Struggling with Rabies Anxiety and Looking for Islamic Guidance

Assalamu Alaikum everyone,

I’m posting here because I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety over something that happened months ago, and I’m hoping to get some spiritual advice from fellow Muslims on how to deal with these thoughts.

Around late September 2025, a dog stepped on my shoe and its body touched my leg. I was wearing shoes and jeans at the time. There was no bite and no scratch as far as I remember. Later, when I got home, I cleaned myself with alcohol-based sanitizer because I was a bit concerned.

After the incident, I checked my body carefully and I didn’t find any visible marks, wounds, or scratches. I also did not feel any stinging or burning when I applied the alcohol-based sanitizer, which made me think there probably wasn’t any open cut or broken skin.

At the time I didn’t think much of it, but later I started reading about rabies online and my mind began to spiral with worry.

I understand medically that rabies is usually transmitted through bites or when infected saliva enters an open wound. But my mind keeps going to extremely rare possibilities and long incubation periods that sometimes get mentioned online. Because of that, I keep thinking “what if” even though the situation itself seems minor.

Now several months have passed, and from what I’ve read the window for post-exposure vaccination is usually soon after an exposure. Since that time has passed, I feel mentally stuck — like I don’t know what I should do anymore. The anxiety keeps coming back even though I try to move on.

From an Islamic perspective, I’m trying to remind myself about tawakkul (trust in Allah) and not letting fear control my thoughts. But sometimes the worry becomes overwhelming and the thoughts keep returning.

So I wanted to ask:

• How do you deal with persistent health anxiety or constant “what if” thoughts from an Islamic perspective?
• Are there any duas, reminders, or teachings that help with fear and intrusive worries?
• How can I strengthen my trust in Allah in situations where my mind keeps imagining worst-case scenarios?

I would really appreciate any advice, reminders, or personal experiences. May Allah reward you for helping someone who is struggling with anxiety.

JazakAllah khair.