How Do I Overcome Doubt?

Wa alykum as-salaam,

The first thing I would tell you is not to worry, and to realize that everyone has doubts, and even The Prophet, when the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) was literally communicating with him, The Prophet doubted himself, thought he was imagining things, but it was his wife Khadijah who believed in him and helped him through his doubts.

Everyone has doubts, and doubt itself is not bad. I have written about my personal view of doubt, in which I found the benefit of doubt, which served to help strengthen my faith.

Maybe you are different than I am, because I personally prefer using the methods and arguments that are opposed to my position in order to establish whether what I believe is truly the right thing. But, I think the best advice I can give you, is let’s start out with something not related to religion for a moment:

So, when someone says something about you, that you know is not true, does it bother you? It might bother you that they said something hurtful, but at the end of the day, you know that it isn’t true and so by knowing that truth, the only thing that you feel is the annoyance that someone would say something about you (that is untrue).

So, what gives you the strength to brush that aside? It comes from knowledge and your understanding of yourself.

Therefore, the best way to resist these thoughts is through knowledge of The Qur’an, of the life and deeds of The Prophet, and whatever are the issues that bring you doubt. By understanding yourself, you will be able to identify what those issues are, and from there, I suggest you learn about them, find out whether your concerns are actually valid or not, does The Qur’an support what person X says or Sheikh Y?

Knowledge is the key towards belief, not the other way around, and while I suggest you continue to pray, to make Dua, to preform Dhikr, I would suggest that you dedicate more time learning about Islam, because it is from knowledge and the use of logic and reason that I was able to overcome my doubts, and I have a feeling that the same would apply to you.

Remember, we fear what we do not understand, and it is that fear of the unknown that provides that space for injustice, which stems from doubt, and it is that doubt, that evil preys upon. Knowledge is your shield for belief, because knowledge will guide you to Truth.

I hope this helps, and if you have any particular questions, please do not hesitate to ask me, and if you, or anyone else, has a question on this subject, or particular doubts, please do not hesitate to ask me, insha Allah.

You will be in my thoughts and in my prayers, and I hope that you (all) and your families are in the best of health and Iman, insha Allah.