Question: I am a young practicing Muslim. I am often beset with doubts. When i perform ablution, I doubt that I have performed it well, so I perform it a second time. During prayer, I feel that I may have passed wind, so I stop my prayer to perform ablution another time.
Answer:
Doubts - that beset the mind concerning worship or matters of belief, even the essence of Allaah - are from Shaytaan. When the Prophet's Companions complained to him about doubts that sometimes entered their hearts, doubts they thought that are too wicked to speak about, the Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wasallam) told them that, that was because of their faith, meaning its purity.
That is because Shaytaan whispers doubts about faith only in those hearts that are free from any doubt, hoping that those hearts will obey him. Meanwhile, Shaytaan does not need to whisper into a heart that is already beset with doubts because he has already successfully completed his work on that heart.
I advise you to seek refuge in Allaah Almighty from Shaytaan; ignore his whispers, regardless whether they come to you during prayer, during ablution, or at any other time. Although these doubts indicate a pure faith, if they continue, they may also indicate weak willpower.
Try your utmost to ignore his whisperings. When you bring an item home from the store, do you doubt that it is in your hands? The answer is obviously no. This is because the Shaytaan does not whisper to man in these kinds of affairs; he only whispers to him about his worship so that he can ruin it for him. Also, when you have completed an act of worship, don't have doubts about whether it was performed correctly, unless you are sure that there was some defect.
By Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
Fatawa Islamiyah vol.8, p.312-314 DARUSSALAM
Source: http://fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=99
