Combining prayers to avoid OCD in ablution

22-4-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum, I suffer from continuos Waswaas (devilish whisperings) regarding ablution, so it takes a lot of time and mental pressure for me to perform ablution each time. Can I combine the Thuhr and ‘Asr and the Magrib and ‘Ishaa so that I can pray two prayers with one ablution till I get rid of this OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Some scholars held that it is permissible to combine between prayers for any need, but the majority of the scholars held that this is not permissible.

In our view, you may perform "Jam' Soori" (i.e. apparent combining of prayers in form, not in reality), rather than actual combining them, by performing ablution near the ending time of the first prayer, and you pray it at its ending time, while you pray the second prayer at the beginning of its time. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 99903.

Thus, you will have prayed each prayer at its prescribed time and you will have relieved yourself of the burden of repeating ablution.

However, this is not the successful treatment for these obsessions; rather, the successful treatment for them is to ignore them and not pay any attention to them. And do not wash a body part more than three times, no matter how much the devil whispers to you that you did not wash it properly. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 83401.

We ask Allah well-being for you.

Allah knows best.