Obsessive Thoughts and Doubts in Matters of Islamic Creed

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

If a Muslim is not qualified to derive religious rulings independently, then they are obligated to refer to trustworthy scholars who are known for their knowledge and integrity, in accordance with Allah's statement:

"So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know."
(Qur'an 16:43)

Accordingly, a Muslim should rely on the scholars' guidance regarding matters they do not know. They are not required to know what is in the scholars' hearts, because Allah has not made that an obligation upon His servants. Rather, we have been commanded to judge people according to what is outwardly apparent.

If a scholar is known for sound knowledge, adherence to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and steadfastness upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors (Salaf), then a Muslim should think well of them and benefit from their knowledge. They should not pay attention to obsessive thoughts such as, "Perhaps the scholar does not truly believe what he says," because such thoughts are merely baseless whispers with no evidence.

At the same time, there is nothing wrong with increasing one's knowledge by reading the Qur'an and its explanations, studying the Sunnah and its commentaries, and learning Islamic creed from reliable sources in order to strengthen certainty. However, a Muslim is not required to reach the level of independent scholarship (ijtihad) or personally know the detailed evidence for every issue.

As for your question, "Can Allah allow someone who was rightly guided to go astray?" The answer is yes. A person may go astray if they themselves choose misguidance and turn away from the truth. Allah says:

"Then when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate."
(Qur'an 61:5)

However, Allah is never unjust to anyone. He allows to go astray those whom He knows have deliberately turned away from guidance, and He guides those who sincerely seek the truth and turn to Him.

As for obsessive thoughts that tell you, "Prove that you truly believe what you say," or "Call upon Allah to send you to Hell if you are lying," these are among Satan's deceptions. You should never respond to them, nor should you supplicate against yourself in such a manner. Rather, what is prescribed is to say:

"I believe in Allah."

Then seek refuge with Allah from Satan and ignore these thoughts. Dwelling on them only strengthens them, whereas ignoring them weakens them.

Your refusal to respond to these obsessive thoughts is not a sign of weak faith or doubt. On the contrary, it is part of resisting Satan. What is required of you is to build your religion upon knowledge and certainty—not upon obsessive thoughts, suspicions, and endless hypothetical possibilities.

In summary: It is sufficient for a Muslim to refer to trustworthy scholars who are known for knowledge and righteousness. They are not required to know what lies within the scholars' hearts, because the inner realities belong to Allah alone. The demands you experience to "prove" your faith or to invoke punishment upon yourself are nothing more than satanic whispers. Their treatment is to ignore them, seek refuge with Allah, continue seeking beneficial knowledge, and remain firmly attached to the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

And Allah knows best.