O Allah, save me from all those things that will lead to my destruction in this world and the next, and guide me towards those which will benefit me in both worlds. Ameen.

Misunderstandings crop up because of waswasa (repeated, unfounded doubts or fears). Sometimes Satan gains control of a person’s mind, rendering him worse than a hypocrite or a show-off. In other words, he becomes Satan in the garb of a human being! Satan enslaves his thought process, and the person does whatever Satan wants him to do

Sometimes Satan is also able to dominate the hearts of certain people.

The worst effect of waswasa of thought is that the person becomes suspicious. First, he is plagued with bad thoughts. Suspicion is from Shaitan. Shaitan makes a small beginning, but as soon as man gives him an opportunity, he takes man to the seventh level of Hell. He will not settle for anything less. In addition, Shaitan even ridicules man and says, “You have reached the depths of Hell yourself, what do I have to do with you?” Suspicion, driven by waswasa of thought, starts on a low scale, but soon escalates.

The biggest danger of suspicion is that it may lead one to sin. Because of waswasa of thought and suspicion, the affected person views others as sinners and bad characters.

The kind of suspicion which is a sin is the ascribing of evil motives, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to impute such motives to his brother Muslim without justification and clear evidence. Because the basic assumption concerning people is that they are innocent, a mere suspicion should not be allowed to result in the accusation of an innocent person.

For example, a man suspects his wife. This is a great sin. Or, for example, when a man enters their path, the husband tells his wife, “He is making passes at you.” This man talks like an insane person. Sometimes the wife suspects her husband, although he has become so old, he is devoid of carnal desires. But the moment he steps into the house, she creates a hue and cry, accusing him of maintaining a secret second wife. “Where else could you have gone all this time?” she asks him.

Like the silkworm, a person who remains trapped in the cocoon of his doubts and wrong thoughts will suffocate to death. O men! Do not talk about matters without knowledge. Don’t assume things. Don’t suspect others. Your eyes, your ears, and even your hearts will be questioned on the Day of Reckoning about these suspicions and these wrong thoughts! On that day, the organs of your body will bear witness against you

Islam aims at establishing its society on the clearness of conscience and mutual trust, not on doubts, suspicions, accusations, and mistrust.

Allah Almighty states: O you who believe, avoid (indulging in) much suspicion; truly, some suspicion is a sin. (S:49 V:12)

The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) said, “Avoid suspicion, for airing suspicion is the most lying form of speech.”(Reported by al-Bukhari and others.)

Human weakness is such that no one is free of suspicion and wrong thoughts, especially concerning those with whom relationships are not good. However, one must not give in to such thoughts nor go beyond thoughts to action, as stated in the hadith, “If you have a suspicion, do not pursue it.”(Reported by al-Tabarani.)

Suspicion could ruin relations between people, particularly when it is based on flimsy evidence or hearsay. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) has spoken in very clear terms about misplaced suspicion, giving clear orders to refrain from it. One clearly authentic hadith that groups together some of the actions that cause discord within the community and make people dislike one another is reported by Abu Hurairah. He quotes the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying: “Beware of suspicion, for it is the most untrue of what people say. Do not spy on one another, or compete with one another. Do not boycott, envy, or hate one another, but remain — you servants of God — brothers and sisters.”(Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi).