How to Deal with Doubts and Bad Thoughts? Will Allah Ask Us About Sins We Repented From?


For those that have doubts, listen carefully to this particular hadith:

How to Deal with Doubts and Bad Thoughts? - About Islam


Converts - 6 Steps to Remove Doubts About Islam


Some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad came to him and they said with deep stress:

“O Messenger of Allah, sometimes we have these thoughts, we hate having these thoughts, we would never dare to speak of them and we just want them to go away.”


The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:


Are you really facing that?


They said:


“Yes.


He said:


That is clear faith.


Know that Allah will reward you for the way that you feel, the guilt that you feel for even having that whisper, for even having that doubt is actually a sign of Iman in and of itself.

Satanic Whispers: I Cannot Pray or Read the Quran





Because Satan is always going to whisper, but the fact that you’re not allowing that whisper to turn itself into action, is a sign of clear and pristine faith.

In another hadith form Mu’adh, some people came to the Prophet and said:

“We have these thoughts, we would rather die than act upon them, we hate thinking about these things, why do we keep thinking like this, why do these doubts creep in?”

And the Prophet said:

All praise is due to Allah who reduced the Satan’s plans to whispers.


Al Hassan Al Basri said that:

“When Satan gives up on leading you astray, then all he’s reduced to is a bunch of whispers. And as long as you let it stay there and you don’t allow it to penetrate your actions, don’t think Allah is going to punish you for your thoughts.”

The Prophet said:

Allah Almighty has forgiven my Ummah for that which they say to themselves, so long as you don’t speak of it or act in accordance with it.

How Do I Live Normally Again With Compulsive Whispers?


Having doubts and thoughts is ok. Don’t kill yourself because you’re having whispers.

This is normal and everyone would go through it. It’s about how you deal with it. And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that Satan would even take your positive moments and try to spoil them.

So, you’re looking around you and you’re admiring the creation of Allah, and Satan would say, ‘who created this?’ You would say, ‘Allah’, and then Satan would say, ‘Who created Allah?’ So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

At that moment, seek refuge in Allah from Satan.


He said in another hadith:

When Satan tries to penetrate your thoughts, at that moment say, ‘I believe in Allah,’ you will send Satan running.


Allah will not punish you for the thoughts that you have. In fact, Allah will reward you for the way that you dealt with those thoughts and that is a sign of Iman.

So, remember to say ‘amantu billah’ (I believe in Allah) when Satan tries to penetrate your thoughts, and do not feel bad because Satan is trying to lead you astray because he’s given up hope in your actual being led astray and he’s been reduced to that sense of whispers.

Will Allah Ask Us About Sins We Repented From?

QAssalamualaykum. I want to ask, if we have commit sins and ask forgiveness from Allah and repent, will we still be questioned/punished for these sins in Barzakh (grave) as well as on Judgment Day? Thank you for your time to read this. 

Will Allah Ask Us About Sins We Repented From? To answer your question briefly if we ask forgiveness from Allah for our sins then they will be completed erased as if they didn’t happen.


So, not only does repenting erase sins, but also performing the Islamic rituals automatically erases our minor sins. As for major sins, if we sincerely repent, ask Allah’s forgiveness, return what is due to people if applicable, and perform the kaffarah (compensation) for that sin if one is required, then Allah will surely forgive us if we don’t associate anyone with Him.


Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.


Will Allah Ask Us About Sins We Repented From?


To answer your question briefly if we ask forgiveness from Allah for our sins then they will be completed erased as if they didn’t happen. However, this is not the only way for our sins to be erased. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

The five daily Salat (prescribed prayers), and Friday (prayer) to the next Friday (prayer), and the fasting of Ramadan to the next Ramadan, is expiation of the sins committed in between them, so long as major sins are avoided. (Muslim)

So, not only does repenting erase sins, but also performing the Islamic rituals automatically erases our minor sins. As for major sins, if we sincerely repent, ask Allah’s forgiveness, return what is due to people if applicable, and perform the kaffarah (compensation) for that sin if one is required, then Allah will surely forgive us if we don’t associate anyone with Him.

Good Deeds that Erase Sins


Supererogatory prayers and giving charity also erase sins. There are many other ways for us to erase our sins including sending salutation on the Prophet (peace be upon him), performing wudu (ablution), prostrating to Allah, etc. The following authentic hadiths gives us the details:

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

Mention of fever was made in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and a man cursed it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Do not curse it, for it erases sin as fire removes filth from iron.’ (Ibn Majah)

Anas ibn Malik said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah (SWT) will send salah upon him tenfold, and will erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten degrees in status. (An-Nasai)

Madan [ibn Talhah] said:

I met Abu Ad-Darda, and I asked him what I had asked Thawban, so he said: ‘Perform prostrations, for I heard Allah’s Messenger saying: ‘No worshiper performs a prostration to Allah except that by it Allah will raise him a level, and erase a sin from him for it.’ (At-Tirmidhi)

The Beautiful River by The Door Metaphor


It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

Do you think that is there was a river by the door of any one of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?” They said: “No trace of dirt would be left on him.” He said: “That is the likeness of the five daily prayers. By means of them Allah erases sins. (An-Nasai)

Basically, if you are a practicing Muslim who does not indulge in anything unlawful, you should be going to bed each night without any sins, rather with lots of rewards on your record of deeds insha’Allah (God willing). The Prophet once said:

Allah, the Almighty, says: Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I go to him running; and whosoever meets Me with an earth-load of sins without associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that. (Muslim)

Follow these 6 Steps


However, we must keep in mind that some sins are greater than others, but there is no sin that is too big for Allah to forgive; He forgives all sins if the person follows these basic steps:

1. The person should not associate anyone with Allah when supplicating/praying to Him.


2. If the sin deals with someone’s rights, then the person must return those rights; such as taking someone’s property.


3. Some sins require a kaffara (compensation), such as fasting certain number of days, paying charity, etc. This all depends on the specific sin.

4. Repent and feel regret for that sin that he or she will not commit such a sin again.

5. Repeatedly ask Allah’s forgiveness since the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to do so at least seventy times a day.

6. Perform good deeds to erase one’s bad deeds such as praying and giving charity often.

Don’t Look Back


We also need to forget our past sins and work for the future. Satan wants us to live in our past sins and never forget them in order to despair from Allah’s mercy; we should ignore his whispers and move forward. The most important thing is not to despair. If we despair then we fall into Satan’s control. Allah says what is translated as:

{Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”} (Az-Zumar 39:53)

Allah also says what means:

{Your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) mercy: verily, if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amended (his conduct), lo! He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (Al-An`am 6:54)

There is a hadith qudsi (divine hadith) also that states:

[…] My mercy prevails over My wrath. (Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Allah’s Mercy


Now to answer your specific question, Allah will not hold us accountable for sins that we have repented from. However, He might remind us about them after being admitted into Paradise to appreciate His Mercy bestowed upon us.

We read in the hadith; narrated Hassan Ibn Atia (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“[…] Allah will converse to each person who attends one of Allah’s gatherings in Paradise. He will say to a man: ‘Do you remember such and such a sin that you committed in this world; the man will reply: ‘Haven’t you forgiven me my Lord’. Allah will say: ‘By My infinite Mercy, if I haven’t forgiven you, you wouldn’t have reached such a status in Paradise'[…]” (Ibn Taymiah)


I hope this helps answer your question.