DEVILISH MISGIVINGS
Devilish Misgivings
الوَسوَسة
DEVILISH MISGIVINGS
الوَسوَسَةُ فِی العَقائِدِ
MISGIVINGS IN MATTERS OF BELIEF
ابن مسعودٍ : سألنا رسولَ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه علیه وآله عنِ الرّجُلِ یَجِدُ الشّیءَ لَو خَرَّ مِن السّماءِ فتَخطَفُهُ الطَّیرُ کانَ أحَبَّ إلَیهِ مِن أن یَتَکلَّمَ بهِ ، قالَ : ذاکَ مَحضُ الإیمانِ ، أو صَریحُ الإیمانِ .۱
The Prophet (SAWA) - when asked about a man who experiences something falling from the sky and being snatched by a bird is more pleasant for him than to talk about it, said, 'That is genuine faith or true faith.' ۲
رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه علیه وآله : تَجاوَزَ اللَّهُ لاُمَّتی عَمّا حَدَّثَت بهِ أنفُسَها مالَم تَنطِقْ بهِ أو تَعمَلْ .۳
The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Allah overlooks for the people of my community whatever their selves say to them [of misgivings] as long as they neither utter it nor perform it.' ۴
1.کنز العمّال : ۱۷۰۹ . والتردید من الرّاوی .
2.Kanz al-Ummal, no. ۱۷۰۹
3.تنبیه الخواطر : ۲ / ۱۲۰ .
4.Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. ۲, p. ۱۲۰
التَّحذیرُ مِنَ الوَسوَسَةِ فِی الوُضوءِ وَالصَّلاةِ
CAUTION AGAINST DOUBTS IN ABLUTION AND PRAYERS
عبدُ اللَّهِ بن سنان : ذکرتُ لأبی عبدِاللَّهِ علیه السلام رجُلاً مُبتَلىً بِالوُضوءِ والصَّلاةِ ، وقلتُ : هو رجُلٌ عاقِلٌ ، فقالَ أبو عبدِ اللَّه علیه السلام : وأیُّ عَقلٍ لَهُ وهُو یُطیعُ الشَّیطانَ ؟ !
فقلتُ لَهُ : وکیفَ یُطیعُ الشَّیطانَ ؟ فقالَ : سَلهُ هذا الّذی یَأتِیهِ مِن أیِّ شَیءٍ هُو؟ فإنّهُ یَقولُ لَکُ: مِن عَمَلِ الشَّیطانِ.۱
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) - when Abdullah b. Sinan mentioned a man troubled with doubts in his ablution and his prayers, and claimed that he was a sane man, said, 'What kind of mind does he have if he is obeying Satan?!' [He said] So I said to him, 'And how is he obeying Satan?' So he said, 'Ask him this [misgiving] that he has, where does it come from?' And he shall say to you, 'It is an act of Satan.' ۲
زرارة وأبی بصیر : قلنا لَه۳ : الرَّجُلُ یشُکّ کثیراً فی صلاتِهِ حتّى لا یدری کم صلّی ولا ما بَقِیَ علَیهِ قالَ : یُعیدُ ، قُلنا لَهُ : فإنّهُ یَکثُرُ علَیهِ ذلکَ کُلّما عادَ شَکَّ ؟ قالَ : یَمضی فی شَکِّهِ .
ثُمّ قالَ : لاتُعَوِّدوا الخَبیثَ مِن أنفُسِکُم بِنَقضِ الصَّلاةِ فتُطمِعوهُ ؛ فإنَّ الشَّیطانَ خَبیثٌ یَعتادُ لِما عُوِّدَ ، فلْیَمضِ أحَدُکُم فی الوَهمِ ، ولا یُکثِرَنَّ نَقضَ الصَّلاةِ ، فإنّهُ إذا فَعَلَ ذلکَ مَرّاتٍ لَم یَعُدْ إلَیهِ الشَّکُّ .
قالَ زُرارَةُ : ثُمّ قالَ : إنّما یُریدُ الخَبیثُ أن یُطاعَ ، فإذا عُصِیَ لَم یَعُدْ إلى أحَدِکُم .۴
Imam al-Sadiq (AS), was asked about the extent of doubt that a particular man was having as to how many untis of prayer he had performed, such that he neither knew how many he had performed, nor how many he had left. He replied, 'He should repeat it'. So we asked him, 'But this state is so excessive in him that everytime he repeats [his prayer] he doubts again.' He said, 'Then he should continue regardless of his doubt.' Then he said, 'Do not accustom the malignant [part] of yourselves to the breaking of the prayer lest you arouse further greed in it, for verily Satan is malignant and gets habituated to whatever he is made accustomed to. So you should ignore that insinuation [and continue], and you should not break your prayers often, and if you do this [i.e. ignore the doubt] often enough, the doubt will not resurface.' Zurara narrated: Then he (AS) said, 'Verily the malignant wants to be obeyed, so when it is disobeyed, it does not return to you.' ۵
1.الکافی : ۱ / ۱۲ / ۱۰ .
2.al-Kafi, v. ۲, p. ۴۶۳, no. ۲
3.هکذا جاء الحدیث فی المصدر مضمراً .
4.الکافی : ۳ / ۳۵۸ / ۲ .
5.Ibid. v. ۱, p. ۱۲, no. ۱۰
عِلاجُ الوَسواسِ
THE TREATMENT OF DEVILISH MISGIVINGS
(وَقُلْ رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِکَ مِنْ هَمَزاتِ الشَّیَاطِینِ * وَأَعُوذُ بِکَ رَبِّ أَنْ یَحْضُرُونِ) .۱
"And say, 'My Lord! I seek Your protection from the promptings of devils; and I seek Your protection, my Lord, from their presence near me." ۲
(قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ * مَلِکِ النَّاسِ * إِلهِ النَّاسِ * مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْواسِ الْخَنَّاسِ * الَّذِی یُوَسْوِسُ فِی صُدُورِ النَّاسِ * مِنَ الجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ) .۳
"Say, 'I seek the protection of the Lord of humans, Sovereign of humans, God of humans, from the evil of the sneaky tempter who puts temptations into the breasts of humans, from among the jinn and humans." ۴
(اُنظر) الأعراف : ۲۰ وطه : ۱۲۰ .
(See also: Qur'an ۷:۲۰, ۲۰:۱۲۰)
الإمامُ علیٌّ علیه السلام : صَومُ ثَلاثَةِ أیّامٍ مِن کُلِّ شَهرٍ - أربَعاءُ بَینَ خَمیسَینِ - وصَومُ شَعبانَ یَذهَبُ بوَسواسِ الصَّدرِ ، وبَلابِلِ القَلبِ .۵
Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Fasting for three days of every month - the first and last Thursdays of the month, and the Wednesday in between the two, and fasting in the month of Shaban removes the misgivings in the breasts and the confusions of the heart.' ۶
الإمامُ الصّادقُ علیه السلام : ذِکرُنا أهلَ البَیتِ شِفاءٌ مِن الوَعکِ والأسقامِ ووَسواسِ الرّیبِ .۷
Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Remembrance of us, the ahl al-bayt is a cure from indisposition, ailments and misgivings of doubt.' ۸
الإمامُ الصّادقُ علیه السلام - وقد سُئلَ عَنِ الوَسوَسَةِ وإن کَثُرَت - : لا شیءَ فیها ، تقولُ : لاإلهَ إلّا اللَّهُ .۹
Imam al-Sadiq (AS), when asked about [devilish] misgivings, and if they happen often, said, 'They are insignificant. Just say: 'There is no God but Allah (la ilaha illa Allah).' ۱۰
1.المؤمنون : ۹۷ و ۹۸ .
2.Quran ۲۳:۹۷,۹۸
3.الناس : ۱ - ۶ .
4.Quran ۱۱۴:۱-۶
5.الخصال : ۶۱۲ / ۱۰ .
6.al-Khisal, p. ۶۱۲, no. ۱۰
7.بحار الأنوار : ۸۱ / ۲۰۳ / ۵ .
8.Bihar al-Anwar, v. ۸۱, p. ۲۰۳, no. ۵
9.الکافی : ۲ / ۴۲۴ / ۱ .
10.al-Kafi, v. ۲, p. ۴۲۴, no. ۱
