THE ENEMITY OF SATAN TO MAN

All praises are due to Allah the transcendent in His glory and dominion. I praise Him, manifest my gratitude, repent unto Him and seek His forgiveness. I seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our souls and deeds, and from the evil of Shaytan and his plots. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, He sent him with guidance and true religion; to proclaim it over all religion. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his families, his companions, his wives and offspring, the generation after his and those who follow them in righteousness till the day of recompense. After this, O people! I admonish myself and you on the fear of Allah, it is the security from temptation and tribulations, and it is as well a safeguard from all calamities. It serves as a cleanser of sins and errors. {يِا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إَن تَتَّقُواْ اللّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَاناً وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ} (الأنفال: 29). “O ye who believe! if ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded.” (8: 29). Shaytaan in the house of assembly (Quraishite’s Parliament) O brothers in faith! Being cautious of Satan is one of the lessons of the Prophet’s Migration. He (Satan) participated in the meeting convened by the Quraish in her effort to seek an effective plan to execute rapidly the bearer of the Islamic message (peace be upon him). When they came to the assembly as earlier agreed, Iblis appeared to them in the form of a dignified old man. He stood by the door and was asked: “Who is this old man?” He replied: “An old man from Najd who heard of your plan and decide to attend to hear what you have to say, in order that he may not deprive you of a view or advice.” They said: “Right!, enter” and he entered with them. The Old man of Najd (satan) rejected all opinions at the assembly except that of the great criminal of Makkah- Abu Jahl bn Hishaam who opined that: “I suggest that we get a strong youth from every tribe with moderate status, and of our kinsmen, we then provide every youth a sharp sword, they will now approach him (Muhammad) and strike him in one blow, they will then kill him, and then we shall have rest of mind from him. If they achieve that, then his blood is divided on all the tribes and the tribe of Abdul Manaaf would not be able to wage war against all their people, therefore, they would accept with us by reason and we would recognize that for them.” The Old man said: “What this man said is the right word, this is the only standing view” Satan’s enmity to man is of time immemorial:Brothers of faith: Allah says: {"Did I not enjoin on you, O ye Children of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed? And that ye should worship Me, (for that) this was the Straight Way? (36: 60 - 61), Also: “O men! Certainly the promise of Allah is true. Let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah. Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents, that they may become Companions of the Blazing” (35: 5- 6) In these verses Allah elucidates the enmity of satan to man and warns man of it. Allah informs that satan conspicuously shows his enmity to us, He therefore commands tougher enmity and opposition to him, as well as the refutation of all his advances to us. This old existing enmity commenced since Adam’s creation, Allah says: {إِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ طِينٍ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ فَسَجَدَ الْمَلائِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ اسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ قَالَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ أَمْ كُنتَ مِنْ الْعَالِينَ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ قَالَ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ لَعْنَتِي إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِي إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنْ الْمُنظَرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمْ الْمُخْلَصِينَ قَالَ فَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ لأَمْلأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنْكَ وَمِمَّنْ تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ} (ص:71-85) [So mention] when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration." So the angels prostrated - all of them entirely. Except Iblees; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers. [ Allah ] said, "O Iblees, 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." [ Allah ] 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." [ Allah ] said, "So indeed, you are of those reprieved, Until the Day of the time well-known." [Iblees] said, "By your might, I will surely mislead them all, except, among them, who are Your chosen servants." [ Allah ] said, "The truth [is My oath], and the truth I say - [That] I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that follow you all together." (38: 71- 85) Every man has a companion among the Jinns. Satan is an avowed enemy of man a fact which must be remembered by a Muslim, he must never forget that there is an inseparable companion among the Jinns who never leaves him. Who have been in wait for him since the day of his creation till the day of his demise. The companion tries to mislead and take man away from the path of Allah, he has actually promised and swore over misleading the sons of Adam: [Satan] 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]." (7: 16- 17) It is required of a Muslim to know that every man has a companion among the Jinns, Aishah (R.A) reported that: “One night the prophet left my place and I became jealous of him, then came and saw what I did, and he said: “O Aishah what is wrong with you?” I said: “Why won’t someone like me be jealous of someone like you?” He then said: “Has your devil came upon you?” I said: “O messenger of Allah! do I have any devil with me?” He replied: “Yes” I said: “Is he with every human?” He said: “Yes”. I said: “And with you o messenger of Allah?” He said: “Yes, but my Lord assisted me over him and he be a Muslim”. The Messenger of Allah said: “There is none among you except he has been allocated his companion among the Jins and among the Angels.” (Muslim & Ahmad) The prophet (pbuh) informed us that verily every person has his accompaning enemy among the devils who lies in wait dissipating efforts at misleading him away from the straight path of Allah. To Allah belongs the exclusive wisdom behind that phenomenon. Allah imposed him on his servants as a trial and a test. Allah says: “Lead to destruction those whom thou canst among them, with thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalry and thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; and make promises to them." But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.” (17: 64) Steps taken by Satan at Seduction Satan is capable to influence or gain access to human thought and his mind in an unknowingly manner to man, being assisted majorly by the nature of his creation. The prophet said: “The devil moves in the bloodstream of the sons of Adam”. This is the whispers, which Allah described as ‘the retreating whisperer (of Evil),who whispers into the hearts of Mankind’. Ibn Kathir said: {retreating whisperer} i.e: that the devil perched on the heart of the son of Adam, if he forgets, he whispers to it and when he remembers Allah, he retreats. The devil exploits human weaknesses which are so many and in actual fact they are diseases situated in his heart. The diseases therefore represent parts of the gateway entrance for the devil to the hearts of men. Some of these diseases include: Anger, lust, pride, self- conceit, deceit, envy, hastiness, ignorance, negligence, lying, injustice, tyranny, sorrow, joy, love, money and fascination with this world, women and others. Satan enters through all these outlets to cause whisper. Machinations of Satan and his methods:The devil possesses some stratagems and fishing grounds where he fishes for men, the same way, he has several approaches to mislead them. Satan does not come to man to say to him: “Dump these good things” or “Dump prayer or disbelieve in God”. If he does so, no one will obey him. But he gets man through different smart approaches growing along with him in successive steps, even if the process takes lengthy times and periods. And part of his evil trick is to present advice to man, he calls to sins and claim he intends good for him. He swore to Adam to see through his plot. Allah informs as follow: {وَقَاسَمَهُمَا إِنِّي لَكُمَا لَمِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ} (الأعراف:21). “And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser.” (7: 21) Another of his trick is to use gradual step by step process; he never gets tired or wearied. We have seen from the previous story an example and a lesson on that. If Satan wants a Muslim to neglect Solat, he would not whispers to him to leave solat immediately, but he uses a gradual step by step process, ordering him to delay the time, claiming there is still ample time, thereby he distract and eventually cause him to forget, then he get him busy with other things, and he become neglectful of it, solat become piled up without him observing it. When night falls he becomes too weak to observe solat, his solat would now turn to a big loss for him. After some days and months he become tired and weak and eventually leaves solat. Its other method is the decoration of falsehood. This remains the way the devil still use to misguide people, he shows falsehood in the form of truth, and exhibits the truth in the form of falsehood, he never depart from man until he embellishes the unlawful for him. Allah says: {قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لأزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلأغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمْ الْمُخْلَصِينَ} (الحجر:39- 40) (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! because Thou hast put me in the wrong, I will make (wrong) fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put them all in the wrong. Except Thy servants among them, who are sincere and purified (by Thy Grace)." (15: 39- 40) Allah says: {وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُواّ يَعْمَلُونَ} (النمل:24). “Satan has made their deeds seem pleasing in their eyes, and has kept them away from the Path,- so they receive no guidance” (27: 24) Satan embellishes the unlawful things and sin, God actually gave him the ability to embellish sins. He embellished polytheism, disbelieve, idolatory and sins for the people of Nuh, ‘Aad and Thamud, the people of Ibrahim and those of Madyan and the Quraish. He embellished homosexuality for the people of Lut, he beatified several sins for the past rebellious generations. Allah says: {لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَى أُمَمٍ مّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَّانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ}(النحل:63) “We (also) sent (Our messengers) to Peoples before thee; but Satan made, (to the wicked), their own acts seem alluring: He is also their patron today, but they shall have a most grievous penalty.” (16: 63) Promises and false desires are other method by which Satan misguides man. He gives false promises and hangs them on sweet aspirations in order to drag man into sins and errors. For instance, Satan promises the gambler, the usurer, the thief, and the bribe receiver, a quick and huge profit. He promises the oppressor honour and victory. Allah says: {يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمْ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلاَّ غُرُورًا }(النساء:120) “Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false desires; but satan's promises are nothing but deception.” (4: 120) Second All praise is due to Allah, the end belongs to the pious… I bear witness there is no god except Allah alone, He has no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, his families and companions till the day of recompense. O dear students! The holiday had passed and in few days time God's willing our sons and daughters; male and female students, shall resume in their schools ushering in a new term. Be aware that knowledge is the life for the hearts, the light for insights, cure for the minds and comfort for the souls. It is the guide for the confused and succour for the desolate. With knowledge, one knows God, worship and thanks Him, as well as praises and remembers Him. Thus were our righteous forebears – May Allah be pleased with them- they loved knowledge, recognised its status, they spent greatly in the quest to achieve it, they spent their time and money in its cause, and they hoped in their lives to acquire enough knowledge that could deliver them in the Hereafter. Dear students, passionately desire knowledge from the first day in school so that you will not lose any of the days of study, where you will now have piles of unattended classes and assignments in the end, remember the words of the prophet (pbuh): “Whoever seeks for knowledge through a path, Allah will provide for him by that a path to paradise.” Oh God, forgive the believing men and women, the Muslim men and women,the living and dead, You are Ever-Responsive to calls.Oh Allah give honour to Islam and Muslims, humiliated polytheism and the polytheists, destroy Your enemies; the enemies of religion. O Allah make this country safe and peaceful, in generousity and affluence and other Muslim countries, and safe us from tribulations and evil. O Allah! Restore our leaders, O Mighty- Lord, O Forgiving- Lord. Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire.