Short answer
No. Intrusive thoughts and doubts that you hate are not a sin, and the Prophet ﷺ called hating them clear faith. Waswasa is treated by ignoring the doubts, not by repeating acts. Hanafi fiqh tells a person with constant doubts to disregard them, and treatment such as therapy for OCD is allowed and often needed.
Whispers and doubts are not held against you unless you act on them or speak them. A person overcome by doubts (muwaswis) is to ignore them: they do not repeat wudu or prayer for a doubt and act on what is most likely. Unwanted thoughts of disbelief are not disbelief.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Waswasa means whispering: doubts and thoughts that push in again and again. For some people it becomes religious OCD, also called scrupulosity. They repeat wudu many times, restart prayer, fear they have left Islam because of a thought, or feel nothing they do is valid.
You are not sinning. The Prophet ﷺ said Allah has overlooked for his ummah what their souls whisper, as long as they do not act on it or speak of it. Some Companions told him they had thoughts too terrible to say out loud, and he said, "That is clear faith." Your distress at these thoughts shows that your heart loves Allah.
The cure is to ignore, not to obey. The Prophet ﷺ said that when Satan brings such thoughts, a person should seek refuge in Allah and stop. Hanafi fiqh builds on this:
- do not repeat wudu, ghusl or prayer because of a doubt; act on what is most likely
- doubts that come after finishing an act of worship are ignored completely
- do not check, ask for reassurance or test yourself for faith again and again; each check feeds the cycle
- say a'udhu billahi min al-shaytan al-rajim and move on
Get treatment. OCD is a recognised condition. Therapy such as CBT with exposure and response prevention, and sometimes medication, works well, and both are allowed. See seeing a therapist. A therapist who understands your faith is ideal, and a mufti can give you a simple fixed rule to follow for wudu and prayer. For wudu doubts in particular, see doubting whether wudu broke.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Naas 114:4-5
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ﴿٤﴾ ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ ﴿٥﴾
From the evil of the retreating whisperer - Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind -
We seek refuge in Allah from the whisperer rather than arguing with him.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:286
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
You are not held to account for thoughts you cannot control.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2528
Sahih... إن الله تجاوز عن أمتي ما وسوست به صدورها ...
"Allah has overlooked for my ummah what their hearts whisper, as long as they do not act on it or speak it."
Unwanted thoughts are not sins.
Sahih Muslim 132
Sahih... ذاك صريح الإيمان ...
"That is clear faith."
Hating such thoughts is a sign of faith, not disbelief.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3276
Sahih... فليستعذ بالله ولينته ...
"Let him seek refuge in Allah and stop."
The remedy is to seek refuge and stop engaging, not to keep checking.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, on doubt in wudu, and Bab Sujud al-Sahw. One overcome by doubts does not act on them and follows the stronger assumption.
- al-Ashbah wa al-Naza'ir (Ibn Nujaym), The rule that certainty is not removed by doubt. A doubt does not cancel what is established, such as a valid wudu.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.