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Tormented by Thoughts of Disbelief

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Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalāmu’alaykum
When I first got close to Islam, words cannot even describe how I felt…I was crying in my prayer…It was just beautiful.
But now I get waswasa about shirk. For example, someone will say “look at the weather today, it’s so miserable”, and then I will say “I know.” but then immediately think “Oh no! I’ve disrespected Allah and committed kufr”.
I love Islam so much. I don’t want to commit shirk or kufr. Please help. 
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
Misgivings are from the devil. He is your sworn enemy and would like nothing better than to confuse you, mess with your life, and have you drown in doubts until he ends up causing you to forget whose slave you are. This is his mission, and he is very good at what he does. How is it that somebody with so much presence, love, and tears in their prayer can end up after a time depressed, in constant fear, and doubting whether they are a Muslim or not? The devil.
The way of the sunna is to ignore such whisperings and misgivings, and to focus on what really matters: Allah. You need to have sound knowledge and understanding of the religion before you can make judgements on issues. Making up rulings only fuels the devil and his work.
As such, make it a point to:
1. Remove the unlawful from your life.
2. Repent from all sin.
3. Attend at least one gathering of knowledge or remembrance a week.
4. Send blessings upon the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) one hundred times daily.
5. Take a class somewhere.
6. Find some righteous company.
7. Get up at night when others are asleep and ask Allah to remove the troubles in your life.
If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to send them. We’re here to serve.
Please see: What is the Ruling For Someone Who Has Thoughts of Disbelief Without Saying Them Aloud? and: Satanic Whisperings (Waswasa) as a Trial from Allah: Punishment or Blessing?
And Allah alone gives success.
wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

Passing Blasphemous Thoughts Leading to Despair

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Answered by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan

Question: I had a very small period of time where I had relief from blasphemous thoughts I was having. Now the terrible thoughts are back and they are worse. They have a terrible effect on my imaan and I feel empty I remember Allah and I feel no joy when I think about his greatness.  They are very bad when I pray, but I still pray.  It is hard to persevere though.  Now I started delaying my prayers because I know I will get these thoughts when I start praying.  I am  scared that Allah might count that I did shirk because the thought entered my mind when I was in the act of praying. I have been begging Allah for His help, sometimes I think that I know relief will come but then I think how dare I think Allah will help me now that I have become so wretched. I feel like such a prisoner in this dunya now and I feel as though my chances of jannah are ruined

 

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and states.

The thoughts you mention are from the devil, so be vigilant in ignoring them. Give them no weight whatsoever. Your disgust of them are indications that you are a true believer, alhamdulillah. Your chances for Paradise (jannah) are by no means ruined.

Disgust of Bad Thoughts as a Sign of Faith

Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih collection that some of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless
him and give him peace) came and asked him, “We find in ourselves [thoughts] that any of us would consider too enormous to even mention.” He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “And you all have found it?” and they said yes. He said, “That is pure faith.” Imam Nawawi clarifies, “Considering it too enormous to mention is pure faith.” [Sharh Sahih Muslim]

Shaykh Nuh Keller comments, “As long as one has fear and disgust for passing thoughts of unbelief (kufr) and the like and does not make them convictions, they do no harm.” [Sea Without Shore]

The Vastness of Divine Mercy

I would specifically advise you to relax and focus on Allah’s unimaginable mercy, of which He states, “Your Lord has prescribed mercy upon Himself” (6:54). He has not described any other divine attribute in this manner.

Our Masters explain that one of the reasons Allah describes Himself as “The All-merciful” (al-Rahman) in the verse, “The All-merciful has assumed the throne” (20:5) is that just as the entire cosmos is like a speck in an ocean compared to Allah’s throne, so too is the throne like a speck in an ocean compared to Allah’s vast mercy. Never despair, and always keep the best opinion of Allah.

Our Master Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) used to frequently say, “I swear to Allah, no person ever maintained a good opinion of Allāh save that Allah in fact blessed him accordingly,” based on the hadith qudsi related by Imam Bukhari, in which Allah Himself says, “I am in the opinion of My servant.”

Whatever good we think of Allah, that — and even better — is what we shall find inshaAllah. Keep up your prayers, perform them on time, and focus on Allah’s vast mercy and love.

Related Answers

Please also see these related answers (as well as the many answers on waswasa):

Moments of Bad Thoughts About Allah and the Prophet

What is the Ruling For Someone Who Has Thoughts of Disbelief Without Saying Them Aloud?

Waswasa

And Allah knows best.
wassalam
Faraz

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

Distinguishing Between Thoughts From Ourselves, Shaytan, and Allah

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Answered by Shaykh Rami Nsour

Question: How can someone know the difference between thoughts from themselves, (nafs) shaytan, and Allah? For example, your nafs or shaytan can be telling you to respect yourself and do not allow anyone to oppress you and Allah can be guiding you to forgive others indefinitely.

Also, in the case of dreams, how would a person ascertain the distinction? Nafs, shaytan and Allah.

Thank you for any insight.

Answer:

The Spring Source of our actions

All of our actions spring forth from a thought that enters our heart and this is what makes knowing the science of thoughts (khawatir) so important [Muhammad Mawlud, The Purification of the Heart]. One of the most difficult tasks we face in our lives will be in weighing out each one of the thoughts that enters our heart and seeing which one we should follow. The scholars have given us a guideline as to how to tell the signs of the source of thoughts that enter our heart.

The Subtleties of Thoughts

A person may feel that following a thought may be good, but in reality there is much harm and evil buried deep within that thought. This is one of the ways the Shaytan deceives us in a way similar to the story of the Monk Barsisa in Sura 59:16 by wrapping the means to evil in seemingly “good” actions.

We must realize the the Shaytan has declared war on us and thus we should not be hasty in action and we must weigh each thought on the scales of the Sharia. The doors that the Shaytan can enter through the heart are many and yet the angels enter through only one and so we must be very careful [Muhammad Mawlud, The Purification of the Heart].

The Four Sources of Thoughts

There are four sources of thoughts and they are Divine (from Allah), Angelic (from angels), Selfish (from the nafs) and Satanic (from the devil). Divine and Angelic thoughts are characterized by steadfastness (thabat) while Selfish and Satanic thoughts are characterized by fluctuation/change (taraddud).

Divine Thoughts

Divine thoughts come after struggle and worship. There is a coolness that comes with it and there is not one specific way that it comes. The thought increases just as dawn does, in that it is slowly steadily and surely. There is nothing that can stop a Divine thought and the action that is being inspired will definitely be done. This in contrast to an Angelic thought which can be stopped by a Selfish or Satanic thought.

Angelic Thoughts

Angelic thoughts come enjoining only good and will never enjoin evil. Angelic thoughts will try different avenues to get a person to do good. For example, they will enjoin prayer and if the person does not do it then they will give them thoughts to do dhikr and then if that is not done a thought to be silent. There is a coolness that comes with an angelic thought and an expansiveness felt in the heart.

Selfish Thoughts

If a thought of evil enters a person heart but they are not compelled to do it, then it is either a selfish of a satanic thought. A selfish thought is described to be like the false dawn in that it appears suddenly and is very bright to where one would think that the day has begun. But just as quickly as it appears, it goes away and only the darkness of night remains.

Satanic Thoughts

Satanic thoughts are like a wolf trying to attack a flock of sheep in that if the wolf is turned back from one avenue, he will try another avenue. The only goal of the devil is to get a person to sin and he doesn’t care what the sin looks like. So, if one thought for a sin doesn’t work, then he tries something else. Whereas the self only wants to fulfill its desire (shahwa) and thus it will keep coming back to the exact same thing it wants, no matter how many times you turn it away from that.

If you get a thought that you are sure there is good in it and you do not fear any harm to come out of it, then it is either a selfish or devilish thought. This is because some good things can lead to bad such as forbidding evil and it lead to a greater harm. Both the Selfish and Satanic thoughts can be refuted with remembrance of Allah (dhikr) but dhikr is a medicine that will only benefit one you have built up immunity, which here would be taqwa.

The above answer is essentially a direct translation of the section on thoughts from Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud’s book The Purification of the Heart.

As for dreams, Allah knows best, but they too can come from the four sources.

If you are finding difficulty in doing good actions, this is a good sign as the scholars have said, “One of the signs of acceptance of actions is difficulty found while doing them.” Keep trying and do not ever give up. The Shaytan wants us to be in a state of despair and think that we have to give up. There is one scholar in Mauritania who studied the Mukhtasar of Khalil eight times (each time taking about three years) until he felt he finally go it on the ninth time.

He was inspired to go for the final time after almost giving up but he saw an ant trying to carry a huge grain up a hill and fell down eight times and made it on the ninth. He said, “I can’t have less aspiration than an ant.”

Fantacizing About Schoolmates

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Answered by Ustadha Zaynab Ansari

Question: Assalam Alaikum. Is it allowed to fantasize about a boy you like in the school?

 

Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Dear Seeker,

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

Generally, we are not held accountable for our thoughts. It is our actions that will count for us or against us. Nonetheless, it is part of Islamic adab to not entertain thoughts of impermissible actions.

However, given the fact that you are young and probably have not had much exposure to members of the opposite sex, you probably find this young man interesting and even fascinating. In a sense, these feelings can be healthy because they might induce you to consider what sort of person you’d find attractive as a marriage partner.

If anything, try to direct your thoughts and feelings in productive ways. Ask yourself why you find this person more interesting than others. Also consider how these fantasies are affecting your spiritual and psychosocial well-being. For example, are you still diligent about praying? Are you still functioning productively?

Finally, ask yourself if you are ready for marriage. Although we live in a culture that encourages people to put marriage off until almost midlife, it is important to respect the feelings you’re experiencing and perhaps begin to lay the ground for life as a married adult.

May Allah reward you,

Zaynab Ansari

Related Answers:

Getting Therapy for Irreligious Thoughts

Are We Held Accountable for Mere Thoughts of Sinning if We Don’t Act on Our Thoughts?

Fantasizing About the Opposite Sex

Ridding Oneself of Depression and Suicidal Thoughts

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Answered by Ustadh Abdullah Anik Misra

Question: As’Salamu Alaykum,

I have a problem with myself in that I keep having these images of harming myself somehow or committing suicide and I don’t know what to do. I’m at a difficult stage in my life right now. I have very bad family issues, financial problems and problems with myself in terms of my heart. I just feel like ending my life so I can escape all of my problems. The last few years have been very hard for me in that I’ve been unemployed for a while and I have mounting debts that I can’t pay off and other issues. Counselling hasn’t helped.  I’ve turned to Allah and prayed long and hard but then suddenly I’ll become lax in my prayers etc. I feel like I’m being pushed away from worshipping Allah. I have started doing some SG courses and they help but I still find myself weak and vulnerable. And lately the suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming myself have started terrifying me. It’s like I don’t have the guts to hurt myself but at the same time I dont know what I’m capable of doing.

Please help me before I end up hurting myself.

Answer:  In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate,

Wa alaikum as salam,

Dear brother in Islam: you possess the most valuable thing that any person could wish for: iman, or true faith in Allah Most High.

Remember that mankind’s sworn enemy, Shaytan, is insanely jealous of how much mercy Allah Most High envelopes you in at each moment, and how much Allah loves you. Even in your lowest, most sinful, most problem-ridden, most heedless, depressed state, you mean so much to Allah.

This is why Shaytan will do everything in his power to drive you out of true faith: so that you end up damned like him. Shaytan is an evil whisperer; his way of misleading you is to whisper doubts into your heart: doubts about the things around you, about your faith and your sanity, and ultimately, about Islam and Allah Himself.

Horrible Thoughts Are Whispers from the Shaytan into the Heart of the Believer

The thoughts and images you are seeing start from satanic whisperings (waswasa). You have become tricked into adopting them and believing that they are your own thoughts. You might feel disgusted, shocked and scared. But the thoughts are not really yours; you don’t really want to hurt yourself. They are devilish illusions, that while painful, cannot truly hurt you, or cause you to hurt yourself, unless you allow them to become a part of you.

Passing bad thoughts are normal for a Muslim, but they must be disregarded quickly and shunned. Once, the Companions confessed to the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him]: “Indeed, we are finding thoughts within ourselves that any of us would find abominable to mention!” So the Prophet asked, “Do you really find that within yourselves?” They replied, “Yes.” So the Prophet said: “That is a clear sign of faith.” [Muslim]

Ridding Oneself of Bad Thoughts

The thoughts may be difficult to erase once the mind has adopted the whisperings. Firstly, at the onset of any of these images or doubts, I would advise that you immediately declare in your heart – with authority and certainty- that these are not your thoughts, and tell the Shaytan you are not about to fall for his tricks. Tell him your Lord is Allah, and that you are so grateful for that, and that you are not scared of him and his whisperings, as you have the greatest Protector watching over you.

Then, flee to Allah Ta’ala in your heart, and seek refuge in Him from the Shaytan with full sincerity, consciousness, and in utter neediness. Recite the final surah of the Qur’an with presence of heart, while knowing the meaning of its verses [Surah 114: al-Nas].

Admit to Allah Ta’ala that He is your only Lord; your only hope; your rock and your only refuge. Tell Allah that no matter what the thoughts say or provoke, you only want to stand by Him and worship Him. Confess your sins to Him, and repent for them. Then, ask Him to protect you and rid you of those thoughts forever. Completely consign the problem and solution to Him.

Shun Bad Influences, Live a Pure Life, And Trust in Allah

Once you’ve done that, do your best to rejoice and feel thankful for your faith- Shaytan hates to see that and is driven away by a believer rejoicing in his Lord. Shun and avoid negative, sinful influences in your life that enter your heart through your eyes and ears: violence, sexuality and pornography, or other vices.

Cut the mental noise out of your life: stop reading useless blogs and articles, watching TV or ads, or surfing the net. Seek out the company of good people, in good places like the mosque or a study circle.

Repent from your sins regularly, maintain a state of ritual purity as much as possible, eat lawful food only, be consistent in your daily prayers, recite some Quran each morning and evening, and try to keep in the remembrance of Allah through dhikr. Don’t go into hyper-mode praying, as that won’t solve your problem; this is Shaytan’s trick to exhaust you till you quit. Rather, stay balanced and moderate, but keep your heart focused on loving Allah as much as possible. Love of Allah is everything.

The Importance of Seeking Both Professional and Spiritual Help

Lastly, I would advise you to continue to seek counseling for this issue, as we are commanded to use the best means at our disposal, while turning to Allah in prayer and supplication, knowing that the results are in Allah’s hands. Only He creates happiness in the heart. Do not see the challenges in your life as insurmountable; you still have many blessings, so take things a day at a time, seeking Allah’s help.

Everything I’ve advised you is what I have gleaned from my spiritual guide; may Allah forgive my shortcomings and mistakes. It is best for you to consult a qualified spiritual guide and master of Islamic spirituality yourself when you can. May Allah Most High bless you, relieve you of your troubles, protect us all, and make us all into His righteous and beloved servants, Ameen.

Wassalam,

Abdullah Anik Misra

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

How Can I Get Rid of Recurring Thoughts of Bad Things I’ve Done in the Past?

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Answered by Ustadha Rukayat Yakub

Question: Asalaamualaykum,
I have recurring problem where I get negative flashbacks and thoughts about my past life and certain people keep coming into my head. Alhamdulillah, at one point I completely stopped,  but now these thoughts are coming up again and it is really my weak point because it’s holding me back from doing so many things such as praying etc. Also, as embarrassing as it is to mention, the thoughts start to form into “lustful” thoughts and I know it’s all from saitan but it’s still hard for me to stop. It has become even harder for me because I really do not have anyone to talk to about this as it is really embarrassing and so everything is kept to myself. It’s also making me very, very depressed and stressed because I cannot stop regretting the actions that I took in my past. I need some sincere advice on what to do, how to cope with this problem for it’s really ruining my life and if there are any duaahs to help my situation and most of all if you can please make duaah for me as this has been bothering me for years now and I need to let go of my past so I can move on with my life, InshAllah.
JazakAllah khair.

Answer: Bismillah

Assalaamu alaikum dear sister,

Alhamdulillah you recognize that you have a problem you need to address, it seems that there are three issues here:

1. Repentance

2. Controlling the lower self (nafs)

3. Dealing with the whisperings of shaytan.

Sidi Ahmad Zarruq  a 16th century Moroccan scholar wrote a book called the Poor Man’s Book of Assistance that deals exactly with these three issues, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has a 16 CD set in which he goes over the book with commentary.  I sincerely advise that you get this set or read the transcripts available online,  at http://thetruthful.wordpress.com/ this blogger has transcribed the first 6 CDs of this series.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught us that, the man of intelligence is the one who disciplines his soul and works for what comes after death

My main advice is to sincerely turn to Allah, never think what you did or are doing is too bad to be forgiven.  Know that Allah is forgiving; we just have to want to turn to him and to turn wholly to him.  The more you ponder on what you did, or what you are feeling, this the worst it gets, for that reason, we are told to do dhikr when we experience such whisperings.  Occupy your time with remembrance of Allah and service to His creation.

Once you have made repentance, there are 3 things that help you stay resolved, on the path of repentance:

1. Staying away from the people and places that lead you to want to go back to the things you are repenting of.

2. Suspecting your ego/lower self (nafs), the nafs wants us to trust it, so do not.  This means that we should be constantly aware of what it would rather do and actively abstain from this, this vigilance lets it know that you are aware of its inclinations but you will not let it control you.

3.  Preoccupy yourself with alternatives that fill the void of those things you want to remove. Do not do this in steps, you need to go ‘cold turkey’

You have stopped before, you can stop again, do not give up on yourself, Keep yourself in wudu, be vigilant about the prayer, engage in dhikr, seek Allah’s refuge when such thoughts come to you, and immediately renew your repentance, do not dwell on them , as this feeds the nafs. However it is important to recognize how you feel back into this, yet do not drwel on it, your the knowledge to safe guard you from falling into it again.

Duas for Repentance

Shaykh Ahmed Zarruq mentions that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace used to make much mention of

Ya Muqallib al-Quloob, thabbit qalbi `ala deenika

O Turner over of the Hearts, make steadfast my heart on your deen

The shaykh recommends this dua for people on the path of repentance, as well as saying,

“la ilaha illa Ant, subhanaKa inni kuntu min ath-thalimeen.”  Quran 21:87

“None has the right to be worshiped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) are You (above all that they associate with You). Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.”

He mentions that this dua be said an odd number of times after every sajdah and also when you seek forgiveness of Allah.

My final piece of advice is to look at taking a class on the nature of the heart and ways of purifying the heart, Seekers Guidance currently has two such classes, the Purification of the Heart & Praiseworthy Character (from Ghazali’s 40 Foundations of Religion) and The Marvels of the Heart.  Taking a class with a teacher connected to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, through a chain of teachers in sha Allah gives the student a solid practical foundation in how to purify the heart.

May Allah ta’ala give you success, aid and fill your heart with His love, ameen

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

What is the Ruling For Someone Who Has Thoughts of Disbelief Without Saying Them Aloud?

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Answered by Sidi Faraz A. Khan

Question: I know it is haram to say kufr things with your mouth, but what if you only say it in your heart/mind?  Is this haram?  I am not talking about waswas but i mean if someone intentionally makes a kufr/shirk statement in their mind only (for example if they swear at Allah) but they do not verbalize it.  What is the ruling for this?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and faith.

Bad Thoughts versus Kufr

Bad thoughts alone do not render a person outside of Islam. Many times people get bad thoughts of kufr/shirk, which is not sinful and by no means entails disbelief, as the person doesn’t actually hold those thoughts to be true. However, the devil will play tricks on the person and make him think that perhaps he willingly and intentionally held those thoughts, which he did not.

Imam Tahawi states in his primer of creed, “A servant is not considered to have left his faith except by denying that which originally caused him to enter it.” i.e., his very belief in Allah’s oneness, or the resulting faith in all that is necessarily known of the religion. [Maydani, Sharh al-Tahawiyya]

And again, thoughts of such denial do not entail kufr; rather, kufr results only when the thoughts are accepted in the heart as true and transformed willingly into concrete beliefs.

To do so—Allah forbid—is not only haram, but also renders one outside of Islam. This holds whether one holds the belief only in one’s mind/heart, or actually expresses it verbally. The only difference between the two is that when done verbally, the Islamic court classically would convict one of apostasy, as opposed to if one kept it internal. In such a case, one would need to make tawba and renew one’s shahada, and seek the means to increase one’s iman.

Having said that, it is highly unlikely that a Muslim, especially if concerned about his/her religion, would leave Islam. Even Muslims who openly sin and trangress hold dearly to iman in their hearts, let alone those who practice. The real problem, then, is usually baseless misgivings.

Dealing with the Devil and His Whisperings

One must be vigilant and not give in to baseless misgivings (waswasa).

The devil is a trickster, and deceit is his profession. He has been in business for as long as humans have existed. He is cunning and crafty, and he works very hard to achieve his goals. He has many tactics, at the top of the list being baseless misgivings and creating doubts in our minds and hearts. He wants us to become confused, obsessed, and compulsive to the extent that it destroys us. He knows our psychological makeup very, very well.

Take the means to ward off the devil, as taught by our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). These include the following:

(a) Seek refuge in Allah Most High, by saying, A’udhu bi Llahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim [Bukhari, Muslim]; and recite Ayat al-Kursi, as well as the last three surahs (Ikhlas, Falaq, Nas) [Tabarani, Mu’jam Kabir].

(b) Be consistent in remembrance of Allah (dhikr). Dhikr is a powerful fortress that blocks out the devil’s whisperings, which are in reality of no power or consequence. As Ibn Ata’illah states, “If the devil is not heedless of you, then do not you be heedless of the One in Whose Hand is your forelock.” Allah is in full control. Allah created the devil to spur us forward in our journey to Him Most High.

(c) Find good company—people who make much remembrance of Allah, and who remind you to do the like.

(d) Learn sacred knowledge under righteous scholars so you know the reality of the Sacred Law and its limits. Implement what you learn. The more sound knowledge one has of the religion, the more empowered one is to deal with baseless misgivings.

(e) Seek Allah’s help in this situation. Express your need and weakness to Him, and be hopeful of His gifts. As Ibn Ata’illah says, “Nothing pleads more for you than real distress; nor is anything quicker in bringing divine gifts than lowliness and impoverishment.”

(f) Turn to Allah with hope, gratitude, contentment, and love. Let Allah take care of it. Relax and give no weight whatsoever to the devil’s whisperings. The most frustrating thing for Shaytan is that we ignore his insinuations, and focus on Allah and His remembrance. Shaytan hates when we are full of hope and reliance in Allah. He hates when we are grateful and sincere. He hates when we give no weight to him, but rather turn to Allah with love.

(g) Rejoice in Allah’s mercy. Our Beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Verily the religion is ease, and no one shall make the religion hard except that it will destroy him. So be balanced, do your best, and rejoice! And seek help in the morning, the early evening, and something of the night.” [Sahih Bukhari]

Relax, and as our Prophet taught, rejoice. Allah is not trying to take you out of your faith. He loves that you draw closer to Him. Take the means outlined above and then, trust in Allah.

And Allah alone gives success.

wassalam

Faraz

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

Moments of Bad Thoughts About Allah and the Prophet

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Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: Of late I have been suffering from one strange problem. Its like for a flash of a second something very unimaginable about Allah (SWT) or his prophet comes in my mind and goes away

Answer: In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. May His blessings and peace be on His Beloved Prophet, the best of creation, and his family, companions, and followers

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Your warding off such thoughts is a sign of sure faith, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) termed it in an authentic (sahih) hadith.

The way to block such thoughts is to become realized in your love and slavehood to Allah, which is through fulfilling your obligations and leaving all sin with sincerity and devotion in matters of worship, personal practice, and worldly dealings.

With this, one should seek to illuminate one’s life with the light of the guidance of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a meaningful and systematic yet gradual way. The keys to this are seeking beneficial knowledge from living righteous scholars, keeping the company of the righteous, and being frequent in repentance and remembrance of Allah.

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani