Part 5

- 38 - (1/242), "Among the plots and traps of the enemy of Allah, with which he seeks to trap those who posses little knowledge, reasoning and religious commitment and trap the ignorant is the listening to whistling and clapping of hands and singing accompanied by forbidden musical instruments, which closes people's hearts to the Qur'aan and makes them devoted to immorality and sin. This is the 'Quran' of the Shaytan, an impenetrable barrier which blocks them from the Most Merciful. This is the means that leads to sodomy and fornication, by means of which the Shaytan ensnares the hearts of those who follow falsehood and makes it appear attractive to them by way of deceit and trickery. He inspires them by means of specious arguments to regard it as something good, so they accept this idea, and for the sake of singing they forsake the Qur'aan…"

- 39 - enjoined except that Shaytan has ways of dealing with it, either by inclining (people) towards falling short and being negligent or being excessive and to exaggerate. He does not care which of these two mistakes a person makes. He may come to a person's heart and if he finds that he is lazy, negligent and looking for concessions, then he goes along with that. He holds him back and stops him from doing things. He makes him lazy, indifferent and negligent, and encourages him to seek alternative interpretations and hope for forgiveness (from Allah for his shortcomings) etc., until a person may give up doing all things that have been enjoined." One of the ways in which Shaytan does this is mentioned in the hadith recorded in sahih al-Bukharee from Abu Hurayrah t, who said that the Messenger of Allah r said, "Shaytan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is

- 40 - undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart." [sahih al-Bukharee (21/243)]

Narrated Abu Hurayrah t that the Prophet r said, "If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because the Shaytan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night." [sahih al-Bukharee]

Ibn Jawzi (rahimahullah) explains how Shaytan makes one procrastinate and how one can put off his whispers, "…he makes a sinner put off repenting and he keeps him indulging in his desires, telling him that one day he can repent… Perhaps, a faqeeh intends to revise some topic but he says, 'Rest for a while,' or he sees a worshiper waking up at night to pray, and he tells him, 'You have plenty of time.' He keeps on making people lazy or delaying good deeds, and he deceives them by telling them that they have plenty of time and a lot of hope. The one who wants to do good deeds should carry out his actions with determination and resolve. Resolve means not wasting time and not delaying things. He should forget about the idea of having plenty of time because the one who has been warned should not be assured. What you miss, you cannot make up for. The reason for every shortcoming or inclination to evil is the belief that there is plenty of time and a lot of hope, because man keeps thinking of giving up evil and turning towards good but delays. No doubt, whoever thinks that he has the whole

- 41 - he will still be there in the morning will do very little during the night, but the one who thinks of death as imminent will strive harder." [Talbees Iblees, p.458] Ibnul-Qayyim further explained how Shaytan causes one to exaggerate in his religious affairs, "...if he finds that a person is cautious and serious, and that he is enthusiastic and capable, he despairs of succeeding with him on that front. So he urges him to strive to excess, and makes him think that this is not sufficient and that he has higher ambitions than that, and that he has to do more than others do. So he tells them do not go to sleep when they go to sleep; do not break your fast when they break their fast and do not tire when they tire. If one of them washes his hands and face three times, Shaytan tells him that he should wash seven times. If he performs wudu for every prayer the Shaytan tells him that he should perform ghusl for it, and other kinds of exaggeration and excess. He makes him go to extremes and go beyond the straight path, just like he makes the first person fall short and not come anywhere near it. Shaytan's aim in both cases is to steer both of them away from the straight path, one by not letting him approach it or come anywhere near it, and the other by making him go too far and overstep the mark. In this way, most people have been tempted and nothing can save a person from that except deeply rooted knowledge, faith and power to resist him (Shaytan) and adherence to the middle course. And Allah is the One Whose Help we seek." [al-Wabil as-Sayyib, p.19.]

- 42 - the primary reason behind the degradation and misery of Shaytan himself. He argued and dissented Allah's Absolute Wisdom saying, "I am better than him [Adam], You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." [surah al-A'raf (7): 12] Imam Ibn Katheer writes, "and this excuse (of Shaytan for disobeying Allah) is worse than the crime itself. Shaytan said that he did not obey Allah because he, who is better cannot prostrate to the one, who is less. Shaytan, may Allah curse him, meant that he is better than Adam, 'So how can You order me to prostrate before him?' Shaytan said that he is better than Adam because he was created from fire while, "You created him from clay, and fire is better." The cursed one looked at the origin of creation not at the honor bestowed, i.e., Allah's creating Adam with His Hands and

- 43 - confronted by Allah's command… He, thus, became 'Ablasa' from the Mercy, meaning, 'lost hope in acquiring Allah's Mercy.' He committed this error due to his false comparison. His claim that fire is more honored than mud was also false, because mud has the qualities of wisdom, forbearance, patience and assurance; mud is where plants grow, flourish, increase and provide food. To the contrary, fire has the qualities of burning, recklessness and hastiness. Therefore, the origin of creation directed Shaytan to failure, while the origin of Adam led him to return to Allah with repentance, humbleness, obedience and submission to His command, admitting his error and seeking Allah's forgiveness and pardon for it." [end quote] Just as Shaytan argued and made statements about Allah without knowledge, "He (Shaytan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful), and that you should say against Allah what you know not." [surah al-Baqarah (2): 169] "And among mankind is he who disputes concerning Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious (disobedient to Allah) Shaytan. For him (Shaytan) it is decreed that whosoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire." [surah al-Hajj (22): 3-4] Shaytan argued and opposed Allah's Wisdom out of pride. Allah says, "He was proud and he was of the disbelievers." [surah Saad (38): 74] and Allah says in surah Ghafir, "Verily, those who dispute about the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, without any authority having come to them," meaning they try to refute the truth with falsehood, sound evidence with dubious arguments, having no proof or evidence from Allah. "There is nothing else in their breasts except pride…So seek refuge in Allah." from being like these people." [See Tafseer Ibn Katheer (40): 56] because Allah's Messenger r said, "He will not enter Paradise who has even a speck of pride in his heart." [sahih Muslim]

- 44 - in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions. The dwelling of such (people) is Hell, and they will find no way of escape from it" [surah an-Nisa (4): 120] On the Day of the battle of Badr, Shaytan came to the disbelievers in the form of Suraqah ibn Malik and promised them victory, power, glory and dominion. He started with planting pride in their hearts by telling them that they were the most powerful and they will be victorious over the Muslims, who were less in number. He beautified their strength for them and gave them the hope of victory and promised to fight the Muslims alongside them, "And (remember) when Shaytan made their (evil) deeds seem fair to them and said, 'No one of mankind can overcome you this day (of the battle of Badr)' [surah al-Anfal (8): 48] The Mushrikeen thus, set out to fight the Muslims with pride in their hearts and reliance upon Shaytan. "But when the two forces came in sight of each other, he ran away and said, 'Verily, I have nothing to do with you. Verily! I see what you see not. Verily! I fear Allah for Allah is Severe in punishment." [surah Anfal (8): 48] Another story of Shaytan's false promises and his deceit is narrated from the People of the Book and is reported by Ibn Jareer in the Tafseer of surah al-Hashr. We quote it here to learn some lessons from it.

- 45 - worshiped Allah for sixty years. Shaytan tried his best to mislead this man but he could not. He tried his trick on one woman and made her mad. He then advised her brothers to take her to the priest for a possible cure. The brothers agreed and by Allah's Permission, the priest was able to cure the woman's madness. One day while the priest was with her, Shaytan beautified and adorned this woman in his eyes, and prompted evil thoughts in the mind of the priest, which lead to his committing adultery with her. The woman became pregnant, and out of fear, he killed her (this again was due to Shaytan's advice). When the brothers came to know this, they decided to kill him. At that moment Shaytan appeared to the priest and told him that he was the one, who had plotted against him, and nobody could rescue him from it except him. He told him that if the priest prostrated to him just once, he would rescue him. Then when the priest prostrated, Shaytan freed himself from him and ran away. The priest was killed and died in a state of disbelief due to prostrating to other than Allah. This is just as we have been informed about Shaytan in surah al-Hashr (59): 16, "Like Shaytan, when he says to man, 'Disbelieve in Allah.' But when (man) disbelieves in Allah, Shaytan says, 'I am free of you, I fear Allah, the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)!'" On the Day of Judgment, after Shaytan will have betrayed his promises, he will drag his followers to Hell and reveal unto them the truth that the Qur'aan had warned them against. He will address them and declare his deceptive promises, "And Shaytan will say when the matter has been decided, 'Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me as a partner with Allah (by obeying me)." [surah Ibraheem (14): 22]