This is a problem what happened to more people.
Below helped to solve it fore them.
This is Goto, Settings -> Backup -> Apps+Settings
Slide Settings Backup to ON.
Slide App Backup to OFF.
Now do a manual backup.
Click 'back up now' button. Will take a couple of minutes.
After that whatsApp should be active again.
what you also can do is wait (but you never know howe long) or uninstall it and install it again.
With un- and install you probably do not loose chats because whats app backs up it every night.