Part 4

Ignorance, Ingratitude, Argumentativeness, Overstepping the limits, Carelessness, Pride, Doubt, Suspicion, Despair, Hopelessness, Recklessness, Haste, Inappropriate joy, Selfadmiration, Wrong-doings, Oppression, Negligence, Miserliness, Covetousness, Extreme hostility in cases of dispute, Panic, Fear, Rebellion, Tyranny, Love of wealth are doorways of Shaytan into a man's heart.

- 30 - to evil. "And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him." [(50): 16] b) The Shaytan among the jinn. "Then Shaytan whispered to him, saying, 'O Adam! Shall I lead you to the tree of eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away.'" [surah Ta-Ha (20): 120] c) The Shaytan among mankind. "Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind - the Ilah (God) of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws. Who whispers in the breasts of mankind. Among jinn and among men." [(114): 1-6]

Recurring urge to commit a specific sin is a waswaas that comes from one's own self. Whereas the waswaas that come from Shaytan are limitless, because Shaytan is not concerned about causing man to commit one particular sin, but what matters to him is that man becomes guilty of disobeying his Lord and it is all the same to him whether the person commits a prohibition or omits an obligation. All of it is sin and disobedience.

- 31 - Shaytan and the waswaas that come from the nafs is subtle, as was quoted by Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) from some of the scholars. He said, "Abu Hazim made a comparison between the waswasa caused by the nafs and that caused by the Shaytan, and said, 'Whatever your nafs hates for your nafs is from the Shaytan, so seek refuge with Allah from it. And whatever your nafs likes for your nafs is from your nafs so forbid it to it.'" [Majmoo al-Fatawa] i.e., the nafs usually whispers concerning things which are connected to its whims and desires, which people usually like.

Imam Ibn Katheer writes concerning the verse, "and whether you disclose what is in your own selves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it." [(2): 284] "(it) means that even if He brings you to account and questions you, He will not punish you except for that which a person is able to ward off. As for that which he cannot ward off, such as the waswaas of the nafs, no one is accountable for that, and hating evil waswasa is part of faith." and he quoted the hadith, "Allah has pardoned my Ummah for what they say to themselves, as long as they do not utter it or act upon it." So, one will not be punished for the waswaas, whether it be from Shaytan or one's own nafs, as long as he does not speak of it or act upon it. However, we are commanded to resist these waswaas.

- 32 - "Waswaas is something that happens to everyone who turns to Allah in Dhikr. It will inevitably happen to him. So he should be steadfast and remain patient, and persist in his Dhikr and prayer, and not give up, for, by persisting in it he will foil the plot of the Shaytan and, 'ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytan.' [surah an-Nisa (4): 76] Every time a person wants to turn his heart to Allah, whispers of other matters come to him. The Shaytan is like a bandit; every time a person wants to travel towards Allah, he wants to intercept him. Hence, it was said to one of the salaf, 'The Jews and the Christians say, we don't experience waswaas. He replied, 'They are right! What would Shaytan do with a ruined house?' [Majmoo al-Fatawa (22/608)]

- 33 - Most Beneficent, We appoint for him Shaytan to be a Qareen (an intimate companion) to him. And verily, they (Shayateen) hinder them from the Path (of Allah), but they think that they are guided aright!" [(43): 36-37] This verse determines the task of Qareen; a) hindering from the path of Allah. b) confusing the person into believing that he is upon the truth. Hindrance from the true path of Allah cannot be done except by beautifying falsehood and making it look good in one's eyes; and not letting one realize that the Sharee'ah of Allah is being opposed. Man spends his whole life with the assumption that his actions are correct until it is too late when he realizes the truth!! On that day, "he says (to his Qareen), 'Would that between me and you were the distance of the two easts.' A worst (type of) companion (indeed)!" [surah az-Zukhruf (43): 36-37] Imam Ibnul-Qayyim said in this context, "One of his (Shaytan) plots is that he always bewitches people's mind until they

- 34 - Allah Wills. He (Shaytan) makes attractive to the mind that which will harm it until a person thinks of something as most beneficial, and he (Shaytan) discourages him from that which is the most beneficial, until he thinks that it will harm him. La ilaaha illAllah, how may people have been tempted by this sorcery!" [Quoted from, 'Aalam alJinn was-Shayateen'] Shaytan made the idea of eating from the forbidden tree appear attractive to Adam by giving it a beautiful and attractive name. He kept claiming to Adam that the forbidden tree was 'the tree of eternal life,' and that eating from it would make him live forever in Paradise, or would make him one of the angels, "Shaytan whispered to him, saying, 'O Adam! Shall I lead you to the tree of eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away.'" [surah Ta-Ha (20): 120] and "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals." [surah al-A'raf (7):20] until Adam obeyed Shaytan, and was subsequently expelled from Paradise. The Qur'aan relates a number of examples of how Shaytan beautifies falsehood for his enemies and they go along what he intends for them, like Bilqis bint Sharahil, the queen of Saba and her kingdom. The hoopee bird informed Sulaiman u about her in the following words, "...I have come to you from Saba with true news. I found a woman ruling over them, she has been given all things, and she has a great throne. I found her and her people worshiping the sun instead of Allah, and Shaytan has made their deeds fair seeming to them to prevent them from the way, so they have no guidance. So they do not prostrate themselves before Allah..." [surah an-Naml (27): 22-25] This trick of Shaytan is very dangerous, because if falsehood is made to appear attractive to a person, how would he strive towards achieving the good and repelling the evil?

- 35 - the story of Thamud, the people of Salih u, Allah said, "And We have assigned them (Shayateen) intimate companions (in this world), who have made fair-seeming to them what was before them (i.e., Shaytan beautified for them the false notion concerning the future that there is no Resurrection, Paradise or Hell) and what was behind them (i.e., Shaytan beautified for them the false notion concerning the past that the world was very old, and there was no Creator except nature)." [surah Fussilat (41): 25] [See, Tafseer al-Kabeer of Rajhi 27/103] This beautification of the world by convincing the people that there is no Creator of the world and that there is no Resurrection leads to turning away from the Deen. SubhanAllah, is this not what we witness today from the Darwinists? The people of Thamud were very famous for their intelligence, and Shaytan approached them through the door of giving precedence to one's thoughts and opinions over Divine Revelation, so they became stubborn and argued and were destroyed, "And Ad and Thamud (people)! And indeed (their destruction) is clearly apparent to you from their (ruined) dwellings. Shaytan made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and turned them away from the (Right) Path, though they were intelligent." [surah alAnkabut (29): 38] How many intelligent people have been fooled by Shaytan today, and from their false thoughts are communism and secularism. This is because Shaytan has beautified the falsehood for them. This has been the way of Shaytan with every nation as Allah says, "By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you (O Muhammad), but Shaytan made their deeds fair-seeming to them. So he (Shaytan) is their Wali (helper) today (i.e. in this world), and theirs will be a painful torment." [ surah an-Nahl (16): 63] Imam Ibn Katheer writes in the Tafseer of this verse, "So he (Shaytan) is their Wali (helper) today," meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save

- 36 - a painful punishment." [end quote] With this trick, Shaytan befools mankind into deceiving their own selves and making the prohibitions of Allah lawful for themselves. An interesting story is mentioned in the Qur'aan about the people of Sabbath among the Jews, whom Allah forbade to fish on Saturday (Sabbath) as a trial. "And ask them (O Muhammad) about the town that was by the sea, when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them for they used to rebel." [surah al-A'raf (7): 163] So, "they began using deceitful means to avoid honoring the Sabbath by placing nets, ropes and artificial pools of water for the purpose of fishing before the Sabbath (i.e., on Friday). When the fish came in abundance on Saturday as usual, they were caught in the ropes and nets for the rest of Saturday and the Jews collected the fish after the Sabbath ended, during the night. When they did that, Allah changed them from humans into monkeys, the animals having the form closest to humans. Their evil deeds and deceit appeared lawful on the surface, but they were in reality wicked. This is why their punishment was compatible with their crime…Imam Abu Abdullah bin Battah reported that Abu Hurayrah t said that the Messenger of Allah r said, "Do not commit what the Jews committed, breaching what Allah has forbidden, by resorting to the lowest types of deceit.'" [See, Tafseer Ibn Katheer] Imam Ibnul-Qayyim writes, "From him (Shaytan), his followers learned the method of calling haraam things by names which people find attractive. So they called wine - the

- 37 - they called Riba (usury) business dealing…" (end quote from Wabil as-Sayyib) The Messenger of Allah r said, "A group of my Ummah will make intoxicants lawful, giving it a name from themselves." In another narration it says, "they will name it by other than its proper name." [See, Ibn Majah (3385) and Musnad Ahmad (4/237, 5/318)] Today singing, dancing, acting, making statues are all called, 'art' but with such devious behavior man can only fool himself and none can deceive Allah, the All-Wise.

Shaytan may beautify a sinful action between a man and woman. The Messenger of Allah r said, "Men are not tempted by anything more than women." [Agreed upon] For this reason, women are commanded to cover their bodies and men are commanded to lower their gaze. He r forbade being alone with a non-mahram woman and said that no man is ever alone with a non-mahram woman but Shaytan is the third one. This is because Shaytan may beautify a sinful action for them and thus, we must try to subdue Shaytan and drive away his deception and act in accordance with the guidelines of Allah's Messenger r, who said, "The woman comes in the form of a Shaytan and goes in the form of the Shaytan. So if one of you sees a woman that pleases him, he should go to his family and that will get rid of what is in him." [sahih Muslim]