Deceptions of the Shaytan

1. Deceptions of the Shaytan Daroon gathering: easy-talk.org 13/12/09 East london mosque Abdullah hasan

2. The enmity between Shaytan and Mankind • The story of Adam and Shaytan • Shaytan deceives Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. He comes to them step by step. • Shaytan swears to lead mankind away from the straight path. He declares war against the progeny of Adam. • Allah gives shaytan respite until the Day of Judgement • Shaytan touches the children of Adam at birth. The Prophet said: لما صور الله آدم في الجنة تركه ما شاء الله أن يتركه فجعل إبليس يطيف به ينظر ما هو فلما رآه أجوف عرف أنه خلق خلقا لا يتمالك ‘’When Allah fashioned Adam in Paradise, He left him as long as He wished to leave him. Then Iblis roamed around him to see what he actually was and when Iblis found him to be hollow from within, he recognized that the new creature had been created with a disposition such that it would not have control over itself’’.

3. Important verses "O you who believe! Do not follow the footsteps of the Shaytan, and whoever follows the footsteps of the Shaytan, then surely he bids the doing of indecency and evil" [24.21] "And He (commands you, saying:) This is My straight path, so follow it. Follow not other ways, lest you be parted from His way. This has He ordained for you, that you may ward off evil.“ (an’am:153) يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ ٱلشَّيْطَانِ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ ٱلشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنْكَرِ وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُمْ مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ وَأَنَّ هَـٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيماً فَٱتَّبِعُوهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ذٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

4. Important verses Surely Shaytan is an enemy for you. So, take him as an enemy. He only invites his group (to falsehood) so that they become inmates of the blazing fire. Did I not direct you, O children of ’Ādam (Adam), that you must not worship the Satan, (because) he is an open enemy for you, and that you must worship Me, (because) this is the straight path? He had misguided lot many people from among you. So, did you not have sense? إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوّاً إِنَّمَا يَدْعُواْ حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يٰبَنِيۤ ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ ٱلشَّيطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِي هَـٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنْكُمْ جِبِلاًّ كَثِيراً أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُواْ تَعْقِلُونَ

5. Important verses Then Shaytan whispered to them, so that he might expose to them their shame that was hidden from them; and said, “Your Lord has not prohibited this tree for you, but to avoid your becoming angels or your becoming eternal.” He swore an oath, “I am one of your well-wishers.” He said, “My Lord, since You made me go astray, I swear that I shall beautify for them (evils) on the earth, and shall lead all of them astray, except those of Your servants from among them who are chosen (by You).” He (Allah) said, “This is the straight path leading to Me (that a person is chosen by Me through his good deeds). My servants are such that you have no power over them except those of the deviators who will follow you. فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَانُ لِيُبْدِيَ لَهُمَا مَا وُورِيَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَاتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَاكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَالِدِينَ وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ إِنِّي لَكُمَا لَمِنَ ٱلنَّاصِحِينَ قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِي لأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي ٱلأَرْضِ وَلأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ قَالَ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلاَّ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِينَ

6. The Shaytan has many paths { وَأَنَّ هَـٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيماً فَٱتَّبِعُوهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ذٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ } And: This is My path that is straightforward. So, follow it, and do not follow the (other) ways, lest they should make you deviate from His way. This is what He has enjoined upon you, so that you may be God-fearing.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) once drew a straight line with his hand and said, "This is the straight path of Allah." Then on its left and on its right he drew other lines and he said, "These paths all have Satan calling (people) to them." And then he recited the above verse. (Ahmad)

7. The obligation of knowing his traps Imam Ghazzali wrote that it is obligatory to protect oneself from the secret whispering of Shaytan. This can only be achieved by knowing his methods and means of operation, it is then obligatory to study and learn these matters. This is predicated upon the principle that if an obligatory matter cannot be accomplished except via a specific mean, that mean also becomes obligatory. (Ihya Ulum ad Din) اعلم ان مثال القلب مثال حصن والشيطان عدو يريد ان يدخل الحصن فيملكه ويستولي عليه, ولا يقدر على حفظ الحصن من العدو ال بحراسة الحصن ومداخله ومواضع ثلمه, ولا يقدر على حراسة ابوابه من لا يدري ابوابه, فحماية القلب عن وسواس الشيطان واجبة, وهو فرض عين على كل عبد مكلف, وما لا يتوصل الى الواجب الا به فهو ايضا واجب ولا يتوصل الى دفع الشيطان الا بمعرفة مداخله فصارت معرفة مداخله واجبة

8. Goals of the Shaytan

9. The various traps of Shaytan • There are many ways Shaytan misguides people, some of them include: • Tazyeen: Making evil look good • Giving pleasing names to forbidden things • He makes people procrastinate: يعقد الشيطان على قافية رأس أحدكم إذا هو نام ثلاث عقد يضرب كل عقدة عليك ليل طويل فاقد فإن استيقظ فذكر الله انحلت عقدة فإن توضأ انحلت عقدة فإن صلى انحلت عقدة فإصبح نشيطا طيب النفس وإلا أصبح خبيث النفس كسلان • During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of your necks. He breathes the following into them, .The night is long so keep on sleeping.. If the person wakes and praises Allah, then one of the knots is unfastened. And if he performs ablution, the second knot is unfastened. When he prays, all of the knots are unfastened. After that he will be energetic and happy in the morning. Otherwise he would get up listless and grouchy.

10. The various traps of Shaytan • Jealousy • Love of adorning oneself with expensive clothes • Suspicions • Anger • Money and wealth • Power and prestige • Gambling & imbibing alcohol • Divining arrows • Shaytan comes as a sincere advisor (the story of the pious ‘abid of Bani Israel) • Casting doubts in the person’s mind

11. How to protect your self from Shaytan • Knowledge of the Qur’an • Practicing the Sunnah, duas of waking up, going to the toilet, reciting surahbaqara etc • Dhikr of Allah • Being in a Jama’ah (with righteous people) من أراد منكم بحبوحة الجنة فليلزم الجماعة فإن الشيطان مع الواحد وهو من الإثنينأبعد يد الله على الجماعة فإذا شذ الشاذ منهم اختطفته الشياطين كما يختطف الذئب الشاة من الغنم • Making dua to Allah

12. End • References & further reading: • Talbis Iblis: Ibn al Jawzi • Ihya Ulum ad Din: Imam Ghazzali • Madarij as Salikin: Ibn al Qayyim • The world of the Jinn & Devils: Dr al Ashqar • IghathatulLuhfan: Ibn al Qayyim Any questions?