Shaitan and some of his ways of misleading believers

Shaitan and some of his ways of misleading believers

Respected ones in Deen, I greet you with the best of all greetings, assalaamalaykumwarahmatullahiwabarkaatuh

In shaa Allah the topic I would like to discuss with you is "shaitan and some of his ways of misleading believers and/or Muslims.

Most of us have a misconception about whoshaitan is. Some people think he is an angel while others think he is a human being.

However, the Islamic view about whoshaitan is is the best view.

From the verse I quoted at the beginning in Suratkahf emphatically states that shaitan is from among the jinns.

Also, we know from... Surah At-Tahrim, Verse 6:

يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُواقُواأَنفُسَكُمْوَأَهْلِيكُمْنَارًاوَقُودُهَاالنَّاسُوَالْحِجَارَةُعَلَيْهَامَلَائِكَةٌغِلَاظٌشِدَادٌلَّايَعْصُونَاللَّهَمَاأَمَرَهُمْوَيَفْعَلُونَمَايُؤْمَرُونَ

O you who believe! save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones; over it are angels stern and strong, they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and do as they are commanded.

...angels don't disobey Allah which shaitan did by refusing to bow before Adam(a.s).

Last but not least Iblis was created from fire and not noor (light) as in the case of the angels of Allah

 NOW LET'S LOOK AT HIS APPROACHES

Shaitan's main goal is to mislead man from the path of Allah (s.w) to the path of kufr. He tries to lure man into committing major sins such as shirk,disobedient to parents, false witnessing,killing innocent human beings and others.

If people are found unlikely to commit the major sins, then he begins to  ADORN the ways leading to those major sins  seemingly LESS SERIOUS SINS.

NB: His approaches may vary from one person to the other. He does that based on our major interests and inclinations.

He uses PIETY to mislead the PIOUS,he uses KNOWLEDGE to mislead SCHOLARS,he uses IGNORANCE to mislead the IGNORANT,he uses WEALTH to mislead the RICH, he uses poverty to mislead the POOR, he uses SICKNESS to mislead the SICK, he uses GOOD HEALTH to mislead the HEALTHY etc.

However, let's look at some of his strategies in general. ..

● He causes us to postpone ibaadaat(acts of worship) such us tawbat (repentance),salaat,hajj,marriage and others. He whispers into us that these acts of worship can be done in the future making you and forget that death can come to us at anytime.

●He makes us to always feel we are better than the other. This make you and I to admire ourselves and underestimate others. It also causes us to reject corrections whenever we err... Surah Al-Hujraat, Verse 11:

يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُوالَايَسْخَرْقَوْمٌمِّنقَوْمٍعَسَىٰأَنيَكُونُواخَيْرًامِّنْهُمْوَلَانِسَاءٌمِّننِّسَاءٍعَسَىٰأَنيَكُنَّخَيْرًامِّنْهُنَّوَلَاتَلْمِزُواأَنفُسَكُمْوَلَاتَنَابَزُوابِالْأَلْقَابِبِئْسَالِاسْمُالْفُسُوقُبَعْدَالْإِيمَانِوَمَنلَّمْيَتُبْفَأُولَٰئِكَهُمُالظَّالِمُونَ

O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust.

●He discourages us from learning the knowledge of our Deen. For instance,the slightest mistake we make while learning the Qur'an will discourage us from learning it.

●He makes us to doubt what we believe in, whether or not they really exist,valid or sensible.

In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayra (r.a), the messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:" shaitan come to whisper into hearts of one of you saying:"who created this and that?", until he asks "who created your Lord?"when this comes or happens to you, SEEK REFUGE with Allah from him and that will vanish" -Bukhar and Muslim.

●He puts the fear of the enemy of Allah into our hearts instead of the fear of Allah  (s.w)... Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 175:إِنَّمَا ذَٰلِكُمُالشَّيْطَانُيُخَوِّفُأَوْلِيَاءَهُفَلَاتَخَافُوهُمْوَخَافُونِإِنكُنتُممُّؤْمِنِينَ

It is only the Shaitan that causes you to fear from his friends, but do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.

●He infuses suspicion and doubts in our hearts-causing us to suspect each other badly... Surah Al-Hujraat, Verse 12:

يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُوااجْتَنِبُواكَثِيرًامِّنَالظَّنِّإِنَّبَعْضَالظَّنِّإِثْمٌوَلَاتَجَسَّسُواوَلَايَغْتَببَّعْضُكُمبَعْضًاأَيُحِبُّأَحَدُكُمْأَنيَأْكُلَلَحْمَأَخِيهِمَيْتًافَكَرِهْتُمُوهُوَاتَّقُوااللَّهَإِنَّاللَّهَتَوَّابٌرَّحِيمٌ

O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful.Nb: suspicions and doubts always lead to thinking evil for or about each other.

UmmilMu'miniin.Safiyyah (r.a) is reported to have said that 1 night when rasul (s.a.w) retired in the masjid for devotion, I went to him.  We talked and I wanted to go back home. He got up to escort me. We were walking side by side in the dark when 2 men saw us and recognisedrasul (s.a.w). They walked away from us as fast as they could but rasul (s.a.w) stopped them and said:"wait you 2,this is Safiyyah-my wife. The 2men said"glory be to Allah, o messenger!.He(s.a.w) added,Verily,shaitan runs into man's body as blood does and might have casted evil thoughts into your minds"

●He threatens us with poverty and fahshaa... Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 268:

الشَّيْطَانُيَعِدُكُمُالْفَقْرَوَيَأْمُرُكُمبِالْفَحْشَاءِوَاللَّهُيَعِدُكُممَّغْفِرَةًمِّنْهُوَفَضْلًاوَاللَّهُوَاسِعٌعَلِيمٌ

Shaitan threatens you with poverty and enjoins you to be niggardly, and Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and abundance; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.

THE REMEDY TO THE APPROACHES OF SHAITAN.

It is easy to find solutions to his strategies now that those his strategies have become apparent.

■FAITH IN ALLAH

Surah An-Nahl, Verse 99:

إِنَّهُلَيْسَلَهُسُلْطَانٌعَلَىالَّذِينَآمَنُواوَعَلَىٰرَبِّهِمْيَتَوَكَّلُونَ

Surely he has no authority over those who believe and rely on their Lord.

 

■TAKING REFUGE AND SHELTER IN ALLAH

Surah Al-Araf, Verse 200:

وَإِمَّايَنزَغَنَّكَمِنَالشَّيْطَانِنَزْغٌفَاسْتَعِذْبِاللَّهِإِنَّهُسَمِيعٌعَلِيمٌ

                 

And if a false imputation from the Shaitan afflict you, seek refuge in Allah; surely He is Hearing, Knowing.

One can do this by reciting to last two chapters of the noble Qur'an.

■SEEKING ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE

Always engaging in seeking the knowledge of Islam from authentic sources can help us to know things that are dearer to Allah(egtawbat,istigfaar,sadaqaat,humilityetc) and those He dislikes(e.g. shirk,uquuqulwaalidayn,qatluannafsallatiiharramaALLAHU,zinaabid'aetc).

I will like to conclude with the verse in Surah Al-Hashr, Verse 16:

كَمَثَلِالشَّيْطَانِإِذْقَالَلِلْإِنسَانِاكْفُرْفَلَمَّاكَفَرَقَالَإِنِّيبَرِيءٌمِّنكَإِنِّيأَخَافُاللَّهَرَبَّالْعَالَمِينَ

 

Like the Shaitan when he says to man: Disbelieve, but when he disbelieves, he says: I am surely clear of you; surely I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

May Allah guide us all against the plots of shaitan.

Wherever I have errd, I am fallible to committing mistakes but all that which I have mentioned rightly is by Allah.