Do I Still Keep Going Back If I Doubt an Area Has Not Been Washed Properly?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have severe misgivings. When I wash myself, I sometimes forget to wash an area, and then I go back and wash it. Now, I randomly thought of a moment where this happened, and I am almost sure, if not certain, I went back to wash it. I know I was planning to, but I am now thinking about it again because of my misgivings. And because I can’t perfectly remember going back in and washing it, I now feel like it’s a doubt, and I have to go back and wash it. I know that certainty is not removed by doubt. So I fear that when I am certain an area still has to be washed, but I doubt whether I went back to wash it (even though I am pretty certain), I still have to go back and wash that area.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
You don’t have to go back and wash it. As you mentioned, you are suffering from doubts and misgivings. You are certain you have washed the area but doubt whether it was thoroughly washed. Don’t worry; ignore your doubts.
“Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa al Nadha’ir; Majallat al-Ahkam al-‘Adiliyya]
This means that if you are certain you washed, with this being the basic assumption for all human actions, then we will keep assuming it is valid until certain it is not. Mere possibilities and even likelihoods do not change this.
May Allah Most High give you ease and relief from the doubts and misgivings.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related:
- A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
- Being Balanced – Emotional and Mental Health – Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
