Dealing With Doubts?

Introduction

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَارَكَ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

The topic we have in this brief 20 minutes is about dealing with doubts. How do we deal with doubts? And if you are someone who thinks to themselves, "I've never had a doubt about Islam before" — don't worry. Your child, your brother, your sibling, a fellow musalli at the masjid, or somebody you know might come across one of these questions in their life. So it's important to pay attention. We'll come across the idea that all of us come up with questions about our deen.

Nobody is free from this challenge, from this problem that we are about to address. We have 20 minutes, and we're going to split it into two. Since the British like football — first half we'll be looking at the sources of doubt, and the second half we'll be looking at the solutions. How do you deal with doubt?

Are Doubts Sinful?

First, let us ask the question: if a Muslim has a doubt, has a question about their faith, has a challenge, is confused about something to do with their religion — is that something wrong? Are they sinful for this?

The Prophet ﷺ was asked by a companion of his: "Ya Rasulullah, Messenger of Allah, thoughts come to our mind that we would rather jump off a cliff than say aloud." And the Prophet ﷺ said: you are not accountable for the thoughts that come to your mind. You're only accountable for your speech or your actions.

And so all of us — we all get thoughts, we all get whispers, we all get questions, we all get concerns. But as the Prophet ﷺ says, the solution is to ask, to be brave, and to question.

Part One: The Sources of Doubt

First Source: External Influences

When you look at where doubt comes from, the first source is external — outside. So you have a believer, a Muslim, they are sure — 100% sure — about their Islam. But then they go into the university classroom, or they read a book, or they see a suggested video on YouTube, or somebody sends them a message on WhatsApp, and suddenly it starts making them wonder. It starts making them question.

One of the little-known examples of this, in the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, is that Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh — one of the Prophet's companions who migrated to Ethiopia, to Al-Habasha — after migrating to Ethiopia, due to the Christian environment that he was in, he eventually converted to Christianity, according to Ibn Ishaq. His wife eventually married the Prophet ﷺ — she was Umm Habiba.

So this is a companion of the Prophet, who moves to another land — a land where Muslims are in the minority and the Christians are in the majority — and he converts to Christianity. Ibn Ishaq reports that he would cross paths with the Muslims praying and would make fun of them. If this is possible for a companion of the Prophet ﷺ, it is possible for any one of us to be affected by the environment outside of us.

We are like plants. If the sun is coming in that direction, we will grow in that direction. So this is the first thing: environment.

Whether it's for yourself or those around you, the first thing to note is: cut off the sources of doubts. Imagine a house in the middle of a snowstorm, and the windows of the house are open, and the house is full of snow, and I tell you: take a spade and start removing the snow. That's not the wisest thing to do. The smartest thing to do is first close the windows. Don't let any of the snow come in.

So before talking about how to deal with doubt, we should talk about how to stop doubt coming in the first place — how to prevent it. And the first of these is: don't expose yourself to doubts.

Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullah, in Miftah Dar al-Sa'ada, says: one day I was sitting with my teacher, Shaykh al-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah.

"I was asking him question after question, doubt after doubt." Until Ibn Taymiyyah said to his student, "Let me give you some advice."

"Don't make your heart like a sponge for doubts. Don't expose it to doubts. Don't force yourself to think of questions. Keep it simple. Keep it natural."

And so I'm going to say something relevant for many of us. Many of us — particularly on YouTube, particularly the younger ones among us — many of us like to watch Speakers' Corner debates, or we like to watch debates about Islam. And we think that watching these debates will increase our iman. What happens — and I'm talking as somebody who has experienced this, I have spoken to at least a hundred young Muslims who have doubted or were ready to leave Islam; I'm not talking theoretical, I'm talking from experience — what happens when the Muslim debater that you like is not able to respond to a question from his Christian, or his Sikh, or his Atheist debater? What happens when the other person debating is more convincing? Why would you expose yourself to these questions? Why would you expose your iman to this?

It's like buying a very old, 15-year-old car and then taking it on the M6 straight away. Why would you do that? You know you're going to end up in the garage very soon. Unless you have a very strong and robust iman. So this is a very important thing. When you come across videos, clips, books — don't expose yourself to something you are not ready for.

Another example from the Quran of believers being affected by the environment around them is when Banu Isra'il came across a group of people — this is after they left Egypt, and after Allah showed them miracles, and after they saw the staff split the sea. They cross into the desert and they see a group of people worshipping idols. So what do they say to Musa alayhis salam?

"Musa, why don't you make us idols like they have idols?" These are the people who just saw the sea split. It doesn't get more miraculous than that. But because of the environment — because they saw somebody else do it — it makes them doubt. It makes them question. Am I missing out on something? Am I worshipping in the correct way? Would this idol not bring me closer to Allah?

So watch your company. Watch what you see. Look at what you read on your newsfeed. Look at what you watch on YouTube. All of this is going to either create doubts or protect you from doubts. And if you are a parent, be careful of what your children are exposed to. And believe me, if they are in school, if they are in university, they are going to be exposed.

Second Source: Internal Struggles

The second source of doubt is internal — inside yourself. I'll give you an example. I know a brother, a very practising brother, who had memorised the entire Quran. He wanted to marry someone, but it didn't work out — he was Bengali, she was Somali. The parents never let these things happen in many cases. In his depression over not being able to marry this girl, he stopped praying Salah. And in the guilt and the pain of not praying Salah, he started having questions.

Now where is all of this coming from? This is a brother who memorised the Quran, who was the president of an Islamic society, praying five times in the masjid. Where are the doubts coming from? Did he see people worshipping idols? Did he read a book online? No. It's coming from inside — from his depression, from his anger, from his pain, from his suffering.

And with such people, when the doubt and the questions are coming from inside, it's not about answering the question. If he comes to me and asks me one question, I answer the question. Tomorrow he will have another question, and another question, and another question. Because what's bothering him is not the questions. Deep down he is wondering: why did Allah do this to me? And until we can solve that question, all of the other questions will not go away. His pain is emotional — it's not intellectual, it's not logical. His pain is emotional, so he is questioning Allah.

And so when somebody is in such emotional pain, you have to address the emotional pain. You have to address the psychological pain before you answer their question.

Part Two: The Solutions

Some people have doubts because of things going on inside them. Some people have doubts because of things they see outside. And believe me, every one of us — children or adults — you're going to see things outside and inside that are going to make you question. Now what do you do?

Solution One: Never Be Afraid to Ask

The first thing is: never feel afraid to ask a question. Consider Ibrahim alayhis salam — does he not ask Allah:

"O Allah, show me how You return the dead to life." Now this is a Prophet of Allah. Does he need to see this evidence? So Allah asks him:

"Don't you believe, O Ibrahim?" And Ibrahim alayhis salam says:

"I believe, of course, but I want to feel more reassured in my belief. I want to increase in my belief." Because seeing is not the same as believing. And so this is the first thing: don't be afraid to ask a question.

However embarrassing the question is — you have people in this masjid who are ready to answer your questions. Don't be shy. The Sahaba would ask the Prophet ﷺ such embarrassing questions that you and I would rather dig a hole for ourselves than ask. When they asked the Prophet ﷺ:

"What is the family tree of Allah?" — Allah revealed:

"Say: He is Allah, the One." When they asked the Prophet ﷺ, "Why don't we worship Allah via this tree, or via these idols — like those people are?" the Prophet ﷺ got upset with them. They asked embarrassing questions. But the Prophet ﷺ was always there with an answer. So the first thing is: if you have a question about your religion, never be afraid to ask.

Solution Two: Build a Strong Foundation

Number two — and this is the most important point — the best way to deal with doubts is to prevent them altogether by having a strong foundation. A strong foundation in the basics. You, your children, your friends, and everybody in this masjid should be able to answer the question: Why am I a Muslim? Why do I believe in Allah? Why do I believe in messengers? Why do I believe in the Quran? This has to be a strong foundation.

Allah says in the Quran:

Allah gives the example of the good word — أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — saying it's like a tree. Its roots are firmly held in the ground, and its branches are in the sky. Now tell me: if there is a tree whose roots are firmly in the ground and a wind blows, will it fly away? It can't. Its roots are strong.

The doubts are like wind. They'll blow you this way and push you that way. But if your foundations and your basics are strong — you know why you are a believer, why you are a Muslim, and you understand why you believe in Allah — nothing can blow you away.

A good example of this is Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. When a group of disbelievers came to him and said, "Don't you hear your friend Muhammad ﷺ — he tells us that he has just taken a flight to the sky and to Masjid Al-Aqsa and came back in one night. Do you really believe this?" Now at this time Abu Bakr As-Siddiq had not heard it from Muhammad ﷺ. He was hearing it from his enemies. Now this could shake him.

There are some narrations — disputed whether they are authentic; most scholars say they are not authentic, but I'll mention it anyway — that some Sahaba left Islam after the Prophet ﷺ went on Al-Isra wal-Mi'raj, when he went on his journey to Al-Aqsa and the heavens and back. Some people could not believe it.

But what did Abu Bakr As-Siddiq say when they asked him: "Do you really believe your friend Muhammad ﷺ did all of this in one night?"

"If he said it, it's true." Because so many evidences are there that this man is a Prophet of Allah. He's not a random person. So many proofs are there. Whatever he says is true.

And then he says:

"I believe that an angel comes to him from the sky and gives him revelation. How can I not believe he went on a journey at night? I believe in things that are even beyond this." See, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq goes back to the foundations. He knows for sure that Muhammad ﷺ is an honest man. Whatever he speaks is true.

This is also a message for the Imams, teachers, and mashayikh: when we teach Aqidah, when we teach Muslim belief, we should not teach it as it was taught seven centuries ago. Our children do not need to know about Khawarij and Murji'ah and Ash'ariyya and so on. They need to know about Atheism, Evolution, Feminism, and the questions of today. These are the belief challenges of today. We need to address them today.

So: build a foundation. Allah has filled the Quran with logical proofs for His existence, for His creativeness, for His deservedness to be worshipped, for the Prophet ﷺ being a messenger, for the Quran being only from Allah. Allah has filled the Quran with invitations to think and reflect on these proofs. So even just reciting the Quran with its translation and thinking about the proofs Allah gives you — this is enough to give you a strong foundation.

Solution Three: Return the Doubtful to the Certain

There is a very important technique you should remember. In Arabic we call it:

When you come across something doubtful, go back to what you are certain about. I'll give you an example. Recently — and this happens every few years — a non-Muslim passes away, a very nice, quote-unquote "good" person: Stephen Hawking, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, you can think of the names. And many Muslims ask: this person gave so much charity, this person was such a nice person — what will Allah do with this person?

Now, there is an answer to this question. But let's assume you don't know the answer. What do you know for sure about Allah and how He deals with human beings on the Day of Judgment? You may not know how Allah is going to deal with Nelson Mandela, but you know something about Allah. He is Al-'Adl — the Just. Even a child can tell you this. Basic. Not rocket science.

So you can answer: "My friend, I don't know what Allah is going to do with Mother Teresa, but I know He is the most just. And whatever He does, it is just." Simple answer. You don't always need to know the detailed answer to every question. Go back to the basics. What do you know for sure about Allah?

Of course, there is a detailed answer — how does Allah deal with people who never heard the revelation, who never heard the message of Islam? How does He test them? But all of it can come under this point: Allah is fair and just. Why would Allah be unjust? What does He have to gain from it?

And like this, there are so many doubts. You might hear something at university, something at school. Somebody on the street might say: "You Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ spread Islam by the sword." Go back to the basics. I remember — I'll tell you a funny story. Once I was on a flight and somebody sitting next to me, we got talking, and they found out I was a Muslim chaplain. So they said, "I heard that you Muslims want to kill the infidels. You Muslims, you like to kill the kuffar." So I asked them, "Are you an infidel?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Then if I was supposed to kill you, why are you still breathing?" You will not find a Muslim who thinks like that.

Did the Prophet ﷺ go around killing the Jews and Christians who lived around him? No, he didn't. He made deals with them. He co-existed with them. He made a contract and agreement with them: you respect boundaries, we respect boundaries. When he opened Fath Makkah — when he went back to Makkah, the people who had killed and attacked him and his family — he said, "You are all free." The examples are many, but the point is: you can go back to the basics. You don't need to know the answer to every question.

And this comes as a good example in the life of the Prophet ﷺ when he explained to his companions how to answer the question: "Who created Allah?" The first thing is — he introduced the question before anyone asked it. This is very important. If you are a parent, before your child asks you a question, you should introduce the question to them so you can teach them how to answer it. If you are an Imam, a teacher, a friend, you have a new Muslim that you know — introduce the question and answer it in a smart way so they know. Don't wait for them to ask.

The Prophet ﷺ says: people will keep asking questions, until they ask, "Allah created everything, so who created Allah?" Now there is an answer to this question. But it depends — what do you need? Do you need an intellectual answer? Do you need a full philosophical, logical answer? We can give that to you. But the vast majority of people — these doubts are just like flies. They are whispers. They come to their mind.

And it is enough for them to go back to the basics. So the Prophet ﷺ says: reassure yourself. "No — I believe in Allah and His Messenger." Know with certainty, based on proofs, that Allah exists and His Messenger ﷺ is His Prophet — and throw away this whisper. That's one way to deal with it: go back to the basics that you know.

Solution Four: Seek the Detailed Answer

The second way to deal with doubt is: sometimes you need to find the detailed answer if you are not satisfied. You should ask a specialist. You should ask an imam. If the imam doesn't know, he will point you to someone who can answer your question.

But the most important thing is: if you ever come across a doubt, a question about your religion, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. If you don't have an answer — believe me, that question has been asked and the answer has been given. So remind yourself why you believe, and be patient until you find the answer.

Solution Five: Spiritual Remedy — Istighfar

A lot of doubts come from spiritual reasons. Sometimes they come from sins. And the more one sins, the more one's heart becomes dark, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us. And this can also lead to doubts. So many of us have to think about this as well — one of the ways to dispel doubts is to do istighfar: to ask Allah to forgive our sins.

Summary

To summarise: doubts can come from internal reasons and sources, or from external sources. The best way to deal with doubts is to create a strong foundation for why you believe in Islam. And then if you come across a doubt, there are two ways to deal with it:

• Go back to the basics that you know for sure.
• Look for a detailed answer to your question — and ask a specialist.

But above all: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.