Am I Sinful for Experiencing Unintentional ‘Images’ of God?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: When I was a child, someone showed me an image (of a person) and said ‘that’s God’. Since that time, I have flashbacks of this image when I think of the name ‘Allah’.

Is there any way that I can remove this image from my mind, and am I sinful for having this image in my mind?

Answer: assalamu `alaykum

This is not sinful because they are images that your mind unintentionally produces during these moments.

The important thing is that your belief regarding God is one that recognizes His complete transcendence, that He is not a form, person, or in any way similar to human beings.

I would advise you to continue in your worship and remembrance of God. Eventually, as the heart of an individual is purified through sincere acts of worship, the traces of the world, which include these “images”, will disappear. Try your best to ignore them for now and when they do arise recognize that God does not take you to account for things not completely in your control, such as some of the thoughts you might have.

Salman

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani