Severe Struggles with Wudu

Assalamu alaikum, I hope it’s okay to share this here. I’ve posted several times before, but I’m really having a hard time with purity. My wudu sometimes takes about half an hour, and I can’t seem to overcome it. No matter what anyone says, I keep rubbing my limbs because I’m unsure if my doubts are real or not. I spend maybe five minutes washing one area, then forget if I missed a spot, so I go back to fix it, and then I forget if I washed it at all. I wash in careful sections, and sometimes I rub so long that the limb dries or a white residue forms from the water mixing with my skin, and then I wonder if that invalidates my wudu, so I do it again. I’ve missed Salah twice because of this. What can I do to help myself? I watch videos and read posts from others who relate, but I can’t stop obsessing. Right now, I’m writing this because I’m too scared to enter the bathroom to make wudu.

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sister1h

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Oh honey, I feel you. Waswas is from shaytan. Say a'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajeem when you start. Also try to remind yourself that certainty is not removed by doubt. You washed it, so it's clean.

sister1h

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Sis, this is classic OCD. Please see a therapist who understands scrupulosity. You can combine that with ruqyah. But don't stop making wudu; just do it once with the intention that it's valid. The doubt is waswas.

sister1h

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It's a struggle but you're strong for reaching out. Try to make wudu at the beginning of the prayer time, not when you're rushing. And ignore the urge to repeat. The white residue is just skin, not impurity.

sister58m

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I had the same problem. What helped me was using a small amount of water and doing each part three times only. If I wanted to repeat, I'd tell myself it's from shaytan and ignore it. It took time but got better.

sister23m

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May Allah grant you shifa. I used to think my wudu was invalid all the time. I learned that if you've completed the act, it's valid unless you're sure you missed something. That certainty principle changed everything.

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