Answer
✅Answer: Scrupulosity is the name of a whispering devil (waswasah) that afflicts a person and sometimes causes a mental illness. This illness manifests in different forms, such as scrupulosity in ablution and prayer, purification from impurities, misplaced suspicion of things and people, incorrect thoughts, etc.
✅In the narrations, there are several instructions for fighting this mental illness, some of which are presented here:
✅First, a narration about the source of scrupulosity:
عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ إِلَّا وَ لِقَلْبِهِ أُذُنَانِ فی جوفه أُذُنٌ یَنْفُثُ فِیهَا الْمَلَکُ وَ أُذُنٌ یَنْفُثُ فِیهَا الْوَسْوَاسُ الْخَنَّاسُ
📚Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 267
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'There is no believer except that in his heart, in his chest, there are two ears: one ear in which an angel blows, and the other ear in which the whispering devil (waswasah khannas) blows.'
✅All the whisperings that reach people with scrupulosity are from the blowing of this whispering devil (waswasah khannas). Of course, these whisperings have different types, and each of the following narrations is specific to the removal of one of them. By carefully examining the narrations, it becomes clear that most people, to a greater or lesser extent, are afflicted with it, so we recommend that everyone, especially those who are particularly and heavily afflicted with scrupulosity, act upon the following narrations:
مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حُمْرَانَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْوَسْوَسَةِ وَ إِنْ کَثُرَتْ فَقَالَ لَا شَیْ ءَ فِیهَا تَقُولُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
📚Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 424
Translation: Muhammad ibn Humran said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about scrupulosity and if it is excessive.' The Imam said: 'There is nothing in it; you should say:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الصَّادِقِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ آدَمَ شَکَا إِلَی اللَّهِ مَا یَلْقَی مِنْ حَدِیثِ النَّفْسِ وَ الْحُزْنِ فَنَزَلَ عَلَیْهِ جَبْرَئِیلُ فَقَالَ لَهُ یَا آدَمُ قُلْ لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ فَقَالَهَا فَذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْوَسْوَسَةُ وَ الْحُزْنُ
📚Amali Saduq, p. 543
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Indeed, Adam complained to Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, about the whisperings of the soul that came to him;' so Gabriel descended upon him and said: 'O Adam, say:
لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
Then Adam (peace be upon him) said it, and the scrupulosity and grief left him.'
📚Amali Saduq, p. 543
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: 'I complain to you about the whisperings that come to me in my prayer to the extent that I do not know if I have shortened or lengthened the prayer.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'When you want to enter into prayer, strike your left thigh with the index finger of your right hand and then say:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَ بِاللَّهِ تَوَکَّلْتُ عَلَی اللَّهِ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِیعِ الْعَلِیمِ مِنَ الشَّیْطَانِ الرَّجِیمِ
For by this, you will drive him away and repel him.'
📚Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 358
عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ مَنْ أَکَلَ حَبَّةً مِنْ رُمَّانٍ أَمْرَضَتْ شَیْطَانَ الْوَسْوَسَةِ أَرْبَعِینَ صَبَاحاً
📚Mahasin, Vol. 2, p. 543
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever eats one grain of a pomegranate, his whispering devil will be sick for forty days.'
عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ مَنْ أَکَلَ الرُّمَّانَ طُرِدَ عَنْهُ شَیْطَانُ الْوَسْوَسَةِ
📚Mahasin, Vol. 2, p. 545
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever eats a pomegranate, the whispering devil will be kept away from him.'
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ تَسْرِیحُ الْعَارِضَیْنِ یَشُدُّ الْأَضْرَاسَ وَ تَسْرِیحُ اللِّحْیَةِ یَذْهَبُ بِالْوَبَاءِ وَ تَسْرِیحُ الذُّؤَابَتَیْنِ یَذْهَبُ بِبَلَابِلِ الصَّدْرِ وَ تَسْرِیحُ الْحَاجِبَیْنِ أَمَانٌ مِنَ الْجُذَامِ وَ تَسْرِیحُ الرَّأْسِ یَقْطَعُ الْبَلْغَمَ
📚Tibb al-A'immah, p. 19
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Combing the hair on the two sides of the face strengthens the teeth, and combing the beard removes plague, and combing the forelocks on the two sides of the head removes chest whisperings, and combing the eyebrows provides protection from leprosy, and combing the hair on the head cuts off phlegm.'
عَنْ عَلِیٍّ فِی حَدِیثِ الْأَرْبَعِمِائَةِ قَالَ وَ صَوْمُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَیَّامٍ مِنْ کُلِّ شَهْرٍ أَرْبِعَاءَ بَیْنَ خَمِیسَیْنِ وَ صَوْمُ شَعْبَانَ یَذْهَبُ بِوَسْوَسَةِ الصُّدُورِ وَ بَلَابِلِ الْقَلْبِ
📚Khisal, p. 612
Translation: Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said in the four hundred hadith: 'Fasting three days of every month, which is Wednesday in between two Thursdays, and fasting the month of Sha'ban removes chest whisperings and heart grief.'
عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ أَمِیرُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ ذِکْرُنَا أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ شِفَاءٌ مِنَ الْوَعْکِ وَ الْأَسْقَامِ وَ وَسْوَاسِ الرَّیْبِ وَ حُبُّنَا رِضَی الرَّبِّ تَبَارَکَ وَ تَعَالَی
📚Mahasin, Vol. 1, p. 62
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: 'The remembrance of us, the Ahl al-Bayt, is a cure for severe fever, diseases, and the scrupulosity of doubt and indecisiveness, and loving us is the satisfaction and contentment of the Blessed and Exalted Lord.'
✅Participating in healthy gatherings for the remembrance of the hadiths and tragedies of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and remembering them through their visitations from near and far, etc., is a cure.
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and complained about scrupulosity, heavy debt, and excessive poverty;' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him: 'Say:
تَوَکَّلْتُ عَلَی الْحَیِّ الَّذِی لَا یَمُوتُ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِی لَمْ یَتَّخِذْ صاحِبَةً وَ لا وَلَداً وَ لَمْ یَکُنْ لَهُ شَرِیکٌ فِی الْمُلْکِ وَ لَمْ یَکُنْ لَهُ وَلِیٌّ مِنَ الذُّلِّ وَ کَبِّرْهُ تَکْبِیراً
He told him: 'Repeat this supplication, repeat it, repeat it (read it often),' so it was not long before the man returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, the Lord has removed the scrupulosity from me, paid off my debt, and enriched me from poverty.'
📚Usul Sittah 'Ashar, p. 346
عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ ذَکَرْتُ لِأَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلًا مُبْتَلًی بِالْوُضُوءِ وَ الصَّلَاةِ وَ قُلْتُ هُوَ رَجُلٌ عَاقِلٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ أَیُّ عَقْلٍ لَهُ وَ هُوَ یُطِیعُ الشَّیْطَانَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ وَ کَیْفَ یُطِیعُ الشَّیْطَانَ فَقَالَ سَلْهُ هَذَا الَّذِی یَأْتِیهِ مِنْ أَیِّ شَیْ ءٍ هُوَ فَإِنَّهُ یَقُولُ لَکَ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّیْطَانِ
📚Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 12
Translation: Abdullah ibn Sinan said: 'I mentioned to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) a man who is afflicted with scrupulosity in ablution and prayer, and I said: 'He is a wise man;' so the Imam said: 'What wisdom is there for such a person while he follows Satan?!' And he said: 'Ask him what this scrupulosity that comes to him in ablution and prayer is from? For he will answer: 'It is from the work of Satan.'
In a hadith, Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'A people complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about thoughts that afflicted them, and they would rather be thrown by the wind or torn to pieces than to utter those thoughts.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Do you find this state?' They said: 'Yes,' until he said: 'When you find such a state, say:
آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ، وَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَ لاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللّهِ
📚Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 425
عَنْ أَبِی بَصِیرٍ، قَالَ:شَکَوْتُ إِلی أَبِی عَبْدِ اللّهِ علیه السلام الْوَسْوَاسَ فَقَالَ: یَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ اذْکُرْ تَقَطُّعَ أَوْصَالِکَ فِی قَبْرِکَ، وَ رُجُوعَ أَحْبَابِکَ عَنْکَ إِذَا دَفَنُوکَ فِی حُفْرَتِکَ، وَ خُرُوجَ بَنَاتِ الْمَاءِ مِنْ مَنْخِرَیْکَ وَ أَکْلَ الدُّودِ لَحْمَکَ؛ فَإِنَّ ذلِکَ یُسَلِّی عَنْکَ مَا أَنْتَ فِیهِ قَالَ أَبُو بَصِیرٍ: فَوَ اللّهِ، مَا ذَکَرْتُهُ إِلاَّ سَلّی عَنِّی مَا أَنَا فِیهِ مِنْ هَمِّ الدُّنْیَا
📚Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 255
Translation: Abu Basir said: 'I complained to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about scrupulosity;' The Imam said: 'O Abu Muhammad, remember the undoing of the knots of your body in the grave and the return of your friends from you when they buried you in your pit, and the exit of worms from your two nostrils, and that the worms eat your flesh (in the grave), for such a thing will make you forget the scrupulosity you are in.' Abu Basir said: 'By Allah, I would not remember the things the Imam had said except that what was in me of the world's grief would leave my memory.'
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'You should have sweet pomegranates, eat them, for there is no grain of it that settles in a believer's stomach except that it destroys a disease and silences the whispering devil from him.'
📚Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 354
Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: 'A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: 'If a person has two hearts, I have two hearts: one heart (thought) commands me to follow you, and the other heart commands me not to follow you;' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him: 'Should I teach you something that if you say it, Allah will remove this from you?' He said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah,' He said: 'Say:
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الرَّبُّ وَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ وَ أَنْتَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَ أَنْتَ الرَّحِيمُ أَسْتَعِينُكَ عَلَى عَدُوِّي فَاحْبِسْهُ عَنِّي بِمَا شِئْتَ
📚Ja'fariyat, p. 227
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ: شَکَا رَجُلٌ إِلَی أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع کَثْرَةَ التَّمَنِّی وَ الْوَسْوَسَةِ فَقَالَ أَمِرَّ یَدَکَ عَلَی صَدْرِکَ ثُمَّ قُلْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَ بِاللَّهِ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِیِّ الْعَظِیمِ اللَّهُمَّ امْسَحْ عَنِّی مَا أَحْذَرُ ثُمَّ أَمِرَّ یَدَکَ عَلَی بَطْنِکَ وَ قُلْ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَی یَمْسَحُ عَنْکَ وَ یَصْرِفُ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَکُنْتُ کَثِیراً مَا أَقْطَعُ صَلَاتِی مِمَّا یُفْسِدُ عَلَیَّ التَّمَنِّیَ وَ الْوَسْوَسَةَ فَفَعَلْتُ مَا أَمَرَنِی بِهِ سَیِّدِی وَ مَوْلَایَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَصَرَفَ اللَّهُ عَنِّی وَ عُوفِیتُ مِنْهُ فَلَمْ أَحُسَّ بِهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِکَ
📚Tibb al-A'immah, p. 117
Translation: Abdullah ibn Sinan said: 'A man complained to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the abundance of heart desire and scrupulosity;' The Imam said: 'Pass your hand over your chest and say:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَ بِاللَّهِ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِیِّ الْعَظِیمِ اللَّهُمَّ امْسَحْ عَنِّی مَا أَحْذَرُ
Then pass your hand over your stomach and say this supplication (above) three times, for indeed Allah the Exalted will cleanse it and turn it away from you.' The man said: 'It often happened that I would stop my prayer because of the desire and scrupulosity that would corrupt my prayer. So I did what my master and guide ordered me to do three times, and Allah turned it away from me and I became healthy, and I have not felt it since.'
Abu Ubaydah al-Hadhdha' said in a hadith: 'I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): 'If I get up at the end of the night (for the night prayer), what should I say when I get up?' He said: 'Say:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِینَ وَ إِلَهِ الْمُرْسَلِینَ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِی یُحْیِی الْمَوْتَی وَ یَبْعَثُ مَنْ فِی الْقُبُورِ
For if you say this, He will remove the filth and the scrupulosity of Satan from you, if Allah the Exalted wills.'
📚Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 482
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever recites Surah Yasin once in his life, Allah will write for him two million good deeds for every creature in this world and every creature in the afterlife and in the heavens, and He will erase the same number of sins from him, and poverty, debt, a house about to collapse, severe hardship, insanity, scrupulosity, and a pain that harms him will not reach him.'
📚Thawab al-A'mal, p. 111
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'Indeed, the act of scrupulosity and most of Satan's tricks come from eating soil and mud, as a result of which his strength before eating the soil is diminished, and he becomes weak from the deed he used to do, and this difference in his strength and weakness is taken into account and he is punished for it.'
📚Thawab al-A'mal, p. 246
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Ali (peace be upon him): 'O Ali, the protection for you from scrupulosity is to say:
وَ إِذا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنا بَیْنَکَ وَ بَیْنَ الَّذِینَ لا یُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ حِجاباً مَسْتُوراً وَ جَعَلْنا عَلی قُلُوبِهِمْ أَکِنَّةً أَنْ یَفْقَهُوهُ وَ فِی آذانِهِمْ وَقْراً وَ إِذا ذَکَرْتَ رَبَّکَ فِی الْقُرْآنِ وَحْدَهُ وَلَّوْا عَلی أَدْبارِهِمْ نُفُوراً
📚Makarim al-Akhlaq, p. 369
✅Since scrupulosity is caused by the whispering devil, it is recommended to frequently recite the seventeenth supplication of Sahifah Sajjadiyyah, which is for seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of Satan.
✅As mentioned at the beginning, scrupulosity, which comes from Satan, manifests in different forms; some are afflicted with obsessive thoughts, some are afflicted in ablution and ghusl, and some are afflicted in purifying clothes and the body, the source of all of which, according to the above narrations, is the whispering devil and a deficiency of intellect, so clinging to supplication for the perfection of the intellect is also necessary and beneficial.
Due to the severe religious and worldly harms of this illness, neglecting it is not appropriate. We pray that all the above narrations and other narrations that have been transmitted on this topic in authentic Shia books will be acted upon, and we reiterate that the problem of scrupulosity is something that exists in most people, and only its degrees are different, so one should not be negligent in preventing and treating it, if Allah wills.