On The Doors of Masjids - Mankind and Satan

On The Doors of Masjids

The devil sits on the doors of Masjids (mosques) and at the places of worship and remembering Allah. He tries to seduce people not to offer Salat, and when The Azan [the Call to Prayer] is pronounced he strives to allure mankind with every lure to divert them from going to Salat. He reminds man of worldly concerns and keeps whispering to him evil insinuations. He frightens him by insinuating that perhaps if he went to Salat he might lose a good bargain or money or benefit, suggesting that work is also an act of worship…etc. till he diverts him from remembering Allah and from Salat.

There is a story narrated on the authority of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) who was known by issuing fatwas (legal rulings) concerning legal problems, thus a man once came to him and said: 
“I have lost my money, I buried it somewhere in the earth but the torrents poured down and hid the place of the money and removed the rock I have put as a sign to the place and I do not know what to do?”

Imam Abu Hanifah said: “How can I give you a legal opinion concerning this matter?”

But the man insisted, so Imam Abu Hanifah said to him: “Go tonight after the ‘Isha’ Prayer [Evening Prayer] and stand before your Lord and spend the night in prayer until the crack of dawn…. and then tell me what has happened.”

At the time of the Fajr [Dawn] Prayer the man came cheerful and said: “I have found my money.” Abu Hanifah asked him: “How?” The man said: “I was just about to stand up for Prayers when I remembered the place of the money and when did the flood pour down and how did it proceed. Thus I measured the distance and estimated it and thus I learned the location of the money.”  So, Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) smiled and said: “By Allah I knew that the devil will never leave you spend the night in the company of Your Lord.”

                

Thus, when the devil learned that this man would spend the night offering Prayers before his Lord he hurried to guide him to the place of the money to prevent him from continuing his prayers and from keeping himself engaged in remembering Allah, and that is one of the meanings of the Ayah saying (what means):

“[Satan] said, ‘Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path.’” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 16)

And that is what we shall discuss in the next chapter, if Allah wills, when talking in detail about the ways the devil employs in tempting mankind and how he waylays them in the Masjids and places of worship to distract their attention and hinder them from remembering Allah and from performing Salat.  

The Noble Qur’an continue to cite Satan’s words, who said what means:

“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].” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 17)

On contemplating this glorious Ayah we will find that the devil has specified four directions from which he can come to man: right and left, in front and behind. But directions are six: right and left, in front and behind, above and below (man), so why does the devil come to man from all directions and leaves two directions: from above and below?

The answer is that “above” is towards heaven, the place of the ascent of supplications and good deeds to Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, whereas “below” is the place of prostration and submission to Allah, The Most Exalted and Ever-Majestic, and Satan can never get near both. For Satan can never approach the place of prostration before Allah and submission to Him and also the place of the ascension of prayers and good deeds. For these are the two blessed places of every believer, surrounded by angels and are never approached by devils.

But we must pause before the part of the Ayah saying what means: “And You will not find most of them grateful.”

Who told Satan that most of the people will not be thankful to Allah for His Blessings and Grace upon them? Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

“And Allah is full of bounty to the people, but most of the people do not show gratitude.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 243)  

Was Satan given knowledge of the Unseen which made him learn that most of people would not be thankful? Or was he so sure of himself that he said such words?

Satan certainly does not know the Unseen nor was he given of knowledge what made him say that most of the servants of Allah would not be thankful. He also did not have the mastery that made him absolutely confident that this would happen because of his temptation of mankind.

The Noble Qur’an reveals to us how did Satan say such words. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

“And Iblees had already confirmed through them his assumption, so they followed him, except for a party of believers. And he had over them no authority except [it was decreed] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian.” (Saba’, 34: 20-21)

Hence, what Satan said was only a conjecture for he certainly did not possess any knowledge of the Unseen nor knew what would happen in the future.

Then came the Verdict of The Truth, all praise and glory is to Him, on Satan and those who follow him, as says the Lord of Honor and Sovereignty in His Noble Book what means:

“[Allah] said, ‘Get out of it, reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them – I will surely fill Hell with you, all together.’” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 18)

Thus, Satan was expelled from Allah’s Mercy and from paradise or from any place where he can be near Allah. He became humiliated and accursed. Not only him but also whoever follows him from jinn and mankind. The destiny of them all would be eternity in Hellfire. Allah, The Most Exalted and EverMajestic, has prepared for each of His servant, from mankind and jinn, a place in Paradise and another in Hellfire. So that if all creatures disobeyed Hellfire would contain them all and if all creatures obeyed Paradise would be spacious enough for them all. On Resurrection Day the righteous people would inherit – above what Allah has prepared for them in Paradise – the places that were allotted to those upon whom Allah has passed the sentence of torment in Hellfire on Resurrection Day, we seek refuge with Allah from such an end.

After Allah has reprieved Satan till Resurrection Day, He wanted to fortify Adam and make him aware of the trial he was about to face. To show him how Satan is his foe and how he would lure him into sin, and how his promises are false and how he would never honor a promise. The Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, willed to realize this through a practical experience that Adamand Eve (peace and blessings be upon them) would undergo, so that when they descend on the earth this experience would serve to immunize them against diabolic misleading and temptation. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says what means:

“And We said, ‘O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 35)

Thus, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has prepared the place of trial to Adam and Eve in a garden provided with all means of comfortable living, without fatigue or toil. He gave them abundant food from various kinds of fruits and abundant drink, and opened before them all the blessings they might wish for. Allah allowed them all the fruits of that garden except one tree, which He forbade them to come near.

It was a comfortable life rich with endless lawful blessings and the forbidden was the least of all, only one forbidden tree. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, warned Adam and Eve against their enemy Satan and asked them not to listen to him because he only wishes them evil and never wishes them any goodness. Allah warned them saying what means:

“So We said, ‘O Adam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Then let him not remove you from paradise so you would suffer.’” (Tâ-Hâ, 20: 117)

But what happened? In spite of all warnings and although the lawful things are many and the forbidden is only one tree, Satan succeeded by his temptation to cause Adam and Eve to fall into sin.

Some interpreters say that Eve was the one who first fell into sin then led Adam into it. That she was the reason behind Adam’s departure from the garden, is that true? Was Eve the one who bore the first sin that led to Adam’s departure from the garden, or is it false? What is the truth? And what did truly happen?

Before answering these questions we sum up what we have discussed in this chapter: Satan was blown up with pride and his conceited self made him reject the Command of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, and he said: “You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” (Sâd, 38: 76) by which he wanted to alter the Command of Allah, thus Allah cursed him and cast him out of His Mercy and made him one of the dwellers of Hellfire together with all who follow him. But Satan pursued a doorway to tempt Adam and his offspring. His doorway is that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, is All-Mighty, All-Rich, beyond need of all His creatures, neither those who stray into wrong harm Him nor those who believe benefit Him.

Through that inlet Satan crept in to tempt the Children of Adam. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, made worldly life an abode of trial therefore temptation is a must so that Allah tests true faith and they become witnesses over themselves on Resurrection Day.

Allah willed that Adam should pass through a practical experience of satanic temptation and misguidance to warn him and teach him what he would confront in worldly life…so how did this experience go on?

Source: (Book) Mankind and Satan

Pride Belongs to Allah Alone - Mankind and Satan

Pride Belongs to Allah Alone

When Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, said “Descend” He gave us its reason in His Saying, “It is not for you to be arrogant therein”. It means that Satan was puffed up with pride and arrogance and Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, loves not the arrogant. Whoever was taken by pride and wrongly believe that he himself, by his own power, can achieve anything independent of the Power of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, will incur upon himself the Wrath of Almighty Allah…. why?

Because action in this universe belongs solely to Allah, The Exalted and Ever Majestic, no one has the power of doing except Allah. For every action there is an adverb of time and place to happen and you neither possess the time nor the place. No one has the power to keep himself alive for a moment and no one has the power to move from one place to another except by the Leave and Will of Allah. Man may even die before he stirs or he may fall sick and lose his ability to move, so how can man or any creature of Allah be proud, when he neither has might nor power except by the Will of Allah.

Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, expelled Satan from the place or status he once occupied because he acted arrogantly and insolently and imagined that he possesses self-given power. Therefore, the Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, said, “Get out; indeed, you are of the debased.” It means that had you any power of your own then stay where you are, but you will get out humiliated and disgraced. You will get out against your will and you cannot stubbornly contend nor claim that you have a power that will defend you or make you act contrarily to the Command of Allah, you will get out abjectly in disgrace. 

When Satan realized that pride that swelled within his soul was fake and that in reality he, on his own, is worth nothing his heart was filled with malice against Adam. He believed that he is the cause of all what has happened to him: his expulsion, his sinking to the lowest of the low and the Divine Wrath he incurred upon himself. The spite and malice that filled the heart of Satan pushed him to the attempt of taking revenge on Adam and his offspring. Just as his rejection to submit to Allah’s Command of prostrating to Adam cast him into Hellfire, he wants to drive Adam and his offspring to Hellfire, a revenge for what befell him. And just as Satan was expelled from Allah’s Mercy, he wants to expel Adam and his offspring from Allah’s Mercy. He wants to avenge himself on Adam for being the cause of all what befell him, from damnation and expulsion, him and whoever follows him. He does not want to enter Hellfire alone! But he wants to cram therein whomever he can lead astray from mankind. 

Therefore, when Satan got out abjectly disgraced from the place he once dwelt, he addressed Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, saying as narrates the Noble Qur’an, what means: 

“[Satan] said, ‘Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.’” (Al-A’râf, 7: 14)

Thus, Satan returned to servility, asking Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, to keep him alive till Resurrection Day, after being blown-up with pride. Had this pride been real and not fake and had he really possessed a power of his own he would not have asked Allah to keep him alive till Resurrection Day and he would have kept himself alive, but he neither has power nor might except by the Will of Allah, thus he turned to Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, to grant him his request.

But why did Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, respond to the call of Satan when He could have destroyed him instantly? Why did Allah, Whose Majesty reigns Supreme, says what means:

“[Allah] said, ‘Indeed, you are of those reprieved.’” (Al-A’râf, 7: 15)

Also in Surah Al-Hijr: 

“[Allah] said, ‘So indeed, you are of those reprieved, until the Day of the time well-known.’” (Al-Hijr, 15: 37-38)

Allah answered his demand – though he is the one outcast from His Mercy – because only with it the wisdom behind creating worldly life is complete. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, created worldly life as an abode of trial and the Hereafter as an abode of recompense. Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, wants to test His servant in the life of this world, to put them to trial before being requited. Recite the Saying of the Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, which means:

“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast?” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 142)

And His Saying, all glory is to Him, which means:

“So that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purify what is in your hearts. And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 154)

 

Had Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, willed to create all His creatures compelled to obey as the angels, He would have easily done it. And had Allah willed that all the people of the earth obey His Law and that all of them be glorifiers and worshippers again He would have easily done it. But Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, has chosen creatures that come to Him compelled, as angels and others from His creatures, and has chosen mankind and jinn exclusively to come to Him willingly out of love. They are both capable of sinning, but they forbear because they love Allah. And they are both capable of disobedience, but they obey to draw near Allah. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, wants creatures who comes to Him willingly and lovingly in a period of trial limited by the lifetime of every person.

After death we will be compelled to submit to the Will of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, because while dying man’s power of free will completely ends, and he loses even his willpower over his own body. Volition is in worldly life only; at the hour of death and during the life of Barzakh [the grave as the barrier or the intermediate realm that separates between this world and the other world from the time of death till the time of Resurrection ], and on Resurrection Day, none will have a will of his own. The disbeliever shall be driven to the Hellfire and he will try to stop his legs from walking but they will not. He will try to push away the fire by his hands but they will not push. He will try to escape from standing before Allah, and to flee from torment but he will not be able to. All the might and power he once had in worldly life will end. The Noble Qur’an depicts this picture saying what means:

“If those who disbelieved but knew the time when they will not avert the Fire from their faces or from their backs and they will not be aided....” (Al-Anbiyâ’, 21: 39)

Source: (Book) Mankind and Satan