Sunday, February 27, 2011

Tools of the Shaitan [Wisam Sharieff]


وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُواإِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ السَّاجِدِينَ 
And We have certainly created you, [O Mankind], and given you form. Then We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam"; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated. [7:11]


[Allah] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" ... [7:12]

...[Satan] said, "I am better than him.... [7:12]
1.     I am better.
    • Thinking I am good at something is completely different than when we start to believe we are BETTER than someone else. Arrogance and pride kick in.
...You created me from fire and created him from clay." [7:12]
2.     Rationale & Excuses.
    • Allah created fire and Allah created clay. Shaitan is giving a scientific rationalization for his disobedience to Allah. What makes fire better than clay? Allah created both. And Shaitan thinks his logical arguments are very intelligent and he is making a good case for his disobedience.
[Allah] said, "Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased." [7:13]
    • Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has an atom’s worth of kibr (pride and arrogance) in his heart will not enter Paradise.” So a man said: What about a person who loves (i.e. takes pride in) wearing beautiful clothes and beautiful shoes? So he replied: “Indeed Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Kibr is to reject the truth, and to despise the people.” (Sahih Muslim, 1/65)

[Satan] said, "Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected." [7:14]
3.     Laziness & Procrastination:

    • Satan is buying time to dig himself a deeper hole. He is not asking Allah to forgive. He is not fixing things and doing what is necessary right away. He is trying to delay his punishment.
[Allah] said, "Indeed, you are of those reprieved." [7:15]

[Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, ... [7:16]
4.     Blaming Allah for our actions.

    • Instead of taking responsibility for ones own action, he is scapegoating Allah and misplacing the blame for his own disobedience on Allah. Even though he is the one who disobeyed Allah after clear Command from the Creator, shaitan is blaming the misguidance on Allah.

... I will surely sit in and wait for them on Your straight path. [7:16]
5.     Make quarrels & fights within the people on the right path.

    • Shaitan does not sit in the clubs or in places where drugs and alcohol and clear evil is being committed. He sits in the masajids (mosques), in the houses of muslims. He makes quarrels and fights between brothers. He makes misunderstandings and fights between husband and wife. He makes children disrespect their parents. 
    • So while the good people are busy fighting and quarreling amongst themselves there is no one spreading the word of Allah to those who don't know about Allah or his messenger.
Then I will come to them from the front of them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You]." [7:17]
6.     We become ungrateful to the blessings of Allah by forgetting the purpose of our creation.
    • Front of us is death: Shaitan makes us think we have forever.
    • Behind us is the world: He makes everything in this world, the desires & fun seem so close that we have no time and we HAVE to do this NOW.
    • Right side is Good deeds: Shaitan magnifies our good deeds to the point that even the smallest of good deeds seem like the best of deeds ever done to us.
    • Left side is Sins: Shaitan makes our evil deeds seem very small because our good deeds have been magnified. He makes it seem like we are doing so much good that just one small sin here and there is not going to matter or be a big deal. We start to look at people worse than us and think our sins are not that bad.

And for those of us who fall for the tricks of the Shaitan, Allah says:

[Allah] said, "Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them - I will surely fill Hell with you, all together." [7:18]


Notes now also featured on PenMarks

2 comments:

  1. Asalaam alaikum waRahmatulah waBarakatuh


    This is really good stuff akhi! :D I hope you do more insha' Allah, look forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jaza-Kallah-Khairan brother. Make dua for me Inshallah that I stay consistent and Allah helps and gives barakah in this project.

    ReplyDelete