❞ كتاب Satan and His Ways of Approaching the Believers ❝ ⏤ عبد الله الخاطر

 What is Satan? This is a fundamental question in Islamic Faith. Some
believe that the word 'Satan' refers to those scruples with which one can
be obsessed; others claim that it denotes the so many microorganisms
living around us. Others yet hold that it symbolizes evil
In the Islamic Faith, however, Satan is a member of the jinn that
constitute a world of their own, created with the ability to obscure
themselves from human sight. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "And
(remember) when We said to the angels: 'Prostrate yourselves unto
Adam.' So they prostrated themselves except 'Iblis' (Satan). He was one
of the jinn; he disobeyed the command of his Lord." (18: 50
We Muslims believe in the existence of the jinn, including Satan; and
according to what the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, may Allah
exalt his mention) is reported to have said, every single human being does
have an associate from among the jinn as well as one from among the
angels. This can be inferred from the following Verses from the Holy
Qur'an: "Say: 'I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind, the King
of mankind, the Ilah (God) of mankind, from the evil of the whisperers
(devil who whispers evil in the hearts of men) who withdraws (from his
whispering in one's heart after one remembers Allah). Who whispers in
the breasts of mankind. Of jinn and men." (114: 1-6)
Satan also multiplies, and thus has his own offspring. Allah says in the
Holy Qur'an: "Will you then take him (Satan) and his offspring as
protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you?"
(18: 50)
In this way, Satan's offspring and followers are striving hard to seduce
mankind and mislead them in worldly life

- Satan: Approaching Mankind
Satan approaches mankind by stealthy degrees. His ultimate goal is to
make men go astray in the sense that they eventually become disbelievers
or at least polytheists. But if they prove to be stuck fast to their faith, he
moves to tempt true believers into heterodoxy; that is making them
innovate principles and deduce rulings that are alien to genuine Islamic
doctrines. If they still resist, he tries to make them err by committing
major sins. When the believers are found to be unlikely to commit major
sins, Satan never gives up, and begins to adorn the way leading to those
seemingly less serious sins; that is by keeping them engaged in trivial
matters. Finally, when Satan's efforts come to a 'blind alley', he attempts
to make lawful 'recommended' deeds appear more inviting than
'obligatory' duties
In his 'struggle' to take advantage of human weaknesses, Satan follows a
step-by-step procedure against which we have been warned by Allah in
the Holy Qur'an: "Eat of what Allah has provided for you, and follow
not the footsteps of 'Shaitan' (Satan). Surely he is to you an open
enemy." (6: 142)
The way Satan approaches his victims varies and adapts in accordance
with their major interests and inclinations. He uses piety to attack the
pious; scholarly disciplines to attack scholars; and ignorance to attack the
ignorant
3- Ways of Approaching Mankind
Satan infuses suspicion and doubt in the hearts of Muslims, thus making
them think badly of one another. The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa
sallam) is reported to have said: "Satan has lost hope of ever getting

worshipped by the righteous believers; however, he seeks to provoke
them against one another
Suspicion and doubt often lead to evil thinking, especially when
amplified by Satan's whispering into one's heart. 'Um Al-Mu'mineen
(Mother of Believers), Safiyya Bint Hayiyy (May Allah be pleased with
her) is reported to have said that one night when Allah's Messenger (salla
Allahu alayhi wa sallam) retired to the mosque for devotion, I went to
him. We talked and I wanted to go back home. He got up to escort me.
We were walking side by side in the dark when two men saw us and
recognized Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam)
They walked away from us as fast as they could, but Allah's Messenger
(salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) stopped them and said: 'Wait you two, this
is Safiyya Bint Hayiyy.' The two men said: 'Glory be to Allah, O
Messenger!'. He (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) added: 'Verily, Satan
runs into man's body as bloodstream does, and he might have cast evil
thoughts into your minds "
A man walking side by side with a woman at night; a situation that could
have incurred hasty judgments. But the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa
sallam) wanted to clarify the matter and remove any evil doubts that
might have occurred to the two men, and so he stopped them and
explained to them that he was escorting his wife home
This is a lesson that we all have to learn. We should not leave a doubtful
matter unexplained so that there would be no room for facts being skewed
or rumors being spread
Satan also provokes people against one another, filling them with hostile
feelings. Sulayman Ibn Al-Sard (May Allah be pleased with him)

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narrated: "I was sitting with the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam)
when we heard two men calling each other bad names. The Prophet (salla
Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: 'I know an invocation that, when uttered,
can drive their anger away. This is to say 'I take refuge in Allah from the
cursed Satan
One of Satan's strategies is to push the believer to extremes: either utter
negligence or over zealousness. If he finds that his target is of the sort
that looks for loopholes and excuses, he deals with him from that vantage.
He strikes him with laziness and lethargy. He opens for him the door to
subjective interpretations of stable rulings and commandments. He gives
evil actions such pleasing names as to appeal to those who can be easily
influenced. In this way, he dupes his victim, thus making him believe that
forbidden things are lawful
And if he finds that his target is keen on performing his obligatory duties,
he tries to convince him to strive even harder. He convinces him that
what he is doing is not enough and that his ambition is to be greater. He
must work harder than the others do; he should not sleep when the others
do; he should not break his fast at the assigned time. If the other wash
their hands and face three times when doing ablutions, he should wash
them seven times, and so on and so forth

In the Islamic Faith, however, Satan is a member of the jinn that constitute a world of their own, created with the ability to obscure themselves from human sight.