Shaitan

I am sure the title of this post got your attention. It is generally known that Shaitan is the biggest enemy that we face in this life. The mentioning of him tends to make most people tense. But do we ever take the time to consider this in more depth? What kind of power does he have over people’s hearts to make them do or react in a certain way?

سورة النساء ١١٩
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا

Surah An-Nisaa 4:119
“I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah.” Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.

Deception. The advantage he has is that we are not aware of his doings, unless we put our minds to it. He knows just what buttons to push. And the biggest weakness humankind has is that we are easily distracted by this life… whether we are talking about positive or negative things…

سورة المعارج ٢١ -١٩
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا

Surah Al-Ma’aarij 70:19-21
Truly man was created very impatient;-
Fretful when evil touches him;
And niggardly when good reaches him;-

To be affected by success and fortune is one type of distraction…

سورة النساء ١٢٠
يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

Surah An-Nisaa 4:120
Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false desires; but satan’s promises are nothing but deception.

We may also face situations where we are hurt. That feeling manifests in the heart. If it is left unchecked, it will grow to fill you with ill feelings that will continue to expand. The heart becomes hardened, and we seek means to express and release that tension.

سورة آل عمران ٢٠٠
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

سورة الأعراف ١٩٩-٢٠٢
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ
وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّونَهُمْ فِي الْغَيِّ ثُمَّ لَا يُقْصِرُونَ

Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:200
O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper.

Surah Al-A’raaf 7:199-202
Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; But turn away from the ignorant.
If a suggestion from Satan assail thy (mind), seek refuge with Allah; for He heareth and knoweth (all things).
Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from Satan assaults them, bring Allah to remembrance, when lo! they see (aright)!
But their brethren (the evil ones) plunge them deeper into error, and never relax (their efforts).

He gives false ideas. But one of the most notable tricks of Shaitan is fear. As I mentioned in the beginning, even just the mentioning of him makes a lot of people nervous. Consider that this master of deception has planted an idea of himself in people’s hearts that causes this fear. So while their attention is pointed in a certain direction, he stands right next to them, whispering. We have this image of him as a horned monster. People go to lengths to protect themselves from his “grasp”. What is his power again? The power of suggestion. As long as he is feared, he has power over the people who fear him. But he has no say in life or death. He has no say in fortune or misfortune. So… again, what is his power? He deceives people.

سورة الحديد ٢٣-٢٢
مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
لِّكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ

Surah Al-Hadid 57:22-23
No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah:
In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,-

So, with all this in mind… does that mean we should not take it seriously? Of course we should. But we have to be more aware of ourselves and what our feelings do to us. Most people are blind and unaware.

In the end, our fears should be pointed in the right direction.

سورة آل عمران ١٧٥
إِنَّمَا ذَ‌ٰلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:175
It is only the Evil One that suggests to you the fear of his votaries: Be ye not afraid of them, but fear Me, if ye have Faith.

I hope you found this an interesting input and that it has brought something to consider.

The best of times to you all inshallah.
Peace, happiness, and stay faithful.