It was the very first class taken by freshmen at the Olin Business School. Louis, where I taught Introduction to Management (MGMT 100). My first job as a professor was at Washington University in St. This is the origin story, as well as I can recall it. Many people have asked me where the idea for sharing life wisdom (i.e. Not to care to the repeated doubts at all and practicing the total ignoring of such doubts because of its Satanic origin.Ĥ.Zekret (noun, /ˈzēkrit/, rhymes with “secret”): One of Zeke’s attempts to say something useful about life, by which he presumes to know something and which his students have patiently endured for years. All these recitations drive Shaitan away if been recited with concentration and dedication.ģ. Repeating Estighfaar, Salwaat, La Hawla Wala Qowwata Ilya Billah and Laa Ilaaha Illallah لا إله إلا الله, Sura Tawheed. ‘Such person needs to always be reminded that Waswasa is from Shaitan.Ģ. Admitting that Waswasa is from Shaitan and being aware about its origin.Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) was requested help to cure a person suffering from Waswasa.bHectold them: Ask him, is what he suffers from from Allah or from Shaitan? Imam Said: He will say: It is from Shaitan. Some of them might reach to loosing their faith in worst scenarios.ġ. If they keep listening to Satanic whispering, they will go far away from Allah (SWT). Shaitan creates doubts in their minds about the validity of their worship to disturb their state of mind and make them loose the sweat taste of worshipping Allah. Shaitan tries to mislead them under many titles including Wudhu and Namaz and Tahara and Nijasah etc. Normal human beings are easily able to defeat Shaitan, but those who opt to be weak and go on in their weakness till they become very weak, put themselves as an easy target for Shaitan. Shiatan and Satanic efforts are weak as Allah (SWT) says in Quran ( Verily, the efforts of Shaitan are weak) (Sura Annisaa’, Verse 76). The cause of this mental condition is the weakness in dealing with Shaitan which makes the person under the influence of Shaitan. Waswasa is a condition of weakness in the will power and thinking power which makes the person hesitate in defining his acts and doubts himself or / and others. In any case, as discussed in the previous response, the important thing is to overcome these things and acknowledge that this is not what Allah wants from us and rather the ritual acts we do such as salat and ritual purification are means to a higher goal rather than something to become anxious about in and of themselves. However, some of the same interventions may apply (such as ignoring doubts). Some people are also just naturally very scatterbrained and absent-minded and easily forget things (such as whether they ate or what time they have to go places, as well as things such as whether they did salat or wudhu), but this is somewhat different because it does not usually cause distress. This does not mean that whispering from Shaytan is not present in these situations or that everything has a psychological/psychiatric explanation rather, the two can happen at the same time.Īnyway, in addition to addressing what is due to Shaytan, such as by reciting ayat al-kursi, and the other interventions mentioned below, these things can also be addressed, if they are applicable in the circumstances. Perhaps part of it is a desire for control in situations where we cannot control what is going on around us.

with symptoms of waswas) however, some do. Not all people who are dealing with these things respond in the same way (i.e. * I think to some degree there is a personality element as well. * Sometimes as a response to a very strict upbringing or social environment in which one is made to be terrified of small mistakes (like missing a spot during wudu), or where there is a lot of criticism of these things. Sometimes because this is considered to be a more socially acceptable way of expressing this behaviour or even praised and encouraged as signs of piety. * Manifestations of psychiatric conditions (anxiety, OCD, etc.) that are expressed in the guise of being 'religious'. * Psychological coping mechanisms (for instance, as a response to prolonged stress such as warfare or the pressure of being a minority and feeling one's identity is under threat) However in my experience, people also experience the same symptoms as: From my experience, there are multiple causes of the symptoms of waswas.Īs described in the previous response, literally, the word 'waswas' refers to the whispering of Shaytan.

Missing zekr