All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Passing bad thoughts and inner speech that arise without a person intending them, and which he does not willingly continue to entertain, are not held against him as long as he neither speaks them nor acts upon them. According to the fatwa, the angels do not say “Ameen” to mere whispers and bad thoughts that pass through the heart. Rather, they say “Ameen” to the supplication for good that a Muslim makes for his fellow Muslim.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah has pardoned my Ummah for what they think within themselves, as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it.”
[Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
A person may have thoughts pass through his heart that he neither wants nor chooses. They may arise because of anger, sadness, or whispers, and the mere occurrence of such thoughts in the mind is not a sin.
Imam al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that passing thoughts and inner speech are pardoned if they do not settle firmly in the heart and the person does not persist in them, because a person cannot prevent every thought that passes through his mind.
For this reason, he said:
“Passing thoughts and inner speech, if they do not become settled and persist in a person, are pardoned according to the consensus of the scholars.”
If someone wrongs you and a thought comes to your mind, for example, that something bad might happen to him, but you did not deliberately supplicate against him, did not intentionally and firmly wish evil for him, and did not say anything aloud, and it was merely a passing thought caused by anger, then there is no sin upon you simply because of that thought.
What is important here is to distinguish between a passing thought and a person deliberately bringing an evil meaning to mind, allowing it to settle in his heart, and approving of it.
The hadith mentioned above concerns what occurs within the soul without turning into speech or action, and what a person does not deliberately choose to maintain.
According to the fatwa, the angels do not say “Ameen” to whispers and bad thoughts that Satan casts into a person’s heart.
Therefore, a person should not become anxious if a bad thought about someone who wronged him passes through his heart and then imagine that the angels said “Ameen” to it merely because it occurred in his mind.
Rather, he should repel such thoughts and not continue to dwell on them.
It is better to cut off these thoughts and not feed them through continued thinking and dwelling upon them.
One beneficial response is to counter them by supplicating for good. This helps remove the effects of anger and closes the door to obsessive whispers.
Instead of being preoccupied with fear over thoughts that he did not choose, a person should focus on what he can control: his words, actions, and the intentions he deliberately maintains in his heart.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is answered. At his head is an appointed angel. Whenever he supplicates for good for his brother, the appointed angel says: ‘Ameen, and may you have the same.’”
[Reported by Muslim]
Thus, what is mentioned in the hadith is that the angel says “Ameen” when a Muslim supplicates for good for his brother.
Therefore, turning a bad passing thought into a supplication for guidance, righteousness, or goodness is better for the heart and further removed from obsessive whispers.
Some people may suffer from intense fear of the thoughts that pass through their minds, believing that simply having a forbidden thought means they wanted it or committed a sin.
This is not correct.
What matters is not the mere passing of a thought, but rather what a person deliberately intends, accepts, and chooses in terms of speech or action.
For this reason, Islamic teachings have granted pardon for inner speech that does not turn into words or actions.
If a bad supplication against someone who wronged a Muslim merely passes through his heart without intention, deliberateness, or verbal expression, and it is only a passing thought or whisper, he is not held accountable for it as long as he does not willingly continue to entertain and deliberately adopt it.
According to the fatwa, the angels do not say “Ameen” to such whispers and bad passing thoughts. What is authentically established is that an angel says “Ameen” to a Muslim’s supplication for good for his fellow Muslim.
When such thoughts occur, it is better to repel them and pay no attention to them. They may also be countered by supplicating for goodness and righteousness.
And Allah knows best.