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OCD in relation to Satan

OCD is a diagnosable medical condition and as is the case with several medical conditions finding the exact cause is something that researchers are still grappling with. A summary of posited causes can be found in this article.

As such, the author opines, that it would be wrong to attribute Satan (shaitaan) as the cause of OCD, and is a grave error because that poses negative connotations such as ‘Satan targets us all, why are you being weak and giving up into Satanic intrusion’.

Having said that the some characteristics of OCD are quite similar to that of Satanic intrusions. Researchers say that “…the individual senses that the content of obsessions is alien, not within his/her own control and not the kind of thought that he/she would ever expect to have.” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000:457) and on the other side they also say that “the individual is able to recognise these obsessions as the product of his/her own mind” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000:457).

These recurring, intrusive thoughts are referred to as Was-was-ah in the Islamic literature. The very etymology of the word Was-was-ah shows the recurring, intrusive nature of these thoughts. The characteristics of Obsessions laid down by the psychologists are precisely what the Islamic Sources tell us about intrusive thoughts from Satan. And, as the enemy is invisible we are unable to recognize that these are not our thoughts. Furthermore, the enemy merely needs to plant the doubt, and then humans nurture it on their own, remember that OCD feeds on itself.

Various religions and cultures recognize the existence of devil as an extra-dimensional personification of evil. And, it has been observed that even the toughest forms of OCD are overcome when one takes OCD as an enemy (See the Book: Life in Rewind). So, from a practical point of view it is important to recognize the alien nature of these obsessive thoughts; it is important to re-attribute and revalue.

The above narrative shows how intertwined the characteristics of OCD are with Satanic intrusions and as such few take aways that should be kept in mind are :

  • The exact cause of OCD is unknown.
  • Satanic Intrusions (Waswaas) are part of daily life and we all get thoughts that we found alien but at the same time know they came from within us
  • For muslims, It is important to recognise that OCD has characteristics similar to Satanic intrusions (Waswaas) and as such they can use some of the strategies that they use to overcome Waswaas to keep OCD in check

References:

Section titled “References:”
  • American Psychiatric Association (2000), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC.