بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
In the story of Musa and Al Khidr as Allah narrated in Surah Al Kahf, an interesting thing happened. After a long and exhausting journey in search of the person, Allah says more knowledgeable than him, Musa realized their morning meal (a fish) had disappeared. His travel companion had seen the fish came to live and swam away at some point but forgot to tell Musa. He said Shaytan made him forgot to tell Musa.
فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَىٰهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـٰذَا نَصَبًا ﴿٦٢﴾ قَالَ أَرَءَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَآ إِلَى ٱلصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّى نَسِيتُ ٱلْحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنسَىٰنِيهُ إِلَّا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُۥ ۚ وَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا ﴿٦٣
So when they had passed beyond it, [Musa] said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue." (62) He said, "Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan - that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly". (63) [Quran, Al-Kahf 18:62-63]
Beware of Shaytan who is always lurking to enter your hearts and snatch your iman (faith in the oneness of Allah), the most precious thing.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that shaytan flows in the son of Adam like blood flows. [Bukhari]
Shaytan's goal is to take each and everyone of us to Hell with him. But he won't come to you today and tell you not to worship Allah or disbelieve in Allah because there is some faith in you. So he gradually misguides you through waswaas (whispers) but he does not use the same approach for everyone. People differ in their nature, personality and ways of thinking, so what appeals to someone, may not appeal to another. Shaytan may seek to conquer someone by exploiting his love for money, while he may subdue another by his lust for fame, or might delude another by emotion. So, Shaytan has different ways to enter a man's soul and misguide it - these doorways to a person's heart are referred to as, 'weakness of man.'
Shaytan has many schemes and tricks to turn people away from Allah Almighty and be his companion in Hell. They come in various types, shades and colors. In the Wayfarers to God (Ma'alim As-Suluk) by Habib Ali Al Jifri, they can be summarized in seven doors from which shaytan enters the heart of the human being and affect them. If we ponder upon the entrances, we will avoid them.
Door #1: Steering the human being away from pious works. For example, a person might have a desire to wake up at night and stand in prayer. Shaytan comes and says "You are tired, just don't pray." If Allah protect the person and give him tawfiq, the person will say, "I must do this, I need it."
Then shaytan will try the second entrance.
Door #2: Procrastination. For example, the person might say, "I'll start learning Qur'an when I finished college," or "when I am 50, I will pray at night," or "I will put on the hijab when I get married," or "I'll get back to my studies to after my wife have the baby or when I am settled." There is always some excuse that prevent you to do something you are supposed to do right now. So when you are learning Quran (pious work) or planning to recite a juz of Quran, for example, see it to the end with excellence. Don't let other things distract you even things that might seem of priority.
The remedy for procrastination is remembering death. We might not live even till the next breadth. Even if you do, if you postpone today's good works till tomorrow, when will you do good works of tomorrow and the ones after that? Remember, wasting time without acts of obedience to Allah is wasting something that can never be compensated for.
Door #3: Riya' (ostentation, showing off in worship)
This is wanting other than Allah for doing pious works. This is a subtle shirk (polytheism) and it is more illusive than the creeping of a black ant on a gray stone on a dark night.
Shaytan will say to the person, "Do your pious work, let people see you." "If you give charity, do it publicly or inform others so people mention you." "If you help build a masjid, make sure your name is mentioned." "If you contribute to a charitable foundation, make sure they write your name down."
If Allah wants to protect a servant from this subtle shirk, He fills the person's heart with the magnificent of Allah so that the person will refuse to do anything for other than Allah. Remember that Allah is free of need of any partner.
Riya' ruins our good deeds and Allah will not accept the works if we have riya'. A person should search for and try to fill his hearts with awareness of Allah’s magnificence. If his relationship with Allah is correct, he is clear of need of other people.
If shaytan is unsuccessful to enter your hearts from the above entrances, he will try the fourth.
Door #4: Haste
For example, when you recite the Qur'an, shaytan will rush you to finish one juz and then second juz, without reflection or contemplation, without proper tajweed, without alertness. Shaytan will rush you through your obligatory prayer quickly so you can go to your sunnah prayer.
Hastiness prevent a person from the light of an act of worship, the fruit of an act of worship, and taste of an act of worship.
The remedy for this is patience, deliberation and thoughtfulness. Remind ourselves that Allah does not want from us a lot of commotion but Allah wants us to benefit from our works and develop a taste for it.
If shaytan cannot come from this entrance, then it tries a fifth entrance.
Door #5: 'Ujb (pride, self glory}
The shaytan will try to make you fall into pride. Shaytan comes and says, "Mashaa Allah you are good," "You are upright, no one is like you.” So the person looks at his pious work as though it is emanating from himself. He forgets that in reality the action was from tawfiq of Allah.
Self glory is believing that Allah benefits from your act of worship, and believing that the act originates purely from the your will, the result of the person's effort. Self glory becomes the reason for nullifying the act of worship.
The remedy for this is for the person to remember that he is incapable and for him to ascribe the whole thing to Allah. He says, "Were it not for Allah’s honor and generosity, I would have been insignificant. Were I of no significance, He would have cast me away and left me in a state of disobedience. It is Allah's will to honor me and made me ready for obedience."
When shaytan despairs with regard to this entrance, he comes from the sixth entrance, subtle ostentation, unique to shaytan.
Door #6: Subtle riya' (ostentation) and 'ujb (self glory).
After passing the previous entrances--obedience, riya', procrastination, haste, 'ujb/self-glory, shaytan comes to a subtle effect that still might ruin one's work.
The shaytan says, "You be sincere with Allah, worship Allah alone, do not seek the countenance of people, and after that Allah will manifest your works. Allah will show light on your face. Allah will make people love you and make them favor you and approach you."
Remember we seek sincerity to attain Allah's favor and good pleasure, not to attain the pleasure of people.
Also self glory has many subtleties as it has obvious manifestations. One of the subtle illusive aspect of pride is that when one feels that other people have an obligation towards him because of favors or goodness extended to them. So, if two people did something wrong to us, most people are affected or more offended or hurt by the one to whom the favor has been done. Remember, wealth is Allah's wealth, and the servant is Allah's servant. Our goodness is none of our doing; it is from Allah. Were it not for Allah's tawfiq (facilitation to success or goodness), we won't be able to do anything good. The good that we do, Allah will reward us by manifolds. So how do our goodness compare to what we receive in recompense? So the favor is upon us when people accept our goodness, not upon them.
It is important to learn the knowledge of purification of the hearts. This knowledge is important because it can make people aware of the calamity that would fall upon them from places that they are not aware of.
Door #7: No need of good deeds.
The seventh entrance is when the shaytan comes and says, "Why do you tire yourself like this. Were you with Allah dammed even if you were to worship Allah, in the end you will be damned. And if you were with Allah as one of those saved, even if you are negligent, in the end you say la illaha illallah, you will enter the Garden. The matter is decided on the basis of pre-ordainments."
This is the most dangerous entrance.
The remedy for this is for the person to say, "Allah did not create me to ask if I am dammed or saved. He created me and ordered me to obey Him and leave disobedience of Him and worship Him, that I travel to Him. I am going to Him and I am eager to meet Him. The matter if I am dammed or saved that knowledge goes back to Him. This is the responsibility of the Lord, not the slave, whether I am dammed or I am saved."
Our mission as slaves of Allah is to expend our effort in obedience to Allah and to constantly and excellently do our utmost for Allah's sake as we travel to Him. The fruits of all this lies with Allah and not with us.
We must constantly seek refuge with Allah from shaytan. Among the fortification from shaytan is persisting to stay in a state of of ablution (wudu'), reading the Quran and understand it, persisting in a lot of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), reciting the Prophetic invocations for the morning and night and reciting the al-mu'awidhataan (such as Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Naas, Ayatul Kursi, the final 2 verses of Surah Al-Baqarah).
May Allah make us of those who hear His word and follow it. May Allah show us the Truth as Truth and grant us to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us to avoid it. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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