Do I Need To Pray Salat Al-Tawba for My Anger Due to BPD?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

I have BPD, and during rage episodes or general episodes, I can sometimes lose control and hit myself. I also tick, and I tend to swear a lot when I do. Do I need to pray two units for forgiveness when this happens?

Answer

No, you do not need to pray the two units of the Prayer of Repentance (salat al-tawba), but if you can, that is good. Your symptoms are beyond your control, and Allah knows the difficulty you are in. He is too merciful to take you to task for such things.

You should then show the appropriate adab with Allah through acts that help you draw closer to Him. Asking for forgiveness is one of them.

Also, remember the narration of the lady who had epilepsy, and she asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) to pray it is removed. He said he could, but if she were patient she would get a guaranteed place in Paradise; she chose to be patient. [Bukhari]

Your test is no less severe, so expect a lot of good from Allah.

May Allah give you well-being and the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.