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4 months ago

Assalamu alaikum - I keep laughing in salah and can't stop (ocd)

Assalamu alaikum, I need help and I'm honestly lost. I have a huge problem with my salah. I literally can't finish a single prayer without repeating it over and over and over. It gets so stressful and I end up angry and really uncomfortable. Like if I'm leaving in 10 minutes you'd think that would be enough time to pray, right? Not for me. I just keep repeating and it gets worse if I know I have to hurry. Or say I'm about to sleep and wake up for Isha - I go to pray and then I'm repeating things in my head and I'm so stressed it ruins my sleep. The routine is the same: make wudu, go to pray and already I'm thinking "don't laugh, it's fine" but then my body is trying to laugh and I have to hold it the whole time. I focus on not laughing more than on the recitation, so the whole salah turns into "don't laugh, don't think" constantly. Then in the second rakah my mind wanders without me noticing and suddenly a thought makes me laugh. I feel like it's my fault for not stopping the thought, but I don't get it - when you're constantly telling yourself not to laugh it's almost impossible to stop. My mind keeps wandering, it's so annoying and it's basically hell. I started hating praying. Every day I feel anxious or irritated when it's time, because I know it's going to be so stressful. I stopped going to the masjid too because there's more chance to laugh there and then I'd have to go home and repeat everything anyway, so what was the point? This is actually making me question even becoming a Muslim because I can't see a way out, and I can't just skip praying. Please, can a sheikh or scholar or anyone give me clear guidance or direct evidence about what to do? And tell me if my salah is valid when this happens. May Allah make it easy for me. JazakAllah khair.

+228

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4comments
4 months ago

Man, this sounds brutal. Don't blame yourself - intrusive stuff isn't your fault. See a therapist who knows OCD and check with an imam for reassurance. If the laughing is involuntary your salah is usually still valid. Hang in there, brother.

+14
4 months ago

I had similar panic in prayer. Try calming your body first: breathe slow, recite softly, focus on meaning. Involuntary laughs usually don't make it invalid. Get ERP therapy if you can and ask a local scholar for peace of mind, brother.

+16
4 months ago

Bro, been there in different ways. Medication + therapy helped me a lot. Also talk to a sheikh who understands mental health so you get clear guidance. Don't stop praying - get help and keep making dua.

+14
4 months ago

As a guy who struggled, two things helped: professional OCD treatment and an imam telling me involuntary things don't break salah. You probably only repeat if you knowingly missed something. Keep making dua and don't give up - it's not your fault.

+18
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