Abu Hurairah said; His companion came to him and said; Messenger of Allah! We have thoughts which we cannot dare talk about and we do not like that we have them or talk about them. He said: Have you experienced that? They replied: yes. He said: that is clear faith.
Hadith Referenceسنن ابي داود / أبواب النوم / 5111
Hadith Gradingالألبانی:صحيح | زبیر علی زئی:صحيح مسلم (132)
Hadith Takhrij« تفرد بہ أبو داود، (تحفة الأشراف: 12657)، وقد أخرجہ: صحیح مسلم/الإیمان 60 (132)، مسند احمد (2/441) (صحیح) »
1؎: That is, it is precisely faith (iman) itself that is preventing you from accepting and affirming those things which Satan casts into your hearts, until they become mere whisperings (waswasah) and do not become firmly established in your hearts. This absolutely does not mean that the whispering itself is faith. Whispering arises due to Satan, so how can it possibly be considered explicit faith?
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues: ➊ These thoughts refer to such doubts towards which Satan gradually leads a person, bringing him to the question: "Who created Allah?" ➋ A believer’s vigilance regarding his own faith is a sign of his being a sincere believer, and the occurrence of such thoughts is not harmful— provided that a person strives to repel (drive away) them.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 5111
He said that some of the companions of God’s messenger came to the Prophet to consult him saying, “We have thoughts which none of us dare to talk about.” He said, “Have you experienced that?” and when they replied that they had, he said, “That is clear faith.” Muslim transmitted it.
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
Takhrij: [صحيح مسلم 340]
Fiqh al-Hadith: ➊ Hating evil whispers is a sign of pure faith. ➋ Referring personal and private matters to the scholars of truth so that they may clarify the ruling of the Book and Sunnah is a completely correct method. ➌ The Companions (Sahabah) were at the highest levels of faith. Radi Allahu anhum ajma'in. ➍ In order to avoid evil whispers, one should always act upon the Book and Sunnah and remain engaged in authentic remembrances (adhkar sahihah) and pure words (kalimat tayyibah).
Source: Adwa al-Masabih fi Tahqiq Mishkat al-Masabih, Page: 64