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Salams, I'm struggling with a little, (excessive so to speak) problem. I am always doubting whether I've performed something correctly or not, and later doubt its validity. For example, I'd perform ghusl al janaba, make sure I'm absolutely sure there's nothing left on my body. But hours later, I'd find like for example a miniscule white crumb-like something on my upper back and start thinking where I went wrong lol. I start beginning to assume that's the najasah, but then I was so sure I removed it whilst performing ghusl. That how would it have made its way to my back, and that too just being the size of one singular little crumb? For more background, it was dry, flat and felt crumb like, as opposed to a small congealed ball which I would expect is najasah. And I can't make up my mind whether it is or not, as I was so certain I scrubbed, washed and wiped everything off of my body. Do I just ignore it? Mind you this isn't a one off, I regularly find myself doubting the validity of my ghusls, mainly because of these reasons, that I end up scrubbing my body so hard it hurts. It happens so often that I'd restart the ghusl a - z. And even deep down, na3audabillah, I find myself starting to stray away from faith. Because im finding it too tumultuous and difficult if its like this..

Dear Brother and Sisters, Assalamu Alaikum. InshAllah all is well. (For this thread, it would be preferable that no one else post until the thread is finished. InshAllah when I finish, anyone is open to comment). Unfortunately, waswasa or OCD is a growing issue in our communities which can leave many on the brink of harming themselves. It is important that we know what can be done say we ever fall into its trap, having a solid plan of action is a crucial factor in creating a long-term healing plan and ultimately, using this obstacle as a learning experience. Understanding that waswasa or the whispers comes from the shaitaan as a means to prevent one from performing their wajibat is among the weapons he will use to take us off the path of the Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام). It is vital for the one suffering from waswasa realise that the whispers are nothing more than a distraction, the shaitaan is an open enemy and so anything from him is evil, Chapter 35 Verse 6, "Indeed Shaitaan is a enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the blaze". The Qur'an is telling us to take the shaitaan as an enemy and in turn anything from the shaitaan must be avoided, including the evil thoughts the shaitaan puts in our minds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waswasa in salat; There are many steps that can be taken to resolve waswasa in salat, but in order to heal we must not give up. Know that this process will take time but it requires dedication and strong will, something that will be developed over the course of this obstacle. There are many situations where someone may be overwhelmed with whispers, understanding the islamic rulings from your respective marjas is crucial and must be done to overcome waswasa. According to Sayed Ali Sistani there are twenty-three types of doubts in prayers; eight of these invalidate prayers, six of them must be dismissed, and nine are valid. (https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2239/) Doubts that invalidate prayers; https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2240/ (For the sake of the keeping this post short, I will give a link to the relevant islamic rulings instead of copying and pasting everything here). Doubts that must be dismissed; https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2241/ Doubts that are valid; https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2242/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For this post, I want to target those who excessively doubts in salat. There are many techniques which can performed to reduce the amount of doubts one has. Some of the techniques include; Praying with someone else. If I'm someone who constantly doubts whether they are in this rak'ah or another or if they performed this act or not, praying with someone will alleviate these doubts because if praying in congregation, the Imam is going through the salat and he has the responsibility regarding the salat and so you are given the chance to focus more on what you are saying rather than doubting. If this cannot be done, have someone watch you instead. Ask them to watch you pray whilst ignoring any doubts that come, after the salat ask whomever is watching you if everything was done correctly. If they tell you everything is correct then that should help you realise that the doubts are nothing more than a distraction and that you should not consider them. Online there are turbah counters that can be purchased which count the number of sajdahs someone makes and some are more advanced than others which also indicate what rak'ah your on. However these should not be relied on entirely because you want to develop the ability to trust in yourself and not rely on the counter. This should only be used as a means to build up your confidence. https://www.shiabooks.com.au/products/rakaat-counter-turbah-mohr-sajad. Finally, if you're an excessive doubter, these doubts must be dismissed because it will have negative effects in the long-term. I know it is hard to ignore them but this is a must. Brother @Zainuu in one of his posts shared a video that is really helpful in strengthening your ability to dismiss these thoughts. https://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/235069048-psychological-warfare-still-continues-in-prayer-nothing/?do=findComment&comment=3324363. Undergoing this mediation process will inshAllah give you the ability to control where your mind goes giving you control. InshAllah next, I will try to discuss methods regarding people who are overcome with evil thoughts and what they should do to solve it. Wasalam.

Salaam Alaikum I've been going through a lot of waswasa for the last few months. Lately, it's become very difficult for me to use the washroom, as I'm scared the water used to clean myself doesn't reach the entire area. This causes me to spend.almost 20 minutes washing myself after urinating and more than 40 minutes after defecating. The problem is is that when I urinate, I wash the entire area (thighs + urinary outlet) by starting from one end and pouring all the way to the other end (sorry for the graphic imagery). However, I'm still scared the water doesn't reach the urinary outlet properly as the water bends when I pour it, hence leaving out some areas. I'm not sure if it's just my waswasa bothering me but it's becoming very difficult for me to use the washroom. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.