How to cure our psychological obsession?

Concise answer
Apart from the infallibles, other people might, at times, experience ebbs and flows, ups and
downs in their beliefs and conviction. Thus they might doubt the existence of God or the
genuineness of a divine injunction or start having disorders in their practices but they get
back to normalcy by seeking help from Allah, combating and resisting temptations. The first
step to combat obsession is to find the root cause or the origin of obsession disorder. Some
obsessions emanate from a lack of information or mistake in receiving and analyzing
religious information in which case one should, through further reading, discuss with learned
people, improve his knowledge and enrich himself and get rid of shortcomings.
In some cases, sinning and committing offense cause one's beliefs to be weak and unsteady
leading the individual to have intellectual obsession in which case he should by, seeking
divine forgiveness and regretting his past, make up for the past and do away with obsession
and its causes. Sometimes, a lack of faith and self-confidence causes one to become obsessive
in which case he should strengthen his faith and improve his self-confidence.
Anyone suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder or any kind of psychological disorder
should make efforts to do away with the problem by trusting in Allah and by way of
improving his self-confidence. If he follows the steps we have mentioned below, he should
not

worry.

Detailed Answer
Undoubtedly, excessive and constant doubt which makes a person obsessive is the temptation
of Shaitan (Satan) but at the same time it is something natural which can be cured through a
proper course of action. It should be noted that treating the problem will require time and it
should take place gradually.
Apart from the infallibles, other people might, at times, experience ebbs and flows, ups and
downs in their beliefs and conviction. Thus they might doubt the existence of God or the
genuineness of a divine injunction or start having disorders in their practices but they get
back to normalcy by seeking help from Allah and combating and resisting doubts and
temptations. The first step to combat obsession is to find the root cause or the origin of an
anomaly. Some obsessions emanate from a lack of information or mistake in receiving and
analyzing religious information in which case one should, through further reading, discussing

with learned people, improve his knowledge and enrich himself and get rid of weaknesses.
Sometimes, one encounters doubts which not only are not harmful but they are useful and
tantamount to faithfulness.
The doubts are of two types: One is temporary which leads to faith and belief; another is
permanent doubt. Permanent doubts are among the psychological ailments endangering the
psychological and physical wellbeing of an individual and society. It should, therefore, be
treated carefully. To explain further, since knowledge and certainty bring about peace and
tranquility of the soul as well as cause perfection, on the contract, doubt causes stress and
anxiety hampering movement and perfection. For this reason, in Islam, doubt is sometimes
tantamount to polytheism.[1] In their philosophical and academic works, Muslim
philosophers have also given priority to criticizing and rejecting skepticism. They have, by
way of expressing thoughts and beliefs, combated this disease so as to save society from this
danger.[2]
As for temporary doubt which leads to belief, it is not bad and no one has condemned it;
rather it is a sign of rational and intellectual maturity. To clarify it further, there are two kinds
of growth. One is intellectual and the other is physical. The first type is called intellectual
maturity and the second one is called physical growth or adulthood. Maturity begins from
age nine (9) and it becomes complete at the age of forty. Mulla Sadra is of the view that first
of all material and physical characteristics come into being in man causing him to become
strong and then the psychological characteristics come into being and become available.[3]
It seems one of the reasons the youth encounter doubt in ideological matters after they attain
the age of puberty, is rooted in the same point. That is to say, at the age of puberty, the
intellect starts becoming active but it has been in touch with material objects for most of the
time. As for non-material objects, it was not familiar with metaphysical sphere or it could not
reach its depth. When puberty coincides with the evolutionary movement of the intellect, the
individual wants to attain the depth of beliefs and understand its reality. That is when he
comes across a lot of questions. That does not necessarily mean that this type of doubt is not a
disease and should not be treated; in fact, it means that one should not be afraid of it and that
one should carefully treat it without having to worry.
In any case, it seems that this kind of doubt is not bad; in fact, if it is properly managed, it
will help the individual attain prosperity. The best way to manage it is to be in touch with
conscious, knowledgeable and sympathetic scholars.
A noteworthy point is that anxiety emanates from a state of doubt and hesitation and this is a
good of sign of spiritual wellbeing. In fact, according to prophetic traditions, feeling anxious

is a sign of pure faith.

Someone went to the Prophet (S) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am perished." The
Messenger of Allah said that Satan came to you and asked "Who created you?" and you said:
"God." Then he asked: "Who created God?" And the man said: "It is true, O Messenger of
Allah." Then the Prophet (S) said: "This is pure faith."[4],[5]
In some cases, committing sins causes one's beliefs to become weak. In such a case, one must
repent and seek divine forgiveness and by making up for sins he should do away with
anything that leads to temptation.
In some cases, a lack of faith and self-confidence causes one to become obsessive in which
case he should strengthen his faith and improve his self-confidence. Keeping in view what
you have mentioned about yourself and the obsession your are encountering, it seems that
obsession disorder is meager and you do not have to worry. By trusting in Allah and by way
of self-confidence, you can do away with the little obsession by following the guidelines
provided above.
For further information, see the following articles:
How to cure obsession disorder?
Obsessive compulsive disorder and its cure.

[1]Kulayni, Kafi, vol.2, p.129, "

" .
[2] Hasan Zadeh Amuli, Hasan, Ma'refat al-Nafs (Knowledge of Self), vol.1, p. 5-12,
Scientific and Cultural Publications Center, 1362 (Persian calendar).
[3] Mulla Sadra, Asfar, vol.9, p. 93, The first characteristic which emerges in man's soul is the
characteristic of being a quadruped which overpowers lust and voluptuousness in a child.
Thereupon, the characteristic of ferociousness comes into being which leads to enmity and
violence. Then the satanic characteristic comes into being which causes cunningness and
trickery in him. Then there is the trait of intelligence which causes the light of faith to come
into being. It is with Allah, the Exalted, and the army of angels. The power of reason starts
growing from the beginning of maturity and attains perfection at the age of forty. But the
army of satans finds room in the heart before maturity overpowering him. The soul becomes
tamed with them and is free in obeying them in matters of lust and passion. But when the
individual becomes mature, the army of intellect or reason starts growing in the heart. The
fight and combat begins in the field of heart. Then if the intellect is weak, the Shaitan

overpowers him and this person will finally be among the army of Shaitan and will be
resurrected with them on the Day of Judgment. And if the intellect is strengthened with the
light of knowledge and belief, it will take under control all the powers and man will be like
angels and he will be resurrected with them.
[4] Kulayni, Kafi, vol.2, p. 425, fourth edition, Dar al-Kotob al-Islamiyah, Tehran, 1365
(Persian calendar).
[5] Extracted from answer 4895 (site: 5356); Index: Doubt in Beliefs