A believer may often develop a trait of hypocrisy, then Allah turns to him in forgiveness. Thoughts that would give rise to hypocrisy may enter his heart, but Allah wards them off. The believer is tested with Satan’s whisperings and with whisperings of disbelief that cause him anguish. Thus, the Companions said:

“O Messenger of Allah, one of us finds within himself thoughts that he would rather fall from heaven to earth than utter.”

He replied:

“That is pure faith.”

Another narration describes them as “thoughts he considers too terrible to utter.” He said:

“Praise be to Allah, who has reduced his scheming to whispering.”

That is, experiencing these whisperings while intensely detesting them and repelling them from the heart is part of pure faith. It is like a warrior whom the enemy attacks, but who fights him off until he overcomes him: this is the greatest form of jihad. “Pure” means unadulterated, as in pure milk. Their faith became pure because they detested those satanic whisperings and repelled them; their faith was thereby purified and became unadulterated.

People in general cannot escape these whisperings. Some yield to them and become disbelievers or hypocrites. Others have hearts so overwhelmed by desires and sins that they do not notice these whisperings until they seek to follow the religion; they then become either believers or hypocrites.

This is why people experience whisperings during prayer that they do not experience when they are not praying. Satan intensifies his attacks upon a servant when he wishes to turn to his Lord, draw near to Him, and commune with Him. Those who pray therefore experience what others do not, and those distinguished in knowledge and religious devotion experience more of this than ordinary people. Hence, seekers of knowledge and those devoted to worship experience whisperings and doubts that others do not. The latter have not followed Allah’s law and way; rather, they pursue their desires, heedless of the remembrance of their Lord. This is what Satan seeks, whereas the case of those who turn toward their Lord through knowledge and worship is different.