How do we know if thoughts that we are having are waswasa? Waswasa is defined as a word or a concept. It is a natural compulsion that people have of wanting and making extra wealth.

Nowadays we find that there are compulsions in certain behaviours and usually in things that relate to wudhu. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) spoke clearly about this. He said: “don’t let the Shaytan meddle with you in terms of flatulence in your wudhu.” He told us not to leave the prayer unless we smell something or hear a sound. 

OCD is a recognized mental health issue. There are processes that can heal you from some of the behaviours. 

We can deal with this, learn the wudhu from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and this is part of countering the waswasa. Sometimes clinical interventions need to be made if you do suffer from OCD and other mental issues.