Who Is Your Enemy?

All praise be to Allah (SWT) who completed the religion for us, perfected the blessing on us and chose Islam as our religion. May the blessings and peace be upon his slave and messenger, who called upon people to obey his Lord and continued against extravagance, innovation and disobedience; and may Allah (SWT) bless his posterity, his companions and those who follow his footsteps till the Day of Judgment.  

In the beginning, when Allah (SWT) created Adam (ASW), He ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam. All of the angels prostrated because “they do not disobey Allah (SWT) in what He orders them to do, and execute what they are commanded to do”. (Surah Al-Tahrim : 6) However, among them there was a creature that was not from them. They were created from light, and this creature was created from fire. At the moment of trial, his origin betrayed him and he refused to prostrate to Adam. His excuse was that the substance he was created from was better than that of Adam’s. He compares origins and missed the point of Who was the one commanding. 

This he said, “I am better than him, you created me from fire and created him from clay”,  (Surah Al-A’raf vs 12)  

His behaviour was not considered disbelief in Allah (SWT) since he still professed that Allah (SWT) is the Creator and the One Who gives life and then ends it. Satan then asked Allah (SWT) “postpone me (in punishment) until the day they are resurrected”.  Satan’s knowledge and belief in Allah (SWT) did not save him from entering he Hellfire. Faith without acting good does not benefit the creature. On the contrary, faith could be evidence against that person on the Day of Judgment. As a result, the Divine order came down on Satan that he is to be cursed and expelled from Allah’s Mercy. “Then get out, hence, you are dismissed and accursed. And the curse shall pursue you till the Day of Judgment. (Surah Al-Hijr: 34-35). From that point onwards, the animosity towards Adam became rooted in him, and his goal was to take revenge.  

Immediately he came up with a devious plan and reacted quickly saying, “Then delay, Oh Allah my Creator, my condemnation until the Day of Resurrection” Sayed Qutub said, “Satan asked to be delayed until the Day of Judgment, neither out of remorse for his sin in the presence of the Great Creator nor to have a chance to repent and back off on the grave mistake he had committed, but to win the time to get revenge against Adam and his offspring. Satan blamed Adam not himself and held him responsible for his damnation and curse, he does not admit that what happened was due to his disobedience to Allah (SWT).   

The Ultimate Goal: Satan was given a chance by having his condemnation delayed until the Day of Judgment when Allah (SWT) granted him that, “Reprieve is granted despite your conviction, until the specified Day on which the point of time has been pre-determined” (Surah Al-Hijr Vs 37, 38). He started revealing his plan and expressing his goal without fear. Satan then said: “Oh my Lord!

Because you misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all, except Your chosen (guided) slaves among them” (Al-Hijr 39, 40).  

Sayed Qutub said “with that, Satan designated the battle field. The place is Earth; ‘I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them on the earth’. The weaponry is adornment; decorating the repulsive and making it look good and using seduction with the artificial ornaments to pave the road to sin. 

No crime was ever committed without Satan being the one that decorated that ugly sin and made it look desirable.

Mankind should be aware of the artillery of Satan and always be on guard when they confront something when its outside looks different from what it really is. Anytime a man desired something, he should beware of Satan and the possibility that there is something unlawful behind it. Our purpose on this earth is to worship Allah (SWT) and to stay connected with him. Satan cannot, according to his request, influence those connected people nor have his way with them; “Except Your chosen (guided) slaves among them.”  

Monotheism is the basis of Islam, and it is its sound foundation. Monotheism is the secret behind the early victories of Islam. On that sound foundation the Islamic Empire was established. Monotheism is what men were made of and around it Islam orbits. This Satan directed his attacks right at that foundation to weaken the structure standing on it.  

Both Bukhari and Muslim reported that Abu Huraira (RAA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said: “Satan comes whispering to one of you saying: ‘Who created this?’ And ‘Who created that?’ Until he says: ‘Who created your Lord?’If a person gets to that point let him ask for Allah’s Refuge and stop letting his thoughts go any further.”  
Lowering Gaze: It is not lawful for a man to cast a full gaze at the other women except at his own wife or the Mahram women of his family. The first look is pardonable but not the second look which one casts when one feels the lure of the object. 

The Holy prophet (SAW) has termed such gazing and glancing as wickedness of the eyes. He has said that man commits adultery with all his sensory organs. The evil look at the other woman is the adultery of the eyes; lustful talk is the adultery of the tongue; relishing the other women’s voice is the adultery of the ears; and touching her body with the hand or walking for an unlawful purpose is the adultery of the hands and feet. After these preliminaries the sexual organs either bring the act of adultery to completion or leave it incomplete. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud).   

According to tradition related by Hadrat Buraidah, the Holy Prophet (SAW) instructed Hadrat ’Ali: “O Ali, do not cast a second look after the first look. The first look is pardonable but not the second one” (Trimizi, Ahmad, Abu Dawud).  

Hadrat Jarir bin Abdullahi Bajali says that he asked the holy prophet (SAW): “What should I do if I happen to cast a chance look?” The holy prophet (SAW) replied: “Turn your eyes away or lower your gaze” (Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmizi Abu Da’ud Nasal). Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas’ud quotes the Holy Prophet as having said: “Allah (SAW) says that the gaze is one of the poisonous arrows of satan. Whoever forsakes it, out of His fear, will be rewarded with a faith whose sweetness he will relish in his own heart. (Tabarani). According to a tradition related by Abu Umamah, the Holy prophet (SAW) said, “If a Muslim happens to glance at the charms of a woman and then turns his eyes away, Allah will bless his worship and devotion and will make it all the more sweet. (Musnad Ahmad).  

Gazing at unlawful things rely is one great way of Satan’s trick to enter into the heart of man. Lowering the gaze is a back breaker to Satan and a good way to eliminate his hope of deviation man.  

Ibn Al-Qayeem, may Allah (SWT) have mercy on his soul, said Straring leads to liking, and then the image is imprinted in the heart and the unit will get busy thinking about it.”  

He also said: Fitna (infatuation) starts with a stare. It is narrated by Imam Ahmad that the prophet (SAW) said: “The first look is an arrow shot by Iblis. Whoever lowers his gaze for the sake of Allah (SWT), then Allah (SWT) will bestow on him a sweetness in his heart until the day he meet with Him (SWT) . 

Ignorance: Ignorance is a great weakness that Satan utilizes to the fullest. In fact, most of all entrances to a man’s heart are through this weakness. The ignorant man does not know how to block Satan out. He does not know how to counter his plots. The ignorant man does not know how to avoid Satan’s traps. Thus it is easy for Satan to play with this type of human being in any way he likes. Satan could easily defeat him.  

Moreover, the ignorance person does not now virtue from vice or Sunnah from bid’ah. Satan could trick him into committing a sin by making him believe that he is doing the right thing. Similarly, Satan could push him into bid’ah and make him believe it is Sunnah. The ignorant man ends up losing, just as described in the verses 103 and 104 of Surah Al-kahf: “Say (Oh Muhammad-SAW) ‘Shall we tell you the greatest losers in respect of their deed?’

They are those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought they were acquiring good by their deeds.”