How do I deal with waswasa in salah and wudu (doubts about breaking wudu or forgetting rak'ahs)?
The short answer
The Sunnah's rule is to stay with certainty and ignore doubt. Do not leave the prayer over a suspicion that wudu broke unless you hear a sound or notice a smell. If you are unsure how many rak'ahs you prayed, perform the two prostrations of forgetfulness. For distraction, seek refuge in Allah from the devil the Prophet ﷺ called Khanzab.
Doubts about wudu. A man told the Prophet ﷺ he imagined he had passed wind during prayer. He replied: "He
should not leave his prayers unless he hears sound or smells something" 1. In another narration, if a
person feels something in the abdomen but is unsure whether anything came out, he should not leave the
mosque unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell 2. Scholars derived a major rule from this: certainty is
not removed by doubt. For most scholars, if you were in wudu, you remain in wudu until you are sure it broke.
Why it happens. The Prophet ﷺ explained that when the adhan is called, Satan runs away; after it he
returns and whispers to the person praying, making him remember things he had not thought of, "till the
praying person forgets how much he has prayed" 3.
What to do if you lose count. In the same hadith he said that if someone does not remember whether he
prayed three or four rak'ahs, "he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting" 3.
A named whisperer. Uthman bin Abi al-As complained that Satan came between him and his prayer and
recitation. The Prophet ﷺ said this was a devil called Khinzab (commonly said Khanzab): "when you perceive its
effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left". Uthman said, "I did that and Allah
dispelled that from me" 4.
The spirit of it all. "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship" 5, and He "has
not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty" 6. Repeating wudu again and again, or restarting
prayers out of doubt, is not piety; it is exactly what the whisperer wants. Do it once, properly, and trust
Allah to accept it.
The evidence
1
HadithSahih al-Bukhari 137
SahihBukhari
Do not leave the prayer over imagined wind unless you hear a sound or smell something.
Narrated `Abbad bin Tamim:My uncle asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about a person who imagined to have passed wind during the prayer. Allah's Apostle replied: "He should not leave his prayers unless he hears sound or smells something
العربية
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيٌّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الزُّهْرِيُّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، وَعَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ تَمِيمٍ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ، أَنَّهُ شَكَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ يَجِدُ الشَّىْءَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ. فَقَالَ " لاَ يَنْفَتِلْ ـ أَوْ لاَ يَنْصَرِفْ ـ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا ".
2
HadithSahih Muslim 362
SahihMuslim
Doubt about something leaving the body does not break wudu without a sound or smell.
Abu Huraira reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If any one of you has pain in his abdomen, but is doubtful whether or not anything has issued from him, be should not leave the mosque unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell
Satan distracts the one praying until he forgets his count; he should do two prostrations of forgetfulness.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When the call for prayer is made, Satan takes to his heels passing wind so that he may not hear the Adhan and when the call is finished he comes back, and when the Iqama is pronounced, Satan again takes to his heels, and when the Iqama is finished he comes back again and tries to interfere with the person and his thoughts and say, "Remember this and that (which he has not thought of before the prayer)", till the praying person forgets how much he has prayed. If anyone of you does not remember whether he has offered three or four rak`at then he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting
The devil Khinzab confuses prayer; seek refuge and spit lightly three times to the left.
Uthman b. Abu al-'As reported that he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said:Allah's Messenger, the Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my reciting of the Qur'an and he confounds me. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:, That is (the doing of a) Satan (devil) who is known as Khinzab, and when you perceive its effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left. I did that and Allah dispelled that from me
العربية
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ الْبَاهِلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي، الْعَلاَءِ أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ أَبِي الْعَاصِ، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَدْ حَالَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ صَلاَتِي وَقِرَاءَتِي يَلْبِسُهَا عَلَىَّ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ خِنْزِبٌ فَإِذَا أَحْسَسْتَهُ فَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْهُ وَاتْفِلْ عَلَى يَسَارِكَ ثَلاَثًا " . قَالَ فَفَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ فَأَذْهَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِّي .
The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful
6
Quran Al-Hajj · 22:78
Allah has not placed any difficulty upon you in the religion.
And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24