Shaytan does not come to the human and say, ‘Leave this good deed and do this evil deed in order to make your life in this world and the next a miserable one.’ If he behaved in that manner no one would follow him. Instead, he uses many ways to deceive the slaves of Allah, including:
1. Making evil look good – He makes the false appear in the form of truth. And he makes what is true appearing like falsehood. He always bewitches the mind until he can deceive the person. No one is safe from his bewitching except whomsoever Allah wills. He makes good looking to him what harms him the most, until he imagines that it is the most beneficial act for himself. And he makes him flee from the most beneficial act until he thinks it is something harmful to him.
2. Going to extremes – Allah never orders anything except that Shaytan takes two contradictory stance towards it; either shortcoming and negligence or overzealousness and exaggeration. It does not matter [to him] by which of these two mistakes he becomes victorious over the slave. He comes to the heart of the slave and examines it. If he finds in it listlessness and looking for loopholes, he deals with him from that vantage. He strikes him with laziness, listlessness and lethargy. He opens for him the door to reinterpretations hopes and so forth until the slave may not fulfill anything of what he is commanded. If he finds in the slave’s heart alertness, seriousness, desire to work and potential, Satan despairs from attacking him through the above means. Instead, he orders him to strive even harder. He convinces him that what he is doing is not sufficient for him. His ambition is to be greater than that. He must work more than the other workers. He should not sleep when they sleep. He should not break his fast when they break their fasts. He should not rest when they rest. If one of them washes his hands and face three times, he should wash them seven times. If one makes wudu for prayer, he must make ghusl. [He orders him to] similar other acts of exaggeration and extremism. He makes him go to extremes and beyond the limits. He makes him stray from the straight path in the same way that he makes the first person fall short of the straight path and not approach it. Satans intention for both is to keep them from the straight path: the first by making him not come close or near to it and the second by making him pass it and go beyond it. Many of creation are misled by these two strategies. There is no escape from them except deep knowledge, faith and the strength to fight Satan and stay along the middle path.’
If you feel that you are being affected by this waswaas, say, “Aamantu Billaahi wa Rasoolihi (I believe in Allaah and His Messenger).”
Try to stop thinking about that waswas as much as possible, and keep busy with things that will distract you from it.
Keep on turning to Allah in all situations, and ask Him for help, and beseech Him, and ask Him to make you steadfast until death, and cause you to die doing righteous deeds.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Shaytan enters a persons heart through his weaknesses - Part 4
We know that Shaytan gradually misguides mankind through waswaas (whisperings to commit acts of disobedience to Allah) but he does not use the same approach for everyone. People differ in their nature, personality and ways of thinking; what appeals to one, may not appeal to another. So 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. 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.’
Imam Ibnul-Qayyim said, “The Shaytan flows through the son of Adam like blood, until it is as if he becomes part of him, so he finds out what he likes and prefers; once he knows that, he uses it against a person and enters into him through this door. He also passes this information on to his brothers and allies among mankind, so that when they want to achieve their wicked aims against one another they do so through means of that which people love and desire. Whoever tries to enter through this door will gain entry, and whoever tries to enter through any other way will find that the door is barred to him and he will not get what he wants.”
It is thus not the way of Shaytan to openly call one to disobedience. He will encourage negligence in prayers by whispering to the person to complete his worldly work before he leaves for prayers. After he has completed his work, Shaytan will remind him of food, and after that he will remind him of something else until the time of prayer has perished.
Similarly, if a person runs a business, Shaytan whispers to him that if he goes for prayer, he might miss some customers. However, if Shaytan finds man to be zealous in performing Salaat, he comes to him through different means in which he is weak. He whispers to him concerning his wealth and encourages him to unlawfully usurp the wealth of others and forbids him from paying Zakaat while telling him that this will bring him poverty and so on.
Ignorance, Ingratitude, Argumentativeness, Overstepping the limits, Carelessness, Pride, Doubt, Suspicion, Despair, Hopelessness, Recklessness, Haste, Inappropriate joy, Self-admiration, Wrong-doings, Oppression, Negligence, Miserliness, Covetousness, Extreme hostility in cases of dispute, Panic, Fear, Rebellion, Tyranny, Love of wealth are DOORWAYS OF SHAYTAN INTO A MAN’S HEART.
I ask Allaah to protect us and increase us in faith, righteousness and piety.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Imam Ibnul-Qayyim said, “The Shaytan flows through the son of Adam like blood, until it is as if he becomes part of him, so he finds out what he likes and prefers; once he knows that, he uses it against a person and enters into him through this door. He also passes this information on to his brothers and allies among mankind, so that when they want to achieve their wicked aims against one another they do so through means of that which people love and desire. Whoever tries to enter through this door will gain entry, and whoever tries to enter through any other way will find that the door is barred to him and he will not get what he wants.”
It is thus not the way of Shaytan to openly call one to disobedience. He will encourage negligence in prayers by whispering to the person to complete his worldly work before he leaves for prayers. After he has completed his work, Shaytan will remind him of food, and after that he will remind him of something else until the time of prayer has perished.
Similarly, if a person runs a business, Shaytan whispers to him that if he goes for prayer, he might miss some customers. However, if Shaytan finds man to be zealous in performing Salaat, he comes to him through different means in which he is weak. He whispers to him concerning his wealth and encourages him to unlawfully usurp the wealth of others and forbids him from paying Zakaat while telling him that this will bring him poverty and so on.
Ignorance, Ingratitude, Argumentativeness, Overstepping the limits, Carelessness, Pride, Doubt, Suspicion, Despair, Hopelessness, Recklessness, Haste, Inappropriate joy, Self-admiration, Wrong-doings, Oppression, Negligence, Miserliness, Covetousness, Extreme hostility in cases of dispute, Panic, Fear, Rebellion, Tyranny, Love of wealth are DOORWAYS OF SHAYTAN INTO A MAN’S HEART.
I ask Allaah to protect us and increase us in faith, righteousness and piety.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Strategy of Shaytaan - Part 3
In order to ease the path of hell for the people, Shaytan tempts mankind little by little; beginning with a few steps and eventually leading them to the final downfall.
Shaytan had persuaded Adam and Hawa into eating the forbidden fruit. Allah commanded, “O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Dhalimoon (wrong-doers).” [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 35]
It is worth pondering that Allah did not say, ‘Do not eat the fruit of this tree,’ rather He commanded them to stay away from the tree itself saying “but come not near this tree.” If they strolled near the tree or sat in its shade there was a greater possibility of them being tempted into eating its fruit. So Allah commanded them to keep away from the tree absolutely!
This is the Sunnah of Allah in all matters. He closes all doors that lead to evil by forbidding the means that can lead His slaves into committing greater sin or evil.
Knowing that Allah prohibited Adam and Hawa from approaching the forbidden tree; Shaytan first enticed them to come near the tree. He then beautified for them its fruits, their color and fragrance, and finally caused Adam and Hawa to eat from it. So, Shaytan enticed them into disobeying Allah in a gradual way.
Shaytan uses the same ploy with the children of Adam and this necessitates extra precaution on our part. We not only have to refrain from committing sins but it is also necessary to keep away from every path that may lead to disobeying Allah, including visiting places and gatherings where the limits of Allah are not respected, keeping bad company or participating in innovated celebrations etc.
May Allah protect us from the traps of Shaytan.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Shaytan had persuaded Adam and Hawa into eating the forbidden fruit. Allah commanded, “O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Dhalimoon (wrong-doers).” [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 35]
It is worth pondering that Allah did not say, ‘Do not eat the fruit of this tree,’ rather He commanded them to stay away from the tree itself saying “but come not near this tree.” If they strolled near the tree or sat in its shade there was a greater possibility of them being tempted into eating its fruit. So Allah commanded them to keep away from the tree absolutely!
This is the Sunnah of Allah in all matters. He closes all doors that lead to evil by forbidding the means that can lead His slaves into committing greater sin or evil.
Knowing that Allah prohibited Adam and Hawa from approaching the forbidden tree; Shaytan first enticed them to come near the tree. He then beautified for them its fruits, their color and fragrance, and finally caused Adam and Hawa to eat from it. So, Shaytan enticed them into disobeying Allah in a gradual way.
Shaytan uses the same ploy with the children of Adam and this necessitates extra precaution on our part. We not only have to refrain from committing sins but it is also necessary to keep away from every path that may lead to disobeying Allah, including visiting places and gatherings where the limits of Allah are not respected, keeping bad company or participating in innovated celebrations etc.
May Allah protect us from the traps of Shaytan.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Shaytaan never tires - Part 2
Satan has one long term goal. This is his ultimate ambition. This goal is to see humans thrown into the hellfire and prevented from entering paradise. To achieve his goal, Shaytan first lures mankind into committing Shirk and Kufr through invoking dead, practicing magic etc., because Shirk is the greatest sin. Anyone who dies upon Shirk will not be forgiven, nor will he ever be taken out of Hell-fire.
If he cannot manage to deceive people into committing Shirk and Kufr, he does not give up. He causes people to follow bidah (innovations in the religion). One who sins, knows that he is disobeying Allah and some time, he may turn to Allah and seek forgiveness and be pardoned. But he, who practices Bidah, deems his action to be a form of worship to Allah and thus, never even thinks of repentance!
If Shaytan fails at causing people to follow innovations, he will move on to calling them to major sins. If the believer keeps steadfast, Shaytan is still not discouraged, he calls them to minor sins.
Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alaihe wassallam warned us concerning minor sins by giving an example of how a great fire can be kindled by means of small wooden sticks collected in a place. Similarly, minor sins if allowed to accumulate, might destroy the sinner.
If the believer still emerges safe from his traps, Shaytan seeks to keep him occupied with permissible matters, like sleeping, eating, pursuing worldly affairs, etc. Spending time and effort in these will neither earn him reward nor bring punishment. He will, however, miss the rewards he would have gained if he had spent his time in performing good deeds.
If the believing slave is still not deceived and manages his time well, Shaytan keeps him busy with less virtuous deeds instead of what is more preferable and rewarding in order for him to miss the reward of the best and most virtuous deed.
If after employing all kinds of temptations and deceptive arguments, Shaytan still does not succeed in diverting the son of Adam from his religious commitments, he resorts to corrupt his acts of worship and deprive him from the rewards. He stirs up doubts and makes the person anxious and uncertain.
If the person still remains undefeated, Shaytan’s next step is to harm the person, for example, by causing him to be persecuted, or by distorting his reputation. By this trick Shaytan intends to discourage the person from his religious commitment.
What we can conclude is that if Satan fails at one stage, he does not give up and keeps trying, and lies in wait along the path of goodness as he had avowed, “… surely I will sit and wait against them on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones.” Surah al-A’raf 16-17.
Wassalamu alaikum wa rahamtullahe wabarakatuhu
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
If he cannot manage to deceive people into committing Shirk and Kufr, he does not give up. He causes people to follow bidah (innovations in the religion). One who sins, knows that he is disobeying Allah and some time, he may turn to Allah and seek forgiveness and be pardoned. But he, who practices Bidah, deems his action to be a form of worship to Allah and thus, never even thinks of repentance!
If Shaytan fails at causing people to follow innovations, he will move on to calling them to major sins. If the believer keeps steadfast, Shaytan is still not discouraged, he calls them to minor sins.
Allah’s Messenger sallallahu alaihe wassallam warned us concerning minor sins by giving an example of how a great fire can be kindled by means of small wooden sticks collected in a place. Similarly, minor sins if allowed to accumulate, might destroy the sinner.
If the believer still emerges safe from his traps, Shaytan seeks to keep him occupied with permissible matters, like sleeping, eating, pursuing worldly affairs, etc. Spending time and effort in these will neither earn him reward nor bring punishment. He will, however, miss the rewards he would have gained if he had spent his time in performing good deeds.
If the believing slave is still not deceived and manages his time well, Shaytan keeps him busy with less virtuous deeds instead of what is more preferable and rewarding in order for him to miss the reward of the best and most virtuous deed.
If after employing all kinds of temptations and deceptive arguments, Shaytan still does not succeed in diverting the son of Adam from his religious commitments, he resorts to corrupt his acts of worship and deprive him from the rewards. He stirs up doubts and makes the person anxious and uncertain.
If the person still remains undefeated, Shaytan’s next step is to harm the person, for example, by causing him to be persecuted, or by distorting his reputation. By this trick Shaytan intends to discourage the person from his religious commitment.
What we can conclude is that if Satan fails at one stage, he does not give up and keeps trying, and lies in wait along the path of goodness as he had avowed, “… surely I will sit and wait against them on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones.” Surah al-A’raf 16-17.
Wassalamu alaikum wa rahamtullahe wabarakatuhu
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Meet your enemy - Part 1
It is upon the Muslim to discover the way of Satan in misleading mankind and to uncover Satan’s ways and to show them to the rest of mankind. The Quran does this, as did the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam. They did so in the best manner possible. The Quran showed us the way in which Satan deceived Adam. And the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam informed his companions about how the devils listened to the news of the skies and passed that on to the diviners and soothsayers along with a hundred lies to go with it. He clarified that for them in order for them not to be deceived by something similar to it. He also explained to them how Satan whispers to them in order to ruin their prayers and worship. He also explained to them how Satan makes them think that their ablutions had become invalid when that was not really the case. He also described to them how the devils separate a man
from his wife. He also told them how Satan makes one think about who created this and that until he thinks about who created Allah.
So here is some information about your arch enemy, may the curse of Allah be upon him:
Name: Iblees
Place: The hearts of the negligent, heedless, careless, …
Clan: Tawagheet (any enemy of Allah)
Eternal residence: Hell
Status: Fasiq of first degree
Regions: Places where the Name of Allah is not mentioned
The route of his journey: Deviated
His capital: Wishes and desires
The place of his gathering: The markets
The enemies of his journey: Muslims
His sign: Sewage
The device of his work: Hypocrisy in his ethics
The color of his work: Any color, according to the place
His spouses in the world: The half-naked women of mankind
His favourite people: Those who are negligent of remembering Allah
What disturbs him: Seeking forgiveness
His writings: Tatoos
His home: Bathrooms/toilets
His first appearance: The day when he refuse to prostrate to Adam
His friends: Hypocrites
The source of his provision: Unlawful wealth
His operations rooms: Impure and defiled places, and places of sin.
His services: Enjoining evil and calling people to it
His commands: To follow sins and vice
Religion: Kufr
His profession: The general manager of those who have earned the Anger of Allah, and those who have gone astray.
The period of his service: Until the Day of Resurrection
The destination of his journey: Hell
The trade revenue: End in smoke
His companions on the journey: The devils among Jinn and mankind
His colleagues at work: Those people who stay silent about the truth (does not reveal the truth)
His mode of transport: Telling lies
His wage: Him and his followers are well supported
His means of communication: Slander, lie, and spying
His favorite dish: The flesh of corpses (i.e slandered people)
Whom he fear: A believer who is fearful and mindful of Allah
His most hated people: Those males and females who remember Allah
His defence: The scheming of Satan is feeble
His allurements: Women
His hobbies: Misguidance and deception
His wish: To make all mankind disbelievers
His end: The Day of Reckoning
His most favorite activity: To see homosexuality spread among people
The secret of his followers: "I” the term of proud and haughty people
His entertainers: Male and female artists
His promises: Poverty
The things makes him cry: Numerous prostrations
I ask Allah to guard us and protect us, and keep us in His care, for He is Able to do that.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
from his wife. He also told them how Satan makes one think about who created this and that until he thinks about who created Allah.
So here is some information about your arch enemy, may the curse of Allah be upon him:
Name: Iblees
Place: The hearts of the negligent, heedless, careless, …
Clan: Tawagheet (any enemy of Allah)
Eternal residence: Hell
Status: Fasiq of first degree
Regions: Places where the Name of Allah is not mentioned
The route of his journey: Deviated
His capital: Wishes and desires
The place of his gathering: The markets
The enemies of his journey: Muslims
His sign: Sewage
The device of his work: Hypocrisy in his ethics
The color of his work: Any color, according to the place
His spouses in the world: The half-naked women of mankind
His favourite people: Those who are negligent of remembering Allah
What disturbs him: Seeking forgiveness
His writings: Tatoos
His home: Bathrooms/toilets
His first appearance: The day when he refuse to prostrate to Adam
His friends: Hypocrites
The source of his provision: Unlawful wealth
His operations rooms: Impure and defiled places, and places of sin.
His services: Enjoining evil and calling people to it
His commands: To follow sins and vice
Religion: Kufr
His profession: The general manager of those who have earned the Anger of Allah, and those who have gone astray.
The period of his service: Until the Day of Resurrection
The destination of his journey: Hell
The trade revenue: End in smoke
His companions on the journey: The devils among Jinn and mankind
His colleagues at work: Those people who stay silent about the truth (does not reveal the truth)
His mode of transport: Telling lies
His wage: Him and his followers are well supported
His means of communication: Slander, lie, and spying
His favorite dish: The flesh of corpses (i.e slandered people)
Whom he fear: A believer who is fearful and mindful of Allah
His most hated people: Those males and females who remember Allah
His defence: The scheming of Satan is feeble
His allurements: Women
His hobbies: Misguidance and deception
His wish: To make all mankind disbelievers
His end: The Day of Reckoning
His most favorite activity: To see homosexuality spread among people
The secret of his followers: "I” the term of proud and haughty people
His entertainers: Male and female artists
His promises: Poverty
The things makes him cry: Numerous prostrations
I ask Allah to guard us and protect us, and keep us in His care, for He is Able to do that.
Wassalam
-Zakia Usmani
http://www.facebook.com/zakiaaftabusmani
Sunday 7 August 2011
The Seerah
This is the Month of Quran, so what better way to also study the Seerah (the life of the Prophet saws) as he was the 'Walking Qur'an'. Learn from every detail of his life which will give us a deeper understanding of the Qur'ran, increase our love for him (saws) and bring us closer to Allah with taqwa. The latter being the ultimate purpose of Ramadan (Surah Baqarah).
We are using 'The Life of the Prophet' by
We are using 'The Life of the Prophet' by
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