A Summary of the Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah.
The Truth About the Jinn and Their Origin.
The jinn are a real, existing realm in life,
and Muslims believe in their existence
because the Noble Qur'an informs us about them in numerous verses.
In fact, an entire surah among its surahs is named Surah al-Jinn,
which conveys some of their characteristics and their response to the Noble Qur'an.
The jinn were created before humans,
and their creation was from fire,
as Allah Almighty says:
“And the jinn did We create aforetime of essential fire.” (15:27)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"And the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire."
Narrated by Muslim.
The linguistic root *j-n-n* in Arabic
denotes concealment and imperceptibility.
Whatever is hidden from you is described as *janna* from you.
*Jann al-layl* means the night has cast its veil and darkness.
Dense, lush gardens are called *jinan*
because their trees conceal whatever is beneath them from the sun.
Therefore, the realm of the jinn is an independent one, concealed from mankind;
we cannot perceive them through our intellects or unassisted senses alone.
However, we may sometimes perceive some of their effects.
The general rule is that we do not see them, nor do we feel their presence,
as Allah Almighty says regarding Iblis and his hosts—who are from the jinn.
“O Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you as he caused your (first) parents to go forth from the Garden and tore off from them their robe (of innocence) that he might manifest their shame to them. Lo! he seeth you, he and his tribe, from whence ye see him not. Lo! We have made the devils protecting friends for those who believe not.” (7:27)
Thus, they belong to the unseen realm (*ghayb*) that we are commanded to believe in—
a relative unseen, not an absolute one.
They may occasionally take the form of certain animals,
sometimes appearing to certain people,
and they may address them or possess certain human beings,
entering their bodies and overcoming them, perhaps because humans harmed them,
or because a sorcerer or charlatan
dispatched them against someone to afflict them with magic.
Some Characteristics and Categories of the Jinn.
We know nothing about the characteristics and categories of the jinn
except what Allah and His Messenger have informed us.
Among these details, first:
they possess hearts, eyes, and ears,
just as humans possess all of these.
Allah Almighty says:
“Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.” (7:179)
“Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.” (7:179)
“Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.” (7:179)
“Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.” (7:179)
“Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.” (7:179)
﴿Those are the ones who are heedless.﴾
What is meant in the verse by their lack of sight or hearing
is their turning away from the truth and failing to be guided by it,
as if they neither see it nor hear it,
just as their hearts failed to comprehend.
This is similar to what Allah Almighty says regarding the disbelieving nations:
﴿And We had assigned to them hearing, sight, and hearts...﴾
“And verily We had empowered them with that wherewith We have not empowered you, and had assigned them ears and eyes and hearts; but their ears and eyes and hearts availed them naught since they denied the revelations of Allah; and what they used to mock befell them.” (46:26)
“And verily We had empowered them with that wherewith We have not empowered you, and had assigned them ears and eyes and hearts; but their ears and eyes and hearts availed them naught since they denied the revelations of Allah; and what they used to mock befell them.” (46:26)
﴿...and they were enveloped by that which they used to ridicule.﴾
Second:
They are of three categories,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed us:
"The jinn are of three categories:
a category that has wings with which they fly through the air,
a category of snakes and dogs,
and a category that settles and travels."
Narrated by Ibn Hibban, al-Tabarani in *al-Mu'jam al-Kabir*, and al-Hakim,
and authenticated by al-Albani.
The Religious Accountability of the Jinn.
The jinn are morally accountable and addressed by sacred law, just like humans.
They were created for the exact same purpose for which humans were created.
Allah Almighty says:
“I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.” (51:56)
Messengers were sent to them just as they were sent to mankind.
Allah Almighty says:
“O ye assembly of the jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your own who recounted unto you My tokens and warned you of the meeting of this your Day? They will say: We testify against ourselves. And the life of the world beguiled them. And they testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.” (6:130)
﴿...warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?﴾
The phrase "from among you"
allows for the possibility that the messengers to the jinn were of their own kind,
or that their messengers were simply the human messengers themselves,
since it comes after mentioning both jinn and mankind together.
No practical deed depends upon this scholarly difference of opinion,
so it is generally not dwelt upon,
except that we affirm decisively that they are bound by the message of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
due to the statement of Allah Almighty:
“Say (O Muhammad): It is revealed unto me that a company of the Jinn gave ear, and they said: Lo! we have heard a marvellous Qur'an,” (72:1)
“Say (O Muhammad): It is revealed unto me that a company of the Jinn gave ear, and they said: Lo! we have heard a marvellous Qur'an,” (72:1)
“Which guideth unto righteousness, so we believe in it and we ascribe no partner unto our Lord.” (72:2)
“Which guideth unto righteousness, so we believe in it and we ascribe no partner unto our Lord.” (72:2)
and His statement, Exalted and Glorious, recounting the words of the jinn:
“They said: O our people! Lo! we have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses, confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right road.” (46:30)
“They said: O our people! Lo! we have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses, confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right road.” (46:30)
﴿...confirming what came before it...﴾
“They said: O our people! Lo! we have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses, confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right road.” (46:30)
“O our people! respond to Allah's summoner and believe in Him. He will forgive you some of your sins and guard you from a painful doom.” (46:31)
“O our people! respond to Allah's summoner and believe in Him. He will forgive you some of your sins and guard you from a painful doom.” (46:31)
“O our people! respond to Allah's summoner and believe in Him. He will forgive you some of your sins and guard you from a painful doom.” (46:31)
“And whoso respondeth not to Allah's summoner he can nowise escape in the earth, and he hath no protecting friends instead of Him. Such are in error manifest.” (46:32)
“And whoso respondeth not to Allah's summoner he can nowise escape in the earth, and he hath no protecting friends instead of Him. Such are in error manifest.” (46:32)
﴿...those are in manifest error.﴾
These verses also indicate their knowledge
of the Law of the Prophet of Allah, Moses (peace be upon him),
just as they confirm their accountability under our Law.
The jinn are just like humans
regarding their stance on divine mandate and worship:
among them are obedient believers,
among them are the corruptly disobedient,
and among them are disbelievers.
As Allah recounted from them, they said:
﴿"And among us are Muslims, and among us are the unjust..."﴾
“And there are among us some who have surrendered (to Allah) and there are among us some who are unjust. And whoso hath surrendered to Allah, such have taken the right path purposefully.” (72:14)
﴿"...As for the unjust, they will be firewood for Hell."﴾
Likewise, their disbelievers will bear witness against themselves on the Day of Resurrection regarding their disbelief,
just like human disbelievers.
Thus, the statement of Allah Almighty:
﴿...and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers﴾
includes them, because the beginning of the verse reads:
﴿O assembly of jinn and humans,
did there not come to you messengers from among you...﴾
The jinn, like humans,
will enter either Hellfire or Paradise,
according to their faith and deeds.
Regarding Hellfire, Allah Almighty says:
“He saith: Enter into the Fire among nations of the jinn and humankind who passed away before you. Every time a nation entereth, it curseth its sister (nation) till, when they have all been made to follow one another thither, the last of them saith unto the first of them: Our Lord! These led us astray, so give them double torment of the Fire. He saith: For each one there is double (torment), but ye know not.” (7:38)
As for Paradise,
Allah has bestowed His favor upon their believers with entry into it, just like humans.
Allah Almighty says, addressing both humans and jinn together:
“But for him who feareth the standing before his Lord there are two gardens.” (55:46)
﴿So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?﴾
The Jinn and Knowledge of the Unseen.
The claims made by impostors and charlatans
that they possess knowledge of the unseen through communication with the jinn
is pure falsehood and deception.
Allah Almighty has said:
“Say (O Muhammad): None in the heavens and the earth knoweth the Unseen save Allah; and they know not when they will be raised (again).” (27:65)
This applies to everyone in the heavens and the earth,
encompassing all humans and jinn alike.
Regarding the jinn specifically,
Allah Almighty says concerning the jinn subjected
to the service of His Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him):
“And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.” (34:14)
“And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.” (34:14)
“And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.” (34:14)
﴿...that if they had known the unseen, [they would not have remained in the humiliating punishment.]﴾
“And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.” (34:14)
Before the advent of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the devils among the jinn
used to
eavesdrop on heavenly revelations,
snatching a word of truth
and mixing a hundred lies along with it,
casting it into the ears of their allies among the fortune-tellers and soothsayers,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated.
But when the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent,
the jinn were barred from eavesdropping on the heavens.
Allah Almighty says:
“And verily in the heaven we have set mansions of the stars, and We have beautified it for beholders.” (15:16)
﴿...and We adorned it for the beholders,﴾
﴿and We protected it from every accursed devil.﴾
“Save him who stealeth the hearing, and them doth a clear flame pursue.” (15:18)
And in Surah al-Jinn:
﴿"And we searched the heaven and found it
filled with stern guards and flaming meteors.
And we used to sit there in positions for hearing..."﴾
“And we used to sit on places (high) therein to listen. But he who listeneth now findeth a flame in wait for him;” (72:9)
Allah Almighty also says:
﴿They cannot listen to the Highest Assembly...﴾
“They cannot listen to the Highest Chiefs for they are pelted from every side,” (37:8)
“Outcast, and theirs is a perpetual torment;” (37:9)
“Save him who snatcheth a fragment, and there pursueth him a piercing flame.” (37:10)
Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to believe that the jinn possess knowledge of the unseen,
or to validate what fortune-tellers and soothsayers say.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about anything,
his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights."
Narrated by Muslim.
Our Stance Regarding the Jinn.
Since the realm of the jinn is concealed from the realm of humans
and distinct from it,
it is obligatory upon humans to avoid them, refrain from contacting them,
or seeking their aid in any worldly or religious matter.
Allah has not permitted any such thing,
except for the subjection of some of them to His Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him),
and the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) calling of them
to faith in Allah Almighty
by divine mandate from Him, Glorified be He.
Indeed, the believing jinn explicitly stated
that humans seeking their assistance only brings them harm, not benefit.
Allah Almighty says:
“And indeed (O Muhammad) individuals of humankind used to invoke the protection of individuals of the jinn, so that they increased them in revolt against Allah);” (72:6)
“And indeed (O Muhammad) individuals of humankind used to invoke the protection of individuals of the jinn, so that they increased them in revolt against Allah);” (72:6)
﴿...so they increased them in burden and sin.﴾
What is also required
is to guard against the evil of the devils among the jinn using what Allah has prescribed for us:
consistently adhering to the remembrance of Allah Almighty in all situations,
especially the morning and evening supplications,
reciting Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas,
uttering the supplications for alighting at a place,
and restraining children from playing and excessive movement at sunset,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) directed,
because that is the hour when the rebellious devils spread out.
The Definition of Satan (*al-Shaytan*) and His Relationship to the Jinn.
*Al-Shaytan* comes from the root *sha-ta-na*, meaning to be far or distant.
A devil among the jinn is called *shaytan*
due to his distance from the truth and from the mercy of Allah,
as well as his arrogance, rebellion against his Lord,
and his refusal to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him).
It is a term applied in the Arabic language to every rebellious, insolent,
and defiant creature among jinn, humans, and animals.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿And thus We have made for every prophet...﴾
“Thus have We appointed unto every prophet an adversary - devils of humankind and jinn who inspire in one another plausible discourse through guile. If thy Lord willed, they would not do so; so leave them alone with their devising;” (6:112)
However, not every jinn is a devil.
For the jinn, as mentioned earlier,
include Muslims,
as well as rebellious disbelievers;
and it is only these latter ones who are the devils.
As for the name *Iblis*,
*al-balas* refers to one in whom there is no good,
and *ablasa* means to despair and become bewildered.
Thus Allah named Satan *Iblis*
because he despaired of Allah's mercy,
and because there is no good in him.
Satan's Enmity Toward the Children of Adam.
Allah Almighty has explicitly stated in His Noble Book
Satan's enmity toward the children of Adam
in numerous verses.
Regarding his enmity toward Adam (peace be upon him)
and his wife, Allah Almighty says:
﴿So We said, "O Adam, [indeed, this is an enemy to you and to your wife...]"﴾
“Therefor we said: O Adam! This is an enemy unto thee and unto thy wife, so let him not drive you both out of the Garden so that thou come to toil.” (20:117)
“Therefor we said: O Adam! This is an enemy unto thee and unto thy wife, so let him not drive you both out of the Garden so that thou come to toil.” (20:117)
﴿"...so that you would suffer."﴾
Allah Almighty also says:
﴿But Satan caused them to slip therefrom﴾
﴿and removed them from that condition in which they had been.﴾
﴿And We said, "Go down, all of you, as enemies to one another,﴾
﴿and you will have upon the earth a settlement﴾
﴿and provision for a time."﴾
And regarding his enmity toward all the children of Adam,
Allah Almighty says:
“Did I not charge you, O ye sons of Adam, that ye worship not the devil - Lo! he is your open foe! -” (36:60)
﴿"That you should not worship Satan?﴾
﴿Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy."﴾
Allah Almighty also says:
“Lo! the devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owners of the flaming Fire.” (35:6)
"So take him as an enemy."
“Lo! the devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owners of the flaming Fire.” (35:6)
Iblis himself explicitly declared
his enmity toward the children of Adam.
Allah Almighty said:
“He said: Seest Thou this (creature) whom Thou hast honoured above me, if Thou give me grace until the Day of Resurrection I verily will seize his seed, save but a few.” (17:62)
"If You delay me until the Day of Resurrection,
“He said: Seest Thou this (creature) whom Thou hast honoured above me, if Thou give me grace until the Day of Resurrection I verily will seize his seed, save but a few.” (17:62)
And his saying: "I will surely destroy his offspring..."
Meaning: "I will surely gain mastery over his descendants through temptation and misguidance."
And Allah Almighty said:
"He said, 'My Lord, because You have led me astray, I will surely make [evil] alluring to them on earth,
and I will surely mislead them all,
Except Your sincere servants among them.'"
The goals and objectives of Satan:
The primary goal Satan strives to achieve
is to cast man into the Hellfire
and deprive him of Paradise, just as he was deprived of it.
Allah Almighty said:
“Lo! the devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owners of the flaming Fire.” (35:6)
His detailed goals to achieve this objective and his means for doing so are numerous.
Among them:
First:
Plunging servants into polytheism and disbelief.
Allah Almighty said:
"[They are] like Satan when he says to man, 'Disbelieve.'"
“(And the hypocrites are) on the likeness of the devil when he telleth man to disbelieve, then, when he disbelieveth saith: Lo! I am quit of thee. Lo! I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (59:16)
And in a Hadith Qudsi:
"I created all My servants upright (inclined to truth),
but the devils came to them
and turned them away from their religion,
forbade them what I had made lawful for them,
and commanded them to associate with Me that for which I sent down no authority."
Narrated by Muslim.
Second:
Entrapping them in religious innovation (bid'ah).
This is dearer to Satan than entrapping them in sins,
because its harm directly affects religion,
and because one can repent from a sin,
whereas as for innovation,
its practitioner rarely repents from it,
because he does not believe he is in error or committing a sin.
Third:
Plunging them into sins and acts of disobedience,
which he resorts to when unable to draw them into polytheism and disbelief.
As Allah Almighty said:
“He enjoineth upon you only the evil and the foul, and that ye should tell concerning Allah that which ye know not.” (2:169)
"and to say about Allah that which you do not know."
And Allah Almighty said:
“Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done?” (5:91)
“Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done?” (5:91)
"So will you not desist?"
alongside other verses.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Lo! Satan has despaired of ever being worshipped in this land of yours,
but he will be obeyed in matters you consider insignificant among your deeds,
and he will be pleased with that."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi
and authenticated by al-Albani.
Fourth:
Diverting them from obedience and worship,
as Allah Almighty recounted from Satan's statements:
“He said: Now, because Thou hast sent me astray, verily I shall lurk in ambush for them on Thy Right Path.” (7:16)
“Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee).” (7:17)
“Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee).” (7:17)
And Allah Almighty said:
“Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done?” (5:91)
“Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done?” (5:91)
"So will you not desist?"
And also among these:
corrupting the acts of worship and obedience of the children of Adam,
whether through whispering doubts during them,
instilling ostentation into the servant's heart,
or distracting him from humility and contemplation in his worship,
among other tactics.
Fifth:
Preoccupying them with permissible matters and excessive indulgence in them.
Sixth:
Preoccupying them with lesser virtuous deeds at the expense of superior ones.
Seventh:
Unleashing his allies among the devils of jinn and mankind to harm the servants of Allah,
when he despairs of misleading them.
Satan's means to achieve his goals:
Satan employs numerous methods to achieve his goals and plot against the children of Adam.
Among these are:
First:
Beautifying falsehood,
by depicting falsehood in the guise of truth,
as he did with our father Adam (peace be upon him),
when he whispered to him to eat from the forbidden tree,
saying:
“Then Satan whispered to them that he might manifest unto them that which was hidden from them of their shame, and he said: Your Lord forbade you from this tree only lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals.” (7:20)
And Iblis swore to persist in this approach, saying:
“He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one,” (15:39)
"and I will surely mislead them all,
Except Your sincere servants among them."
An example of this is
embellishing the call to man-made ideologies,
such as capitalism, communism, or socialism,
portraying them as the path to a secure and prosperous life.
Another example is
promoting indecency and nudity
under the guise of personal freedom and open-mindedness.
Another example is
distracting people and corrupting their morals through vulgar films and soap operas under the name of art.
Another example is
beautifying worldly life, relying upon it, and forgetting the Hereafter,
alongside endless other methods of beautification.
Second:
Utilizing the weapon of excess or negligence,
tailored according to the servant's attitude toward any command of Allah.
If he finds in him apathy, slackness, and seeking undue concessions,
he approaches him from the angle of negligence,
until the servant might abandon the commanded duty altogether.
But if he finds in him caution, eagerness, and diligence,
he approaches him from the angle of excess,
until he drives him into extremism, exceeding the bounds set by Allah,
and falling into innovation in the religion of Allah.
Third:
False promises and delusions,
by whispering to the children of Adam illusions of dominance, wealth,
or happiness in following falsehood,
while in reality he is a deceitful liar in doing so.
He makes promises to them and fills them with desires,
"but Satan promises them nothing except delusion."
And Allah Almighty said:
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.” (8:48)
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.” (8:48)
"and indeed, I am a neighbor for you."
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.” (8:48)
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.” (8:48)
Fourth:
Posing as a sincere advisor to man.
Allah Almighty said:
“And he swore unto them (saying): Lo! I am a sincere adviser unto you.” (7:21)
"So he made them fall, through deception."
Fifth:
Gradual misguidance,
as he does not lead one into sin or disbelief all at once,
knowing that the person would not comply;
rather, he employs a strategy of gradualism,
proceeding step by step.
Therefore, Allah Almighty said, warning against him:
"And do not follow the footsteps of Satan.
Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy."
Sixth:
Causing the servant to defer what contains his good and righteousness,
which is close to discouraging one from obedience and worship,
but it comes to the servant through the door of forgetfulness
to cause discouragement.
As Allah recounted regarding the one who was saved from prison,
the companion of Joseph (peace be upon him),
when he forgot what Joseph had instructed him to do,
when he said to the one he knew would be saved:
"Mention me before your master."
“And he said unto him of the twain who he knew would be released: Mention me in the presence of thy lord. But Satan caused him to forget to mention it to his lord, so he (Joseph) stayed in prison for some years.” (12:42)
“And he said unto him of the twain who he knew would be released: Mention me in the presence of thy lord. But Satan caused him to forget to mention it to his lord, so he (Joseph) stayed in prison for some years.” (12:42)
And Allah Almighty also said regarding this:
“And when thou seest those who meddle with Our revelations, withdraw from them until they meddle with another topic. And if the devil cause thee to forget, sit not, after the remembrance, with the congregation of wrong-doers.” (6:68)
“And when thou seest those who meddle with Our revelations, withdraw from them until they meddle with another topic. And if the devil cause thee to forget, sit not, after the remembrance, with the congregation of wrong-doers.” (6:68)
"And if Satan causes you to forget..."
“And when thou seest those who meddle with Our revelations, withdraw from them until they meddle with another topic. And if the devil cause thee to forget, sit not, after the remembrance, with the congregation of wrong-doers.” (6:68)
Seventh:
Instilling fear of Satan's allies in man.
Allah Almighty said:
“It is only the devil who would make (men) fear his partisans. Fear them not; fear Me, if ye are true believers.” (3:175)
“It is only the devil who would make (men) fear his partisans. Fear them not; fear Me, if ye are true believers.” (3:175)
Eighth:
Casting doubts,
in order to shake a person's creed
through the doubts and misgivings he casts.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Satan comes to one of you
and says, 'Who created such-and-such?
Who created such-and-such?'
until he says, 'Who created your Lord?'
When it reaches that point, let him seek refuge in Allah and desist."
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
This is alongside other cunning methods of his,
which a person can overcome
through the strength of his faith and by seeking aid from his Lord.
The weakness of Satan's plot:
Despite all that has been mentioned regarding Satan's goals
and his means of misleading the children of Adam,
Allah Almighty has decreed that his plot is inherently weak,
as long as a person fortifies himself with faith
in his Lord and with piety.
Allah Almighty said:
“Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak.” (4:76)
Just as Allah Almighty decreed
that Satan has no authority
over His believing servants.
Allah Almighty said:
"Indeed, over My servants you have no authority,
and sufficient is your Lord as a Disposer of affairs."
Thus, He promised to be a Guardian for His believing servants
and a Protector for them against Satan's cunning and whisperings.
And He clarified that Satan's temptation and misguidance
afflict only those who follow him
among those whose hearts are steeped in error.
"Indeed, over My servants you have no authority..."
“Lo! as for My slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee,” (15:42)
Therefore, no one can use Satan's misguidance as a pretext,
nor offer it as an excuse,
for temptation affects only
those whose hearts incline toward it.
Allah Almighty said:
“And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Why persecute ye me, when ye well know that I am Allah's messenger unto you? So when they went astray Allah sent their hearts astray. And Allah guideth not the evil-living folk.” (61:5)
"And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."
Summary of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah: