Study of Shay Ān (Deception)

Qabeel at Hosna | Student Notes
Apri l 2014

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APRI L 11- 13, 2014
SingIe-weekend-0L0RLL-Seminar
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Qabeelat Hosna Deception: A Study of Shayt!n
April 2014 Shaykh Saad Tasleem
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Tabl e of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 1 | An Introduction to Shay"!n .................................................................................... 17
Etymology .............................................................................................................................................. 17
Other Names for the Shay"!n .............................................................................................................. 18
The Origin and Creation of Shay"!n ................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 2 | Most Certainly the Shay"!n is an Enemy for You! ........................................... 27
Where the Enmity Began .................................................................................................................. 27
The Prostration of the Angels ............................................................................................................. 29
Ibl!ss Refusal and Arrogance .............................................................................................................. 30
Excuses of Shay"!n ................................................................................................................................ 31
Shay"!n divulges his plan ..................................................................................................................... 37
We have been warned ....................................................................................................................... 39
Our Sworn Enemy ................................................................................................................................. 41
The difference between the enmity of mankind and the enmity of Shay"!n .............................. 45
Wisdom behind the Creation of the Shay"!n .................................................................................... 48
Chapter 3 | Physical Description and Abilities of Shay"!n ..................................................... 54
Can Shay"!n be seen? ............................................................................................................................ 54
What does Shay"!n look like? .............................................................................................................. 55
The Abilities of Shay"!n ........................................................................................................................ 57
The difference between the whispering of Shay"!n and our self (nafs) ....................................... 66
Chapter 4 | Shay"!ns Army ......................................................................................................... 73
Ibl!s is the Leader of His Army ............................................................................................................ 73
Shay"!ns Soldiers from the Jinn ......................................................................................................... 74
Soldiers from Mankind ........................................................................................................................ 80
Allies of Shay"!n vs. the Allies of All"h .............................................................................................. 81
Chapter 5 | Fact or Fiction .......................................................................................................... 85
Magic ...................................................................................................................................................... 85
Possession .............................................................................................................................................. 90
Evil-eye (#Ayn) ........................................................................................................................................ 94
Satanic Dreams ...................................................................................................................................... 97
Chapter 6 | The Psychology of Shay"!n ................................................................................... 102
Shay"!ns Goals .................................................................................................................................... 102
Shay"!ns Motivations ........................................................................................................................ 111
Chapter 7 | How Shay"!n Deceives People at Different Levels of Religiosity .................... 120
Chapter 8 | 24-Hour Security & Protection ............................................................................ 145
Protection from Shay"!n and the shay!"$n ...................................................................................... 145

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Introducti on

Ibn #Abb"s (ra%yAll!hu anhu) in the Musnad of Imam A$mad tells us of an incident in the
13
th
year of the coming of Islam. On a dark, silent and quiet night, the leaders of the
mushrik&n of Quraysh had decided to gather in a place called D"rl-Nadwa. This was a
gathering no one was told about. There were only a handful of people there and it was a
secretive meeting. They were figuring out what to do with the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam). Amongst the Muslims who hadnt made hijrah were Abu Bakr, the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), Ali and a few others. The fear the Quraysh had was that if
the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) were to go to Mad!nah as well, then his message
would spread and Islam would one day be a bigger problem for the mushrik&n of
Quraysh. They decided they needed to figure out what to do with him.

One by one, people walked in very secretively. They had someone standing guard at the
door. As the guard was shutting the door, an old man stuck his hand in the doorway.
The guard asked, Who are you? because he did not recognize him. Only a few people
were told about the secretive gathering. He said, I know you dont know me, but I am
here from Najd and I have come to aid you in that which you are trying to solve. They
felt comfortable enough to let him in even though they didnt know him.

Scholars of s$rah mention how they were untrusting but for some reason for this man,
as soon as he said he was there to help and aid them, they let him in. They discussed
the matter at hand: what to do with the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). One of the
leaders of the Quraysh stood up and said, I think we should imprison him and put him
in chains, tie him to the ground and leave him in one location. At that time,
imprisoning people was not common and considered a cruel punishment. It was only
when a persons evil got to such a high level that he was imprisoned. It was not a
normal option. The old man who snuck in at the last moment stood up and said, I
swear by All"h that this is not what I would advise you to do. If you imprison this man
Mu$ammad and tie him up, then you will only make his followers angrier and it is very
possible that the following he already has will grow. You may make him a figure that
people will rally after.

Another man says, I think we should exile him and send him to a land far away and
leave him there. Once again, the old man stood up and said, I swear by All"h, this is
the not the correct opinion and I would not advise it. If you exile him, it is possible that
he will gather followers there. He could come back one day and be a threat for us.

Some time passes, and Abu Jahl stood up and said, Lets talk about what all of us are
thinking but no one has the courage to say. I know all of you are afraid of the
repercussions of killing Mu$ammad and he has a tribe to back him up as well, and it
could start a war. I think we should gather a young man from each of the major tribes,
and they go together to kill Mu$ammad and kill him in such a way that the blood
splashes and will be found upon the clothes of all of these young men so that the blame

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is not taken by one of the tribes but spread apart. Then the tribe of Mu$ammad cannot
take revenge because they cannot go to war with multiple tribes. They will have no
choice except to accept blood money. Once again, the old man stands and says, I swear
by All"h, this is the correct opinion.

On that very night, they left D"rl-Nadwa with the intention to kill the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) in his house. Some scholars of s$rah say it was a few days
later, but the correct opinion is that they did not wait but immediately gathered the
men and went to the house of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). As they waited
outside. Jibr!l went to the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and informed him of this
evil plot. As the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) was made aware, he walked out of
the house. Some narrations said he picked up dirt from the ground and put it on the
heads of the young men. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) protected the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam). Some narrations said the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) walked
through the ranks of the young men, and they felt the dirt but didnt know where it
came from.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says,

They plot and plan and All"h plans and All"h is the best of planners.
S&ratl-Anf!l [8:30]

Who was the man? That man was no other than the Shay"!n. Ibl!s is the one who took
the form of a man. This shows us that Ibl!s tried from the beginning to dismantle the
message of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). The last resort for Ibl!s is to try to
cause physical damage or harm to you. He may not be able to trick you into disobeying
All"h or changing your life for the worse. His last step is to get others to speak ill of you
and harm you.

Acti vi ty

When you hear the term Shay"!n / devil, what are the three things that come to your
mind first?

What role do you think Shay"!n plays in your life?

By the end of the seminar, you will be able to see the progression of your knowledge of
Shay"!n and what role you think he plays in your life.

Resume of Shay"!n

If Shay"!n were to have a resume, it would say:

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Fi rst Name: Ibl!s (meaning: despair, someone who has lost all hope in the Mercy
of All"h)

Last Name: Al-raj$m (the accursed, the one cursed by All"h)

Professi onal Goal : To destroy and condemn every single son and daughter of
%dam and Hawwa to the Hellfire, and I have made it my personal goal to never
leave any single human being until they have reached the Hellfire.

Qual i fi cati ons: Thousands upon thousands of years of experience.
(Shay"!n has been doing this since the creation of %dam and is the most qualified to
complete this job.) I run through the veins of mankind and know what they think,
their desires, their weaknesses, and what I can do to make them slip up.

Accompl i shments: Trillions upon trillions of people have been sent to the
Hellfire.

Every single person is at war with Shay"!n. We are not going to war, but we are at war.
Some may realize we are at war with Shay"!n while others do not. All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la) establishes for us Ibl!s as our enemy.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) said in S&rah F!"ir: Most certainly, the Shay"!n is your
enemy, so take him as your enemy. He most certainly calls his party to become from
the people of the blaze.

There are two commandments in this !yah. All"h clarifies for us and tells us that
Shay"!n is our enemy. The majority of people do not consider Shay"!n to be their enemy.
The majority are worried about those who are a lot less influential than Shay"!n. Many
times people deal with the effects of the problem and not the source.

Does Shay"!n have anything to do with your relationship going bad? With the career
you have chosen? With the problems you are having with a person? All"h says Shay"!n
is your enemy to remind us to be aware of Shay"!n every single day of our lives.

In this verse, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says innama which implies it is the only goal
of Shay"!n, and his existence revolves around this one purpose to take people to
become his allies and party so that they may end up in the Hellfire.

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Think about the people in your life who you may consider your enemy. All of them lead
back to one enemy: Shay"!n.

Shay"!n makes you focus on individuals. Someone may be mean to you or treat you in a
bad way or harmed you or has taken away your right, and Shay"!n will make you focus
on that individual because he wants to make you forget that this persons animosity
goes back to Shay"!n.

so take him as your enemy.

It is not enough to know that Shay"!n is your enemy. All"h says to be proactive in
protecting yourself from Shay"!n. Arm yourself in this war you are in. We are at war
with Shay"!n. Shay"!n is constantly battling against us.

This seminar serves two purposes:
1) Information (informing ourselves with the knowledge). What exactly is Shay"!n
able to do and what are his methods of deception?
2) Protecting ourselves from Shay"!n. This also goes back to knowledge. We will
discuss how Shay"!n deceives people.

Shay"!n deceives people at all levels. Shay"!n has methods of deception for each and
every one of us. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says in the Qur&"n, Do not follow the
footsteps of Shay"!n. This shows us that Shay"!n has multiple footsteps and ways of
coming at us.

Shay"!n is incredibly determined.

When anyone prepares for war, they may spends weeks and months and years. In this
war, Shay"!n is more determined than any of us can imagine. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la)
tells us that Ibl!s when speaking to All"h and the angels said, I swear by the error You
have put me in, I will sit and wait for them all upon Your path.

Did All"h put Shay"!n in error? No! Why does Ibl!s say this?

Ibl!s is saying that he will sit and wait. This shows that he will not just try once or a few
times. He will be determined. If he cant get to you once, he will try again and try again.
He is waiting there for each and every one of us, and he doesnt give up. We may have
spent the last few years of our lives keeping ourselves safe from Ibl!s, but he will
continue to wait until our very last breath. He will be waiting for us to slip up.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says that Ibl!s said, I will come to them from in front of
them and from behind them and from their right and from their left. Most of them will
not be grateful to You for the guidance You have sent down to them.

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When someone is attacked by bees, a person may initially think it is one or two bees,
but when the swarm comes, it feels like wherever they turn and whatever they do, they
cannot do anything to break free from the swarm. This is the type of attack Shay"!n
makes. Scholars say that it is as if Ibl!s will swarm the people.

In this !yah, there are two directions which are left out: the top and the bottom. Why
are these left out? Can Shay"!n come to you while you are in sajdah? Yes! The answer
will be discussed later.

Shay"!n has an army. In S&ratl-Shuar!, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) tells us that the army
of Ibl!s will be sent to the Hellfire. Ibl!s doesnt work alone. This army is determined.
We also learn this from the (ad$th of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) in which
he told us about the throne of Ibl!s. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said:
Ibl$s places his throne upon water; he then sends detachments (for creating dissension); those
who are nearer to him in rank are the ones who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of
them comes and says, I did such-and-such. And [Ibl$s] he says, You have done nothing. Then
one amongst them comes and says, I did not leave so-and-so until I caused dissension between
him and his wife. Ibl$s then comes close to him and says Yes, you [have done well]! Al-Amash
added, He then embraces him.

The shay!"$n stick to us and dont let us go. Ibl!s will not leave a person until he gets
them to disobey All"h. Scholars of the past would say a person may be vigilant and look
out for the methods of deception for their whole life, but at the end of their lives, they
may let their guard down. Once they become heedless of the plots of Shay"!n, that is
when Shay"!n succeeds.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) told us what happens at the end of this war
with Shay"!n. There is a (ad$th narrated in )a($( Muslim and )a($( Bukh"ri in which the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) told us that every one hundred people All"h
created, ninety-nine will end up in the Hellfire.

There is another narration of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) in which he said,
Out of every thousand people, nine hundred and ninety-nine will end up in the
Hellfire.

Ibl!s is so determined and so sure in his dawah that he will succeed that All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) tells us he swore by the Honor of All"h: He said, I swear by Your
Honor that I will mislead all of these people except those people who are sincere in
their religion.

Ibl!s has assigned to each person a personal shay"!n. %ishah (ra%yAll!hu anha) was
surprised at this and asked, Even you, O Messenger of All"h, have a devil as well? He
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I have a personal devil as well except that All"h gave

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me power over my personal shay"!n and he became Muslim. In another narration: I
was protected from my personal shay"!n.

From another narration, we know that the devil runs through our body just as the
blood flows through our veins.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) was making itik!f in the masjid, and the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) was visited by his wife 'afiyyah. He ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) was walking his wife home in the middle of the night, and they came across
two men. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) calls out to them, Most certainly,
she is 'afiyyah bint Huyayy, your mother. They said, Sub(!nAll!h, ya Ras&lull!h!
Meaning: we would never think anything evil of you. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, Most certainly the shay"!n flows in your body just like blood flows in the
veins. It is possible that Shay"!n would come to you and whisper something. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is saying they may not have a bad intention, but
Shay"!n could come and whisper something to them. It is possible for a person to let his
guard down for a moment. This teaches us to guard ourselves from the whisperings of
Shay"!n.

When we are told of something someone has done, no matter how much respect we
have for that person, there is something in the back of our mind that comes: most
likely he/she didnt do this, but you never know. This is why rumors are very
dangerous.

In Ramadan, we know that the shay!"$n are chained up. Ibn Hajar said, Even though the
devils are chained up, there are two amongst the shay!"$n who are not chained up. Ibl!s
is not chained up and your qar$n (personal shay"!n). The qar$n knows you better than
any other devil because he is always with you. This qar$n knows what specific traps you
will fall into. They know your weaknesses and what is most beloved to you and where
you will fall short. This is why it is so important to understand Shay"!ns personal attack
plan for you.

Shay"!n s Sermon to the Peopl e of Hel l fi re

There is a lot we can learn from Ibl!s by contemplating over his words. People in
therapy speak to their therapists, and they listen and then give solutions on how to
solve the problem. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) has given us the speech of Ibl!s.

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And Shay"!n will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, All!h had promised you the
promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except
that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot
be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with
All!h] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."
S&rah Ibr!h$m [14:22]

One of the chapters in this seminar is called The Psychology of Shay"!n. In this
chapter, we will discuss the goals of Shay"!n in terms of his main goal and his
immediate goals when it comes to how he goes about misleading us. We are going to be
talking about Shay"!ns motivations, meaning: Why does Shay"!n care if we go to
heaven or hell? Why is he such a big enemy? Lastly, in this chapter we will analyze the
speech of Shay"!n and look at some of the areas in the Qur&"n where All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la) tells us of the speech of Shay"!n. We will try to understand the psychology of
Shay"!n.

One example of this is what the scholars of the past would call The Sermon of Ibl!s for
the People of Hellfire. This is one !yah, but it encompasses the sermon or khu"bah Ibl!s
will give to the people being sent to the Hellfire.

And when the matter has been deci ded

Imagine that the Day of Judgment has come, and the Judgment has been made. All"h
has judged between the people, so there are people headed to Paradise and have been
given the news of Paradise. On the other hand, there are people who are headed to the
Hellfire and have been given the news of the Hellfire. The deeds have been weighed and
people have been given their books in their right or left hands. The people this sermon
is delivered to are those going to Hellfire.

This means there is no going back and there is no changing of what is going to happen.
You are now sitting there and you know for a fact that you are going to the Hellfire and
there is nothing that can be done to change your situation. Everything has been done
and decided. This is an instance where the people will say, O All"h, send me back that

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perhaps I may do something out of piety! All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) told us that even
if these people were sent back, they would go and do the same thing.

Visualize that moment and scene and imagine yourself sitting there and witnessing
this.

This is a moment where everything has been decided. There are people gathered and
collected in rows. Trillions of people have been given the news of Hellfire, and in this
chaotic moment, one being stands up: Ibl!s. When a person stands up, everyone listens.
Ibl!s is brought in front of them to give a final statement to the people of Hellfire.

Ibl!s then speaks and he doesnt start by praising All"h. He starts off with a very bold
statement. He says:

Most certai nl y Al l !h promi sed you a truthf ul promi se

After a lifetime of Ibl!s lying to you and deceiving you, and after a lifetime of being a
coward and a lifetime of deception, he finally now shows his true colors. This is the end
of the story for Ibl!s. In this moment, he cannot lie or deceive. He has to show people
the reality of the deception he has been doing.

He is saying the promise All"h made to them is true. What is the promise of All"h?
All"h promised us that if we obey Him and fulfill the commandments and stay away
from the prohibitions, then we will be saved on the Day of Judgment. On the Day of
Judgment, we will be sent to Paradise and not to the Hellfire. The promise of All"h is
that if we follow the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), we will be with him on the
Day of Judgment. The promise of All"h is that true happiness lies in obedience to All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la). True happiness lies in the submission to All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la).

Ibl!s turns to the people and says, Most certainly All"h promised you a truthful
promise. Finally Ibl!s for the first time in your life is telling the truth. Throughout
your whole life, Ibl!s has been lying to you and deceiving you. He has been whispering
to you and telling you that happiness lies in the dunya and in disobeying All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la). For the first time in your life Ibl!s is speaking the truth.

This shows us that Ibl!s all along knew the truth. He knew that what he was calling to
was wrong. He knew truth and falsehood, and he called you towards falsehood.

and I made you promi ses but I betrayed my promi se to you

The people sitting there listening to this will feel like Ibl!s is sticking a knife in their
sides. On the Day of Judgment the matter has been decided and Ibl!s twists the knife. It

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wasnt enough for him that they are going to the Hellfire, but he wants to tell us that all
along the promises he was making were false.

This is why All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) tells us that Ibl!s will make promises to them and
try to arouse in them in their desires that most certainly the promises Shay"!n makes is
nothing but delusions.

We want that on that Day we are not hearing this for the first time. We already know
that All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) told us the promises of Shay"!n were nothing but deceit
and deception for us. For some people, as they sit there, this is the first time they will
hear this, and it will be the first time they have Shay"!n admit to them and say that he
promised that the true life was the life of this dunya. He told us that the only thing that
matters is that we enjoy our life and have fun. Shay"!n promises people and says there
is no such thing as a hereafter and there is no reckoning. This is the promise that the
Shay"!n and his helpers have made.

How much time did All"h give you to make tawbah and istighf!r but months and years
went by without you doing so?

Shay"!ns promises are all methods of deception. We will discuss methods of deception
which are all promises Shay"!n made to us.

I had no authori ty

He is again twisting the knife. He is telling people that they obeyed him and followed
him but he had no authority over them. He just suggested things and they followed it.
He never forced them to disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). We will talk about how
much influence Shay"!n actually has and if we can blame Shay"!n.

Shay"!n is saying, How stupid were you to listen to me? Not only did he not force us,
but if you really look at the promises of Shay"!n, they were void of any substance. For
example: those who denied the existence of God. Shay"!n may come to a person and
say, There is no God. Have you seen Him? Where is He? This is void of any substance.
If you were to really think about it and ponder the existence of All"h, you would come
to the conclusion that there is a God and a Creator.

I had no authori ty over you and di dn t f orce you to do anythi ng. The onl y
thi ng that I di d i s cal l ed / i nvi ted you, and you answered my cal l .

The only authority he had was a call, and the people of Hellfire answered his call. He
spoke out and we listened. Once again, he is saying, How foolish are you? I didnt make
you disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) but just called you. In Arabic, the word here is
fa which means that something happens immediately. The people going to the
Hellfire didnt even wait to answer the call. As soon as they heard the dawah of Shay"!n,

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because it was enticing and agreed with their desires and nafs, they didnt think twice
about it and didnt sit and ponder over it. They immediately answered the call of Ibl!s.

Why did they answer the call? Because they forgot that this call that is coming is from
the enemy of All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) or they never knew or understood that Shay"!n
is an enemy for us. They forgot that any time the Shay"!n comes to us or the allies of
Shay"!n or the army of Shay"!n from the man and jinn come to us, we should never pay
attention to them because they only have our destruction in mind. This is the only
thing they want.

so don t bl ame me. Bl ame yoursel f .

How many people disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and just blame Shay"!n? They say:
Shay"!n made me do it, these are the whisperings of Shay"!n. They justify their
action. Shay"!n himself is finally speaking the truth and says, Dont blame me! I had
nothing to do with this. I just called you. I didnt force you to do it. Shay"!n brings the
truth when there is no hope for us to turn back. He says, You only have yourselves to
blame for falling into my traps. Shay"!n works in footsteps. Scholars say that when you
hear that Shay"!n has footsteps, then it shows us that he has more than one method of
deception. He works in ways that are particular to each individual.

Ibl!s is reminding you that you had the choice to worship All"h but you didnt. Ibl!s is
speaking to the people of Hellfire, and each sentence and word he says is like sticking a
knife in you and twisting it. He says All"h made you promises and he made you
promises and he betrayed his promises.

When Imam Ibn al-Qayyim talks about Ibl!s, he talks about Ibl!s as someone who needs
to be fully understood. He says, Never underestimate Ibl!s. He talks about him as
someone you would psychoanalyze and think about how he is going to deceive you.

I am not abl e to hel p you, and nor are you abl e to hel p me.

On this Day when people need help more than any other day, Ibl!s says, I know you
took me as an ally and as your supporter, but the truth is I cannot help you. I made
promises to you but betrayed my promises. I am not your helper.

The word mu'rikh is a helper or someone who helps and comes from the verb 'arakha,
which means to scream and yell. These people are not just saying help me, but they
are screaming for help! Scholars say that people on that day will be yelling and
screaming and crying and asking anyone to help them. They turn to Ibl!s to ask for his
help, and Ibl!s says he cannot help them and they cannot help him either. Scholars say
that Ibl!s is putting himself down, but there is a bigger purpose and more to gain. The
gain is instilling the loss of hope in people. He is twisting the knife.

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Scholars say that Ibl!s is affirming that no one can be helped in this moment and the
matter has been decided. Ibl!s says, Nor can you help me. The father of evil and the
one who laid out all these traps cannot be helped.

Ibl!ss name means loss of hope. Ibl!s really wants us to learn in this sermon that
there is no hope once the matter has been decided. There is no helper. Ibl!s wants to
rub it in and twist the knife.

Ask yourself: why would the people ask Ibl!s for help after they have found out that he
cannot help them? When a person is truly desperate, they will turn to those they know
cannot help them because they are in a stupor. They grab for anything, so they even
turn to Ibl!s who has no help to give. This is the amount of desperation they have. They
are grabbing at straws.

Most certai nl y, I deny the associ ati on you made between me and Al l !h.

Not only does he say that he cannot help them and not to blame him, but he is also
backing off. This is a character trait of Ibl!s. He always makes promises and breaks
them. When the matter becomes serious, he steps back and says there is nothing he can
do.

The association that the people had made was that they obeyed Ibl!s and disobeyed
All"h. Instead of obeying All"h, they obeyed Ibl!s.

Ibl!s is showing his true colors now.

I di sbel i eve i n thi s / I don t accept thi s.

This whole khu"bah is about twisting the knife. After the people have been given the
news, they feel worse and worse. The scholars say this is part of the punishment of the
people of Hellfire that All"h sends Ibl!s and lets him deliver this khu"bah to them.

Ibl!s is saying here that the people were foolish enough to believe that he should be
obeyed, which he doesnt even believe. He doesnt believe he should be made a partner
with All"h. He is showing how foolish people were. Scholars say there is not a single
person who will go to the Hellfire who will say, O All"h, You have wronged me. I dont
deserve to go to the Hellfire. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) does not make anyone go to
the Hellfire. All"h gives us every opportunity to save ourselves from the Hellfire. The
people on that Day will not feel that they are oppressed. Their only excuse is that they
will ask All"h to send them back because they know in the current state they are in that
they deserve to go to the Hellfire.

14

This shows the people that it is themselves and their own deeds that led them to the
Hellfire.

Most certai nl y, f or the oppressors there i s a pai nf ul puni shment.

This is the final twist of the knife. People know they are about to be punished, but Ibl!s
wants to remind them and tell them.

People know they are headed to the Hellfire. Why is Shay"!n reminding them? The
entire khu"bah is about making the people feel more and more miserable. This shows us
that all along Ibl!s had the correct knowledge and understood that the *!lim$n end up in
the Hellfire.

The *ulm (oppression) that Ibl!s is speaking about here is shirk. Scholars often mention
that the *ulm that is happening here (i.e. disobeying All"h, associating partners with
All"h, disbelieving in All"h, worshipping other than All"h) is the *ulm upon their own
selves.

Ibl!s was involved in kufr bill!h, which is disbelieving in All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).
Ibl!s is from the *!lim$n, but why does he say lahum (for them) and exclude himself?
Ibl!s is in such a habit of lying to the people and disassociating himself from the tricks
that he is doing and is so compulsive that he cannot help himself. This is how messed
up Ibl!s is in his head. He knows the truth but denies it and leads people astray from it.

Ibl!s knew better than anyone else that All"h is the Lord and Creator and that He exists,
but he still disobeyed All"h. His sin reached such a high level and he became so
arrogant that his arrogance overtook the knowledge he has.

An analogy: A child knows that he will be punished by his father if he does something
(i.e. drawing on the wall with a crayon). The child may become so arrogant and say he
doesnt care if he will be punished. He becomes delusional.

Even until the last moment, Ibl!s is delusional.

This is all one !yah. It shows how concise the khu"bah of Ibl!s will be. This shows us how
smart Ibl!s is. When doing tafs$r of this !yah, some scholars say that Ibl!s was a faq$h and
had knowledge. This is how effective the khu"bah is. He chooses his words very carefully
and chooses the most painful words.

We make du! to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) that it is only in this life that we hear this
khu"bah and that we are never sitting on the Day of Judgment listening to this khu"bah.

Some scholars say that the irony of this situation and people attentively listening to it
is that most of them likely never attended a single Jumuah khu"bah.

15

The point of this seminar is to learn about Ibl!s and his methods of deception. We will
learn about his physical description and his abilities. We will become aware of Shay"!n
and his methods and learn how to protect ourselves from him.

The khu"bah of Ibl!s is one line. He knows this will be the most painful thing a person
has heard in his entire life. They only get more pain and sorry and regret for listening
to Ibl!s and falling for his traps. The irony is that many of the people listening that day
did not listen to a real khu"bah in their life. The irony is that it may be the first time
they are hearing this khu"bah because they never read this !yah or if they read it, they
never contemplated it.

We ask All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) that we never have to hear this khu"bah in the
!khirah. We ask that All"h grants us the ability to read this khu"bah over and over in this
life and take heed.

This is a weekend where you can really change the outlook of your life and how you can
go about leading your life. Your life will change after this seminar because at the least,
you will start to think about how Ibl!s is affecting your life, and you can then protect
yourself.

In Shaykh Saads last semester at the University of Mad!nah, he started to buy more
thawbs. He would get a custom thawb made. He would buy cloth in the market if he liked
it and then keep until getting a thawb made. He went to one store and asked for a light
cloth which is breathable and soft and easy to iron and will look nice. He brought out
nice cloth and said it is 100 riyals / meter ($25 / yard). This is expensive. As he is talking
to the shopkeeper, a young person walks out from the back and says they have some
even nicer material. The older man helping Shaykh Saad stares back at the young man.
He brings out the cloth and it was beautiful. It was 500 riyals / meter ($125 / yard). He
tried to make a deal, but he couldnt afford it. He is about to leave, and he hears the
older man start yelling at the younger one. Shaykh Saad closes the door and asks what
the problem is because he felt bad that the younger man is being yelled at. The older
man said, These young people dont know how this business works. Ive been selling
cloth for the last 35 years and know and understand my clients. If a client comes in, we
have to show them the type of cloth which is just above what they can afford. We have
to look at the person and make a judgment on how much he can spend so that we can
get them to stretch their limit to buy it. We never show a cloth that they cannot afford
because once they look at that cloth, they will not buy the cheaper one and will leave
without buying something.

With Ibl!s, it is important to understand how he thinks and works. Ibl!s knows and
understands you. It behooves us to know and study Ibl!s.

Hashtag for this seminar: #DeceptionSoS

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17

Chapter 1 | An Introducti on to Shay"!n
Etymol ogy

What i s the ori gi n of the term shay"!n ?

There is some form of Shay"!n / Satan in all three Abrahamic faiths. Scholars did differ
over the origin of this word. There are certain terms in Arabic which do not have an
Arabic origin, and this is determined based on whether or not there is an Arabic root
for it. The names Ibr"h!m, Y(suf, M(sa, and )sa do not have an Arabic root.

Scholars differed on whether Shay"!n was imported into the Arabic language or
comes from the Arabic language. The minority opinion is that it does not have Arabic
origin, and their argument is that the Jews initially used this term, and the Jewish texts
preceded the Islamic texts; therefore, Hebrew came before Arabic and because it was
found in Hebrew, it is not an Arabic term.

The opinion of the majority of scholars is that it is an Arabic name and even though the
texts of the Jews came before, Arabic existed before the existence of Hebrew and
Aramaic.

Additionally, we can trace back this term to a few different Arabic verbs.

There are some terms which will be used interchangeably in this seminar:
Shay"!n = the Shay"!n
The devil
Ibl!s
These three terms may be used interchangeably.

In Arabic, shay"!n (pl. shay!"$n) comes from:
sha"a"a = to exceed the limits, to go too far, to transgress, to go into an extreme
sha""a = to deviate, stray away from something
sh!"a = to burn or to be burned. In Arabic, they would say: he was burning with
anger (sh!"a bil-gha%ab)
sha"ana: This is the main root word. It means to be far away or to get far away
from something. Shay"!n is far away from: 1) the Mercy of All"h and 2) any type
of goodness.

Shay"!n exceeded the limits of All"h and encourages others to do the same. Shay"!n
deviated from the path of All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and encourages others to deviate
and stray from the path of All"h as well. Ibl!s was created from fire, and some scholars
have mentioned he will be burned with fire and have the most severe punishment in
the Hellfire.

18

Shay"!n is a general term for the being who is arrogant and rebellious and therefore
became far away from the Mercy of All"h and far away from any type of goodness.
The plural of the word Shay"!n is shay!"$n. This word is found in the Qur&"n in three
different forms.

What is the most frequently used name for shay"!n in the Qur"n and Sunnah?
a. The Shay"!n
Al-Shay"!n: This refers to Ibl!s (the being who refused to prostrate to %dam
(alayhil-sal!m) and disobeyed All"h and was kicked out of Paradise). Scholars say
Ibl!s is Shay"!nl-akbar. Al-Shay"!n only refers to Ibl!s.

b. Shay"!n
A shay"!n refers to the devils but not the devil. It refers to the followers of
Shay"!n. This is anyone who is arrogant or rebellious who follows the Shay"!n
from mankind or jinn.

c. Shay!"$n"
This is the plural of the word shay"!n.

These three forms are found 68 times in the Qur&"n.

The title of the class should be: The Study of the Shay"!n in proper usage.

Di d you know? Some form of the word shay"!n can be found in all three of the
Abrahamic faiths.
Other Names for the Shay"!n

1) Ibl $ s
This is the most well-known name used for al-shay"!n in the Qur&"n other than al-
shay"!n. This is the authentic name of Shay"!n. Ibl!s translates to despair.

Linguistically from al-ibl!s (n) and ablasa (v) which means the loss of hope, to lose hope.
Ibl!s is a loss of hope, and ablasa is to lose hope.

And the Day the Hour appears the criminals will be in despair.
S!ratl-R!m [30:12]

There is no hope for them to go back and change the deeds that they have done.

Technically, Ibl$s is the one who has no chance of receiving the Mercy of All"h.

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And [mention] when We said to the angels, Prostrate before
!dam; so they prostrated, except for Ibl"s. He refused and
was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.
S!ratl-Baqarah [2:34]

This name is found 11 times throughout the Qur&"n. It most often goes back to the story
of Ibl!ss refusal to make sajdah to %dam. The term al-Shay"!n is used more generally
such as referring to his plots, the way he deceives mankind, establishing him as an
enemy.

Some scholars said the name Ibl!s was only given to this being after he disobeyed All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) because at that point he had lost all hope in the Mercy of All"h.

Side Note

What was the name of Ibl!s when he was obedient to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la)? All!hu
alam. If All"h didnt tell us something, then it means that it is of no benefit to us.

Imam al-Bayhaqi did mention a name for Ibl!s before he disobeyed All"h: Az"z!l.
Scholars have differed over whether this is really the name of Ibl!s before he disobeyed
All"h. This is narrated by Ibn #Abb"s, but the chain doesnt go all the way to the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). Because the chain doesnt go all the way to the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), some scholars said we dont know if this was his name
before.

Ibl!s refers to al-shay"!nl-akbar (the big Shay"!n). There is no Ibl!s from mankind.

2) Al -+!gh&t

This term has been used to describe Ibl!s or al-shay"!n and is usually used in context
where All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) or the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) are talking
about the helpers of Ibl!s.

20

All!h is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darknesses into the
light. And those who disbelieve - their allies are !"gh#t. They take them out of the light
into darknesses. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.

The job of Ibl!s is to take people out of the light of guidance and into the darkness of
disbelief or shirk and disobedience of All"h. By the consensus of the scholars of tafs$r,
!"gh#t refers to Ibl!s and the followers of the Shay"!n. It can refer to anything
worshipped or obeyed besides All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

Those who believe, they struggle in the cause of All"h. Those who
disbelieve fight in the cause of al-!"gh#t. So fight against the allies of Shay"!n.
Indeed, the plot of al-Shay"!n has ever been weak.
S&ratl-Nis! [4:76]

This is where we learn that the term !"gh#t can be synonymous with the term Shay"!n.
In this !yah, we know that !"gh#t is synonymous with Ibl!s is because All"h says al-
shay"!n.

+!gh"t can also refer to those who put themselves on the level of All"h.

3) Al -Wasw!s and Al -Khann!s

Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The Sovereign of mankind. The God of
mankind, From the evil of the retreating whisperer. Who whispers [evil] into the
breasts of mankind -From among the jinn and mankind.
S!ratl-N!s [114:1-4]

Al-wasw!s literally means the one who whispers. The term al-khann!s refers to someone
who retreats or hides away. All"h describes Shay"!n / Ibl!s as someone who whispers
from where you cannot see them. Usually they are hidden and we dont see them. The

21

hidden aspect is something characteristic of Shay"!n and Ibl!s and the helpers of
Shay"!n.

4) Al -Raj $ m

This comes from the verb rajama, which means to throw or to stone. What does this
have to do with Ibl!s? He was thrown out of the heavens and the gathering of the
angels.

[All!h] said, Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled.
S!ratl-!ijr [15:34]

This can refer to either the heavens or the gathering of the angels. There is a difference
of opinion amongst the scholars regarding where Ibl!s was kicked out from.

5) Al -Qar$ n
This is a consort, someone who is your companion and partner.

The Ori gi n and Creati on of Shay"!n

Shay"!n is an actual being that exists, created by All"h. Ibl!s was created by All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and is an actual being who still exists and who is still Alive today.
This is by the consensus of ulem! of ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah until this day. He is not a
metaphor. Some people say the devil is a metaphor for evil or our desires and the
angels are a metaphor for good, which is not correct.

Was he a fal l en angel ?

According to the Christian and Jewish traditions, Satan was a fallen angel. Islamically,
we do not consider Satan to be an angel. The reason why some people took this belief is:
1) They get it from the Christian or Jewish traditions

Or

2) Some people use the !yah in the Qur&"n when All"h mentions how the angels fell
into prostration except for Ibl!s. They said that the exception implies that he
was from them.

Refutation: S!ratl-Kahf verse 50

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And [mention] when We said to the angels, Prostrate to !dam,
and they prostrated, except for Ibl!s. He was of the jinn.
S!ratl-Kahf [18:50]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) clarifies that Ibl!s was from amongst the jinn. From this, we
learn that Ibl!s was not an angel but a jinn. This is the opinion of the vast majority of
scholars of ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah, and there is almost no difference of opinion on this
issue.

Some people say we lose out on the benefit that even an angel can come bad. However,
for us, it has the opposite meaning: even a jinn can be raised up so high to the status of
the angels.

The story of Ibl!s refusing to prostrate to %dam is mentioned in 7 different places in the
Qur&"n, and in each place, All"h gives us more information or clarifies certain things
that happened. In S!ratl-Kahf verse 50, All"h clarifies that Ibl!s was of the jinn. Ibl!s was
one of the angels in terms of his worship and obedience, but he was a separate creation.

Ibn Taymiyyah said, Certainly the Shay"!n was from the angels with respect to his
deeds, but not with respect to his origin, and not with respect to him being of the same
nature as them.

How was Shay"!n created?

The Shay"!n was created in the same way the other jinn were created, which is from
fire.

He created man from clay like [that of] pottery.
And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.
S!ratl-Ra!m"n [55:14-15]

Questi on: If Shay"!n was created from fire, how can he be punished with fire?
Answer: Just because Ibl!s is created from fire, it does not mean he is actual fire. Just
like we were created from clay, it doesnt mean we are physically clay right now, and
we can be harmed by clay.

When was Shay"!n created?

! He, along with the rest of the jinn, were created before mankind.

23

And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud.
And the jinn We created before from scorching fire.
S!ratl-!ijr [15:26-27]

Some mufasir&n say that the jinn altogether, especially Ibl!s, were created thousands
and thousands of years before mankind was created. We dont know the exact amount
of time but do know it was a long time before the creation of mankind.

Before refers to before the creation of mankind. The creation of the jinn preceded the
creation of mankind. When %dam (alayhil-sal!m) was created, the jinn already existed.

! Just like mankind, All"h created the Shay"!n and the jinn for His worship.

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
S!ratl-Dh!riy!t [51:56]

Some scholars say that this !yah is another proof to show that jinn were created before
mankind because jinn are mentioned before mankind.

Rel ati onshi p between Shay"!n and the Ji nn

Some scholars say the jinn are in a world of their own which is separate from mankind.
Some say that the angels and jinn have a similarity in that both are spirits. This is the
opinion of many scholars, but there is no proof for it. Therefore, we can say it is
possible they are spirits and have no physical form.

Some scholars have the opinion that the jinn were on earth before mankind. The
evidence is S&ratl-Baqarah: We have placed on it a creation which will spread blood
and mischief. There is a difference of opinion over who this is referring to. The
majority of scholars say this is referring to the jinn. When the jinn were put on earth,
they spilled blood and disobeyed All"h and were mischievous. Other scholars said we
dont know who the angels are referring to and it is possible that it is a different type of
khalq (i.e. maybe the dinosaurs).

Ibn Kath!r in Bid!yah wal-Nih!yah mentioned the jinn were on earth and created
mischief and the angels pushed them to the corners of the earth and places which are
abandoned.

24

In Arabic, al-jinn comes from the root word janna which means to cover and to conceal.
The default is that we do not see the jinn.

The Arabic term for fetus is jan$n because the fetus is hidden and cannot be seen.
Jannah also means a garden. Scholars say it is called Jannah because a garden is hidden
from sight by trees. We cannot understand the true nature of Jannah until we actually
see it. The true pleasures of Jannah we cannot fully understand.

! They are called jinn because they are obscured from human sight.
The a'l is that we are not able to see the jinn.

! There are three types of jinn:

There are three types of jinn: one that have wings and fly through the air, one that are snakes
and dogs, and one which stay in places and travel about. [al-*abar"ni, al-+"kim, al-Bayhaqi,
classified as authentic by al-Alb"ni]

Scholars say these are three of the major forms which are mentioned, but the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is not restricting it to three forms.

1) The Winged
They fly in the air.

2) The Animal
They take the form of snakes and dogs.

3) The Traveler
They travel on the earth.

There are jinn who are pious (jinn '!li(&n) and jinn shay!"$n and the jinn in the middle.

Jinn said that amongst us are those who are pious
and those who are not. We are of divided ways.
S&ratl-Jinn [72:11]

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1) Jinn shay!"$n
2) Jinn '!li(&n
3) Jinn that are neither shay!"$n nor '!li(&n

Amongst us are those jinn who are Muslims and those who are unjust.
Those who submitted to All"h have sought out the correct path and right course.
S&ratl-Jinn [72:14]

Ins '!li(&n: worship All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la), are pious

Shay!"$n min al-ins: the people who are obedient to Ibl!s and Shay"!n and call to what
Shay"!n is calling to
A third category of people who are neither pious and neither shay!"$n and this is the
majority of mankind.

Questi on: Was Shay"!n the first (or father) of the jinn?

Answer: Some people may say that just as %dam is the father of mankind, Ibl!s is the
father of the jinn (was the first to be created and all of the jinn who followed after are
his progeny). The majority of the scholars held the opinion that Ibl!s was indeed the
father of the jinn, including Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and Imam al- +asan al-Ba,ri
and Muj"hid. We do know that Ibl!s does have progeny. All"h tells us in S&ratl-Kahf v.
50: Will you take him and his progeny as awliy! other than All"h? From this !yah, we
know that Ibl!s has progeny.

And We said to the angels to make sajdah to %dam and they did
except for Ibl!s. He departed from the command of his Lord. Will you
take him and his progeny as awliy! (protectors and allies) other
than All"h? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange.
S&ratl-Kahf [18:50]

This !yah contains the evidence both for and against Ibl!s being the first of the jinn.
Those who say he is not the father of the jinn say: The !yah says min al jinn.

26

Is the progeny of Ibl!s all bad? According to the majority of scholars: yes because All"h
says the progeny of Ibl!s are your enemies. The progeny of Ibl!s are all bad because they
are our enemies. The jinn as a whole are not all bad. Therefore, it would be obvious that
he is not the father of the jinn because that would mean all of the jinn are bad, which we
know are not true. In S&ratl-Jinn, the jinn said amongst them are those who are Muslim
and '!li(&n those who are unjust and they are of different ways.

It seems to be the stronger opinion that Ibl!s is not the father of the jinn.

However, we have no proof to tell us that Ibl!s was the father of the jinn. We only know
that he has progeny. It is accepted in ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah that Ibl!s is the father of
the jinn.

Questi on: How did Ibl!s have children?

All!hu alam. We do not know. Imam al-Shabi was asked about this: If %dam was the
father of mankind and +awwa the mother of mankind and Ibl!s is the father of the jinn,
then who is the mother of the jinn? He said, That is a wedding which I never
attended. Scholars say that even though people enjoy thinking about things like this,
there is no benefit for us to delve into these matters.

If All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) kept some knowledge from us and it was not narrated to
us, then there is benefit in that.

27

Chapter 2 | Most Certai nl y the Shay"!n i s an Enemy
for You!

In this seminar, we will discuss how Shay"!n came to become our enemy. The idea of
Shay"!n being our enemy is rooted in an incident that goes back to the creation of
mankind. The jinn were created from fire and before mankind. Some scholars said they
were created thousands and thousands of years before mankind. Some scholars said the
jinn inhabited the earth before mankind. Some scholars even discuss whether there
were other creations before mankind.

It is possible they inhabited the earth before mankind and it is possible that there were
other creations before the creation of mankind. Because the jinn inhabited the earth,
the angels saw how the jinn were. They caused a lot of havoc and bloodshed on earth,
which is why when All"h created %dam, the angels said, O All"h, are you going to place
upon it [the earth] those who will cause corruption and shed blood? they said this
because they already experienced the creation of the jinn which had caused corruption
on earth.

Many of these stories are found in Ibn Kath!rs Bid!yah wal-Nih!yah. Some narrations
we accept if they dont go against something we already know. For other things, we say
that it is possible but we dont know.

Some scholars mentioned that the jinn caused so much corruption that they were
forced to the corners of the earth (i.e. islands, isolated places).
Where the Enmi ty Began

Most of the jinn were disobedient to All"h, but amongst them, there was one who was
above the rest. He worshipped All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) with sincerity and didnt
cause any corruption and was so high in rank above the other jinn that All"h raised him
up to the heavens to the gathering of the angels. The angels were created to worship
All"h but were not given free will. This one jinn chose to worship All"h and went
against the norm of the jinn which was to disobey All"h. This jinn was Ibl!s. Scholars say
that he was such a big exception that All"h raised him to the rank of the angels.

Ibn Taymiyyah said, Most certainly Ibl!s was not from the angels; however, he was
from the angels when it came to his behavior. When it came to obeying All"h and his
worship, he was like the angels.

For thousands and thousands of years, it was just the jinn. For thousands of years, Ibl!s
was in the company of the angels. Sometimes people hear this story and think Ibl!s was
there for a little time and then disobeyed All"h, but it was for a long period of time. For
thousands of years, Ibl!s is the best, and even the angels were not as good as Ibl!s
because they didnt have free will.

28

After thousands of years, All"h created a new creation: the body of %dam. All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) took clay from different parts of the earth and created the body of
%dam (alayhil-sal!m). After All"h created the body of %dam, Ibl!s got to see the body,
and some narrations mention that Ibl!s would spend hours inspecting the body of %dam.
Ibl!s began to realize that this creation was very good, and he would say to %dam before
the soul was blown into him, You have been created as something which is very great.
He would praise %dam (alayhil-sal!m). Some narrations say he would go through the
body of %dam and see him from the inside and out.

The first sin that occurred was (asad. Jealousy can mean wanting something that
someone else has. ,asad is wanting what someone else has and wanting All"h to take it
away from them. It is an extreme form of jealousy and envy and there is a pinch of
hatred in it as well.

Slowly, Ibl!s became jealous of %dam. This envy and jealousy took years upon years to
grow and fester. This shows us that sometimes the cause of (asad can be very small, but
if we let it linger, it can lead to a major sin. When someone has (asad towards someone
else, they want whatever that person has to be taken away from him. This is the type of
jealousy that Ibl!s had towards %dam. He wanted %dam to be debased and destroyed. He
had this kind of hatred towards %dam. He wanted any merit that All"h was going to
give to %dam to be taken away.

Initially he was jealous, and then he became arrogant because he saw that the creation
of %dam has weaknesses. He begins to view himself better and above %dam (alayhil-
sal!m). These feelings festered for a while.

The second sin after the creation of %dam was arrogance. Ibl!ss jealousy led him to
become arrogant. He had delusions of grandeur.

The jealousy festered until All"h finally blew the soul into %dam and told everyone in
the congregation to fall into sajdah. All"h tells us in the Qur&"n that He ordered the
angels to fall into sajdah and among them was Ibl!s. This was the sajdah of respect and
not worship. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said that the worship was to All"h but the respect
that was being paid was to %dam.


29


When All!h fashioned "dam in Paradise, He left him as He liked him to leave. Then
Ibl!s roamed round him to see what actually that was and when he found him hollow
from within, he recognized that he had been created with a disposition that he would
not have control over himself.
[Muslim]

The Prostrati on of the Angel s

So the angels prostrated - all of them entirely
S!ratl-!ijr [15:30]

All of the angels fell in sajdah all together. Imagine this. The angels are very high
number they dont die. Imagine this gathering where there is row after row of angels
as far as the eye can seen. The angels in their true form are large. The Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said their wings cover the sky. There are millions upon
millions of angels. This is the gathering. All of these angels immediately obey the
command and fell into sajdah. Imagine that as far as the eyes can see all of the angels go
into sajdah and one being remains standing.

Ibl!s became arrogant, and because of this, he became of the disbelievers. He became of
those who rejected the obedience to All"h. This one being refuses to prostrate to %dam
(alayhil-sal!m).

So the angels prostrated - all of them entirely.
Except Ibl!s; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers.
S&rah )!d [38:73]

30

There were thousands and millions and trillions of angels in the gathering. All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) continuously creates angels. We cannot even imagine how many
there are.

All"h emphasizes the fact that all of the rows of angels fell into sajdah. All"h re-
emphasizes and says ajma&n (all of them together). It is as if All"h is saying: all of
them, all of them. All"h then makes one exception and says: illa Ibl$s. He was the only
one in the gathering who did not fall into sajdah. It was an amazing site that all of the
angels fall into sajdah, and one creation is left standing. Imagine the amount of
arrogance Ibl!s had.

Ibl ! s s Refusal and Arrogance

[All!h] said, What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?
[Shay!!n] said, I am better than him. You created me from fire and created
him from clay. [All!h] said, Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you
to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:12-13]

The only reason All"h gives for making the sajdah is that He commanded it. Scholars say
that whenever All"h orders us to do something, people often ask why or how, but with
each type of questioning like this, we may be taking on the characteristic of Ibl!s
because it was not enough for Ibl!s that All"h ordered him.

There is (ikmah in worshipping All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la), but the very reason we
worship All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) is because it is the commandment of All"h.
Everything else is secondary.

From this !yah, we see Ibl!ss delusions of grandeur. He uses his own aql (logic) and says
he knows he is commanded to make sajdah but that he doesnt deserve to do so because
he is better than %dam since he is created from fire while %dam is created from clay.

This led many scholars to say that Ibl!s was the im!m of ahll-bidah.

31

Sound reasoning will never contradict authentic revelation. If there is a contradiction,
then either:
the reasoning is not sound
the revelation is not authentic
your understanding of the revelation is not proper or it is a perceived
contradiction when there is no contradiction

The first person to make invalid qiy!s (rejecting text based on ones own thinking) was
Ibl!s. Ibn Taymiyyah said invalid qiy!s leads to kufr (disbelief) and can even lead to shirk).
Excuses of Shay"!n

[All!h] said, What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?
[Shay!"n] said, I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him
from clay. [All!h] said, Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to
be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:12-13]

Ibl!s starts using his own reasoning and logic. Scholars mention that for thousands of
years, Ibl!s was obedient to All"h, but in this moment, he became disobedient. This
shows us that a person may be obedient, but when they are tested, then that is when
their disobedience comes up.

It is easy to be patient when times are good. What happens when All"h tests you and
puts you in a difficulty? Will you still be obedient to All"h? For thousands of years, Ibl!s
was fine, but when the test came and All"h ordered him to make sajdah to a creation he
viewed as less than him because of jealousy, it was the first trial that Ibl!s was put
through. In his first tribulation, he failed and refused to fall into sajdah.

The scholars of aq$dah also mention that Ibl!s was the first to give weight to aql over
naql. He was the first to use his logic / reasoning over a commandment of All"h.

32

Deviations in our history started when people started getting into philosophy and
disregard the revelation and give preference to their logic over revelation. Many
scholars say that Ibl!s was the imam of ahll-bidah (people of deviation).

For example: someone may make a bidah (action not legislated in the Shar$ah). The
reasoning people often give is from logic or by saying, What is wrong with what Im
doing? It is a good action. Example: a Qur&"n kh!ni after someone dies where people
say they are sending the reward to the dead person. This is a practice never done by the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) or the companions or the tabi&n or the people who
came after the tabi$n and the generations after them. This innovation came later. They
use their reasoning to justify something that goes against Islam.

Ibl!s was the first to use his aql over his naql.


Three things are happening in this !yah:
1) Ibl!s blatantly refused to prostrate
2) He became arrogant (Scholars say his arrogance which was deep-rooted finally
came to light)
3) Ibl!s became from the disbelievers. This shows that someone who blatantly
refuses a commandment of All"h can fall into disbelief.

A person who is lazy about praying is different from someone who denies a
commandment of All"h and says he doesnt have to pray. The second person can
fall into kufr. It is one thing to not fulfill it and to make excuses, but it is another
thing to reject the commandment of All"h and say that you do not have to do it.
The type of kufr Ibl!s was in is the highest form of kufr. Ibl!s is saying All"h put
him into error and he doesnt deserve to be in the position of making sajdah to
All"h. He is telling All"h that All"h is wrong for ordering him to make sajdah in
the first place.

The other understanding of this !yah is that Ibl!s is attributing his misguidance to All"h,
which is an error in aq$dah. It is not our belief of ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah that All"h
forces us. Our belief in qadar is that everything happens by the Will, Permission, and
Knowledge of All"h, but this does not mean that All"h forces us to do things. An
analogy some scholars give is: a parent knows his toddler very well and he sees his

33

child picking up a crayon and about to write on the wall, and the father stops the child.
The father did not force the child.

There was a man who was a thief who robbed caravans and he was finally caught by
Umar (ra%yAll!hu anhu). The proof was established against him, and the ruling was
that his hand be cut off. He said, O am$rl-mumin$n, how can you cut off my hand when
I only stole by the qadar of All"h? Umar (ra%yAll!hu anhu) said, You stole by the qadar
of All"h, and we will cut off your hand by the qadar of All"h.

Ibl!s had free will just like the jinn and mankind.

This part of the story is in 7 different places in the Qur&"n: al-Baqarah, al-Ar!f, al-,ijr, al-
Isr!, al-Kahf, +! Ha, )!d. This shows us the importance of this story. This story has
implications that reach all of us.

[All!h] said, O Ibl"s, what is [the matter] with you that you are
not with those who prostrate? He said, Never would I prostrate
to a human whom You created out of clay from an altered black mud.
S!ratl-!ijr [15:32-33]

[All!h] said, O Ibl"s, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with
My hands? Were you arrogant [then], or were you [already] among the haughty? He
said, I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.
S!rah !"d [38:75-76]

Questi on: Is fire really better than clay?

Imam ibn al-Qayyim in his book mentioned around 15-20 different reasons why clay is
better than fire. He said even his logic was wrong, and the assumption that Ibl!s was

34

better than %dam was wrong. He also said there are many reasons why logically his
reasons were not correct. Fire is not better than clay.

From QTayybah:

1) Clay can be used to put out fire. Fire strengthens clay.
2) All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) chose clay over fire to create %dam and all of the
prophets.
3) A fire needs to be tended to. (Oxygen is needed to keep fire going. Clay can
remain on its own.)
4) Clay and water mixed together makes mud and other helpful substances. When
water is mixed with fire, the fire is put out.
5) Clay is soothing to the skin. Fire burns.
6) Clay can be used to build, and fire destroys.
7) Clay can be used for tayammum and ritual purification. Fire is never used.
8) We make suj&d upon the ground / earth. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
said, The earth has been made for me as a purifying agent and as a masjid (a
place where you make sajdah).
9) Clay can be formed to create shapes. Fire cannot.
10) Clay is stable, and fire is not.
11) All"h will use the fire to punish people. Compared to that, people will be
resurrected upon the earth.
12) From the earth, we get plants and trees and things used for our sustenance.
13) Clay can be formed to hold things or make things, but fire only consumes or
destroys things.
14) Clay will be used to punish Shay"!n.
15) Animals benefit from clay.
16) Clay has different textures.
17) Fire produces harmful fumes while clay does not.
18) Fire is destructive and dominating while clay is cool and humble.
19) Clay has nutrients that are good for the body.
20) All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) placed upon the earth the Kabah. The masjid of the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is also on the earth.
21) It is on earth that human beings are married.
22) We bury people in the earth.

From QHosna:

1) Fire can be extinguished by clay. Fire strengthens clay.
2) Fire can cause pain and burn you. Clay can be cooling.
3) Fire destroys. Clay can be used to build and construct.
4) Fire by nature is chaotic and clay can be easily molded and controlled.
5) Humans are buried in clay and not cremated.
6) Clay can hold water but fire cannot.

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7) Clay gives life (plants, trees, fruits). No life comes from fire.
8) Fire needs to be stoked.
9) Clay can be fashioned, used to create art.
10) Clay has more healing properties than fire.
11) You can walk upon clay but cannot walk upon fire.
12) Clay can be used as shelter.
13) Clay can be used for purification (tayammum), but fire cannot be used.
14) We get minerals from the earth.
15) There are carcinogens, smoke, and other harmful substances that come from
fire.
16) Fire needs to be started while clay just exists.
17) People play with clay but not with fire.
18) Depending on where you live, it is possible to survive without fire but not
without clay.
19) Fire is the main source of punishment in the Hellfire.
20) The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The earth has been made for me
as a masjid and as a means of purification.
21) We have been created in the best of forms and mankind is created from clay.
All"h chose to create %dam from clay and told Ibl!s to make sajdah to %dam.

[All"h] said, Descend from it (minha) for it is not for you to
be arrogant therein. Get out! You are of the debased!.
S&ratl-Ar!f [7:13]

All"h kicks Ibl!s out of the gathering of the angels where the incident took place.

The gathering of the angels is not a place of arrogance. The scholars mention the more
arrogant a person gets, the further they get from All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

[All!h] said, Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled.
S!ratl-!ijr [15:34]

Ibl!s says, O my Lord, give me respite until the Day they are resurrected.
After disobeying All"h and refusing to prostrate has the nerve to ask All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la). Ibl!s understood All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and understood that it was still
possible for All"h to answer his du!. One of the tricks of Ibl!s is to get people to think
All"h will not answer their du!. Ibl!s committed kufr and still made du! to All"h.

36

The rub&biyyah of Ibl!s is still intact. This !yah shows us that rub&biyyah on its own is
not enough to be Muslim. Taw($d is split into three categories: rub&biyyah (believing
All"h is our Lord and Creator), ul&hiyyah (believing that All"h is the only One deserving
to be worshipped because he is our Lord and Creator rub&biyyah necessitates
ul&hiyyah), and al-asm! wal-'if!t (Names and Attributes of All"h there is not anyone
like All"h in His Names and Attributes, they befit His Majesty).

This !yah shows that only having rub&biyyah is not enough for a person to be Muslim.
His rub&biyyah did not help him. He lacked in his ul&hiyyah. He did not have the worship
of All"h. This shows us that someone can believe that All"h is their Rabb and Creator,
but if they worship other than All"h, then they can fall into kufr.

All"h answered the du! of Ibl!s, the worst of creation.

37

Shay"!n di vul ges hi s pl an

[Ibl!s] said, My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make
[disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all.
S!ratl-!ijr [15:39]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) kicks Ibl!s out. Scholars disagree on where Ibl!s was kicked
out of. Many scholars say Ibl!s was kicked out of the heavens, which is where the
gathering of the angels was. Some say Ibl!s was kicked out of Jannah where %dam and
+awwa used to live. It seems that he was kicked out of the heavens and that this is the
stronger opinion.

Lesson: The more arrogant we are, the farther away we are from All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la). Ibl!s was initially brought to the gathering of the angels because he was pious
and humble. All"h specifically mentioned the arrogance. This is what led some scholars
to say that no one in Jannah will be arrogant.

When the arrogance is taken away from the person and the person is cleansed of it,
then they will be allowed into Paradise. In S!ratl-!ijr, All"h says, Get out of it for you
are expelled and upon you is the curse until the Day of when all judgment will take
place. All"h is expelling Ibl!s out of the heavens.

Ibl!s then makes a request to All"h and says, O my Lord, give me respite until the Day
they are resurrected. He is asking All"h to allow him to live and not send him to the
Hellfire right then. This shows us that even after disobeying All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la)
and making kufr, he still felt confident enough to ask All"h. One of the tricks of Shay"!n
is to cause a person despair and to lose hope. The irony is that Ibl!s himself makes du!
even though he was the most sinful.

Ibl!s says, O my Lord He is acknowledging that All"h is his Lord. One of the top goals
of Ibl!s is to get human beings to commit shirk or kufr. However, for himself, he still
believed in All"h. He recognizes that All"h is his Lord and because of that He may
answer his prayer.

All"h says, I will let you live When people lose hope in the Mercy of All"h, they
should always remember that All"h even answered the du! of Ibl!s. There is no reason
why we should feel that All"h will not answer our du! no matter how many sins we
commit or how far away from All"h we get, we will never be as bad as Ibl!s who stems
all evil.

38

After this, you would think that Ibl!s would thank All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) that He
allowed him to live. However, look at the amount of arrogance and the rebellious
nature of Ibl!s. He starts verbally attacking %dam and the progeny of %dam. He starts to
tell All"h of his plan.

[Shay!"n] said, Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in
wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from
before them and from behind them and on their right and on their
left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:16-17]

I swear by Your Honor that I will mislead all of them except for the few righteous
servants sincere in their worship.

Ibl!s says he will wait on the straight path. He says, I swear by the error you have put
me in Shay"!n is so arrogant that he does not take responsibility. Ibl!s says that All"h
put him in a position he was not deserving of.

Scholars of aq$dah mention that Ibl!s had a problem in his aq$dah: he said O All"h, You
have made me fall into error. All"h does not put anyone into misguidance. It is their
own actions and deeds that leads them to disobedience.

When a person is swarmed by bees, they are surrounded from every direction, and this
is what Ibl!s is doing. Why doesnt Ibl!s mention the top or the bottom? Ibl!s tells All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) that he will come from the front and behind and right and left,
which are directions which people are capable of anticipating. He will come to them
from where they will anticipate him. Shay"!n is saying that we will see him coming and
he will still get us to disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

Out of Ibl!ss arrogance, he is saying he will come to them from the directions they will
anticipate. You will never imagine something coming from the top or bottom. Ibl!s is
saying that he will come to them from where they will anticipate him, and he will still
be able to misguide them. This is how weak he views the children of %dam out of his
arrogance.

Another interpretation: in du!, we turn to All"h, and the wa(y comes to the top, and
we make sajdah to All"h. Some scholars said when we make du! to All"h, especially
sajdah, then these are two directions by which the Shay"!n cannot misguide us.)

39

Even with that, you will find most of them are not thankful.
Even though we may see Ibl!s coming or anticipate the attack, we wont be thankful to
All"h. Ibn #Abb"s in his tafs$r of this !yah says, When Ibl!s says he will come from the
front, it means he will cause them to doubt the !khirah (Hereafter). From the back
means Shay"!n will cause them to have hope in the dunya. Ibl!s coming from the right
means he will cause people to have doubt about their d$n (religion). When Ibl!s says he
will come from the left, it means he will help or encourage the person to indulge in sins
/ make sins enticing to us. The tafs$r of Ibn #Abb"s goes back to the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam). Ibn #Abb"s said he went over the entire Qur&"n with the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and if he didnt know about an !yah, he would ask about its
revelation and meaning.

Questi on: Why does Ibl!s tell All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) of his plan?
Answer: Ibl!s knows that when All"h makes a promise, then All"h will not break His
promise. This is how sure he is in the truthfulness of All"h. Also, it is part of his
arrogance that he lays out for mankind his plan and man still falls into it.

Questi on: Why did All"h allow Ibl!s to boast and say all of this?
Answer:
1) So that we are aware and can protect ourselves. All"h knows what Ibl!s is
planning to do but allowed him to say this. It has been sent to us in the Qur&"n
so that we take heed and are forewarned about the attacks of Shay"!n. All"h
allowed him to speak so we can protect ourselves.
2) All"h allowed him to do this action so that he will be punished for it. He is
increasing in his own punishment.

We have been warned

Indeed, Shay!"n is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy. He
only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.
S!rah F!"ir [35:6]

All"h creates +awwa and tells %dam and +awwa that they can live in Jannah and eat
from whatever they like except from one tree.

40

O %dam, dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat from wherever
you will. Do not approach or come close to this tree, for indeed
you will become from amongst those who are wrongdoers.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:19]

So We said, O %dam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife.
Then let him not remove you from Paradise so you would suffer.
S&rah +! Ha [20:117]

All"h allowed them to eat from anything except one tree. Ibl!s started to whisper to
%dam (alayhil-sal!m).

Ibl!s still goes to %dam and +awwa and whispers to them. Scholars mentioned that this
happened over a long period of time we dont know how long but it could even be
thousands of years. Ibl!s worked on %dam and Hawa. He would come to them over and
over again.

He whispered to him, O %dam, should I not guide you to a
tree of eternity and possession that will never go away?
S&rah +! Ha [20:120]

One of the tricks of Shay"!n is that he will make sins look good to you and give nice
names to sins.

Scholars say that they didnt fall into this trap until Ibl!s swore by All"h and said, I
swear by All"h that I am a sincere advisor to you. (S!ratl-Ar!f, 7:21). Ibn Kath!r
mentions that it was at this point that %dam ate from the tree. After they ate from the
tree, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) expelled them from Paradise.

Questi on: A person may ask, If Ibl!s was expelled from Paradise, then how was he
able to go and whisper to %dam and Hawa?
Scholars give four explanations for this:
1) We dont know that he couldnt come back in even though he was kicked out.
(from the Isr"!liyy"t: he took the body of a snake that was allowed to enter)

41

2) It wasnt al-Jannah he was kicked out of, but he was kicked out of the gathering
of the angels. It is possible that it was a different Jannah that he was kicked out
of.
3) He wasnt physically there but was able to whisper. He can whisper in our hearts.
4) All"h didnt allow Ibl!s to reside in Paradise but allowed Ibl!s to enter and leave
Paradise as a test for %dam and Hawa.

%dam and +awwa sought forgiveness from All"h but were no longer allowed to result
in Paradise.

Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.
Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:27]

There is a lesson from the story of %dam and Hawa. All"h addresses us. O children of
%dam, do not let Shay"!n tempt you just as He removed your parents from Paradise.
We learn and take heed and know that Ibl!s is our clear enemy.

Indeed Shay"!n is an enemy for you, so take him as your enemy.
S&rah F!"ir [35:6]
Our Sworn Enemy

Shay"!n is our enemy from the moment we are born until the day we die.

From our bi rth

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, When any
human being is born, the Shay!"n pokes them at both sides of their body with his two
fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom the Shay!"n tried to touch but failed, for he
touched the placenta-cover instead.
[al-Bukh!ri]

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)sa was an exception because of the du! of the wife of Imr"n who said, I have given
her the name Maryam and I seek refuge in You for her and her family from al-Shay"!nl-
raj$m.

But when she delivered her, she said, My Lord, I have delivered a female. And All"h
was most knowing of what she delivered, And the male is not like the female. And I
have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from
Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of All"h ].
S&rah -le-Imr!n [3:36]

)a($( Muslim: Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
When a child is born, they cry because of the poke of Ibl!s. We learn from this that
this is one of the reasons why a child cries when he is born.

Tri vi a: Was #)sa (#alayhil-sal!m) the only Prophet saved from this poking?
Al-Nawawi and others said the exception applies not only to )sa but to all of the
prophets.

Since the moment we are born, Ibl!s is our enemy.

If the parents are affected by Ibl!s, then it will affect the children. The Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said every newborn child is born upon their fi"rah and it is
their parents who make them a Jew, Christian or Zoroastrian.

Duri ng our dai l y l i fe

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- Shay"!n is ready to enter our body when we yawn
Abu Sa!d al-Khudri mentioned in )a($( Muslim: When one of you yawns, you
should try to restrain it for Shay"!n can enter your mouth when you yawn.
When you yawn, you should hold it back or cover your mouth.

- Shay"!n laughs at us
In Bukh"ri, Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
said All"h loves when a person sneezes. All"h does not like it when a person
yawns. When a person sneezes, they should praise All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la)
and it is the right of every Muslim upon another Muslim that when they hear a
Muslim sneeze, they say may All"h have mercy on you. As for the yawning, it is
from al-Shay"!n. Shay"!n laughs at the person when he hears a person making a
sound while yawning.

A person should try to restrain the yawn with the hand as much as they can. It is
Sunnah to cover our mouth with our hand when we yawn so we protect from
Shay"!n entering our body through our mouth. Ibn Hajar mentions that if the
hand is not used, then use the arm.

Yawning is contagious.

- Shay"!n urinates in our ear while we sleep
Ibn Mas(d narrated in )a($( Bukh"ri: A man slept until sunrise, and the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, That is a man in whose ear Shay"!n
had urinated. In another narration: in his two ears.

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This applies to someone who doesnt take any measures to wake up for fajr. Does
this apply to someone who took all the means and measures but still didnt wake
up? There is ikhtil!f, but the opinion of the majority of scholars is that if you
made the proper intention and did everything you could but were overtaken by
sleep, then Shay"!n does not urinate in your ear.

Note: no matter how late you sleep, always make the intention to wake up for
fajr! If someone doesnt set their alarm, then they are making the intention to
miss fajr, which is a major sin.

Always make the intention for goodness even if there is a good chance you will
not do it.

What does it mean that Shay"!n urinates in our ear? The jinn are in a different
realm. We do not see them, feel them, or hear them. We may feel the effects of
what they do. It doesnt mean that those things are not happening. The point
here is: how did you feel when you heard this (ad$th?

- Shay"!n tries to eat with us
J"bir (ra%yAll!hu anhu) narrated in )a($( Muslim that the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, Shay"!n tries to be present with you in everything you do.
Even when a person eats their food, Shay"!n is present with them. If they drop a
morsel of food on the floor, pick it up and remove anything harmful from it and
eat it and not leave anything for Shay"!n to eat. One should lick their fingers
because one does not know where he blessing lies.

Shay"!n eats from food and we should not allow him to eat from this food. For
desis, it is very common that they fold the corner of the sajj!dah after praying
because they say Shay"!n will pray on it. Response: Shay"!n doesnt pray. If that
was the case, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) would have informed us
about it.

- Shay"!n tries to entice us while we are alone with the opposite gender
This shows us that Shay"!n is always there with us. ,ad$th of Ibn Umar in Sunan
al-Tirmidhi: A man is not alone with a woman except that the third is al-
shay"!n. This (ad$th says al-shay"!n, meaning Ibl!s.

Note: the same thing applies to virtual gatherings and phone! Just because you
are not physically together does not mean Shay"!n is not there in the gathering.

- Shay"!n tries to ruin our prayer
In Bukh"ri narrated by Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
said that when the call for prayer is announced, Shay"!n runs away passing wind.

45

When the adh!n is finished, the Shay"!n comes running back. When the iq!mah is
made, Shay"!n runs away again. When the iq!mah is finished, Shay"!n comes
back again and tries to whisper in their heart do you remember this and that?
This shows us that as arrogant as Shay"!n is, All"h debases him.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If you forget what you did in your
prayer, then perform two prostrations of forgetfulness after your prayer.

%ishah mentions in )a($( Bukh"ri: I asked the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) about a person who was praying and looking here and there. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, That is the theft that Shay"!n steals
from your prayer.

A person may ask: how does the Shay"!n do this? The default is that we cannot see the
Shay"!n. This may be happening in their realm. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
informed us of this so that we dont remain ignorant. Also, the scholars say that when
we hear these a(!d$th, it should bring to mind a feeling of disgust.

Unti l our death

When Imam A!mad b. "anbal was dying, his sons were telling him to say the shah!dah
(declaration of faith), but he kept saying, no, no, no! Afterwards, he regained his
consciousness and they asked him, Why were you saying no? He said, When you
were telling me to say the shah!dah, Shay!"n came to me and said, You made it. You
have beaten me, you have won, you are successful, dont worry. I was saying, no! not
until I die.

Even until the last moment of our existence, Shay"!n will try and come to deceive us.
The playing ground for him is the last moments of a persons life. It is very common for
people on their deathbed singing a song. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
A persons whose last words are la il!ha illa All!h, he will enter Paradise. Shay"!n will
remind you of things you were used to. The scholars say those who spend their life
repeating the shah!dah, it will be easy for them to say it in their final moments.

Ibl!s worshipped All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) for thousands and thousands of years and
was not tested in this time. When he was tested, he failed. This shows that what counts
is what a person does when he is tested. The first test that came to Ibl!s was the test of
him feeling he was great. Upon receiving that test, he failed.
The di fference between the enmi ty of manki nd and the enmi ty
of Shay"!n

Ibn Kath!r said there are three places in the Qur&"n where we learn this lesson.

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When it comes to our enemies from mankind and enemies from Shay"!n, the scholars
say that if you look in the Qur&"n, you will find three places where All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la) clearly tells us the difference in how we act to our enemies from mankind and
the enemies of Shay"!n.

Take what is given freely, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.
And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Shay!"n, then seek refuge in All!h.
Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:199-200]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) is telling us how to behave with those people who do not
behave well with us or those who are ignorant / foolish or act means towards us. All"h
says to show forgiveness and show what is good and turn away from what is foolish.
When it comes to Ibl!s, he is so dangerous that we seek refuge in All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la).

Take what i s gi ven f reel y, enj oi n what i s good, and turn away f rom the
i gnorant

This is our approach to those who show animosity towards us. Show forgiveness when
someone is mean to us. We also clarify that which is right. We forgive people for their
mistakes and behaving in a wrong way. We still clarify and show them that which is
good. This commanding of goodness may be through our tongues, actions, or behavior.
When there is no reasoning with them, then turn away from them. This is the last
resort.

And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Shay!"n, then seek refuge in All!h. Indeed, He is
Heari ng and Knowi ng.

There is no reasoning with Shay"!n. We dont make dawah to Shay"!n or du! for
Shay"!n. Our first line of defense against Shay"!n is seeking refuge in All"h from him.

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Repel, by [means of] what is best, [their] evil. We are most knowing of what they
describe. And say, My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils.
S!ratl-Mumin!n [23:96-97]

As a Muslim, your responsibility when someone comes to you with evil is to repel it
with goodness.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) is saying that when evil comes to you from mankind (i.e.
talks to you in a bad way, shows animosity), then repel it with that which is better.
Take the higher road. Then All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says to say, My Lord, I seek
refuge in You from the whisperings of the devils. In the first !yah, All"h tells us to
repel evil with that which is better. If some whisperings come to you from the shay!"$n,
then seek refuge in All"h. The approach toward the shay!"$n and Ibl!s is to seek refuge
in All"h.

And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed]
which is better, and thereupon the one whom between you and him
is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. But none is
granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except
one having a great portion [of good]. And if there comes to you from Shay!"n an evil
suggestion, then seek refuge in All!h. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
S!rah Fu!!ilat [41:34-36]

All"h is saying that when someone comes to you and has a bad approach towards you
or shows animosity towards you, then repel it with something that is better. We dont
drop down to their level. We have better character and better behavior. When you do
that, instead of this person becoming your enemy, they will become your devoted
friend. Someone may start off hating you, but if you have good character towards them,
then this person can become your good friend.

In the next !yah, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says no one is granted the quality of being
your close friend except those who are patient. The great portion that we will be
granted is not only happiness in the dunya but also happiness in the !khirah.

48

With people, we are patient and repel evil with that which is good. We do this in the
hope that this is dawah for them and that they may become our friend. With shay"!n,
we are never patient. We only seek refuge in All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) from Ibl!s.

In these three places in the Qur&"n, we see the contrast in how we behave with shay!"$n
and our enemies. It is possible that our enemies in the dunya could become our close
friends, but the Shay"!n will never become our friend.

We also learn from these !y!t the importance of saying a&dhu bill!hi min al-Shay"!nl-
raj$m. Most people find it difficult to get up for fajr. One of the most powerful things you
can do to fight the influence of Shay"!n at fajr time is saying a&dhu bill!hi min al-
Shay"!nl-raj$m.

Wi sdom behi nd the Creati on of the Shay"!n

People often ask: why would All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) create a being like Ibl!s whose
sole job is to destroy us? Here are some reasons.

1. Struggling against the Shay"!n helps one improve their relationship with All"h.

Struggling against Shay"!n involves things like seeking refuge in All"h, which is an
act of worship. We are rewarded for saying the isti!dhah, and every act of worship
brings us closer to All"h. Tawakkul brings us closer to All"h. Loving All"h brings us
closer to All"h. If you fail a battle against Shay"!n, you seek All"hs forgiveness and
make tawbah and come closer to All"h.

2. The effects of fighting against Shay"!n and his supporters leads to the perfection of
worship

Look at any aspect of our worship: reliance on All"h, trust in All"h. We get to
perfect these acts of worship as we take Shay"!n as an enemy. Your tawakkul in All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) should go up.

3. Due to the existence of Shay"!n, the slaves of All"h become fearful of their sins

Ibl!s committed a sin and will be punished in the Hellfire. We become fearful for
ourselves as well. We realize from the story of Ibl!s that he went from the highest
rank to the lowest rank. No matter how knowledgeable you are, you should never
feel that you are good to go. Imam A$mad did not feel safe from falling into evil
even until his very last breath.

4. All"h has made him a lesson for those who reflect. When one reflects, there are
many lessons in the story of Shay"!n.

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The more you think about the story of Ibl!s, you think and ponder and reflect on the
Qur&"n more and more.
- When All"h commands us to do something, we may not understand it but it is
for our own benefit and from our submission to All"h that we carry out those
deeds.
- Ibl!s worshipped All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) for thousands of years, and we
worship All"h for one night and think we are amazing. Never feel that you are
safe. This is one of the traps of Shay"!n.
- Be fearful of your sins and never take them lightly. It was a single sin that led
Ibl!s to kufr.

5. All"h has made Shay"!n a test and trial for His slaves

All"h decreed that He will test mankind through Ibl!s: the whisperings of Ibl!s, his
methods of deception. All"h uses Shay"!n to test us. All"h gave him life so that he
may test us.

6. The creation of Shay"!n shows us the complete ability of All"h to create opposites

Scholars say that opposites show the virtues of the opposite. Just as All"h created
the likes of Jibr!l who is a pure being and an angel who never disobeys All"h and
just as All"h created the prophets who are the best of mankind, likewise All"h
created an opposite to them who is Ibl!s. The salaf would say, O All"h, we are
thankful that you allowed us to accept Islam. Our greatest blessing is guidance and
Islam.

7. Opposites show the virtues of their opposites

Example: someone who lives in California and has 70 degree weather all year round
may not be grateful for what they have until they see the opposite.

8. Trials are a means to the actualization of thankfulness

When a person is tried, they need to understand they need to be thankful for All"h.
A person in a trial may become more aware of All"h and more thankful. If you want
to meet someone who understands the blessings of health, then meet someone who
is sick or has a terminal illness.

9. In the creation of Shay"!n rests many aspects of worship

Patience with the decree of All"h, reliance on All"h and trust in All"h come about
from the creation of Shay"!n.

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10. The creation of Shay"!n makes All"hs signs clear

All"h sent the prophets as the enemies of Ibl!s and his followers. Through the
prophets, All"h sent down many signs. The miracles of the prophets were to help us
recognize truth from falsehood.

11. The creation of Shay"!n from fire is a sign in itself

A person All"h has created in a particular way may be capable of the opposite. For
example, All"h may have created someone who is obedient but they are capable of
changing to the opposite. For example, fire has the ability to provide us with
warmth and light and cook food for us. This shows us that people may seem to be of
a certain nature but may be able to fall on either side of good and evil.

12. The creation of Shay"!n makes apparent the meaning of many of All"hs Names

Sometimes we need to be put through tests and trials to put our trust in All"h and
realize His Names. All"h is capable over all things. A person who is not going
through a trial may read it and say thats great. On the other hand, someone may be
going through a serious trial and say All!hu kulli shayin qad$r and say that All"h is
All-Powerful and put their trust in All"h and recognize the Names and Attributes of
All"h.

13. The creation of Shay"!n makes apparent All"hs complete control over the affairs of
this creation

All"h has decreed that Ibl!s be created and his followers be sent to the Hellfire.
All"h has decreed that those who work against Ibl!s will go to heaven.

14. Shay"!ns existence stems from the completeness of All"hs Wisdom

Some things may seem evil or bad to us, and when we ponder it, we realize All"h
has a Wisdom in everything He created. In the creation of Ibl!s there is goodness for
us (i.e. all of these points mentioned).

15. By creating the Shay"!n, All"h shows us His Patience

We see All"hs Patience through the creation of Ibl!s. Ibl!s disobeyed All"h by not
falling into sajdah and then asked All"h to give him respite. All"h gave it to Him, and
then he disobeyed All"h again and said he would mislead mankind. All"h still kept
His Promise.

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Shay"!n disobeyed All"h and became arrogant. When All"h answered his du!,
instead of being grateful, he said he would mislead people. This doesnt make a
difference to All"h because of His Greatness. Because of Ibl!s, many people will
disobey All"h, but it doesnt bother All"h.

Bukh"ri and Muslim: Abdull"h b. Qays narrated that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) said, There is no one who is more patient or forbearing upon something
they hear than All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). There are people who associate partners
with All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and those who attribute a son to All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la). Even though they commit shirk with All"h and associate partners with
All"h, All"h continues to give them sustenance, grant them safety, and give them
many things. People continually disobey All"h and All"h continues to give them.
This is why you may find someone in the depths of kufr and uses their blessings to
disobey All"h but All"h may continue to give to them.

Worshipping other than All"h is the greatest form of *ulm. We cannot imagine the
patience befitting the Majesty of All"h who is Al-)ab&r.

16. Many of All"hs signs are shown to us because of the existence of the Shay"!n.

Some signs that came about because of the existence of Shay"!n:
- The coming of the prophets were signs for us. If Ibl!s didnt exist, people would
not be on this type of misguidance.
- The Qur&"n is a living sign we have until the Day of Judgment. It came about
because we need guidance to defend ourselves against Shay"!n.

17. Having Shay"!n in existence leads to the love of All"h

The more we hate Ibl!s and fight him, the more our love for All"h (sub(!nahu wa
ta!la) will grow.

18. All"h loves to be the Protector and the Refuge for His servants

All"h loves it when we say a&dhu bill!hi min al-Shay"!nl-raj$m. We are told over
and over again in the Qur&"n to seek refuge in All"h from the Shay"!n. This goes
back to perfecting our worship of All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

Scholars have mentioned up to 100 different wisdoms of why All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la)
created Ibl!s.
Why was Shay"!n gi ven respi te unti l the Day of Resurrecti on?

All"h left him to be a trial for the servants

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All"h intended to test and try mankind, and this is one reason why All"h answered
the du! of Ibl!s. It would be unfair to the children of %dam if the beginning were
tested and the end were not tested. Out of All"hs Wisdom and Justice, everyone has
to face the test of Ibl!s.

All"h gave Shay"!n respite as a reward for his previous deeds

In the !khirah, there is nothing but punishment for Ibl!s. However, we know that
for thousands of years, Ibl!s was obedient to All"h. Scholars say that it may be in
order to reward him for this and that while mankind is in existence, he will let him
live as reward for his previous deeds.

Shay"!n is left to increase in his sins

Every single moment that Ibl!s is Alive is a moment he will have to answer for and
be punished for. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person who starts
a good action will have the reward of everyone who follows them in that good
action. The one who starts something bad will have the weight of that sin and will
have the weight of the sin of every single person who follows them until the Day of
Judgment. This is why Ibl!s has the worst punishment in the !khirah.

Ibl!s encourages people to sin and disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

Shay"!n has been left to be the patron and ally of the evildoers

If the evildoers had him as a patron and ally in the beginning of time, then it is not
fair that they would not have him now. The test continues in a similar manner
which is why All"h allowed him to live until the Day of Judgment.

The prophets were sent to fight against Shay"!n; however, the prophets die. Why
did All"h give Ibl!s life until the Day of Judgment but not allow the prophets to live
until the Day of Judgment as well? The message of the prophets exists. All"h sent
the Dhikr (remembrance, guidance) and protects it. The Qur&"n is protected until the
Day of Judgment.

The proof of All"hs existence and the existence of Ibl!s

It increases our devotion to All"h.

Many of the signs of the Day of Judgment involve Ibl!s

For example, some of the minor signs include that women will be naked but clothed.
Scholars interpret this in two ways: 1) they will wear clothing where their skin is
covered but it is so tight that it is as if they are naked or 2) they will be wearing

53

such little clothing that technically they are wearing clothing but it covers almost
nothing. Ibl!s helps people call this freedom of women.

Also, one of the signs of the Day of Judgment is that fornication will become
widespread. Shay"!n has a hand in this as well.

It gives everyone in creation the opportunity to fight against Ibl!s.

We have a chance to reach excellence. The companions were with the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), and we have not seen him, but we still have this firm
faith. All"h is giving us a chance to have a high level.

We are all given the ability to refute the claims of Ibl!s. Everyone has their own
personal battle and win.

Why didnt All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) allow the prophets to live until the Day of
Judgment as well?
It is not the nature of mankind to live forever. The prophets suffered a lot and gave up
a lot for the sake of All"h and All"h didnt want to continue to test them. It doesnt
mean that guidance isnt there. Just as All"h allowed Ibl!s to live, All"h allows guidance
to remain until the Day of Judgment. The Qur&"n will be preserved until the Day of
Judgment.

What wi l l Shay"!n s fate be?

The Shay"!n will have the worst of punishments.

After the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) came, he gets a portion of the reward of
every single good deed on earth because he brought us the guidance from All"h. Ibl!s is
the opposite from the creation of %dam, the sin of every single disobedience goes
back to him.

[All!h] said, Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. Whoever
follows you among them - I will surely fill Hell with you, all together.
S!ratl-Ar!f [7:18]

The most rewarded person on the Day of Judgment will be the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam). Every single good deed from his time on goes back to him. For every single
bad deed, the punishment goes back to Ibl!s.

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Chapter 3 | Physi cal Descri pti on and Abi l i ti es of
Shay"!n

Most people tend to think of Ibl!s as being red with a tail and horns because of the
Christian and Jewish traditions, which depict angels and devils.
Can Shay"!n be seen?

Because Ibl!s is from the jinn, he cannot be seen.

S!ratl-Ar!f [7:27]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says, He most certainly sees you, him and his tribe, from
where you do not see them. This means that All"h has given the jinn the ability to see
us, and we have not been given the ability to see the jinn. It makes sense that because
Ibl!s was from the jinn, we cannot see him.

Scholars differed over to what extent can we not see the jinn or the Shay"!n. Does this
mean that in most cases we cannot see him or we can never see him? There are two
different aspects:

1) The Ibl!s and jinn in their original form
Most scholars say that they cannot be seen except by the prophets. Some
scholars said that this may apply to the righteous people as well; however, the
majority of scholars say it is something specific to the prophets. The minority
opinion is that they can be seen by the prophets and the '!li(&n.

2) The shay!"$n and Ibl!s and jinn in a different form (form of man or animal, etc.)
Jinn may make themselves visible to other people. According to the law of the
jinn, they are not supposed to do that. In general, someone who is doing that is
not doing something which is good. They may be sinful when taking on a
different form.

The a'l is that they cannot be seen by mankind. However, we know that certain
animals may be able to see the jinn in their original form.

Di d you know? Donkeys and dogs can see Shay"!n and the j i nn

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,ad$th of J"bir: When you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of donkeys at
night, seek refuge in All!h, for they see that which you do not see.
[Abu D!w"d]

Is the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) saying they see the jinn in the original form
or different form? This (ad$th is referring to donkeys and dogs being able to see the jinn
in their original form.

What does Shay"!n l ook l i ke?

In Christianity, they depict angels and prophets. In Islam, we dont depict these. From
their tradition, they depict Shay"!n with wings and a tail.

The reality is that we know very little about how Ibl!s looks. We know that Ibl!s is very
ugly and extremely hideous in his original form. In S&ratl-)aff!t, All"h talks about the
heads of the devils and the tree of zaqq&m which is found in the Hellfire.

Is Paradise a better accommodation or the tree of zaqq&m? Indeed, We have
made it a torment for the wrongdoers. Indeed, it is a tree issuing from
the bottom of the Hellfire, Its emerging fruit as if it was heads of the devils.
S&ratl-)aff!t [37:62-65]

The tree of zaqq&m is extremely hideous and the worst thing that someone can eat.
Some scholars said it will make a persons insides boil when they eat from this tree.
All"h said the fruits of this tree are like the heads of the shay!"$n. We know that the
shay!"$n are very ugly and Ibl!s is very ugly.

56

Scholars say All"h chose to describe the fruit in this way because it is the ugliest
description possible. The (ikmah of All"h concealing Ibl!s from us is that if we were to
see him, we wouldnt be able to function or sleep at night.

Some scholars have drawn the analogy to say that one of the things that makes Ibl!s so
ugly is that he continues to sin and disobey All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). Sometimes you
may be able to see the ugliness of sins upon a person. Scholars of the past and early
generations would say that at times you can witness obedience upon someone (i.e. n&r
on someones face) or disobedience upon someone. Taqwa recognizes other taqwa. A
person whose heart is pure is more likely to recognize purity.

A trick of Shay"!n is to make things seem beautiful to you. Stand-up comedy is filthy
and the more you listen to it, the more normal it becomes. They may say the nastiest
thing and someone doesnt even cringe. We can all fall prey to this.

Apart from Ibl!s being ugly, we dont know much else. The scholars mention that the
,ikmah of All"h in keeping Ibl!s hidden from us is that if we were to see Ibl!s, then we
may not be able to sleep at night because he is so ugly. Mankind may not be able to
function. All"h doesnt want us to have that type of test or trial. Ibl!s is the absolute
extreme of ugliness.

The Two Horns of Shay"!n

There are a few authentic a(!d$th in which we hear of the horns of Shay"!n.

,ad$th of Ibn Umar that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do not intend to
observe prayer at the time of the rising of the sun nor at its setting, for it rises between
the horns of Shay!"n.
[Muslim]

Most translations say the two horns of Shay"!n. Scholars differ on if this means the
two horns of Shay"!n or the two sides of Shay"!n. Qarn is the end or beginning of
something, which is why a generation is called qarn. The stronger opinion seems to be
that it refers to the two sides of the head of Shay"!n. Imam al-Nawawi was of this
opinion as well. A minority of scholars said that Ibl!s has horns. However, if you look
into the text of the (ad$th, it is not talking about the actual horns.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) doesnt want us to make sajdah during that
time. In )a($( Muslim, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) clarifies and added: It is

57

at that time (rising and setting of the sun) in which the kuff!r make sajdah to it.
Scholars say that what is meant here is that is a time when either Shay"!n or other than
All"h are worshipped.

In the Arabic of the (ad$th, it says shay"!n and not al-shay"!n. There is another
narration of this (ad$th in )a($( Muslim and an addition in which the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, It is at that time the disbelievers make sajdah. The scholars said
this is a time when the disbelievers get involved in their worship. The disbelievers who
worship the sun are known to worship it at that time. Therefore, our act of worship is
not at the same time so as not to be confused with theirs. Shay"!n likes for people to
worship other than All"h. When a person is making sajdah at that time, shay"!n feels
good about himself and feels that people are making sajdah to him.

The intended meaning is the two sides of a shay"!ns head. It is a time when people
disobey All"h and worship other than All"h.

Note: the scholars of the past did not give this issue much importance. The purpose of
this (ad$th is not to tell us that the Shay"!n has two horns. The point is that we should
not be praying to All"h at that time.

Does shay"!n have two horns? All!hu alam. It is possible, but we dont know.
The Abi l i ti es of Shay"!n

Hi s abi l i ty to see us

This means we should be even more diligent in seeking protection from him. There are
du!s for entering the house, entering the bathroom, leaving the house, etc. We protect
ourselves twenty-four hours a day.

S&ratl-Ar!f [7:27]

Shay"!n, Ibl!s and the jinn as a whole have the ability to see us. The scholars mentions
that this is a very dangerous trait. It is even worse because we cannot see them.

1) All!h has given Shay"!n the ability to see mankind, without them being able to see
him.
2) Its a dangerous ability
He is able to monitor and observe us

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He is able to learn from us
He constantly follows us, 24 hours a day!
3) We cannot win unless you seek the help of the One who is more powerful than
Shay"!n.

Hi s abi l i ty to take physi cal form

Abu Hurayrah (ra%yAll!hu anhu) narrates: The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) put me in charge of guarding the charity of Rama%!n. Someone came to me
and started grabbing handfuls of the food. I took hold of him and said, I will take you to
the Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). He said, I will teach you some
words by means of which All"h will benefit you. I said, What are they? He said, When
you go to your bed, recite !yatl-kursi All"h will appoint a guard for you who will stay
with you and no shay"!n will come near you until morning. The Messenger of All"h
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) asked me, What did your prisoner do last night? I said, O
Messenger of All"h, he taught me something and claimed that All"h would benefit me
by it. He said, What was it? I said, He taught me to recite !yatl-kursi when I go to bed
and said that no shay"!n would come near me until morning and that All"h would
appoint a guard for me who would stay with me. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate liar. That was a
shay"!n.

From this narration, we learn the following:
- The shay!"$n can take human form
- The general habit of the shay!"$n is that they will lie; however, it is possible that
truth may come out but we dont have the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
to tell us the difference between a truth and a lie.
- -yatl-kursi is a protection from us at night time if we recite it then.
- The shay!"$n may be seen in a human form.

There is a story from the s$rah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), which shows
us that Ibl!s was attacking from the very beginning of Islam. When the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) was in Makkah and the dawah began to spread, the leaders
got together in d"rl-Nadwa. They were trying to figure out what to do with the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). The narrator says when they were about to close
the door of the secret gathering, an old man stuck his hand in the door and asked if
they would allow him in. They did. One man said they should chain up the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). The old man said, This is not the right thing to do because
then most certainly he would get stronger and his followers would get stronger.
Another said they should expel him from Makkah. The old man spoke up again and
said, This is not the correct opinion. If you expel him, he may leave Makkah and gain
more followers and get strong and come back and take over Makkah. One person said,
We should kill him. Not only should we kill him, but we should kill him in a way that
no one can be blamed by getting one person from each tribe and having them kill him

59

together. The old man said, This is the correct opinion. This old man was Ibl!s. Jibr!l
went to warn the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and he was able to escape.

Sometimes shay!"$n take human form to deceive mankind and get them involved in
more shirk. If you go to places with tombs and shrines, we may hear crazy things
happen. Sometimes the shay!"$n will pretend to be awliy! and speak. An ignorant
person doesnt know that making du! to other than All"h is shirk. They start making
du! at his gravesite and hear a voice coming from inside. They want to increase the
people in their shirk.

The shay!"$n and jinn can take on the form of animals. In )a($( Muslim, Abu Dharr
narrated that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, When a person is praying,
he should place something in front of him. If a black dog walks in front of him, it breaks
his prayer. Abu Dharr asked why a black dog, and the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, A black dog is a shay"!n. The shay!"$n tend to take on the form of black
dogs.

The jinn and the shay!"$n can take on the form of snakes. Abu Sa!d al-Khudri narrated
in )a($( Muslim: I heard the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) say that in Mad!nah
there is a group of jinn who became Muslim. Give them a warning three times. If they
appear after that, then kill it; it is a shay"!n. The snake may be a jinn who has become
Muslim and doesnt know they arent supposed to be doing this, so you warn it three
times. Does this mean that all snakes are shay!"$n? No. Is this (ad$th specific to Mad!nah
at that time or also apply to us? The scholars differed over this issue. The stronger
opinion is that this (ad$th is specific to that time and that place (note: less scholars say
this, but Shaykh Saad holds this opinion). If we see a snake in our house, we dont have
to warn it three times and can take it outside or kill it if we fear it may bite us. All"h
knows best. Shaykh Saad does hold the opinion that we should still warn the snake
three times to just be on the safe side. This would take yourself out of the khil!f, and
you are covered either way.

Hi s abi l i ty to fl ow wi thi n manki nd

Shay"!n flows through man as blood flows [through veins], and I was afraid that
Shay"!n might bring an evil thought (or something) into your hearts.
[al-Bukh"ri, Muslim]

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'afiyyah visited the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) while making itik!f and asked
him to walk her home. As he was walking her home at night, there were two an'!ri men
who saw them and he ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Dont rush! This is 'afiyyah bint
Hiyyah. The two men said, Sub(!nAll!h, ya Ras&lull!h! We would never expect you to
be with a woman you are not related to. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
Most certainly the Shay"!n flows in man as blood flows through veins. I feared that
Shay"!n may throw something into your hearts. It is possible someone doesnt have a
bad intention but Shay"!n whispers something into their heart.

If you are in a position where you know you can clarify a situation and people will
listen to you, then you should do so because that is what the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) did.

Does this mean Shay"!n literally flows through our veins or is it metaphorical? This
question is wrong to begin with. When we hear a (ad$th or !yah, we take it literally
unless we learn otherwise. If you take the opinion that the jinn and angels are spirits, it
makes no difference.

This (ad$th shows that Shay"!n is able to influence us easily because he flows in our
bodies.

Where does Shay"!n resi de?

,ad$th of Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, When one of
you wakes up from your sleep and performs ablution, you must clean your nose three
times, for the Shay"!n spends the night in the interior of his nose.
[Muslim]

Rul e: we take every (ad$th literally unless we have a proof to understand it otherwise.

Shay"!n is one being, so how does he spend the night in the nose of everyone? All!hu
alam. As long as there is an authentic (ad$th of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
saying it happens, then it does.

This is not an issue of it being literal or metaphorical. Scholars mention that this
doesnt happen always and the exception to the rule is that if for example a person
recited !yatl-kursi, he will be saved from this type of thing.

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Shay"!n s Throne

,ad$th of J"bir b. Abdull"h in )a($( Muslim: Ibl!s places his throne upon water; he
then sends detachments (for creating dissension); those who are nearer to him in rank
are the ones who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of them comes and
says, I did such-and-such. And [Ibl!s] he says, You have done nothing. Then one
amongst them comes and says, I did not leave so-and-so until I caused dissension
between him and his wife. Ibl!s then comes close to him and says Yes, you [have done
well]! Al-Amash added, He then embraces him.

From this, we learn:
- Ibl!s has a throne. Out of Ibl!ss arrogance, he wants to imitate All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la). All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) has a Throne that is upon water, which we
learn in S&rah H&d v. 7. Ibl!s also places his throne upon water.

Ibn 'ayy"d is mentioned in )a($( Muslim: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) is with Abu Bakr and Umar and come across a man by the name of Ibn
'ayy"d . The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) says to him, Do you testify
that I am the Messenger of All"h? He says, I testify that I am the messenger of
All"h. I testify in my belief in All"h, the angels, and His Books. The Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) says, What do you see? He says, I see a throne
upon water. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) says, You see the throne
of Ibl!s upon water. To Abu Bakr and Umar, he ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) says,
Leave this man, indeed Ibl!s has deceived him / caused him confusion. Some
of the companions thought Ibn 'ayy"d was the Dajj!l. The Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) informed them that the time of the Dajj!l had not come yet.

In another narration, it mentions that Ibl!s places his throne above the ocean.

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This leads people to ask which ocean. What is the point of all of this
information? How does this knowledge benefit you in your dunya or !khirah? It
doesnt! One of the goals of Shay"!n is to get us involved in mub!( (permissible)
matters but keep us away from matters which are better. One of the tricks of
Shay"!n is to make us spend time doing things of no benefit to us instead of
worshipping All"h.

- Dissension is one of the major goals of Shay"!n, and specifically amongst married
couples. When people love one another for the sake of All"h, Shay"!n will always
attack their relationship. For example, spouses got married for the right reasons
and their relationship is based on taqwa, but Shay"!n will always attack their
marriage. The a'l when it comes to divorce is that we are cautious that shay"!n is
not playing.

The scholars mention that the more you love someone, the more Shay"!n tries to
cause dissension between the two of you. One of the main problems we have is
dissension. Shay"!n has given up hope that the mu'all&n (someone who is regular
in prayer) will worship him, so he resorts to causing dissension amongst them,
which is why one of the biggest problems in mas!jid today is dissension.

Shay"!n will often try to cause disagreement and dissension among couples.
Take advantage of saying the isti!dhah. Sometimes that is all it takes to calm
down. This is a cure for anger as well.

Never feel that your relationship is safe. Always be vigilant of Shay"!n. If you are
vigilant, then you can protect yourself and anticipate problems.

Where do the shay!"$ n si t and gather?

The shay!"$n may inhabit the same places where humans inhabit. They may be in such
places abandoned by mankind or they may gather in places that are impure, whether
physical (i.e. bathrooms) or where All"h is being disobeyed. A place of sin is more likely
to be a place of shay!"$n. In places like that, sins become rampant and one sin leads to
another sin and another sin. For example, in a club, there is alcohol, immodesty, zina,
etc. Some scholars also mention the marketplace.

Side Note: Going to a restaurant that sells sheesha to eat should be avoided as much as
you can because it is places like that where sins are taking place that the shay!"$n tend
to be.

The shay!"$n spread out in the early portion of nightfall. In Bukh"ri and Muslim, J"bir b.
Abdull"h mentions the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, When it is the
beginning of the night, keep your children close to you because it is when the shay!"$n
spread out. When an hour of the night has passed, then you may let them out. Close the

63

doors and mention the Name of All"h so that the shay"!n will not open a door like that.
This shows us the blessings of mentioning the Name of All"h when entering or leaving
the house. We dont want the shay!"$n or the Shay"!n to enter the house. Remember the
Name of All"h when entering or leaving the house.

What is the ruling of sitting between shade and sunlight? Some scholars said it is
makr&h and disliked to do this. However, this is based on a very, very weak (ad$th.
Therefore, there is no basis for it even though some scholars say it is better to be on the
safe side. However, since we have no authentic (ad$th to prove it to us, then it goes back
to the a'l and the default of actions which are not worship is that it is allowed for us to
do it. And All"h knows best.

Does Shay"!n have power over us?

Should we be afraid of Shay"!n?

Indeed, there is for him no authority over those
who have believed and rely upon their Lord.
S&ratl-Anf!l [16:99]

Indeed, over My [believing] servants there is for you no authority.
And sufficient is your Lord as Disposer of affairs.
S&ratl-Isr! [17:65]

[Ibl!s] said, My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely
make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead
them all except, among them, Your chosen servants.
S&ratl-,ijr [15:39-40]

He has no power over the pious

64

When a person is afflicted by magic or possessed, one thing the scholars always ask
is: Are you obedient to All"h? Are you praying your five daily prayers? Have you
left the door open to Shay"!n?

Those who believe, they struggle in the cause of All"h. Those who
disbelieve fight in the cause of al-!"gh#t. So fight against the allies of Shay"!n.
Indeed, the plot of al-Shay"!n has ever been weak.
S&ratl-Nis! [4:76]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says, The plots of Shay"!n are weak. The mufasir&n say
that this !yah is for those who do not take Shay"!n as an ally and for those who have
taqwa and take the protection of All"h. The plots are only weak if you arm yourself
with the knowledge of how to protect yourself.

[Ibl!s] said, My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely
make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead
S&ratl-,ijr [15:39-40]

Ibl!s himself admitted he has no power over the pious. In S&ratl-,ijr v. 39-40: All"h
says that Ibl!s says, I swear by the error that You have put me in. I will beautify for
them their good deeds. I will mislead all of them except those of Your servants who
are pure in their intentions. Those I cannot mess with.

The only thing that gives Shay"!n power over us is our sins
When Ibl!s succeeds against us, it is only because we have allowed him to succeed.

Suratl-Nahl v. 100: All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says, His (Ibl!ss) authority is only
over those who take him as an ally and associate partners with All"h.

65

Indeed, My servants - no authority will you have over them,
except those who follow you of the deviators.
S&ratl-,ijr [15:42]

,ad$th in al-Tirmidhi: Indeed All"h is with the judge as long as this judge is not
unjust. As soon as this judge becomes unjust / unfair, then All"h leaves this judge
and the Shay"!n begins to accompany him. As we commit more sins, the Shay"!n
may begin to accompany us. From this (ad$th, we learn that we take the first step:
we allow Shay"!n in from our sins and then he takes over. The Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) is saying that we allow Shay"!n to influence us through our sins. If
we worship All"h and have our guard up, then we protect ourselves.

Lesson: We protect oursel ves agai nst Ibl ! s through our pi ety and
worshi p of Al l "h.

The only thing that gives Shay"!n power over us is our sins. When we allow Shay"!n
to influence us, he will.

Can Shay"!n become afrai d of you?

Yes! An example of this is Umar (ra%yAll!hu anhu). The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) told us in a (ad$th in al-Tirmidhi: Most certainly the Shay"!n is afraid of you, ya
Umar. Abdull"h b. Buraydah narrates:
The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) had returned from one of his journeys from
battle. When he returned, a young girl came to him and said, O Messenger of All!h, I
took a vow that if All!h returned you to us safely, I would sing and play the duff for you.
The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If you have made this oath, then go ahead
and do so. She sang and played the duff for the Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam). In
the meantime, Abu Bakr walked in and she continued. Uthm!n walked in and she
continued. Ali walked in and she continued to play the duff. Umar walked in, and she
hides the duff underneath her. The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) laughed and said,
Ya Ibn al-Kha!!"b, even the Shay!"n is afraid of you.
[Note: this is used as an evidence to show that it is permissible for men to listen to and
play the duff]

In the (ad$th of Sad b. Abi Waqq", in Bukh"ri, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
said, I swear by the One whose soul my hand is in, if he falls on your path, then he
takes a different path from the one you are on. ,ad$th of %ishah in al-Tirmidhi: The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Indeed most certainly I can see the shay!"$n

66

from mankind and jinn. Most certainly I see them running away from you, ya Umar.
The prophets are able to see the jinn in their original form. This shows us that we can
make Ibl!s scared and the shay!"$n scared through our piety and firm faith and
obedience to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). There is no reason for us to be afraid of Ibl!s.
Instead, we should just be aware.

We need to stop blaming Shay"!n for our sins.

We have nothing to fear when it comes to Ibl!s and shay"!n as long as we are protecting
ourselves with piety and the obedience of All"h.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do not revile Shay"!n or badmouth /
curse Shay"!n, rather, seek refuge in All"h from his evil. Spend your time in protecting
yourself from the plots of Shay"!n.

Can we bl ame Shay"!n for our si ns?

Who is responsible for our sins? Shay"!n will say not to blame him but to blame yourself
on the Day of Judgment.

Indeed, there is for him no authority over those
who have believed and rely upon their Lord.
S&ratl-Na(l [16:99]

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said: Do not revile Shay"!n, rather seek refuge
in All"h from his evil. [Narrated Abu *"hir al-Mukhalli, in al-Faw!id]

Whenever people do something bad, they have the habit of cursing shay"!n and dont
take responsibility for their sins. Instead of reviling shay"!n, seek refuge in All"h from
shay"!n. Some scholars from this (ad$th say to not send the curse of All"h upon shay"!n
(they say that only All"h is allowed to curse shay"!n); however, the stronger opinion is
that it is permissible.

The di fference between the whi speri ng of Shay"!n and our sel f
(naf s)

Three types of nafs:

1) The soul which encourages evil

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And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul/self is a persistent
enjoiner of evil [inclined to evil], except those upon which
my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.
S&rah Y&suf [12:53]

The wife of al-Az!z tried to commit zina with Y(suf, and she initially put the blame on
him and said he tried to commit zina with her. The matter later became clear, and she
admits her fault. She is saying that it is her nafs who commanded her to do this sin.
There is a part of our self that may encourage us to do a sin. Or our nafs may be in a
state encouraging us.

This type of nafs encourages us to give in to our desires. It says to eat, drink, and merry,
for tomorrow you will die.

And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts
with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and
they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are
more astray. It is they who are the heedless.
S&ratl-Ar!f [7:179]

Suratl-Araf v. 179: These people have hearts by which they do not understand and
eyes by which they do not see and they have ears by which they do not hear. These
people are like the cattle.

2) Self-reproaching soul

And I swear by the self-reproaching soul.
S&ratl-Qiy!mah [75:2]

This is the part of our self which feels bad about committing sins. It reminds us that
sins are not right. Scholars relate this to the regret a person feels after committing a
sin.

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This can happen before or after a sin is committed. If it happens before, then the
person has the intention or thought to intend a sin. It can happen after a sin and a
person feels bad and makes tawbah to All"h. The self-reproaching soul can be referred
to as guilt as well.

There are two types of guilt:
1) Positive / good
This is when you commit a sin and feel bad and it leads you to tawbah. This falls
into nafsl-laww!mah.

2) Negative / bad
This is when you feel so bad and say there is no hope for yourself. You give up
and continue in your sin. This type of guilt falls in this category of al-nafsl-
laww!mmah bil-su.

3) Satisfied soul

[To the righteous it will be said], O reassured soul, return to
your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], and enter
among My [righteous] servants and enter My Paradise.
S&ratl-Fajr [89:27-30]

This is the highest level of the self. This is the type of soul that will lead a person to
Paradise.

Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of All"h.
Unquestionably, by the remembrance of All"h hearts are assured."
S&ratl-Rad [13:28]

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Our nafs at any given moment can fall into any one of these categories. You are not in
just one category. We can be anywhere between the lowest and highest level. In S&ratl-
Rad v. 11: All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says, All"h will not change the state of a group of
people until they change what is in their selves. This means that we have the ability to
change our nafs.

For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the
decree of All"h. Indeed, All"h will not change the condition of a people until they
change what is in themselves. And when All"h intends for a people ill, there is no
repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.
S&ratl-Rad [13:11]

Wasw!s Whi speri ngs

In Arabic, wisw!s (pl. was!wis) literally means to a beatified and faint vocal sound. This
can be heard either by the ears or the heart.

Wasw!s has a negative connotation. Wasw!s is also referred to waswasa. The plural is
was!wis. Another word that is used with a similar meaning is the hams, which is a
whispering as well, but this is more of a positive thing, and wasw!s is a negative type of
whispering.

These are negative images that come into ones heart.

Whi speri ng come from 3 sources:

1) The self that commands us to evil

This is the self which encourages evil.

And We have already created man and know what his soul
whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.
S&rah Q!f [50:16]

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All"h forgives my followers those (evil deeds) their souls may whisper or suggest to
them as long as they do not act (on it) or speak.
[al-Bukh"ri]

2) The Shay"!n or the shay!t$n from amongst the jinn

Then Shay"!n whispered to him; he said, O %dam, shall I direct
you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?
S&rah +! Ha [20:120]

All"h tells us that Ibl!s whispered to %dam.

3) Shay!t$n from mankind

Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind. The God of
mankind, From the evil of the retreating whisperer Who whispers [evil]
into the breasts of mankind From among the jinn and mankind.
S&ratl-N!s [114:1-6]

How can we tell the difference between wasw!s from ourselves and the whispering from
Shay"!n? Scholars say it is a subtle difference.

71

- Scholars mention that the initial desire to commit a sin is a sign it is from
shay"!n or the shay!"$n, but when we want to keep going back to committing it,
then it is a sign it is from the self.

- Shay"!n will try to beautify something which may go against the natural
inclination of the soul. When a person commits a sin more in line with their
base desires, it may be a wasw!s from the self.

An example of this: pornography. People who view it a lot will view things which are
abnormal. Before they started watching pornography, they would think certain things
are strange, such as child pornography. Pornography pairs a normal act with an
abnormal action. The brain associates the weird act with pleasure, and from there it
gets more and more extreme until someone ends up in something like child
pornography.

The difference between the wasw!s from the nafs and the wasw!s of Shay"!n is very
subtle, and you may not be able to tell the difference. In any case, you say the isti!dhah
and seek refuge in All"h from the Shay"!n. If it is from Shay"!n, it would go away or
weaken. If it is from our own selves, we are at least reminded of All"h and may give up
the sin.

The reality is that in both cases, we have to struggle and fight this. We should always
make tawbah and seek forgiveness from All"h and say a&dhu bill!hi min al-shay"!nl-
raj$m.

There is wasw!s that becomes a sickness or overwhelming wasw!s. It keeps recurring
even after saying the isti!dhah. For us, it is commonly known as OCD. For example, a
person may make wu%& and be about to pray but then wonder if he washed all the way
to his elbows. He then makes wu%& again and then wonders if he washed the ankles
properly and so on. In this situation, seek refuge in All"h and train yourself and put
that type of wasw!s aside.

The reality is that this type of sickness from wasw!s could by a psychological illness or
it could be from Shay"!n. We should seek refuge in All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) from this
type of wasw!s. Dont give weight to this type of wasw!s. If it reaches the point where it
is a sickness, then it is permissible to seek professional help in this.

,ad$th of Abu Hurayrah in Bukh"ri: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, All"h
has forgiven from my ummah those whispering to themselves as long as they do not act
upon it or speak regarding it. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is saying All"h
doesnt hold us accountable for simply having an evil thought as long as we dont carry
it out.

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To All"h belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth.
Whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, All"h will
bring you to account for it. Then He will forgive whom He wills and
punish whom He wills, and All"h is over all things competent.
S&ratl-Baqarah [2:284]

In v. 284, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) says, Indeed to All"h belongs everything that is in
the heavens and the earth. Whether you show what is within yourselves or hide /
conceal it, All"h will hold you to account for it.

How do we reconcile between this (ad$th and verse 284 in S&ratl-Baqarah (to All"h
belongs all that is in the heavens and earth and whether you show what is within
yourselves or conceal it, All"h will hold you accountable to this)?

The !yah is referring to when a person acts upon their sin. All"h is saying that when
you act upon your sin and it is hidden, All"h will still hold you accountable. If you were
to not act upon the sin, then All"h will not hold you accountable.

The !yah refers to after a person commits a sin whether it is in public or private, All"h
will hold you accountable. The (ad$th is referring to when you dont commit the sin.
The !yah is speaking about the hypocrites.

There is a type of intention that we will be held accountable for even if we dont do the
action: az$ma. This is the type of intention where someone makes the full intention to
do the sin except that an external action stops them from doing it. Az$ma is the
intention right before the action happens.

For example, a person leaves his house with the intention to commit zina. He made the
full intention to carry it out and would have done it if the opportunity was there.
However, we still say that at the end of the day reward and punishment are from All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

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Chapter 4 | Shay"!n s Army

We are at war with Shay"!n, and he has an army. The army of Shay"!n are the helpers of
Shay"!n and those who share in the goal of Shay"!n and help him to carry out his
mission of sending everyone to the Hellfire.

And Paradise will be brought near [that Day] to the righteous. And Hellfire will be
brought forth for the deviators, And it will be said to them, Where are those you used
to worship other than All"h? Can they help you or help themselves? So they will be
overturned into Hellfire, they and the deviators and the soldiers of Ibl!s, all together.
S&ratl-Shuar! [26:90-95]

We learn that indeed Ibl!s has an army, and he has supporters.

All"h is speaking about the Hellfire here.
Ibl ! s i s the Leader of Hi s Army

,ad$th of J"bir b. Abdull"h: Ibl!s places his throne upon water; he then sends
detachments (for creating dissension); those who are nearer to him in rank are the
ones who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of them comes and says, I did

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such-and-such. And [Ibl!s] he says, You have done nothing. Then one amongst them
comes and says, I did not leave so-and-so until I caused dissension between him and his
wife. Ibl!s then comes close to him and says Yes, you [have done well]! Al-Amash
added, He then embraces him. [Muslim]

We know that this is his army from jinn.

Shay"!n s army i s made up of:
1) Soldiers from the jinn
2) Soldiers from mankind
Shay"!n s Sol di ers from the J i nn

1) Progeny of Shay"!n
These are the children or childrens children of Ibl!s. Ibl!s does have a family and
descendants.

And [mention] when We said to the angels, Prostrate to %dam, and they prostrated,
except for Ibl!s. He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord. Then
will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to
you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange.
S&ratl-Kahf [18:50]

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) is saying the progeny of Ibl!s is our enemy. We dont know
the details or exactly what they are like. We only know that he has dhuriyyah, and
beyond that we dont know anything. All"h left out the details of the progeny of
Shay"!n, which means that this knowledge is not important for us.

2) The Shay!"$ n from the Ji nn
Those jinn who obey and follow and support Ibl!s are known as the shay!"$n. These jinn
disobey All"h and follow Ibl!s.

And among us are the righteous, and among us
are [others] not so; we were [of] divided ways.

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S&ratl-Jinn [72:11]

And among us are Muslims [in submission to All"h], and among us are the unjust. And
whoever has become Muslim - those have sought out the right course.
S&ratl-Jinn [72:14]

From the jinn, there are those who are Muslim and obedient to All"h and there are
others who are disobedient to All"h and follow Ibl!s or his dhurriyyah.

In order for a jinn to downgrade from being a regular jinn to a Shay"!n, they have to
support, follow, and obey Ibl!s. They have to call to the dawah of Ibl!s.

3) # If r$ t
Scholars differed over whether Ifr$t refers to a category of the jinn or a particular jinn.

A powerful one from among the jinn said, I will bring it to you before you
rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] strong and trustworthy.
S&ratl-Naml [27:39]

Sulaym"n (alayhil-sal!m) was able to have control over the jinn. An ifr$t refers to a
powerful jinn. It seems that this is more of a description for the jinn, so amongst them
are jinn who are powerful and they make up the army of Ibl!s.

Ifr$t is mentioned in the Sunnah in the (ad$th of Abu Hurayrah in )a($( Bukh"ri. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, One of the ifr$t from the jinn came to me last
night to disturb my prayer, but All"h gave me power over this jinn and I was able to
overcome him. I intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the masjid so all of you
would be able to witness him, but I remembered that All"h gave control over the jinn to
Sulaym"n and it was particular to him so I let him go.

In the !yah and here, ifr$t is mentioned with the al-; therefore, it means a ifr$t and
shows us it is a description for a type of jinn and is not a particular jinn.

4) The Qar$ n

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I did not make him transgress, but he [himself] was in extreme error." [All"h] will say,
"Do not dispute before Me while I had already presented to you the warning. The word
will not be changed with Me, and never will I be unjust to the servants."
S&rah Q!f [50:27-29]

These shay!"$n are tied up in Ramadan. The qar$n is not tied up. We have a qar$n, and
this qar$n will speak on the Day of Judgment just like Ibl!s and say that he has no
authority over us and did not cause us to go astray and transgress but we were already
in extreme error.

This shows us that we cannot blame our qar$n for the sins that we commit. Qar$n comes
from the verb qarana which means to accompany or be close or be the second of two.
We always have the qar$n with us.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said with every child of %dam is a qar$n from
the angels and a qar$n from the jinn.

Abdull"h b. Mas(d narrates that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, There is
none amongst you with whom there is not a consort from the jinn. They (the
Companions) said, And what about you O Messenger of All"h? He ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) then said, And me as well. However, All"h has helped me against him and so I
am safe from him, and he does not command except with good.
[Muslim]

Fa aslama means that he became Muslim. Another narration says fa aslamu, which
means and I have become safe from him. the scholars say that both interpretations
are valid and acceptable. It either means the qar$n became Muslim or that the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) became safe from him. Because his qar$n became Muslim, he
orders him with nothing but good.

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The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said: When any one of you prays,
you should not allow anyone to pass before you. If they refuse [to not pass in front of
you], then you should forcibly stop them, for with them is their qar$n.
[Muslim]

If you are praying and in between you and your area of sajdah, the scholars say that if
someone tries to pass in front of you, then put your hand out in front of them. If they
still try to pass in front of you, then the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said you
should fight them. This means that you forcefully stop them as much as you can. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is saying that if the person still insists on passing in
front of you, then its possible the qar$n is encouraging him to do so to break your
prayer.

This (ad$th is referring to someone praying by himself or if someone is the imam. If you
are following in the congregation, then people can pass in front of you. As long as no
one passes in front of the imam, everyone is fine.
If the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) wasnt in the masjid, he would take his spear
and put it in front of him while praying.

According to one reading of the (ad$th, the qar$n of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) became Muslim. Does this mean that if we are pious enough that our qar$n can
become Muslim? The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said illa (except) meaning
that it is an exception for him and no one else has been given this exception. Some
scholars said it could also apply to the other prophets, but All!hu alam.

Questi on: Can anyone make his qar$n Muslim?
It is specific to the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) to make the qar$n Muslim.
However, we do know that a person can weaken their qar$n and take away power from
him. In the Musnad of Imam A$mad, Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, A believer can certainly wear down / tire out their qar$n just like
a person may tire out or wear down their riding animal during travel. If you dont give
a riding animal any rest, it will wear down. If we are constantly working at our qar$n, we
can reduce its power. This means that we are constantly involved in the obedience of
All"h (i.e. Qur&"n, du!, dhikr). The qar$n wears down with the remembrance of All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la): dhikr, recitation of Qur&"n, ib!dah.

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5) Khi nzi b

Uthm!n b. Abu al-!" came to the Prophet (,allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) and said, O
Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), the Shay"!n intervenes between me and
my prayer and my reciting of the Qur"n and he confuses me. The Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, That is a shay"!n known as Khinzib. If you sense him, seek refuge
in All"h from him and spit to your left three times. He [Uthm"n] said, I did that and
All"h dispelled him from me.
[Muslim]

Uthm!n b. Abu al-!" assumed that this was Ibl!s. Why? Because he said al-Shay"!n.
The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said it is a Shay"!n named Khinzib.

This teaches us that the guidance of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is that if we
get confused in our prayer or are not paying attention, then this could be the shay"!n
called Khinzib and should seek refuge in All"h from the Shay"!n (this would include
Ibl!s and all of his supporters and allies) and dry spit to your left three times.

When you are distracted in your prayer, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) gave
you a sunnah action to do: say the isti!dhah and dry spit to your left three times. This is
a physical action. We are not allowed to bring any foreign actions in the 'al!h, but this
is the exception because the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) instructed us to do this
to fight Shay"!n. We are allowed to do this to fight off the influence of Khinzib.

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The job of Khinzib is to confuse people in their prayers and to cause them to be
distracted. Khinzib is of the shay!"$n from the jinn.

Apart from these shay!"$n from the jinn, the other a(!d$th with names are not authentic.
The above are the only names which are authentic.

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Sol di ers from Manki nd

The Shay!"$ n from Manki nd

And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy - devils from mankind and jinn,
inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion. But if your Lord had willed,
they would not have done it, so leave them and that which they invent.
S&ratl-An!m [6:112]

This shows us that there are shay!"$n from the ins (mankind) and jinn. The same
conditions apply in order for someone to be considered a Shay"!n: disobedient to All"h,
follow and support Ibl!s, call to the dawah of Ibl!s. Generally the term shay!"$n can refer
to mankind and jinn and it is not just specific to the jinn. These are those people who
are the supporters and allies of Ibl!s. They help Ibl!s in his cause. The shay!"$n from the
jinn and the shay!"$n from mankind help the Shay"!n in the methods of deception. For
example, a friend may encourage you to do evil or disobey All"h, and this may be a
shay"!n from mankind.

M"lik b. Din"r said: "Certainly a human shay"!n is more difficult for me to deal with than a jinn
shay"!n. That is because when I seek refuge in All!h, the jinn shay"!n runs away from me while
the human shay"!n personally tries to drag me towards a sin." [Tafs$rl-Qur"ubi]

The influences you have in your life from humans are harder to deal with than the jinn.
Often times we fear the shay!"$n of the jinn and are very afraid and paranoid, and we
forget the shay!"$n of mankind and the bad influences of mankind.

Imagine there is someone who comes up to you and tells you to go the club. When a
person says a&dhu bill!hi min al-shay"!nl-raj$m, the jinn shay!"$n would run away but the
man of the shay!"$n would not go away. Sometimes it is more difficult to fight the
shay!"$n from the ins. The shay!"$n from mankind may be more dangerous even though
we see them. It may be more of a test and trial to deal with the shay!"$n from mankind.

Important Note: It is not for us to label people as shay!"$n from mankind. The point is
to become aware that there are shay!"$n from mankind. If we see someone who is
encouraging us to do evil, we can think to ourselves that this person is carrying out the
job of Ibl!s and protect ourselves.

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Al l i es of Shay"!n vs. the Al l i es of Al l "h

All"h divides people into the allies and protectors of Shay"!n and the allies and
protectors of Al-Ra(m!n.

O children of %dam, let not Shay"!n tempt you as he removed your parents from
Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts.
S&ratl-Ar!f [7:27]

This can refer to the shay!"$n from mankind and jinn. Those who may take an
antagonistic approach to Islam or harm Muslims or Islam are allies of the shay!"$n.

And do not eat of that upon which the name of All"h has not been mentioned, for
indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among
men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be
associators [of others with Him].
S&ratl-An!m [6:121]

All"h refers to the awliy! and allies of Shay"!n.

The Al l i es of Al l "h

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Unquestionably, [for] the allies of All"h there will be no fear concerning them, nor will
they grieve. Those who believed and were fearing All"h. For them are good tidings in
the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of All"h. That is
what is the great attainment.
S&rah Y&nus [10:62-64]

All!h is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darknesses into the
light. And those who disbelieve - their allies are !"gh#t. They take them out of the light
into darknesses. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) has awliy! and Ibl!s has awliy! and the shay!"$n have awliy!.
The allies of All"h call to the goodness and dawah of All"h. All"h has equated His allies
with light and goodness and the allies of Shay"!n with darkness.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said every grey hair a believer has will be light
on the Day of Judgment. The marks of sajdah will be light. The true celebrity will show
up on the Day of Judgment and be among these people.

The awliy! of All"h are protected by All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). They seek the Help of
All"h, and All"h protects them. In the Battle of Badr, All"h left the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) and Muslims to seek His Help. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
made du! to All"h, and All"h sent the angels. The awliy! of All"h put in the work and
worship All"h and are constantly involved in ib!dah, and All"h gives them and
supports them.

The Al l i es of Shay"!n

Indeed, there is for him no authority over those who have
believed and rely upon their Lord. His authority is only over those who

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take him as an ally and those who through him associate others with All"h.
S&ratl-Na(l [16:99-199]

And whoever takes Shay"!n as an ally instead of
All"h has certainly sustained a clear loss.
S&ratl-Nis! [4:119]

,ad$th of Abu Hurayrah: All"hs Messenger (,allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) said, All"h
said, I will declare war against the one who shows hostility to a pious slave of Mine.
And the most beloved matter by which My slave comes near to Me is that which I have
enjoined upon them; and My slave keeps coming nearer to Me through performing
superogatory deeds until I love them. So I become their sense of hearing with which
they hear, and their sense of sight with which they see, and their hand with which they
grip, and their leg with which they walk. If they ask Me, I will give them, and if they ask
for My protection, I will protect them. I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to
take the soul of the believer, for they hate death, and I hate to disappoint them.
[al-Bukh"ri]

Scholars discuss the allies of All"h and the allies of Shay"!n. We seek the allegiance of
All"h in everything that we do and make All"h our ally and disassociate from Ibl!s.
Taking All"h as an ally means that you seek that which pleases All"h in all of your

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matters and make a conscious effort to stay away from those things that please Ibl!s or
the shay!"$n.

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Chapter 5 | Fact or Fi cti on

Questi on: Can Shay"!n physically harm us?
One of the goals of Shay"!n is to physically harm us. When his other goals cannot be met
(i.e. have us fall into sin), then he may physically attack us as well.
Magi c

Magic is referred to as si(r in the Qur"n. Si(r is from sa(ara, which is something
which is hidden or secret. It is called si(r because:

1) The practitioners of si(r deal with things in secret

They said, O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw. He said,
Rather, you throw. And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their
magic that they were moving [like snakes]. And he sensed within himself
apprehension, did Moses. All"h said, Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.
And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted.
What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not
succeed wherever he is.
S&rah +! Ha [20:65-69]

All"h tells us in the Qur&"n how the people of Firawn were proficient in magic.
All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) gave M(sa the ability to overcome their magic.
Islamically, we should have no doubt that there is something known as magic. From
the Sunnah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), we know people tried to
perform magic on him.

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People practice magic usually in private and in secret. It is not something made
public.

The last part of the night is called sa(r. The Arabic word for our lungs is sa(r
because the lungs are something inside the body.

People often go to magicians to get things done. Magicians hide how they are going
to go about performing the action.

2) Its means are hidden or secret

And from the evil of the blowers in knots.
S&ratl-Falaq [113:4]

Tying knots is a form of magic.

Si(r can cause things like illnesses. Shaykh Saads mother practiced psychology and
specialized with schizophrenia. After studying what si(r is, she said it is possible that
some of the patients who were diagnosed as schizophrenic were possessed or
sometimes it may be linked. The jinn or possession could cause the schizophrenia. To
cure this, the Islamic cures along with medicine could be used to cure it.

There are Islamic cures to depression, but there is a point where depression goes
beyond the norm, and this can be cured by reliance on All"h, prayer and du!. There is
a type of depression so severe it is clinical depression, and this person cannot just be
told to make du! or pray qiy!ml-layl to feel better. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said, All"h has sent down illnesses and the cures as well, so seek out the
medicine to cure yourself.

Very few cases, especially in America, are si(r.

Magic has a close relationship with Ibl!s because one of his major goals is for people to
fall into kufr and shirk. A person always involved in magic is involved in a form of kufr
(disbelief).

Si (r may i nvol ve thi ngs whi ch magi ci ans manage to do through the
shay!"$ n:

Only the bad or evil jinn will help magicians perform magic.

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And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It
was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic
and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, H"r(t and M"r(t. But the
two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by
practicing magic]. And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation
between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by
permission of All"h. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them.
But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not
have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if
they only knew.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) tells us that people involved in magic in any way is involved
in kufr. There are two main types of magic:

1) Magic in which people seek the help of the shay!"$n and the help of the jinn.
Any jinn who helps someone performs magic is considered a shay"!n and is not
considered a pious jinn. This jinn is a helper of Ibl!s. People may do things
supernatural to fool the people and this is with the help of jinn. When magicians
perform these things, it is to gain power and superiority over people. Instead of
relying upon All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la), people may go to a magician because
they have seen this person perform miracles. Ibn Taymiyyah witnessed many
things in his time such as people floating or walking on coals.

By the consensus of scholars, this is kufr (disbelief in Islam). It is disbelief to use
the help of the jinn and shay!"$n to perform magic. It is kufr to perform it, to help
it, and to go out and seek this type of magic.

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2) Illusions. This means we see one thing and it is actually something else. These
illusions fall into two categories:
a. The jinn make the illusion possible. One of the magicians handed a
person a rock, and when he looked at the rock, he thought he was
holding an egg while everyone else could see it is a rock. The jinn can
make this possible. This type is kufr.

b. Sleight of hand. This is not kufr and does not take a person outside of
Islam. Scholars have differed on whether or not this is allowed. The help
of jinn is not sought in this. This type of magic is makr&h and disliked by
All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). Even though it is makr&h, we should be very
careful with this type of magic because as soon as we are in a situation
where people dont know we are doing sleight of hand, the person can
slide into disbelief. Some people believe it and think it is real magic.
Many scholars hold this type of magic to be haram and sinful. A person
should be very careful before indulging in this kind of magic.

Correct opinion: as long as the person knows that an illusion is being
performed and that it is a sleight of hand trick and not a real illusion
with the help of jinn, then it is permissible. Shaykh Saad would
personally advise against doing this.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said that whoever goes to a fortuneteller, his
prayer will not be accepted for 40 days. In another (ad$th in Tirmidhi, the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said if a person goes to a soothsayer and believes in what
they are told, then they have disbelieved.

Magic can cause people illnesses and other things as well.

Magi ci ans may perform magi c as thei r i l l usi ons

He said, Throw, and when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people
and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic.
S&ratl-Ar!f [7:116]

Si gns of a person who i s affl i cted by magic:

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Note: Just because a person is having some of these symptoms, it does not necessitate
that they are afflicted by magic. It may be because of certain psychological illnesses or
other problems.

1) Dislike of ones spouse, as indicated in the Qur&"n by the following verse
(interpretation of the meaning):

And from these (angels) people learn that by which
they cause separation between a man and his wife...

This is a very common form of magic. A person may fall in love with someone and
they are already married, so they go to a magician and want to cause problems in
the relationship. Scholars say that if it feels very abnormal (i.e. one day you have a
very good relationship and the next day there is immediate hatred in your heart,
you feel disgusted when you touch your spouse), then it is more of a sign that it is
something dealing with magic.

2) Different attitude in the house from that which is outside the house.

3) Inability to have sexual intercourse with ones spouse.
There are many reasons why this could happen, and one of them is that someone
has done si(r on the person. However, this is not the first thing we should turn to
when someone has a problem like this.

4) Frequent miscarriage for pregnant women.
There are medical and genetic reasons why this happens as well.

5) Sudden change in behavior without obvious reason.
Keyword here is sudden.

6) Complete loss of appetite for food.

7) Thinking or imagining one has done something when in reality one has not.
How do we know that the illness of schizophrenia doesnt have a link to magic or
jinn? It is possible. When someone is suffering an illness like this, then treat it from
both ends (dont discard advice of psychiatrists and also dont discard advice of
scholars).

8) Sudden obedience and/or love for a particular person.
Scholars of the past would mention that sometimes shaykhs had followers
(mur$ds) who would do insane things such as cut themselves or harm themselves to

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show devotion to their teacher. It is possible that this shaykh or wali has
performed some type of magic to get this type of devotion out of his followers.

This shows us that the shay!"$n can physically cause harm to us.

The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said: Whoever goes to a
fortuneteller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty
days.
[Muslim]

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said: Whoever goes to a soothsayer and
believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Mu$ammad.
[Tirmidhi]

When people seek out the help of magicians to either have magic performed on
someone else or to have themselves helped with this magic, then this is a form of kufr
and disbelief.

Doing ruqya on yourself is always a good thing to protect yourself. Lead a lifestyle
where you will be protected such as performing adhk!r in the morning and evening and
remembering All"h during the day and not disobeying All"h. This is an excellent
precaution. To be paranoid and scared of possession and magic is not from the
character of the Muslim. There is no reason to be scared of Ibl!s as long as we are trying
our best to fulfill our obligations and being obedient to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).
Possessi on

According to the scholars of ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah, possession is real, and the shay!"$n
have the ability to possess a human being. If a jinn is doing this, it is because of one of
the following reasons:
1) They are a Shay"!n and trying to cause harm to Bani %dam
2) They are ignorant
3) They may be forced to do it

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Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection]
except as one stands who is being beaten by Shay"!n into insanity

This is referring to possession. Can a shay"!n or jinn take over a persons body? Yes, a
shay"!n or jinn can do something like that. People who consume riba will be in such a
stupor on the Day of Judgment, and All"h is saying just like someone who cannot stand
and has no control over his bodies, this person will be like that on the Day of Judgment.

The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) used to say: O All"h, I seek refuge
with You from being thrown from a high place or crushed beneath a falling wall, or
drowning or being burned, and I seek refuge with You from being led astray by the
Shay"!n at the time of death, and I seek refuge with You from dying in Your cause while
fleeing from the battlefield, and I seek refuge with You from dying of a scorpion sting.
[Al-Nas"i, (asan]

The scholars mention that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) would make this
du! to not only protect himself from magic but also from possession.

Abdull"h b. al-Imam A$mad b. +anbal said: I said to my father, There are some people
who say that the jinn do not enter the body of the epileptic. He said: O my son, they are
lying; the jinn could speak through this person.

This is the widely accepted belief of ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah that a jinn can take over a
persons body. This is known as possession. Just like magic, it can cause illnesses and
problems.

Shaykh Saad was leading prayer at a wedding and decided to recite !yatl-kursi in the
prayer. As he is leading the prayer, he started the beginning of !yatl-kursi, and a
brother in the jam!ah started shaking. He finished the prayer quickly, and when he
turned around, they told him what happened. S&ratl-F!ti(ah is strong against
possession and magic and so is !yatl-kursi. When both were recited, it had an effect on
this brother. Shaykh Saad is usually skeptical when it comes to possession and magic.
To see what was going on, he then recited S&ratl-Falaq and S&ratl-N!s and the brother
started shaking more and more, and he told them to call someone who performs ruqya.

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While in Mad!nah, a brother had come from the UK. It seemed to them that someone
had performed some type of magic on him before he came to Mad!nah. There are ruqya
hospitals in Mad!nah. The brother was taken to get ruqya done. (For a person to
perform ruqya, he has to have a high level of $m!n and sincerity and be highly
protected.) As the shaykh would recite Qur&"n upon this brother, he started yelling and
told the shaykh to stop. The shaykh said there was some type of magic done on him.
Eventually the brother felt better, but he wasnt able to complete his studies and went
back to the UK.

It is possible that All"h tested someone with magic or being possessed just like a
sickness.

Si gns of a person bei ng possessed

Strong repulsion when hearing Qur"n or adh!n.
Depending on what level a person is possessed, any part of the Qur&"n can cure him.
Some are stronger than others: S&ratl-F!ti(ah, S&rah +! Ha, last two !yahs of S&ratl-
Baqarah, !yatl-kursi. Sometimes if you just mention the Qur&"n or Sunnah around
someone seriously possessed, he will be repulsed by it.

Many r!qis say the adh!n and iq!mah over and over again because it is so powerful
against the shay!"$n. The whole of the Qur&"n is a cure for us. This is the main
method of performing exorcism.

Episodes of losing consciousness and/or epileptic attacks, especially when Qur"n is
recited for the possessed person.
Frequent nightmares during sleep
One of the sources of bad dreams is Ibl!s or Shay"!n. If someone has nightmares all
the time, then this is a sign the person may be possessed.
Tendency to avoid people accompanied by out-of-the-norm behavior.
A person who stays away from people who are doing normal thing and isolates
himself. Note: One of the methods of deception of Shay"!n is to isolate people from
guidance and people. If a person feels he cannot be around people who are pious or
praying, then it could be a sign of someone who is possessed.
The jinn who possesses him might speak when Qur"n is recited for the possessed
person.
When a person is possessed, when the Qur&"n is being recited, depending on the
strength of the jinn or shay"!n, he may speak out and say to stop reciting the Qur&"n.

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A sign is that the voice of the person will change to a very deep tone or a very high
note.
Madness
Having epileptic seizures or madness in general. Madness is a broad category
encompassing many things.
Note: It is not necessary that if someone has a symptom above that they are possessed,
but it is possible.
How can magi c and possessi on be cured?

If a person is not performing any major sins and trying to be in obedience to All"h
as much as possible.

Putting trust in All"h and being sincere

Tawakkul and reliance on All"h
[Note: Taw!kul is different from tawakkul. Tawakkul is relying upon All"h and
putting your trust in All"h and taking the means. Taw!kul is trusting in All"h and
not taking the means. The person who has tawakkul will make du! to All"h when
skydiving and pull the parachute at the right time. The person with taw!kul will
jump out of the plane without a parachute. Taw!kul is impermissible. Part of
tawakkul is taking the means.]

Amongst the means is reciting the Qur&"n.

The Qur&"n. The most powerful cure to possession is the Qur&"n. S&ratl-Falaq, S&ratl-
N!s, S&ratl-F!ti(ah, S&ratl-Baqarah and in particular !yatl-kursi and the last two
verses and any verses dealing with magic.

Reciting Qur&"n upon water and having the person drinking the water. Some also
say zamzam. Some narrations say the companions did this, but Shaykh Saad hasnt
found anything authentic. However, scholars say it is okay to do this. It is important
to understand that the cure is coming from All"h and All"h has put the cure in the
Qur&"n.

Honey

If a person knows the means by which magic is performed, they should try to
remove those means. If magic is done on a piece of clothing, then it is very
important that it is destroyed. Someone tied knots and blew upon it to do magic on
the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and All"h informed him where the knots
were and he ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) had Ali go to the well and take out the

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knots and undo them and then burn them. Some scholars said it should be burned
and then buried.

Ajwa dates. Scholars say if you dont have ajwa, then any dates will do.

Du! and dhikr

Hij!mah

Olive oil

Black seeds.

Dhikr of morning and the evening (this is not only preventative but also a cure)

A major sign that the r!qi is dealing with jinn is when they tell you things about yourself
or things in your house. They are using jinn to get this information. It is not allowed to
go to those r!qis.

Evi l -eye (# Ayn)

Ayn refers to a persons eye. It is when a person may harm another person with their
jealousy. ,asad is an extreme form of jealousy where you want what another person
has and want it taken away from them. It can reach such an extreme as to cause harm
in another person. Ayn is one of the avenues by which people get jealous. For example,
you witness what All"h has blessed someone with and that is where this envy or
jealousy may start from.

Evil eye is true and exists, and a person can cause another harm through their extreme
jealousy.

And verily, those who disbelieve would almost
make you slip with their eyes (through hatred).

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever among you sees something in
himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessing for
it because the evil eye is real.
[al-+"kim]

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Lessons from this (ad$th:
- A person can give himself evil eye
- A person may give another person evil eye as well
- The cure for envy and jealousy and evil eye is praying for blessings in it or for
them. If a person in their heart feels jealous of someone else or like something
that someone has, then instead of dwelling on those feelings, the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said to ask All"h to put blessings on what that person
has. This is why the scholars mention you can say tab!rakAll!h or All!humma
zidd wa b!rik fih (O All"h increase in what you have given them and put blessings
in them) or b!rak All"h fik (may All"h put barakah in it for you). When you do
this, then not only do you release the negative feelings you have, but you are
making du! for yourself as well because when you make du! for someone, the
angels make du! for you.

The influence of an evil eye is a fact; if anything would precede the destiny it would be
the influence of an evil eye, and when you are asked to take bath (as a cure) from the
influence of an evil eye, you should take bath.
[Muslim]

One of the cures of evil eye is that a person takes a bath with the wu%& water of the
person who has given evil eye to them.

The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Why does one of you kill his
brother? Why did you not say, May All"h bless you? The evil eye is true. Do wu%& from
it.
[Muwa""a of Im"m M"lik]

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous, but not everyone who is
jealous gives the evil eye.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said if you see something you like, then say
m!sh!All!h la (awla wa la quwwata illa bill!h and the evil eye will not afflict them. This

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(ad$th is %a$f jiddan and extremely weak and it is not proven in the sunnah. It is more
sunnah to ask All"h to bless them! Dont remind people to say m!sh!All!h. The only
thing you can do is protect yourself from ayn. Have faith in All"h, make du! and
adhk!r, have tawakkul.

You should say: b!rakAll!h fik or tab!rakAll!h (may All"h bless you in it). If you like
something someone has, ask All"h to increase them (All!humma zid wa b!rik). When you
ask this du! for someone, angels make the same du! for you.

Dont remind people to say m!sh!All!h. There is a better thing to say, which is
tab!rakAll!h. When you tell someone to say this, then you are saying, I know you are
jealous, so say m!sh!All!h. The person may feel that they are being accused.

You can say m!sh!All!h but it is better to say tab!rakAll!h. The evidence used by
those who say m!sh!All!h is: In S&ratl-Kahf and the story of the garden. However,
this is the wrong usage of this !yah. It is not being applied properly. Why? From the
context of the !yah, the problem with the man who had the beautiful Jannah was that
he had pride and arrogance, and he was reminded to say m!sh!All!h to remind
himself that this is because of All"h and whatever All"h wills and that there is no power
except from All"h and it is not from his own doings. If you have something nice, you
should say m!sh!All!h to remind yourself it is from All"h, but not to protect against
ayn when saying tab!rakAll!h or b!rak All!h fih is better.

It is better to say m!sh!All!h when you yourself have something nice you are
reminding yourself that this is because of All"h. When it comes to fearing you may give
someone ayn or yourself ayn, then say may All"h put blessings in it and say b!rak
All!h fih or tab!rakAll!h.

Protecti on from the Evi l Eye

1) Having strong faith in All"h by putting his trust in Him and seeking refuge with
Him and beseeching Him
2) Reciting the last two s&rahs of the Qur"n, S&ratl-Ikhl!', S&ratl-F!ti(ah, and !yatl-
kursi.
3) Du!s for protection from the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam):

I seek refuge in the perfect words of All"h from the evil of that which He has created

This is one of the most important du!s!

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I seek refuge in the perfect words of All"h from His wrath and punishment, from the
evil of His slaves and from the evil promptings of the devils and from their presence.

All"h is sufficient for me. None has the right to be worshipped but He;
in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.

Rely upon All"h to protect yourself from any ayn.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) used to seek refuge with All"h for al-+asan and
al-+usayn and say: Your forefather (i.e . Abraham) used to seek Refuge with All"h for
Ishmael and Isaac by reciting the following: 'O All"h! I seek Refuge with Your Perfect
Words from every devil and from poisonous pests and from every evil, harmful, envious
eye.
[al-Bukh"ri]

People usually follow two extremes with ayn: they deny it or everything is ayn.

Satani c Dreams

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,ad$th When the time draws near (when the Resurrection is near), a believer's dream
can hardly be false. And the truest vision will be of one who is himself the most truthful
in speech, for the vision of a Muslim is the forty-fifth part of prophecy, and dreams are
of three types: one good dream which is a sort of good tidings from All"h; the evil
dream which causes pain is from the Shay"!n; and the third one is a suggestion of one's
own mind; so if any one of you sees a dream which he does not like, he should stand up
and offer prayer and he should not relate it to people.
[Muslim]

That which people see in their sleep may come under one of two categories:

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That which people see in their sleep may come under one of two categories:
1. Dreams/visions
2. Confused dreams

Confused dreams can be divided into two categories:
a. Shay"!ns attempts to frighten
If the dream is confusing and frightening and scares you, then it may be from
Shay"!n.

b. The workings of the subconscious
You may have been thinking of something during the day and it all got mixed
up in your head and you had a dream about it.

Or, dreams can be divided into three categories:

1) Visions or dreams that come from All"h
This is a good dream. You wake up feeling good. The dream itself is clear. This
could be a warning or glad tidings for a person. The more pious the person is,
the clearer that type of dream will be. There can be truth in these.

One of the ways the scholars mention to ask is if they can remember the details
of the dream. If they cannot, then it is more likely it is a confusing dream and
not from All"h. Also, the scholars mention that if you have this dream after fajr,
then this is very likely not from All"h.

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2) Attempts by the Shay"!n to frighten us
This is a bad or scary dream.

3) The workings of the subconscious
You may have a clear dream, but it didnt make sense.

Dream interpretation:
Shaykh Saads opinion is that there is very little we know from the Qur&"n and Sunnah
about interpreting dreams. Most of what we know from dream interpretation comes
from peoples experiences. There is not a lot of proof. It is not a science.

Shaykh Saad had a dream while preparing for this seminar. He dreamt that he was
sitting in a halaqa of Shaykh Uthaymin and he knew who Shaykh Saad was. Shaykh
Saad never met him but benefited a lot from his books and lecture recordings.

What shoul d you do when you have a bad dream?

1) Know that this dream is from the Shay"!n, so dont dwell over it
Shay"!n wants you to be concerned and think about it. The way to fight Shay"!n is to
put it aside and not think about it.

2) Seek refuge in All"h from the accursed Shay"!n
The sunnah is to say: a&dhu bill!hi min al-shay"!nl-raj$m.

3) Seek refuge in All"h from the evil of this dream
Say: O All"h protect me from anything I saw in the dream and then put your trust
in All"h.

4) Spit dryly to your left three times (i.e. blowing with a little bit of saliva)

5) Dont tell anyone about it
Shay"!n wants for us to spread the negative feelings.

6) Turn over from the side on which you were sleeping

7) Get up and pray

Note: All types of magic is kufr, and there is no such thing as good magic and bad
magic. All types of magic is disobedience to All"h and disbelief in All"h. If you go to a
r!qi and he says the jinn will be used to heal you, then you immediately know that this
is not someone you should go to. Ruqya has to be performed according to the Qur&"n
and Sunnah and how the companions and pious predecessors would do it. If a r!qi starts

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telling you things about yourself, then it is a clear sign this person is involved with jinn
and not someone you should be going to for ruqya or any time of cure.

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Chapter 6 | The Psychol ogy of Shay"!n

Shay"!n s Goal s

Shay"!n s Mai n Goal

Indeed, Shay"!n is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy.
He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.
S&rah F!"ir [35:6]

Shay"!n s Immedi ate Goal s

These are ways Shay"!n gets to his main goal. There is a process by which Ibl!s works.
Some scholars call these the steps / levels of attack of Shay"!n.

Every single person falls into one of these levels, meaning Shay"!n is trying with us on
one or more of these levels. We can all fall into one or more of these categories.

- To take someone outsi de the fol d of Isl am (maj or shi rk or maj or
kuf r)

Those who disbelieve in All"h are on this level. This is the worst level. Why does
Shay"!n start here? A person who dies upon shirk or kufr has no hope of going to
Paradise, and this means Shay"!n has completely succeeded.

All"h says that if a person dies upon shirk, then that is not forgiven. If a person
commits shirk and repents, he may be forgiven.

,ad$th qudsi in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and one of Imam al-Nawawis 40 (ad$th: The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, All"h said, O child of %dam, if you
come to me with sins as great as the earth and then meet Me and have not
associated anything with Me, I will bring you that same amount or similar
amount of forgiveness. No matter what sins you commit, All"h can forgive you
if you die upon it as long as you do not commit shirk and worship other than
All"h or associate partners with Him.

Anyone who dies upon Islam will eventually end up in Jannah.

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This shows us that even Ibl!s has priorities when it comes to his dawah. He
starts with the most important thing. He starts with that which is most effective
and most powerful. He doesnt start with delaying prayer. If he gets someone to
commit a sin, it is not as big a deal as getting someone to commit kufr.

We want to be from the awliy!. We should ask ourselves: do we have priorities
as well? Do we start with the most important things or jump to things of lesser
importance? Sometimes when we are giving dawah to someone, someone may
criticize someone who is not wearing (ij!b, but there is a bigger issue to solve
first: the persons $m!n.

In order to fight Ibl!s, we should also have priorities and start with the most
important issues. Always start with taw($d when making dawah.

Ibl!s does 3 main things to get people to disbelieve:
1) Intellectually
Get them to give preference to their aql over naql. Islamically, we live a
life of harmony between revelation and intellect. We run into problems
when considering aql to be above everything else.

2) Doubts
Doubts in religion, the !khirah, or in All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

3) Desires
The story of Bars!sah started with his desires, and it ended in shirk and
kufr.

If Shay"!n succeeded with someone in this level, then they become part of the
army of Shay"!n.

- To make someone commi t al -bi d ah (i nnovati on)

What is a bidah?
Response: What kind of definition are you looking for? A linguistic one or
technical one?

Linguistically, bidah is simply something which did not occur before; something
which is new. Linguistically, to say driving cars is bidah is correct.
Shar$ definition: An action that was not performed or sanctioned by the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) that is brought into the religion.

Linguistically, sunnah is something that was done before.
Technically, Sunnah is something the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) did,
legislated, sanctioned or was part of his behavior.

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Sunnah and bidah are direct opposites both linguistically and technically.

Why does Shay"!n move on to bidah? It is very rare for people to do bidah with a
bad intention of corrupting the religion. Most people who do bidah have good
intentions. The problem is that when someone does something with a good
intention, they dont realize that they are actually doing a sin. Scholars say that
committing bidah is a major sin. Bidahs can lead to shirk and kufr.
A person who commits a sin may easily repent and know they did
something wrong. People commit bidahs thinking theyve done
something good, so they wont repent from it.

The nature of bidah is that people will follow it. People call to bidah as
well because they think it is a good deed.

Major sins are known by most people, but to know bidah, you have to
have an understanding of religion, so it is easy to misguide them.

Bidahs lead to shirk and kufr.
For example: the people of N($. These people started with simply
making images of their pious people. Ibl!s came to them and said that
these pious people remind them of All"h, so make images of them so that
you are reminded of All"h after they die. They introduced something
new. Generations pass and Ibl!s comes to them and says they should start
seeking the help of these pious people. This later generation forgot that
the images were only for a reminder to remember All"h and not for
worship. The bidah led to shirk and kufr.

Bidahs may take away from the far!id.

Bidahs are deep rooted in culture, so it is very hard to get rid of them. Be
gentle when telling someone that what they are doing is bidah. You are
telling them that something they think has been a good deed theyve
been doing their whole life is a bidah.

Examples of bidahs: Qur&"n kh!ni, gathering after 40 days and sending the
reward to the dead.

Scholars mention that bidahs in matters of worship lead to shirk and kufr. When
someone is involved in bidah, they dont even know they did something wrong.

Ways to combat this: stick to the Sunnah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam). Ask yourself if the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) worshipped All"h
in this manner or not. If you are presented with a deed that could either be

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Sunnah or bidah and you are not sure because you are a layman, then leave it so
that you protect yourself. It is better to die in a state of knowing that you only
worshipped All"h in the way that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
worshipped All"h.

Scholars say our d$n revolves around two main (ad$th:
1) ,ad$th of %ishah: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person
who brings something new into this matter of ours will be rejected.
2) ,ad$th of Umar: Actions are by intentions

In our times, Shay"!n has come up with a new trick regarding bidahs. Shay"!n
makes people afraid of using the term bidah.

How do you save yourself from this level? Always be truthful with All"h and His
Messenger. This means that any time you are about to do something in terms of
ib!dah and coming closer to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la), ask yourself: did the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) do this? Did he ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
teach his companions to do this? Did the companions practice this action or
not? Is this something the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) encouraged? Is it
something found in the religion?

If it is not found in the religion, then no matter who is telling you this action is
fine, protect yourself. Sunnah is something you are rewarded for if you do it, but
there is no punishment if you do not do it. You are punished for bidah. By
leaving it, you have protected you religion. No one will feel bad if they are dying
knowing that they followed the Sunnah.

If someone comes to you with a newly invented matter, ask yourself: is this
something the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) did or did not do?
1) Did
- Authentic (ad$th
- Not authentic (ad$th: this means the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam)
did not do it

2) Did not do
- Knew: Someone who says this is saying that the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) knew that something is good and iyyaudhu bill!h hid it
from us " who would say this about the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam)? The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Today I have
completed your religion. Ibn Umar said there is nothing the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) did not tell us to get to Paradise. In the
farewell sermon at ,ajj, the people testified that the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) delivered the message.

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- Did not know: Someone who says this is saying that they know more
than the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) of what is needed to get to
Paradise and what will bring us closer to All"h. No one can claim this!

In the Muwa""! of Imam M"lik, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I
have left you with two things, and you will never go astray as long as you hold
on to them: the Book of All"h and the Sunnah of His Messenger ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam).

Bidah is the path of Ibl!s and Sunnah is the path of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam), and they will always be at odds. One way to protect ourselves from
this is to implement the Sunnah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), even
in the small things. Try to implement the habits of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) in our daily lives. %ishah narrates in )a($( Bukh"ri: The Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) liked to start from his right when wearing his shoes,
combing his hair, and when making wu%&. Once we bring the barakah of that,
we protect ourselves from Ibl!s.

One of the biggest sources of bidah is a lack of knowledge. When people are
ignorant about the religion, they fall into bidah. The more you educate yourself
about your religion and d$n, then you will be in opposition to Ibl!s and the
concept of bidah.

Ibn #Abb"s in a (ad$th in Ibn M"jah, al-Tirmidhi, and others said the Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A single faq$h is more formidable against the
Shay"!n than a thousand devout worshippers. Why? Because he is worshipping
correctly. The thousand worshippers may spend years worshipping All"h
incorrectly.
Note: Some scholars consider this (ad$th to be weak. It seems this (ad$th is (asan
li ghayrihi, which is a (ad$th which is weak but not inauthentic, meaning there is
a problem in the chain somewhere but this (ad$th is narrated by so many
different people that the number of narrations brings strength to one another.
Some scholars are of the opinion that it remains weak while others say the
number of narrations make it acceptable.

- To make someone commi t maj or si ns

Imam al-Dhahabi wrote a book called Al-Kab!ir. This helps to identify the kab!ir
and protect you from falling into them.

What is the difference between a major sin and minor sin?
Major sins are those sins for which there is a specific punishment mentioned in
the Qur&"n and Sunnah in the !khirah or dunya. For example, the qi'!' for
murdering someone is that they are punished by death. This is a major sin.

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(Note: this only occurs in an Islamic state with a q!%i). Minor sins are those
which have no specific punishment found in the Qur&"n and Sunnah. Also, major
sins require specific tawbah. The person specifically has to ask All"h to forgive
him for that sin.

Example: (ad$th of isr! wal-mir!j in Bukh"ri. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said he was shown some punishments from the barzakh and came across
a big pit of fire and there were people in this fire who were naked and the fire
would eat up their bodies and they would be screaming. After their bodies were
burned, the bodies would become normal and they would be burned again. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) asked who these people were and Jibr!l said
they were adulterers. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) also saw people in
a river of blood, and they kept trying to get out of the river. As they reached the
shore, their heads were being hit by rocks and they kept falling back into the
river. Jibr!l (alayhil-sal!m) said these people were being punished because they
were involved in riba. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) saw people whose
lips and tongues were being cut with scissors and then they would be put back
to normal. Jibr!l told the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) that these people
were being punished because they were involved in backbiting.

Minor sins do not require specific tawbah and can be forgiven in different ways.
One jumuah to the next forgives sins. This refers to minor sins.

Note: the greatest sin is shirk and it is in a category on its own.

The Shay"!n works the hardest on the learned individuals, imams and scholars.
If Ibl!s can get a scholar or leader to fall into a sin, then not only will he fall into
the sin but others will as well because:
- others will think that if the scholar can fall into it, then how can they be
protected from it
or
- because they are in a position of authority, they may try to justify their
action and then they not only misguided themselves but also other people
Ibl!s tries very hard with scholars and learned individuals.

- To make someone commi t mi nor si ns

Minor sins are things which do not require specific tawbah. They can be erased
by our good deeds.

Many religious people fall into this category.

Even in the minor sins, Ibl!s is very smart. A person may look at their minor sins
and say it is not a big deal. They may think that their good deeds will erase their

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minor sins. Ibl!s is successful in convincing the person that these are small and
minor and not a big deal.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) told us in the (ad$th of Sahl b. Sad in
the Musnad of Imam A$mad: Beware of those sins that people view as small or
those sins that people belittle. The example of a person who gets involved in
these minor sins is the example of a group of people who go to spend the night
in a valley and from this group of people, one person goes and brings a little bit
of wood. Another goes and brings a little bit of wood. Another goes and brings a
little bit of wood. As soon as the wood is lit, a ,ajj fire goes up. When a person
indulges in minor sins, he will be destroyed by them.

Shay"!n misrepresents things to us. He gets us to compare minor sins to major
sins. A person involved in minor sins will eventually fall into major sins. Minor
sins lead to major sins. This is why Shay"!n uses this as the next category.

Belittling sins is a major sin.

- To make someone waste hi s or her ti me i n permi ssi bl e thi ngs

Ibl!s cloaks and covers and doesnt show the reality. With bidah, the truth is
covered with something we think is good.

Shay"!n will swamp a person with permissible things so they have no time to do
anything which is better.

Example: A newly married couple who has had the nik!( but not the wal$mah.
These couples will spend hours on the phone talking. They are not doing
anything wrong. Sometimes there is nothing to talk about so people start
talking about hypothetical situations (i.e. naming children). The time is wasted.
That time could have been spent in the worship of All"h. When a couple is living
together, it is easier to solve their disagreements. Living together also means
they are having marital relations, and when there is a physical relationship, it is
a lot easier to get over something you dont like.

Example: sports. A trick of Shay"!n is to make you obsessed with sports or any
hobby which is (al!l. They start losing out on other things which are important.

Example: instead of paying attention to the message of the khu"bah, we think
about other things (his style of delivery, his Arabic grammar, the tone of his
voice, etc.).

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Sometimes it is a simple matter of getting people to sit around and do nothing.
This is okay sometimes, but when it gets excessive, then Shay"!n has succeeded
on this level.

- To make someone choose to do the l esser of two good deeds

If you let you guard down, Ibl!s can get you. Shay"!n will get you to pick the
action with the lesser reward. As Shaykh Saad was preparing this section, he
realized that a'r had come in an hour earlier. Shay"!n had succeeded. It is better
to pray the prayer at its earliest time. It is so important to have knowledge so
that Ibl!s doesnt get you in this type of situation.

Shay"!n gets us in this level in knowledge and worship. The Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, The superiority of an !lim (scholar) over an !bid
(worshipper) is like my superiority over the least of you. A person who has
knowledge is able to tell in which matter there is more reward or less reward.
They are able to tell if an act of worship is sunnah or bidah. Sometimes we think
of Islam as individualistic, and we forget that as a Muslim, we are part of the
ummah and have rights upon one another.

Imam A$mad said about tahajjud, Tahajjud is for myself, but the actions of the
ummah are for everyone, so I would rather do what is going to help more people
than what will help less people.

Story of +af,ah, the daughter of Umar: When her husband passed away, Umar
(ra%yAll!hu anhu) went first to Uthm"n and offered his daughter in marriage to
him, and Uthm"n refused. He then went to Abu Bakr who refused as well.
Eventually, the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) married his daughter.
Why did Umar go to Uthm"n before Abu Bakr? Isnt Abu Bakr the best of the
companions? Abu Bakr has the highest rank amongst the companions. The wife
of Uthm"n had passed away, and Abu Bakr already had two wives. Even though
Abu Bakr was better than Uthm"n, Umar knew Uthm"n didnt have a wife.
This shows that knowledge is so important Shay"!n will get you to do the lesser
of the two actions.

Ibn al-Qayyim told us the best form of worship. He said, The best act of worship
depends on the time and the place and to see what is best in that time and place.

- If someone brings you food and the adh!n is called and the masjid is nearby,
then the preferred action is: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
If food is presented to you and the prayer has been established, then start
with the food. This is the fiqh of understanding what is best to do in that
time and place. There is more reward in eating. Why? When you go pray
your prayer, if you go hungry, then you will be thinking about the food. If

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you were to eat first and then pray, the quality of your prayer would be
much better. Also, because you ate first, you implemented the Sunnah of the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and there is reward in that action.

- Example: In ,ajj on the day of Araf"h, the best thing to do is make du! to
All"h.

In prayer, we are not allowed to speak. If the imam makes a mistake in the
prayer, then according to the majority of scholars, you can correct him. The
Sunnah is to correct him and there is more reward to do this. Even women
should clap their hands to correct the imam.

Sometimes parents may do things to their children which may make their self-
worth or self-esteem suffer. It is common in the desi community for parents to
say that their children must become a doctor. This may not be everyones
strength, and they may have a tough time succeeding in this. This child may
think that he is not smart. That childs strength may lie in another field. It is
from the fiqh and understanding of a parent to look at their childs strengths
and weaknesses and encourage them in their strengths.

This includes in ib!dah too. For some people, they are not good at fasting sunnah
fasts, but it is easy for them to wake up for qiy!ml-layl. Focus on something you
have no problem with.

- Rui ni ng acts of obedi ence to Al l "h

Al-Baqarah v. 264: Do not nullify your acts of charity with harming someone or
reminding a person of your fa%l upon them. This is how you ruin your charity.

An act of worship can be ruined even after it is done, and this goes back to the
issue of intention. One of the biggest goals of Shay"!n is to mess with our
intentions. He will get us to change our intentions or play with them after they
are already done.

Someone may have performed the best of the good deeds and Shay"!n will try to
get them to ruin it.

Another example: riy!. As a person is praying, they realize someone is walking
into the masjid, and they start to beautify their prayer.

- An al l -out attack

If Shay"!n is unsuccessful in the above, then he will make an all-out physical
attack. If we get to this level, we will be tested very severely. When your $m!n is

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at this level, then the tests get serious. An example of this is Umar who was at a
level at which Shay"!n couldnt get to him. Umar died after being stabbed by a
Majusi with a poison dagger.

Islam began as something strange and will go back to something strange. There
is reward for those people who are the strangers.

All of the people of knowledge were tested. Imam M"lik was beaten to the point
where he couldnt raise his hands to pray. Ibn Taymiyyah was jailed.

If Ibl!s cannot succeed in other categories and if someone is in leadership, then
Ibl!s will try to get people to turn against him and attack him. People turned
against Imam Bukh"ri and tried to cause psychological harm.

Shay"!n s Moti vati ons

Why does Shay"!n care if we go to heaven or hell?
- Shay"!n sees %dam (alayhil-sal!m) as the father of mankind and blames %dam.
He wants to make sure we end up in the Hellfire.
- Some scholars mention that when we fight the shay!"$n, we are fighting a war
with prisoners. Sayyid Qutb said about Ibl!s: He doesnt ask for respite because
he doesnt regret what he has done. Rather, he takes revenge from %dam and his
progeny.

An anal ysi s of Shay"!n s speech

Lets take some examples of Shay"!ns speech as mentioned in the Qur"n. What
conclusions can we come to?

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[All"h] said, O Ibl!s, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with
My hands? Were you arrogant [then], or were you [already] among the haughty? He
said, I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.
[All"h] said, Then get out of Paradise, for indeed, you are expelled. And indeed, upon
you is My curse until the Day of Recompense. He said, My Lord, then reprieve me
until the Day they are resurrected. [All"h] said, So indeed, you are of those reprieved
until the Day of the time well-known. [Ibl!s] said, By Your might, I will surely mislead
S&rah )!d [38:75-83]

A lot of this is additional information regarding Ibl!ss refusal to make sajdah to %dam.
In the other set of !y!t, All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) said, What has stopped you from
making sajdah when I have commanded you to do so? In this !yah, All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la) mentions that %dam (alayhil-sal!m) has been created with the two Hands of
All"h, which is nobility given to %dam over Ibl!s. Ibl!s was not created by the two Hands
of All"h. Because All"h created him with His Hands, it shows us the superiority of %dam
over Ibl!s.

All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) gives Ibl!s another opportunity by asking if he is not making
sajdah because of arrogance. All"h is telling Ibl!s exactly why he isnt making sajdah.
This is a rhetorical question. Whenever All"h asks a question, He knows the answer but
is asking so that Ibl!s can think. Ibl!s is once again persistent in his arrogance and
insists he is better than %dam (alayhil-sal!m) even though All"h has clearly told Ibl!s
that %dam is better.

Part of our faith is that we know that All"h tells us to do things for our benefit. When
we disobey, it is as if we are saying that we think we know better. It is a characteristic
of Ibl!s to insist even when the matter has been made clear.

Here we see once again that Ibl!s is expelled due to his arrogance. All"h can raise you
up and disgrace you as well. In the obedience of All"h is true honor and in disobedience
is disgrace.

All"h tells us about Ibl!s refusing to make sajdah. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) tells us that
He commanded Ibl!s to make sajdah. In this !yah, All"h shows the honor He gave to
%dam in that He created %dam with His Hands. This arrogance is even higher because
Ibl!s disregards the argument presented by All"h that He created %dam with His Hands
and Ibl!s still thinks that he is better than %dam.

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All"h can raise someone up and take them down when they become disobedient to
All"h. The lana of All"h means: 1) anger and 2) distance. The anger of All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) is upon Ibl!s. Also, Ibl!s is distant from the Mercy of All"h. This will
last until the Day of Judgment and after when he is punished in the Hellfire. It is very
serious to say to someone, May the lana of All"h be upon you. You are saying, May
you earn the Wrath of All"h and may you be far away from the Mercy of All"h and far
away from any type of hope.

He said, My Lord, then reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected. [All!h] said, So indeed,
you are of those reprieved until the Day of the time well-known.

Even after being cursed, Ibl!s understood the Mercy of All"h and asked for respite until
the Day of Resurrection, and All"h allows him to live until the Day of the appointed
time. Allowing him to live means he will increase in his sins, which means his
punishment will be severe.

Ibl$s said, I swear by Your Honor

Ibl!s is thinking of the highest possible thing that he can swear by, and he thinks that it
is the Honor of All"h.

except, among them, Your chosen servants.

This shows the sincerity in ones actions. The only people who will be saved from the
tricks and traps of Shay"!n are the sincere. Shay"!n gets people to show off their good
deeds (riy!).

And [mention] when We said to the angels, Prostrate to %dam, and they prostrated,
except for Ibl!s. He said, Should I prostrate to one You created from clay? [Ibl!s] said,
Do You see this one whom You have honored above me? If You delay me until the Day
of Resurrection, I will surely destroy his descendants, except for a few.
S&ratl-Isr! [17:61-62]

Ibl!s is taking the focus away from the real matter. It doesnt matter what %dam
(alayhil-sal!m) is created from.

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This shows Ibl!s arrogance and viewing of himself to be better than %dam. The word
a(tanikanna comes from (anaka. ,anaka has two forms of usage.
1) Ibl!s will be able to affect the person just like you will affect a child.

Ta(n$k: the Sunnah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is to chew a bit of a date
and put it in the babys mouth. Fulfilling a commandment of All"h is worshipping All"h.
To fight Ibl!s, we give the child a good upbringing. Any type of worship you do is a
defeat for Ibl!s.

It is alluding to the fact that Ibl!s will be the enemy of the child since the first day, and
the second connotation is that just like a child has an upbringing, he will make sure it is
a bad upbringing.

2) He will be able to control mankind.

The other meaning of (anaka is when someone puts a rope in a horses mouth to
control it. Ibl!s will try to control the progeny of %dam and lead them to the Hellfire.

except for a few

The scholars mention that in this position here, Ibl!s is not actually sure and doesnt
know how many people he will mislead. He is making boastful claims. He is very
confident in the way he is speaking. Sometimes confidence is a way for a person to hide
their insecurities. Ibl!s is trying to bully the children of %dam.

And do not be like those who came forth from their homes insolently and to be seen by
people and avert [them] from the way of All"h. And All"h is encompassing of what they
do. And [remember] when Shay-"n made their deeds pleasing to them and said, No
one can overcome you today from among the people, and indeed, I am your protector.

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But when the two armies sighted each other, he turned on his heels and said, Indeed, I
am disassociated from you. Indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed I fear All"h. And
All"h is severe in penalty.
S&ratl-Anf!l [8:47-48]

And do not be like those who came forth from their homes insolently and to be seen by people
and avert [them] from the way of All!h.

What is All"h speaking about? The Battle of Badr. The mushrik&n of Quraysh were
leaving Makkah to fight the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and the Muslims. As
they were gathering at the city limits, there was a rumor spreading that Makkah may
be attacked by Banu Bakr (Banu Kin"nah). Many fighters of the Quraysh started to
become uneasy. They almost decided to not go out and fight the Muslims. A man named
Sur"qah b. M"lik b. Jushim who was one of the leaders of Banu Bakr came and told
them that Banu Bakr would not attack them and that he would go and fight with them
hand in hand, and he grabbed the hand of one of the fighters of the Quraysh.

Sur"qah b. M"lik was the Shay"!n. He beautified the war for them. He said, There is no
one from amongst the people who can overtake you that day. This is the guarantee he
gives. He says, I will be your jarh. Jarh is someone who is your neighbor, and this is
supposed to be someone who protects you and looks out for you.

However, what happened? When the armies came together and he saw them come
together, he turned and fled. Some narrators say Ibl!s snatched his hand away and
threw the person he was holding hands with and pushed him back. He said, I am free
from you. This is the habit of Ibl!s: giving reassurances and making false promises and
when the punishment of All"h comes, he backs out. Scholars say that he saw Jibr!l
(alayhil-sal!m) and the angels come down, and when he saw the power of the angels, he
fled. The stronger opinion on the number of angels is 100. At this moment, he said, I
fear All"h. He fears the punishment of All"h, and when he sees the angels, he knows
the punishment of All"h is coming. All"h is the most severe in His punishment.

Why does All"h say at this moment that he fears All"h? Ibl!s is taking the knife and
twisting it. He is telling them that the people were fools to believe him. He is saying
that even he knows how powerful All"h is.

[The hypocrites are] like the example of Shay"!n when he
says to man, Disbelieve. But when he disbelieves, he says, Indeed,
I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I fear All"h, Lord of the worlds.
S&ratl-,ashr [59:16]

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All"h is reminding us that Ibl!s is a habitual liar. Shay"!n will make false promises and
reassure you. All"h is saying this is the way the hypocrites are as well. The hypocrites
are the helpers of Shay"!n. This !yah is also proof of the fact that rub&biyyah
necessitates ul&hiyyah. Rub&biyyah is the belief that All"h is our Creator, Sustainer, Lord,
Rabb. If a person believes that only is All"h is their Lord and Sustainer, then it
necessitates that All"h is the only Lord worthy of worship. Ibl!s fears All"h because He
is the only Lord.

The example of the hypocrites is like Shay"!n.

Story of Bars!sah

Many scholars, including Ibn Kath!r in Bid!yah wal-Nih!yah, say this story was revealed
because of the story of Bars!sah. It is narrated that this verse was revealed about a
monk who came in the nations before us. This monk was known to be very pious and
worshipped All"h for 60 years. One day, Shay"!n decided he wanted to misguide this
worshipper, so he possessed a woman and she became ill from this possession. They
tried to help her and find a cure.

She had three brothers who became worried. Shay"!n came to the brothers and told
them to take her to Bars!sah. They took their sister there and told her that they had to
go to battle and they asked Bars!sah if they could leave her. Bars!sah initially said no
until Shay"!n came to him and said, What kind of worshipper are you that you do not
help this poor, ill girl? Bars!sah thought he should perform ruqya and agreed to take
care of her.

Initially, it mentioned that she was in a separate room and he would do ruqya through a
door. He would put a plate of food at the door and knock and run away until Shay"!n
came to him and said this woman has been put in his care and is by herself for so long,
which is not humane. Bars!sah decides he would at least ask her how she was and hand
her food personally. He then thinks that if he is doing that, then he should perform
ruqya on her as well and she would be cured sooner. He sits beside her bed and
performs ruqya. She is cured slowly, and he starts talking to her and develops affection
for her. They began to have feelings for one another until they committed zina.

She gets pregnant, and Shay"!n goes to Bars!sah and says, What have you done? This
woman was brought to you to take are of her, and you took advantage of her, and now
there is an illegitimate child. What will you tell the brothers? They will not believe you.
The only solution you have is to kill her and the baby, and when the brothers come
back, you tell them that she became ill and died. He thinks and thinks and decides that
is the best solution. He wonders how people will behave when they realize a monk
committed zina with a woman and had an illegitimate child. He kills her and the baby.

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The brothers come back, and he tells the story of her becoming ill and dying. The
brothers say, Why did you bury her so quickly? We wanted to find out what
happened. They investigated. Ibl!s comes back to Bars!sah and tells him that they will
find out and realize that he not only committed zina and had a child but killed her and
the baby. Ibl!s says, The only thing that can save you now is me. I can take you out of
your predicament. I am your advisor. All you have to do is make sajdah to me, and I will
help you. Bars!sah makes sajdah. When he commits this kufr, Ibl!s says, I am free from
you. I fear All"h, the Lord of the worlds. The brothers find out what happened and kill
Bars!sah and he dies upon kufr. All"h is saying this is how the hypocrites are. This is the
step-by-step process of Ibl!s.

Shay"!n doesnt come to a person immediately. He takes a step-by-step process until he
leads a person to kufr and then says he is free from them and fears All"h.

Whom All"h has cursed. For he had said, I will surely take from among Your servants a
specific portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I
will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they
will change the creation of All"h. And whoever takes Shay"!n as an ally instead of All"h
has certainly sustained a clear loss. Shay"!n promises them and arouses desire in them.
But Shay"!n does not promise them except delusion.
S&ratl-Nis! [4:118-120]

I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion

There are three methods of emphasis here:
1) L!m al-tawk$d.
2) N&n al-tawk$d
3) Al-qasm wal-muqaddar: an implied swear, meaning it is as if he is saying, I
swear that I will most definitely The swear is implied.

Ibl!s is being cursed. The specific portion are the aiders and helpers of Ibl!s. First he
says that he will take from His servants a specific portion. Then he says, I will surely

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mislead them. Then he says, I will certainly give rise to their desires. He then says, I
will command them to cut the ears of cattle. Ibl!s is smart in the way he works. At the
time of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), the Arabs had a lot of superstitions
attached to cutting the ears of cattle. Everything that came out of it would lead to shirk
minor and possibly major.

There are three methods of emphasis in each statement. Ibl!s comes to us with very
small things, but the implications of them are so large.

and I will command them so they will change the creation of All!h.

Scholars say the distortion of All"hs creation has three meanings:
1) People will physically change the creation of All"h.
He will get them to physically harm themselves (i.e. drugs, plastic surgery,
tattoos). Ibl!s will make them think that they are doing something good.

2) Changing the creation from worshipping All"h to worshipping other than
All"h. He will get the creation to worship people, saints, rocks, trees, idols,
the sun, etc.

3) Changing the fi"rah of mankind. The fi"rah is the natural inclination to
worship All"h. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, There is not a
child born except that he is born on the fi"rah

Shay"!n only promises them with deception. The term ghur&r means that you are not
shown the reality of something. You are shown something, but the reality is something
else.

Shay"!n s Sermon to the Peopl e of Hel l fi re

And Shay"!n will say when the matter has been concluded, Indeed, All"h had promised
you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no
authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame
me, but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my

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aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with All"h] before. Indeed, for the
wrongdoers is a painful punishment.
S&rah Ibr!h$m [14:22]

[Refer to the Introduction for notes]

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Chapter 7 | How Shay"!n Decei ves Peopl e at Di fferent
Level s of Rel i gi osi ty

This chapter is like a workbook. Throughout this weekend, we will fill in this chapter
and see how Shay"!n deceives people. Shay"!n doesnt use one method in one way but
many methods in many ways. He may use a particular method but apply it differently
to different people depending on factors such as a persons religiosity.

You can protect yourself and those around you as well.

These are the methods (strategies, tools, and tricks) employed by Shay"!n. He has a plan
of attack for every single person, religious or not, strong or weak, young or old, male or
female! He has been strategizing and perfecting his attacks since the creation of %dam
(#alayhil-sal!m).

Level s of Rel i gi osi ty:

Note: Shay"!n tries extra hard with the learned individuals to get them to commit
major sins. Why? Ibl!ss strategy is to try to get the most bang for his buck. He does this
by getting a knowledgeable person like a scholar or imam to fall into a sin and then
everyone else will fall because the people will wonder how they can be expected to not
fall into a sin when a great scholar has. Also, matters become justified in their minds.
One of the ways Ibl!s comes is that not only does he get the knowledgeable person to
commit a sin but to make him arrogant and justify the sin. When this happens, then to
all the followers, it becomes justified. All"h says, Ask the people of knowledge if you
dont know.

NM Non-Muslims or non-practicing Muslims (includes Muslim only by
culture) - Those who are heedless to purpose of life:

Antagonistic towards traditional Islam
Indifferent towards traditional Islam
S Those seeking out the purpose of life; looking for spirituality
N New Muslims or newly-practicing Muslims
LI Muslims dealing with low $m!n
RM Religious Muslims
Laymen
Students of knowledge
Learned Individuals
AC All categories

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A real example for us in our times: Those people who have made it their goal in life to
criticize scholars and imams and teachers. Sometimes other leaders and other
knowledgeable people do this.

Every time an example is shown, we will place it in one of the above categories. Shay"!n
comes to people in different ways. You will be able to recognize how Shay"!n or Ibl!s
deceives you.

Example: we may not get angry as others do, but we may have a problem as well. This
is for us to be able to help people if we find them in one of these categories.

1. Di storti on of Real i ty

Then Shay"!n whispered to him; he said, O %dam, shall I direct you to the tree of
eternity and possession that will not deteriorate? [20:120]

Ibl!s distorted the reality and called in a tree of eternity, meaning that if you eat from
this tree, you an live forever. Ibl!s will either take goodness and make it appear as evil
or take evil and make it appear as something good. In this case, Ibl!s is taking
something evil and make it appear as something good.

The evils in society are given a positive name and as a result we may accept it. Shay"!n
will make zina look enticing. Ibl!s makes people think about sexual freedom and not
think that it is a big deal to have sex outside of marriage. We see the effects in our
society: divorce, single parents raising kids, STDs, etc. Ibl!s will never remind you of
these things. Ibl!s deceives people into thinking things are good.

Equality: if the term is applied as a whole, it is not always a good thing. It depends on
what you mean. An example of how equality is bad is that a father says he wants to
treat his two children equally and spend the same on each child. If one of the children
gets sick and is afflicted with a disease, the father may not pay for the treatment
because he would have to spend the same amount of money on the other child, which
he cannot afford to do. There are situations where they should not be treated equally. It
is easy to put things under titles and slogans but the reality may be different.

Shay"!n will get people to jump on labels. When you label someone, you can distort the
reality very easily.

The tyrant tried to commit zina forcibly with the wife of Ibr"h!m (alayhil-sal!m) and
every time he tried, he became paralyzed. In the end, he said, Take this Shay"!n away

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from me. He calls Sarah a Shay"!n, but in reality, he is the Shay"!n. It is a matter of
flipping the issue and distorting the reality and making it something it is not.

! How this method of deception affects people at different levels of religiosity:

Non-Muslims / non-practicing Muslims: Ibl!s will distort the reality of life and may
whisper to someone that it is in this life that he can fulfill all of his desires. The reality
is that people may spend their whole lives trying to fulfill their desires and it will not
happen. Ibl!s will say that happiness is in material things and fame. When people gain
that, they realize it is not true.

Those seeking purpose of life / spirituality: All"h created us with different needs, and
we have spiritual needs. If someone doesnt address this need, then they will feel that
void. Ibl!s will convince that person that the answer to the void is everything except
spirituality and worshipping All"h. He will make people think praying five times a day
is difficult but a person who does it sees the barakah and blessings of praying.

New Muslims / newly practicing Muslims: The better than argument. They will let
themselves continue in a certain sin with the excuse that at least Im better than that
person. Ibl!s will get you to compare yourself to those who are worse off in their d$n.
With the dunya, he will get you to compare yourself to people with more. For dunya, we
should compare with those who have less than us so that we are grateful and thankful
to All"h, and for d$n, we should compare ourselves with those who do more than us.

Muslims dealing with low $m!n: A common method of deception related to this matter
is that Ibl!s makes a person feel like a hypocrite. They feel that only when they have
low $m!n do they turn to All"h. This is a trick of Ibl!s, and he is distorting reality. All"h
may put us in a test or trial so that we get closer to Him and worship Him. This test or
trial may come so that we worship All"h.

If a person is praying during the time of exams, they are better than a person who is
not praying at all. Goodness is goodness. At least this person is worshipping All"h in
that time, and you never know if this may change someones life and he feels the
sweetness of $m!n and continues to pray for the rest of his life.

Religious Muslims:
Laymen: Shay"!n may distort the reality of what goodness is and they may view
goodness as only the exterior and physical acts of worship. They pray their prayers
and fast and look the part and feel good about themselves but have issues in the
heart (jealousy, envy). Many of these issues are big sins. To have (asad is a major sin.
Even a persons online sins go back to the heart. If a person is sincere and cares
about his heart, then online sins will cut down. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa

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sallam) told us: Most certainly, in the body there is a morsel of flesh and if it is
sound, then the rest of the body is sound as well and if it is ruined, then the rest of
the body is ruined as well. Most certainly this is the heart.

Learned Muslims / Scholars: Ibl!s will come to this person and make him think he is
safe because he is religious and teaches and is imam, etc. Ibl!s will make the person
think he knows enough. A learned individual may focus on everyone but their own
family and relationship with their family. Someone may give dawah and teach
others but they are not giving their family attention. Our families have rights upon
us. Shay"!n has got them to focus on things which seem good, but it shouldnt come
at the expense of your own family.

All Categories: Riy! and doing things to show off.

2. Causi ng one to go i nto extremes (extremi sm)
Ibn al-Qayyim said, All!h never orders anything except that Shay"!n takes two contradictory
stances towards it: either shortcoming and negligence or overzealousness and exaggeration.

Extremism is excessiveness or negligence, and Ibl!s loves both of these. For fasting, one
extreme is fasting every single day. This is one of the tactics of Ibl!s: to make us think
we are doing something good when we are actually doing a sin by going outside of the
Sunnah of the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam). People think they are doing
something good and may say, What is wrong? Im just fasting! The other extreme is
never fasting and even leaving off the far% fasts of Ramadan.

In Bukh!ri: Anas narrates a story from the Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam). Three
pious men came to visit the Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam). Anas said, They came
to learn about the Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) and see how he worshipped
All!h. The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) was not there, so they asked about his
worship. After we described it to them, they were not that impressed. They began to
say, The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) has had his past and future sins forgiven
so we need to be different. One of them said, As for me, Im going to fast every single
day. Another said, As for me, Im going to pray the whole night. Another said, As for
me, I will never get married. They left. The Prophet (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) came
back and is told of what took place. He (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) immediately said, Go
find these three men and bring them back to me. When they are brought back, he
(!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Did you three make these statements? They said yes.
He (!allall"hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Wall!hi, I am the most pious amongst all of you and
I have the most taqwa amongst all of you, yet I pray and I sleep, and I fast and I break
my fast, and I marry women. The one who goes beyond my Sunnah is not from amongst
me.

Bidah is extremism.

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When All"h gives a commandment to do or not do something, Shay"!n will cause you to
take a stance: shortcoming and negligence or overzealousness. This is a common trap
of Shay"!n. In almost every single issue, you can find people on each extreme.

Wasa"iyyah is a core concept of Islam. Ahll-sunnah wal-jam!ah always seek to be in the
middle.


Non-Muslims / non-practicing Muslims: Monks go to an extreme in their worship.
They do not get married and stay celibate. This is a form of extremism and not from
the guidance of All"h.

Those seeking out the purpose of life; looking for spirituality: Instead of real
spirituality, they practice a form of zuhd. Asceticism means abandoning the dunya, and
zuhd means to not let the dunya affect you / to own the dunya and not let the dunya own
you. Imam al-Hasan al-Basri said to hold the dunya in your hands and not in your heart.

New Muslims / newly practicing Muslims: They want to do everything and go to one
extreme and then cannot sustain it so they go to the other extreme of not doing
anything.

People dealing with low $m!n: It is common for Shay"!n to come with someone dealing
with low $m!n and convince them that Muslims are only of two categories: a good
Muslim or a bad Muslim. They say that since they are not in the good Muslim category,
they think they are a bad Muslim and they give up and may even leave off worship of
All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). Shay"!n causes them to give up the goodness they are
doing. Shay"!n causes you to think either you are perfect or worthless. There is no
such thing as a perfect Muslim.

Religious Muslims:
Laymen: Worshipping All"h in a way which is not described by the Shar$ah
(bidah). Also, everything is black and white. Taking an extreme stance on every
single issue and not understanding that scholars differ.

Scholars and learned individuals: To refute the philosophers, they forgot and
ended up changing their aq$dah and morals and principals.

3. Procrasti nati on and l azi ness

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All!hs Messenger ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, During your sleep, the Shay"!n ties three
knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot,
The night is long, so keep on sleeping. If that person wakes up and remembers All!h, one knot is
undone. If they perform ablution, then the second knot is undone. If they pray, then all the knots
are undone, and they get up in the morning lively and in good spirits, otherwise they get up in
low spirits and lazy.
[al-Bukh!ri]

When you miss 'al!tl-fajr, it affects your whole day, and Ibl!s knows this, which is why
he tries three knots. He tries hard to make sure we dont wake up for fajr. The Prophet
('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said if we dont wake up for fajr, then the laziness will last
throughout the day. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) would seek refuge in All"h
from laziness.

A trick of Shay"!n is that if you miss fajr, Shay"!n will cause you to be lazy throughout
the rest of the day and not pray the rest of your prayers on time.

Procrastination is a major trick of Shay"!n. He will get you to delay a good deed. For
example, a person may want to make ,ajj, but if Shay"!n cant get you to say that you
dont want to make ,ajj, then he will get you to want to make ,ajj when you are old.

Exampl e: Delaying tawbah. Shay"!n may fail in getting the person to not make tawbah.
Shay"!n will get them to delay their tawbah to the point where they will never be able to
make it.

Shay"!n will get us to be lazy and procrastinate. You dont know how much time you
have left, but Shay"!n will make us think we have tons of time to make tawbah. We
never know how long we have to live, and we know our repentance will be accepted as
long as our soul hasnt left our body. Ibl!s wants you to be in a position where after you
die, you say, O All"h, send me back that perhaps I may do something pious in my
previous life! If you say that you are going to do it later, then it is not important to
you. If you really care about tawbah, then you would make tawbah right now to All"h.

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Exampl e: Ill become a good Muslim after I get married or when we have children,
then we will become good Muslims. Then they think their children are still babies and
nothing will affect them. The Shay"!n wants you to delay your goodness.

A good way to fight this is to be vigilant over all of your prayers. A prayer puts you in a
schedule of worshipping All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said in the Sunan of al-Tirmidhi: Shay"!n has given up hope that the people
who pray will worship him.

Solutions:
- Be extra careful to pray fajr on time. It affects your whole day. Never let
Shay"!n convince you that if you delayed fajr that the rest of your prayers dont
matter. Each prayer is a way to regain focus. You dont know which sajdah,
rak#ah, or dhikr All"h will put barakah in and make it change your whole life. Ibn
al-Qayyim said, A single sajdah can propel a person
- Say the isti!dhah.
- Prayer gives you a schedule. Lives of students in Mad!nah were set in a schedule
of 'al!h.

A good fight for laziness is to seek refuge in All"h from it. Also, the importance of
saying a&dhu bill!hi min al-Shay"!nl-raj$m. When you are about to hit the snooze button
in the morning, say a&dhu bill!hi min al-Shay"!nl-raj$m.

4. Fear

That is only Shay"!n who frightens [you] of his supporters.
So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.

Shay"!n cannot frighten the awliy! of All"h. When you listen to Shay"!n and obey him,
then he can frighten you. When you allow Shay"!n to take the first step and open the
door, then that is when he comes in.

Fear is a tactic of Shay"!n. The most severe way that this occurs is when Shay"!n makes
you afraid of someone above All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) and depending on the severity
of that, it can be minor shirk or major shirk.

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One of the most obvious ways is Shay"!n coming to us with bodily harm or discomfort. A
person who doesnt practice Islam may think that he cannot fast for 30 days in
Ramadan.

Shay"!n may convince people that their life will become very difficult as soon as they
become a practicing Muslim or religious Muslim. People after 9/11 either came closer
to All"h in that time of distress and many non-Muslims came to Islam, and some also
went further away from Islam.

Shay"!n will often make us afraid for ourselves. You are not supposed to be afraid of
Shay"!n. At the end of the day, remember that the plots of Shay"!n are weak. Above all,
put your trust in All"h and take Him as our Protector and Wali.


Non-Muslims / non-practicing Muslims: Shay"!n will make people think they will be
boring, mad all the time, upset, and antisocial.

Those seeking out the purpose of life; looking for spirituality: Shay"!n may make
someone think they will lose their job or others may make judgment about them.

People dealing with low $m!n: Shay"!n will make you afraid that no matter what you do,
you will be punished by All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la), so he makes you give up and lose
hope.

Religious Muslims:
Students of knowledge: Fear of riy!. Shay"!n will tell a person he is knowledgeable
or learned but if he starts teaching, then he may fall into riy! and do it just to show
off.

Scholars and learned individuals: Shay"!n will make them feel afraid to take an
opinion or stance because it will cause them to lose the love of people or people will
turn against them.

5. Desi res

Anas b. M!lik narrated that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Paradise has been
surrounded by hardships and Hellfire has been surrounded by desires."
[al-Bukh!ri, Muslim]

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It is very easy to get to the Hellfire. Paradise is difficult to attain. Shay"!n will make us
focus on our desires. For example, he may get us to focus on the hardships of Islam and
not the ease and comfort that Islam provides. Islam doesnt promise that you will
always have physical ease. You need to struggle with your desires. Islam does promise
the ease of the heart and of the soul once you submit to All"h.

Love of dunya is one of the tricks of Shay"!n. The marketplace is the battleground of
Shay"!n because we see the dunya first-hand. A lot of evil comes about from the
marketplace. We now have access to the marketplace on our computers and phones.

Extravagance and excessiveness:
Excessiveness is going beyond your means or desiring beyond your means. In )a($(
Muslim, J"bir narrates that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, In ones
household, there should be a bed for the man and a sleeping place for his wife. [this
means they should have a place to lay down and go to sleep]. The third sleeping place
should be for the guest. The fourth sleeping place is for al-Shay"!n.

What does this have to do with extravagance and excessiveness? Some people may
have many extra rooms in their house for no reason. Excessiveness opens the door for
Shay"!n to come in. When spending on things you dont need, you are allowing Shay"!n
into your life. People think isr!f and extravagance is equal to money, which is not true.
Isr!f is spending beyond your means.

Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils,
and ever has Shay"!n been to his Lord ungrateful.
S&ratl-Isr! [17:27]

In the quest for fulfilling our desires, we sometimes compromise our Islam.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) told us the marketplace is the battleground of
Shay"!n. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, Do not be the first to enter the
marketplace and the last to leave it for indeed it is the battleground of Shay"!n. It is
that where he places his flag.


People dealing with low $m!n: When someone is dealing with low $m!n, they are feeling
emptiness in their life. Shay"!n will convince a person that this is because he doesnt
have something from this dunya. The real problem is that they are not addressing their
spirituality. Shay"!n makes them think it is something else.

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6. Doubts

The Messenger of All!h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The Shay"!n comes to one of you and
says, Who created such-and-such? Who created such-and-such? Until he says, Who has created
your Lord? So if he brings you to this [nature of questioning], one should seek refuge in All!h and
give up such thoughts.
[al-Bukh!ri]

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) is telling us that if this line of questioning
comes to us, then seek refuge in All"h.

Shay"!n will cause us to doubt many things: $m!n, faith, etc. Many young people may
sign up for a philosophy class in college. Even when you are sure of something, you will
doubt it. It is like trying to run a 23 mile marathon when you cannot run even 500 feet.
You will fail because you did not prepare yourself. Shay"!n will put you in positions you
are not prepared to be in.

A brother was close to the end of his studies in Mad!nah, and he started talking about
philosophy with someone. He said it took him three years to get rid of one doubt.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said if you are in that position, then say the
isti!dhah and move on with your life. As a human being, you are not given all of the
knowledge in the world. You will run into issues and doubts if you try to answer every
question. There will never be a contradiction between sound intellect and authentic
revelation. The doubt that is there is perceived and not real.

Shay"!n may get people to doubt in the abilities of All"h or doubt in their own du!. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said All"h will continue to answer du!s as long as a
person is not hasty in du!, which is a person thinking that he has made du! and made
du! and that his du! is not answered. All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) answered du!s, but
there are various reasons why your du! may be delayed or the answer is not what you
want.

7. Al cohol , games of chance, i dol s and di vi ni ng arrows

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O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other
than All!h], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Shay"!n, so avoid it that
you may be successful. Shay"!n only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through
intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of All!h and from prayer. So
will you not desist?
S&ratl-M!idah [5:90-91]

Scholars call these the tools of Shay"!n. We know the ills that come in society because
of alcohol and gambling. Some scholars add the music industry to this and say these are
the tools of Shay"!n to cause animosity and dissension between people and make
society suffer. They said part of the voice of Shay"!n is music. Look at the amount of sin
that comes from music. So many evil messages get passed to us through music. Without
a difference of opinion among the scholars, any type of music that leads a person astray
is (ar!m. If you pay attention to some lyrics, they are absolutely filthy.

Shay"!n will attach nice things to evil things. Music is something is very addictive and
affects the brain. When a new habit is introduced to us, there is a pathway that gets
created in the brain. Initially it may be very weak. The more you are exposed to it, the
pathway becomes stronger until you become used to it.

A solution is to make habits out of obedience to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). Make dhikr a
habit. Make 'al!h a habit. We want the last words on our lips to be a dhikr of All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

8. The step-by-step process

O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Shay"!n. And whoever
follows the footsteps of Shay"!n - indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing.
S&ratl-N&r [24:21]

The Shay"!n uses a step-by-step process. He wont come directly to a pious person and
tell him to commit adultery or shirk or drink alcohol. An example is the story of the

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people of N($. Shay"!n may start with doing something that doesnt seem like that big a
deal.

People fall into different sins depending on their own weaknesses. Even a
knowledgeable person can fall into sin. An example of this is Bars!sah.

For example, there may be e-mails exchanged which are all business and then end with
a smiley face or a wink, and it eventually leads to zina. The reality is that these things
are happening.

9. Haste

"Haste comes from Shay"!n."
[al-Tirmidhi]

Some scholars considered this (ad$th weak. All"h knows best. From Shaykh Saads
research, it seems that this (ad$th is authentic.

When people are hasty, they are likely to fall into mistakes and commit sins. Haste is
not always a bad thing, but in certain contexts, it is bad. One of the ways this happens is
rushing to conclusions about other people. Ibl!s will get us to judge the intentions of
people instead of thinking good of people.

An example of this is rushing into anger: if a person calms down and steps back and
thinks about the situation, they likely wont get angry.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) taught us to pray istikh!rah for small and big
matters. Istikh!rah prevents us from rushing into matters.


For people with low $m or a new Muslim: haste in prayer and dhikr. Ibl!s will come to a
person dealing with low $m!n and tell them that they have tried praying and making
dhikr and their $m!n is not going up and causes them to lose hope.

10. Del usi ons of Grandeur (Arrogance)

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The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, The one who has in their heart a mustard
seed of arrogance will not enter Paradise. A man asked, What if it pleases me that my
clothes be nice and my shoes be nice? The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
Verily All"h is Beautiful and He loves beauty. Arrogance is disdaining the truth and
contempt for people.
[Muslim]

One of the first sins was arrogance and jealousy. They are closely linked together,
which makes it so dangerous. Ibl!s likes to inspire arrogance in other people.

Shay"!n may come to a person of knowledge and make him shy to say All!hu alam.
Humbleness is a sign of a persons knowledge and the antithesis to Ibl!s and the plots
and plans of Shay"!n.

The solution to this is that a person constantly seeks the forgiveness of All"h
(sub(!nahu wa ta!la) even if they think there is nothing to seek forgiveness for. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) was the best of creation and his past and future sins
were forgiven and he would say astaghfirull!h daily.

If you start to feel good about the work you are doing, then think about those who are
doing more than you. There will always be someone working harder than you, so there
is no reason to have delusions of grandeur or arrogance.


Religious Muslims:
Laymen: Arrogance is a common trait in the leaders of the awliy! of Shay"!n.
Arrogance leads a religious lay person to not leave a bidah because they dont think
it is possible that they may have been worshipping All"h in a wrong way.

Students of knowledge: Students of knowledge may become arrogant and
knowledge bullies. They use their knowledge to put the other person down. It
becomes about showing the other person is wrong instead of spreading khayr. The
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, A person who seeks knowledge to argue
with the foolish or boast among the scholars will be in the Hellfire. If you seek

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knowledge for the wrong reasons, Ibl!s has turned this good act into something you
will be punished for.

It is common for students of knowledge to ask questions in ways that show they
know what they are talking about or to prove that they know more.

If someone is in a position of leadership, they may hold onto their opinion simply out of
arrogance even if they are wrong.

11. Jeal ousy and envy

When they said, "Joseph and his brother are more beloved to our father than we,
while we are a clan. Indeed, our father is in clear error. Kill Joseph or cast him out to
[another] land; the countenance of your father will [then] be only for you,
and you will be after that a righteous people."
S&rah Y&suf [12:8-9]

The brothers of Y(suf were jealous and it led the m to transgress. Jealousy and envy are
closely linked. Jealousy often leads to envy.

Ibn Taymiyyah said that everyone is afflicted by jealousy except that people with $m!n
know how to deal with it properly.

The Jews did not accept the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) as a messenger of All"h
for this reason. All"h said they recognized the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) as
they recognized their own children, but they were jealous and wanted the prophet to
come from amongst their lineage, so they rejected the guidance.

Reject goodness and reject guidance and reject na'$(ah out of jealousy because you
dont want to be in a position of being less than another person. Ibn Taymiyyah said,
Every person is afflicted with jealousy except the person who is knowledgeable and
sincere.

Some scholars said jealousy is the art of counting other peoples blessings. How do you
counter this? Count your own blessings. There are people out there who wish they had
something we have.

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12. Bad assumpti ons

O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption.
Indeed, some assumption is sin...
S&ratl-,ujur!t [49:12]

Bad assumptions about people are one of the main tricks of Shay"!n. Many times in
conflict, Shay"!n will come to you and remind you of something someone has done.
Shay"!n will keep reminding you because he knows that if he keeps reminding you of
how you have been wronged, the resentment and anger will grow.

)u al-dhann is a way to start conflict and keep the conflict going. If you want to put an
end to a conflict, then have good assumptions. ,usnl-dhann stops a lot of conflict from
occurring in the first place.

The narration about 'afiyyah when she exited the masjid: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi
wa sallam) said, You may not assume that, but indeed Shay"!n flows through your body
like blood through the veins. If people may make bad assumptions about the best of
creation, then what about us?

Shay"!n will make you focus on peoples faults and weaknesses.

From bad assumptions is looking at someone and assuming that there is no hope for
them, so you dont even try with them. This can lead to arrogance. We never know who
All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la) will raise up.

Fight the whisperings of Shay"!n and say the isti!dhah. Be very careful about who you
go to for advice.

Sometimes Ibl!s will come to religious people and people of knowledge and have them
thinking that people will never change and that there is no good in them. They look at
people and think there is no hope for them.

All"h can raise the person you are looking down upon today to a higher level than you
tomorrow.

13. Sel f-Rel i ance

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No! [But] indeed, man transgresses. Because he sees himself self-sufficient.
S&ratl-Alaq [96:6-7]

A trick of Ibl!s is to cut off our connection with All"h and to rely upon ourselves.

Shay"!n will get us to believe that everything happens because of ourselves and that
there is no need for All"h.

In the Qur&"n, Q"r(n says; This wealth and power Ive been given is because of my
own knowledge and accomplishments.

A solution to this is always reminding yourself that All"h has given you everything and
can take it away at any moment. Remember that everything comes from All"h and
returns to All"h. Inna lill!hi wa inna ilayhi r!ji&n.


For non-Muslims / non-practicing Muslims: Shay"!n tricks them by making them think
they control their own matters and decide what happens in their lives. Realize that you
are not in control but All"h is in control.

14. Hate

On the authority of J"bir who said: I heard the Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) say, Certainly the Shay"!n has lost hope that he would be worshiped by the
worshippers in the peninsula of Arabia, but he [is hopeful] in that he can sow seeds of
dissension amongst them.
[Muslim]

When a person prays, Shay"!n has given up hope that the person will worship him.
Shay"!n gets to this person by causing dissension between people. The number one
problem in the masjid is conflict in the masjid.

136

Hate is so powerful and such an effective tool of Shay"!n because once you hate
someone, then you will not pay attention to anything they have to say, even if it is
something good. Once hate develops, everything else seems bad.

Once you hate someone, then you dont have to do much else after, and everything else
they do may seem bad to you. You would interpret anything he did in a negative way.

Ibl!s hated %dam (alayhil-sal!m) and vowed to mislead and misguide him. the goodness
of %dam was right in front of him and All"h ordered him to make sajdah, but because of
his hate, he put this aside.

Part of hate is holding onto grudges. People suffering from low self-esteem are more
likely to hold onto grudges because they are saying that a person did something to
them and is bad. As long as there is hatred and animosity towards them, you have
knocked them down. Because of low self-esteem, you will view them as bad and at a
lower level and hold onto that type of grudge.

15. Ungrateful ness

And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We
withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful.
S&rah H&d [11:9]

This is closely linked with self-reliance. Scholars would say someone who is ungrateful
is blind because you have to be blind to be ungrateful to All"h. If you look at all your
blessings, then you cannot help but be grateful to All"h. If you tried to count the
blessings of All"h, you would not be able to. Truly someone who is ungrateful has let
Ibl!s affect them.

This is one reason why Shay"!n will always get us to look at people who have more than
us. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) instructed us to look at those who have less
than us in dunya and more than us in piety. It was a big part of the Sunnah to be
thankful and grateful. In )a($( Muslim: The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) prayed
at the night and his feet swelled and he said, Shall I not be a thankful servant?

Ibl!s was ungrateful. It wasnt enough for him that All"h brought him up to the heavens
and raised him above the other jinn, but he wanted to be above %dam as well.

16. Anger

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On the authority of Sulaym!n b. "urad who said: While I was sitting in the company of
the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), [we saw] two men berating each other and the
face of one of them became red with anger, and his jugular vein swelled. On that the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I know a word, if he were to say it, what he
has would go away. If he were to say: I seek refuge in All"h from Shay"!n.
[al-Bukh"ri]

Anger is a very strong tool of Shay"!n. It is similar to the issue of alcohol and
drunkenness. People will do things while drunk which they will likely regret. When a
person is really angry and loses it or flips out, if you were to record him and show it to
him when he is calm, in most cases people would say, I dont what came over me. I
dont know why I reacted like that. That was the influence of Shay"!n.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said that when a person feels anger, if he is
standing, he should sit and if he is sitting then he should lay down and some scholars
said to go make wu%&.

So much evil comes from the door of anger.

7 Solutions to Anger
1) Identify the source of the anger. If you can identify the source of your anger,
then you can better deal with it.
2) Slow down and take a minute to take in what is happening.
3) Learn to manage your anger. The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said that if
you are angry and if you are standing then sit down.
4) Watch your tongue. We are accountable for what we say.
5) Learn to discipline your thoughts. The first step is to say the isti!dhah and cut
off negative thoughts and the chain of 'u al-dhann. If you are going to get angry,
then get angry at Shay"!n. How do we knock Shay"!n down and make him weak?
Through the obedience to All"h. Every act of obedience to All"h is a fight
against Shay"!n.
6) Think and visualize the consequences of your anger. Sometimes this will stop
you from entering into anger. Shaykh Waleed said, Anger is one letter away
from danger.

138

7) Patience. Train yourself to be patient. This is something that develops over
time.

17. Isol ati on

And hold firmly to the rope of All"h all together and do not become divided.

Shay"!n loves to isolate people because he knows he can get you when you are alone.

People dealing with low iman. Shay"!n will convince them that they need to be by
themselves and spend time on themselves. When you isolate yourself, you open up the
door from Shay"!n. They think they need time for themselves. Shay"!n will convince
them that they are not worthy to be around religious people or people with high iman.

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, I urge you to stick to the jam!ah and I
caution you of isolation. Shay"!n is with the person who stays by himself. When a
person is with a second person, then Shay"!n is further away from the two.
[al-Tirmidhi]

The more people you add, the further away Shay"!n gets. This is why so much of our
religion is about the jam!ah. We are the people of the Sunnah and the jam!ah.

When you are isolated, it is very easy to lose track of what is happening around you and
to lose hope.

Shay"!n may come to you and make you think twice about going to the masjid if people
are judgmental there, but it shouldnt lead us to isolate ourselves from the masjid. There
are aspects of the masjid which are very important.

Shay"!n will convince people to stay away from the masjid. Depending on your level, he
will tell people that there are politics and drama in the masjid. There is always still
khayr in the masjid because that is where the Muslims are.

Laymen: They may isolate themselves from the community with the excuse that there
is no goodness in them. They spend time away from the Muslims they could cause to do
goodness.

18. Losi ng hope, Despai r (al -Ibl as)

139

Say, O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning],
do not despair of the mercy of All"h. Indeed, All"h forgives all sins.
Indeed it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
S&ratl-Zumar [39:53]

If Shay"!n can get you to lose hope, then he has won. Ibl!s has no hope. He has no hope
in the Mercy of All"h or of being forgiven. He loves to cause this type of feeling in Bani
%dam as well.

All"h forgives all sins as long as you dont die upon it. The Shay"!n loves to convince a
person that there is no hope for them and that they are not good enough to worship
All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). A person may try to take a few steps to All"h, and Shay"!n
will say, You are not worthy. How dare you! Didnt you commit this sin?

Shay"!n wants that you give up hope in the Mercy of All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la).

People can lose hope in all different ways and all different categories. If there is a sinful
person, they may lose hope their sins will not be forgiven.

Those dealing with low $m!n may lose hope in themselves and think they are beyond
the point of redemption.

Dont ever say you have hit rock bottom. As long as All"h has given you breath to
breathe and a conscious mind, then you have not hit rock bottom. You have the chance
to repent and come back to All"h (sub(!nahu wa ta!la). Until you are in the Hellfire and
the matter has been decided, then dont ever say you have hit rock bottom because you
have the ability to make tawbah. It is a statement of Shay"!n to say you have hit rock
bottom.

Abu Sa!d al-Khudri narrates in the Musnad of Imam A$mad that the Prophet ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said, Ibl!s said, I swear by Your Honor, my Lord, that as long as Your
servants have souls in their bodies, I will continue to mislead them. All"h (sub(!nahu
wa ta!la) said, I will continue to forgive my servants as long as they seek My
forgiveness. Shay"!n will continue to misguide people and will succeed. We all make
mistakes and it is bound to happen, but All"h will continue to forgive us as long as we
seek His forgiveness.

One of the best ways to protect yourself from the traps and tricks of Shay"!n is to
constantly seek forgiveness of All"h.

140

All"h does not want us to go to the Hellfire. All"h has given us the tools and means and
measures and the knowledge to protect ourselves.

19. Maki ng evi l l ook good/enti ci ng

And [remember] when Shay"!n made their deeds pleasing to them
S&ratl-Anf!l [8:48]

Shay"!n beautified for them their actions. During the Battle of Badr, they were going
to war with the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) and the Shay"!n beautified their
actions for them and made it seem like what they were doing is correct and fine.

Exampl e: Sex outside of marriage.

Shay"!n will make this action seem very pleasant. Shay"!n keeps away from us all the ill
effects of that type of ideology. Shay"!n will hide from us all the problems we see in
society such as the issue of children born outside of wedlock and their problems (i.e.
neglected by both parents, raised by a single parent).

The Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, If one of you sees something in another
woman (i.e. enticed), rush back to your wife for indeed your wife has what she has.
One of the tricks of Shay"!n is to make people think that there is something special
about a woman who is foreign to him and that she is better than what he has at home.
Shay"!n has made it more enticing.

Lower your gaze so that you dont compare your spouse to other people. When you
compare your spouse to someone else, you only see the best parts of the person and
dont know their faults and weaknesses.

We may look at someone on Facebook or Twitter and everyone looks amazing in their
profile picture. We start comparing our lives to the lives as others and dont realize that
they are just posting the amazing parts of their lives but their lives are like ours.

Exampl e: When a person starts practicing Islam, Ibl!s may come to this person,
especially if they are going through some difficulty and turning to All"h and making
du! to Him and praying qiy!ml-layl and praying their five daily prayers on time.
Shay"!n will tell this person that he is not sincere and tell him that you are only turning

141

to All"h because you are in need. Shay"!n will make you feel like a hypocrite. One
reason why All"h put you in that hardship is so that you become close to Him. All"h
puts us through tests and trials so that we become close to Him. Shay"!n takes
something which is evil and makes it look good (leaving closeness to All"h and having
them think that at least they arent a hypocrite).

[Ibl!s] said, "My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make
[disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all.
Except, among them, Your chosen servants."
S&ratl-,ijr [15:30-40]

20. Gi vi ng ni ce names to bad thi ngs / Mi srepresentati on of Si ns

Then Shay"!n whispered to him; he said, "O %dam, shall I direct you
to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?"
S&rah +! Ha [20:120]

Exampl e: To take something like lewdness or immodesty and call it freedom.

A person may be committing minor sins and the Shay"!n will tell this person that he has
nothing to worry about because they are only minor sins. This is misrepresentation.

Ibn al-Jawzi wrote a story in his book The Devils Deception. Shaykh Saad couldnt find
a reference for it and some scholars say it goes back to the Isra!liyy"t. Ibn al-Jawzi says
this story was narrated by al-Hasan al-Basri. There was a tree which was worshipped
besides All"h. One of the pious men wanted to go chop this tree down and Ibl!s came to
this person in the form of a man. He said to this man, Where are you going? He said,
I am going to chop the tree down because it is worshipped in place of All"h. Ibl!s said,
Why is this bothering you? I will give you two dinars every night if you dont chop
down this tree. The man said, Where will these two dinars come from? Ibl!s said, I
will give them to you. The man agreed. The first night went by and he found two
dinars in his bed. Another night went by and he found another two dinars. Another
night went by and he found another two dinars. This happened regularly until one day
came when this person found nothing in his bed, and he got angry. He said, Most
certainly I will go and chop down this tree because he promised me two dinars. Ibl!s

142

came back to this person and said, Where are you going? He said, To chop down this
tree because it is worshipped other than All"h. Ibl!s said, Do you know who I am? He
said, No. Ibl!s said, I am the Shay"!n and have certainly deceived you and you are not
going to chop down the tree for the sake of All"h but only because you didnt receive
two dinars from me. This is how Ibl!s got mastery over this person.

This is how Shay"!n will come to us and rationalize our sins.

Exampl e: Ibl!s will tell people backbiting is commanding the good and forbidding the
evil. Sometimes we cause more evil by commanding the good and forbidding the evil.

When you are focused on something, Ibl!s will make you focus on something less
important.

In Makkah, there was a man who was standing outside of the Haram during ,ajj time
and smoking a cigarette. He was wearing his i(r!m. Another man saw him smoking and
became very upset and said, Why are you smoking a cigarette? You need to fear All"h!
You are here for ,ajj and wearing i(r!m and smoking a cigarette in Makkah a few
hundred feet away from the Kabah. The man ignored this and it seemed like he was
saying who are you to tell me what to do. He kept smoking. The other man became
more and more angry and started yelling at him more and more until people started
gathering around him. The man who was smoking remained quiet. The other man
became louder and louder and more and more upset. The face of the man smoking was
getting red and he was getting upset. Other people started joining in and asking him to
put out his cigarette. The man smoking said, Wall!hi, Im never going to quit smoking.
This man said this in Makkah standing a few hundred feet away from the Kabah. As bad
as it was for this man to take an oath like that, this person who was berating him has a
lot of the blame in this because he was doing this under the guise of commanding the
good and forbidding the evil. He caused more damage and harm than good.

This is how Shay"!n will misrepresent something to us. Before you command the good
and forbid the evil, one of the shur&" (conditions) is to weigh the harms and benefits. If
it is going to cause more harm, then you are not allowed to tell them what is wrong.
Shay"!n will make you jump to carry out a certain deed and misrepresent it.

Exampl e: There may be a brother involved in dawah work but at the expense of
neglecting his family or parents. This person feels like he is doing so much good work
and may be praised in public. It may be that this person may be getting sin for what he
is doing. To the general public, it may seem like he doing a lot of good work, but Ibl!s is
misrepresenting what is actually happening.

Exampl e: The sin of backbiting often gets misrepresented. Everyone from scholars to
lay people can fall under this trap. They will say, Im not saying something which isnt
true. Backbiting is simply to say something about your brother that they wouldnt like

143

for you to say. Scholars say it can even be a description of a person (i.e. saying someone
is fat / bald but the person wouldnt like for you to describe him that way).

21. Fal se promi ses and di storti on of real i ty

Shay"!n promises them and arouses desire in them.
But Shay"!n does not promise them except delusion.
S&ratl-Nis! [4:120]

When a promise comes from Shay"!n, then realize that Shay"!n is deluding you. Shay"!n
may come to those not practicing Islam is to promise them that all that matters is the
dunya or that they will find ultimate happiness in this life.

Shay"!n may come to a religious or knowledgeable person and get them to ignore their
own problems. He will convince them to worry about other peoples problems. Shay"!n
will get you busy in other people and forget about the own issues you are going
through.

Shay"!n may misrepresent a test as punishment from All"h. The problem is when
Shay"!n tells you that it is a punishment so you need to abandon All"h. A punishment
in this life is better than the punishment in the Hereafter, and it is a good thing.

Shay"!n may distort a persons reality. They may have a happy life and are very sinful.
Shay"!n may say: how can All"h be upset with you? You have so much and All"h has
blessed you with so much. The person thinks he must be doing something right since
All"h has given him so much.

Distortion of reality can also apply to the aspect of labels. Shay"!n will get you to label
people and write them off. For many non-Muslims, Shay"!n makes it such that when
they hear a certain word, something comes to their mind. The awliy! of Shay"!n make
this possible.

In Pakistan, when people think of religious people, they think molvis and an immediate
picture comes to their mind of the guy who screams on the minbar and is ignorant and
uneducated. Shay"!n has deceived these people to think of religion as meaning this.

Once you label people, then you dont have to give weight to what they are saying.

When Sarah and Ibr"h!m were tested and the tyrant king tried to commit zina with her,
he would become paralyzed. After that, he said, You have brought me a shay"!n.

144

Sub(!nAll!h who is the shay"!n here? He put a label on her when he is actually the
shay"!n.

22. Comi ng as a si ncere advi sor

And he swore [by All"h] to them, "Indeed,
I am to you from among the sincere advisors."
S&ratl-Ar!f [7:21]

Even the shay!"$n from mankind will say that it is their sincere advice but their advice is
taking us away from All"h. On the Day of Judgment, the Shay"!n will back off and say he
is free from what people did.

If someone gives you bad advice and say it is just my advice and you can take it or
leave it, a person may feel guilted into taking the advice. We dont judge advice based
on guilt. We judge it on whether or not it is correct.

Shay"!n promised %dam and +awwa that if they eat from the tree that they could live in
Paradise forever. The shay!"$n from mankind may come from the same door and in
actuality will leave us when the matter becomes serious.

145

Chapter 8 | 24-Hour Securi ty & Protecti on
Protecti on from Shay"!n and the shay!"$ n

Protecti on wi th the Qur "n

Saying A#&dhu bill!hi minl-shay"!nl-raj$m

And if there comes to you from Shay"!n an evil suggestion, then
seek refuge in All"h. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
S&rah Fu''ilat [41:36]

This is one of the most powerful things you can do to protect yourself from the
influence of the Shay"!n.

Reciting the Mu#awwidhatayn (the last two chapters of the Qur"n: al-Falaq and al-N!s)

It was narrated that Abu Sa!d al-Khudri (may All"h be pleased with him) said: "The
Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) used to seek refuge in All"h from the
jinn and from the evil eye until the Muawwidhatayn were revealed, and when they were
revealed he started to recite them and not anything else."
[al-Tirmidhi, al-Nas"i, Ibn M"jah]

These were given to the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) to protect / cure himself of
the influences of magic and Shay"!n.

Reciting -yatl-Kursi

146

Reciting S&ratl-Baqarah

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa
sallam) said: "Do not make your houses like graves, for the Shay"!n runs away from a
house in which S&ratl-Baqarah is recited."
[Muslim]

When we go to graves, we dont recite S&ratl-Baqarah. If you ever feel like there is a jinn
or something strange in the house, then recite S&ratl-Baqarah or at the very least recite
the last two !yahs of it.

Reciting the last two verses of S&ratl-Baqarah

It was narrated that Abu Mas(d al-An,"ri said: "The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu
alayhi wa sallam) said: Whoever recites the last two verses of S&ratl-Baqarah at night,
that will suffice him."
[al-Bukh"ri, Muslim]

It was narrated from al-Num"n b. Bash!r (may All"h be pleased with him) that the
Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said: "All"h inscribed a book two thousand years
before He created the heavens and the earth, from which the last two !yahs of S&ratl-
Baqarah were revealed. If they are recited for three nights, no shay"!n will remain in the
house."
[Tirmidhi]

The Qur#"n as a whole

Abu Hurayrah (may All"h be pleased with him) said: "Indeed the home becomes
spacious for its inhabitants, and the Angels visit it and the shay!"$n abandon it, and its
goodness is increased if the Qur"n is recited in it. And indeed the home becomes
narrow and restricted upon its inhabitants, and the Angels abandon it and the shay!"$n
visit it, and its goodness is decreased if the Qur"n is not recited in it."
[al-D"rimi]

Make the Qur&"n part of your daily life even if it is just reciting a few !y!t daily.

147

Non-ti me-speci fi c Du# ! s for Protecti on from Shay"!n and the Shay!"$ n

You can find more du!s in the Fortress of the Muslim.

Kh"lid b. al-Wal!d said to the Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam), "I have
nightmares." The Messenger of All"h ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said to him, "Say, 'I
seek refuge with the complete words of All"h from His anger and His punishment and
the evil of His slaves, and from the evil suggestions of the shay!"$n and from their being
present (at death).'"
[Muwa""! of Im"m M"lik]

Abdul-Ra$m"n b. Khanbash narrates that the Prophet ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said,
"Jibr!l came to me and said, 'O Mu$ammad, say!' I said, 'What should I say?' He said,
'Say: "I seek refuge in the complete, perfect words of All"h, which no righteous one nor
wicked one can exceed, from the evil of what He has created, and from the evil of what
descends from the heavens, and from the evil of what ascends to them, and from the
evil of what is sown in the earth and is created, and from the evil of what comes out
from it, and from the evil of the tribulations of the night and the day, and from the evil
of everyone who comes knocking, except for the one who comes knocking with khayr, O
Merciful One!"'"
[A$mad]

148

All"h's Messenger ('allall!hu alayhi wa sallam) said, "If one says one hundred times in
one day: 'None has the right to be worshipped but All"h, the Alone Who has no
partners, to Him belongs Dominion and to Him belong all the Praises, and He has power
over all things (i.e. Omnipotent),' one will get the reward of manumitting ten slaves,
and one hundred good deeds will be written in his account, and one hundred bad deeds
will be wiped off or erased from his account, and on that day he will be protected from
the morning till evening from Shay-"n, and nobody will be superior to him except one
who has done more than that which he has done."
[al-Bukh"ri]

Ti me-speci fi c du# ! s for your whol e day

- Morning and Evening
- Before sleeping
- When waking up
- Entering and leaving the bathroom
- Dressing and undressing
- Before and after eating
- Marital relations
- Exiting and entering the house
- Traveling

The struggle wont end until the soul has left the body. Until our last breath, take
Shay"!n as our enemy, which means that you fight Shay"!n.

Study of Shay Ān (Deception)

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