جامع الفصولين وفي الفتاوى الصغرى الكفر شيء عظيم فلا أجعل المؤمن كافرا متى وجدت رواية أنه لا يكفر اه وفي الخلاصة وغيرها إذا كان في المسألة وجوه توجب التكفير ووجه واحد يمنعه فعلى المفتي أن يميل إلى الوجه الذي يمنع التكفير تحسينا للظن بالمسلم زاد في البزازية إلا إذا صرح بإرادة موجب الكفر فلا ينفعه التأويل ح وفي التتارخانية لا يكفر بالمحتمل لأن الكفر نهاية في العقوبة فيستدعي نهاية في الجناية ومع الاحتمال لا نهاية اه والذي تحرر أنه لا يفتي بكفر مسلم أمكن حمل كلامه على مجمع حسن أو كان في كفره اختلاف ولو رواية ضعيفة فعلى هذا فأكثر ألفاظ التكفير المذكورة لا يفتي بالتكفير فيها وقد ألزمت نفسي أن لا أفتي بشيء منها اه كلام البحر باختصار قوله ( والطوع ) أي الاختيار احترازا عن الإكراه دخل فيه الهازل كما مر لأنه يعد مستخفا لتعمده التلفظ به وإن لم يقصد معناه وفي البحر عن الجامع الصغير إذا أطلق الرجل كلمة الكفر عمدا لكنه لم يعتقد الكفر قال بعض أصحابنا لا يكفر لأن الكفر يتعلق بالضمير ولم يعقد الضمير على الكفر وقال بعضهم يكفر وهو الصحيح عندي لأنه استخف بدينه اه ثم قال في البحر والحاصل أن من تكلم بكلمة الكفر هازلا أو لاعبا كفر عند الكل ولا اعتبار باعتقاده كما صرح به في الخانية ومن تكلم بها مخطئا أو مكرها لا يكفر عند الكل ومن تكلم بها عامدا عالما كفر عند الكل ومن تكلم بها اختيارا جاهلا بأنها كفر ففيه اختلاف اه (ص 223/4, ج 4, رد المحتارط)
وَالْحَاصِلُ أَنَّ مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ بِكَلِمَةِ الْكُفْرِ هَازِلًا أَوْ لَاعِبًا كَفَرَ عِنْدَ الْكُلِّ وَلَا اعْتِبَارَ بِاعْتِقَادِهِ كَمَا صَرَّحَ بِهِ قَاضِي خَانْ فِي فَتَاوِيهِ وَمَنْ تَكَلَّمَ بِهَا مُخْطِئًا أَوْ مُكْرَهًا لَا يَكْفُرُ عِنْدَ الْكُلِّ وَمَنْ تَكَلَّمَ بِهَا عَالِمًا عَامِدًا كَفَرَ عِنْدَ الْكُلِّ
ص134 – كتاب البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري – باب أحكام المرتدين – المكتبة الشاملة
