Major Kufr or Uncontrollable Waswasa? Muslims Having Doubts About the Truth of Islam

Muslims are obliged to believe and know with certainty that Islam is true. Allah states:

ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ

This is the truth from your Lord, so do not ever be one of those who doubt. [2:147]

He also says:

فَٱعۡلَمۡ أَنَّهُۥ لَاۤ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ

Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah [47:19]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

 مَا مِنْ شَىْءٍ لَمْ أَرَهُ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ فِي مَقَامِي، حَتَّى الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ، وَأُوحِيَ إِلَىَّ أَنَّكُمْ تُفْتَنُونَ فِي الْقُبُورِ قَرِيبًا مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدَّجَّالِ، فَأَمَّا الْمُؤْمِنُ ـ أَوِ الْمُسْلِمُ لاَ أَدْرِي أَىَّ ذَلِكَ قَالَتْ أَسْمَاءُ ـ فَيَقُولُ مُحَمَّدٌ جَاءَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَأَجَبْنَا وَآمَنَّا‏.‏ فَيُقَالُ نَمْ صَالِحًا عَلِمْنَا أَنَّكَ مُوقِنٌ‏.‏ وَأَمَّا الْمُنَافِقُ ـ أَوِ الْمُرْتَابُ لاَ أَدْرِي أَىَّ ذَلِكَ قَالَتْ أَسْمَاءُ ـ فَيَقُولُ لاَ أَدْرِي سَمِعْتُ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ شَيْئًا فَقُلْتُهُ ‏"‏‏.‏

“There is not anything that I have not seen before, but I have seen now at this place of mine, even Paradise and Hell. It has been revealed to me that you people will be put to trial nearly like the trial of Ad-Dajjal, in your graves. As for the true believer or a Muslim (the sub-narrator is not sure as to which of the two (words Asma’ had said), he will say, ‘Muhammad came with clear signs from Allah, and we responded to him (accepted his teachings) and believed (what he said)’ It will be said (to him) ‘Sleep in peace; we have known that you were a true believer who believed with certainty.’ As for a hypocrite or a doubtful person (the sub-narrator is not sure as to which word Asma’ said), he will say, ‘I do not know, but I heard the people saying something, and so I said the same.’ " [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

He also stated:

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ لاَ يَلْقَى اللَّهَ بِهِمَا عَبْدٌ غَيْرَ شَاكٍّ فِيهِمَا إِلاَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ

I bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am His messenger. The bondsman who would meet Allah without entertaining any doubt about these (two fundamentals) would enter heaven. [Saheeh Muslim]

And he once said to Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him):

فَمَنْ لَقِيتَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ هَذَا الْحَائِطِ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مُسْتَيْقِنًا بِهَا قَلْبُهُ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ

When you meet anyone outside this garden who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being assured of it in his heart, gladden him by announcing that he shall go to Paradise. [Saheeh Muslim]

Many Muslims are troubled by this issue, as fleeting negative thoughts concerning the truth of Islam may occasionally and uncontrollably arise in their minds. However, this does not necessarily amount to major kufr. Imam an-Nawawi, in his Al-Adhkaar, stated:

الخواطر وحديث النفس إذا لم يستقر ويستمرعليه صاحبه فمعفو عنه باتفاق العلماء، لأنه لا اختيار له في وقوعه ولا طريق له إلى الانفكاك عنه، وهذا هو المراد بما ثبت في الصحيح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: إن الله تجاوز لأمتي ما حدثت به أنفسها ما لم تتكلم به أو تعمل.

قال العلماء: المراد به الخواطر التي لا تستقر، قالوا: وسواء كان ذلك الخاطر غيبة أو كفرا أو غيره، فمن خطر له الكفر مجرد خطران من غير تعمد لتحصيله ثم صرفه في الحال فليس بكافر ولا شيء عليه

“The thoughts and inner whispers of a person, as long as they do not settle or persist, are forgiven by consensus of the scholars because one has no control over their occurrence nor a way to avoid them. This is what is meant by the authentic hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who said: “Indeed, Allah has pardoned my community for what they think to themselves, as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it.”

The scholars explained that this refers to fleeting thoughts that do not linger. They further clarified that it makes no difference whether the thought involves backbiting, disbelief, or anything else. If a person experiences a passing thought of disbelief, without intentionally cultivating it, and immediately dismisses it, they are not considered disbelievers and bear no responsibility for it.”

It is also crucial to consider how we respond to such fleeting, doubtful thoughts of disbelief. As mentioned in the well-known hadith:

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Men will continue to question one another till this is propounded: Allah created all things, but who created Allah? He who found himself confronted with such a situation should say: I affirm my faith in Allah. [Saheeh Muslim]

We also find an account regarding the Sahabah:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: AbuZumayl said: I asked Ibn Abbas, saying: What is that I find in my breast? He asked: What is it? I replied: I swear by Allah, I cannot speak about it. He asked me: Is it something doubtful? and he laughed. He then said: No one could escape that until Allah, the Exalted, revealed: “If thou went in doubt as to what we have revealed unto thee, and ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee.” He said: If you find something in your heart, say: He is the first and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent, and He has full knowledge of all things. [Sunan Abi Dawud; declared Hasan by Shaykh al-Albani]

In another hadith, we read:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! one of us has thoughts of such nature that he would rather be reduced to charcoal than speak about them. He said: Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great. Praise be to Allah, Who has reduced the guile of the devil to evil prompting. Ibn Qudamah said, “reduced his matter” instead of “reduced his guile.” [Sunan Abi Dawud; declared Sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

We read in another hadith:

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that some people from amongst the Companions of the Apostle (ﷺ) came to him and said: Verily, we perceive in our minds that which every one of us considers it too grave to express. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you really perceive it? They said: Yes. Upon this he remarked: That is the faith manifest. [Saheeh Muslim]

Commenting on this hadeeth, Imam an-Nawawi remarked:

معناه: استعظامكم الكلام به هو صريح الإيمان، فإن استعظام هذا وشدة الخوف منه، ومن النطق به، فضلا عن اعتقاده، إنما يكون لمن استكمل الإيمان استكمالا محققا وانتفت عنه الريبة والشكوك

“The meaning of this is that your strong aversion to speaking about it is a clear sign of true Iman. For such aversion, along with intense fear of the thought and of expressing it—let alone believing in it—only occurs in someone whose Iman is fully realized and free from doubt and uncertainty.”

Al-Tibbi said:

أي: علمكم بقبيح تلك الوساوس، وامتناع قبولكم ووجودكم النفرة عنها دليل على خلوص إيمانكم، فإن الكافر يصر على ما في قلبه من المحال، ولا ينفر عنه

“This means that your awareness of the repulsiveness of such thoughts, your rejection of them, and your instinctive aversion to them are clear indications of the sincerity of your Iman. On the other hand, a disbeliever persists in the falsehoods within their heart and does not feel repelled by them.”

Thus, it becomes clear that such thoughts of disbelief may occasionally afflict us. Still, our response—whether through dhikr, seeking refuge from Shaytan, education, or other means—makes a significant difference in determining whether we have fallen into major kufr. Therefore, Muslims facing such trials should not have to despair or fear that they have exited the fold of Islam (may Allah forbid and protect us all!).

Recommended Reading

- Is the Evidence for Islam Compelling?

- Being Assured of Islam’s Truth via the Process of Elimination

- Is It ‘Reasonable’ for Individual Muslims to Ignore Arguments against Islam?