Satan presents sins to people in a favourable light, such as how he deceived Adam and Eve into eating from the tree. Those who come to Islam as a result of search, contemplation, and determination, know that they have made the best and most significant decisions of their lives. Satan was created from smokeless fire. Though he was not an angel, he was present amongst them in Heaven due to his obedience to Allah (God). Allah says:
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
(Allah) said, “What prevented you that not you prostrate when I commanded you?” (Shaitaan) said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:12)
When Allah created Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), He commanded those in Heaven to prostrate before Adam, but Satan refused out of pride and arrogance, saying. Allah cursed Satan and banished him from Heaven. Satan requested an opportunity to mislead mankind, and Allah granted this request. Allah says:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ
“Only the Shaitaan intends to cause between you [the] enmity and [the] hatred through intoxicants and gambling and hinders you from (the) remembrance (of) Allah and the prayer. So will you be the ones who abstain?” (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:91)
Allah cursed Satan and banished him from Heaven. Satan requested an opportunity to mislead mankind, and Allah granted this request. This is a quality that all sincere Muslims must avoid at any cost. Allah says:
وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
And We said, “O Adam! Dwell you and your spouse (in) Paradise, and [you both] eat from it freely (from) wherever you [both] wish. But do not [you two] approach this [the] tree, lest you [both] be of the wrongdoers.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:35)
To ask Allah for His protection and to rely on Him alone for help, is a tool in defeating Satan. We must realise that as long as we are alive, Satan will never give up attempting to mislead us. We must always be on our guard and constantly ask Allah for guidance and protection.
Here are some powerful ways to avoid Satan:
- Avoid abusing, insulting or disgracing a mu’min
- Avoid to shirk, associating anything with Allah
- Avoid fighting against the Friends of Allah
- Avoid cutting off the ties of relationships
- Avoid being arrogant, boastful and vain
- Avoid withholding the Zakat (Charity)
- Avoid not performing the prayers
- Avoid disobeying one’s parents
- Avoid taking or paying interest
- Avoid giving false testimony
- Avoid being a perpetual liar
- Avoid giving false evidence
- Avoid committing suicide
- Avoid theft or robbery
- Avoid repeating small sins
- Avoid wrongdoing, deception
- Avoid neglecting prayer (Salat)
- Avoid consuming forbidden wealth
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages
- Avoid devouring the wealth of orphans
- Avoid losing hope in the mercy of Allah
- Avoid taking bribes for giving judgment
- Avoid swearing falsely by name of Allah
- Avoid committing adultery or fornication
- Avoid eating an orphan’s money or property
- Avoid disobeying parents or injuring their feeling
Satan will lure a person to invent wrong beliefs and practices into Islam which were neither ordained by God nor the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The belief that Islam is incomplete or imperfectly revealed by God, thus requiring innovation, is considered disbelief; because it is a rejection of what Allah has revealed. Allah says:
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ
“Then surely, I will come to them from before them and from behind them and from their right and they’re left, and You will not find most of them grateful.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:17)
God detests the proud and since He created Satan which is from the creation called jinn, with free will and unlike angels, He would determine a prescribed time to give rewards and punishments to the obedient as well as disobedient. Satan’s arrogance and pride was his first step to his downfall. Allah says:
قَالَ فَاهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ
“then, get you down from here, it is not for you to show arrogance here. So, get out. You are one of the degraded.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:13)
Satan keeps people busy with false desires. He thus became an outcast and the biggest enemy of human beings. Such was the final stage of Satan’s disgraceful descent from Heaven to the Earth. Of course, he managed to deceive Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) to disobey God which also caused them to be cast out of Heaven.
Below mentioned are some sins that we all should know about and avoid:
- History of Satan (Iblis): Satan was created from smokeless fire. Though he was not an angel, he was present amongst them in Heaven due to his obedience to Allah (God). When Allah created Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), He commanded those in Heaven to prostrate before Adam, but Satan refused out of pride and arrogance.
- Disbelief in the Oneness of God: The foundation of Islam is the belief in the Oneness of God – having no partner, equal, son or rivals. Conversely, the greatest sin is to ascribe partners or equals with Allah. If Satan cannot mislead people to commit clear acts of disbelief, he resorts to more subtle means, such as the belief in superstitions, good luck charms, astrology and fortune-telling
- .Innovation in the Religion: Satan will lure a person to invent wrong beliefs and practices into Islam which were neither ordained by God nor the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
- Neglecting Obligatory Deeds: Allah has made certain actions obligatory on every Muslim, the most regular of which is the five daily prayers. Therefore, Satan seeks to make us neglectful of prayers so that we fall further into sin.
- Seek Help with Allah: Eliciting Allah’s help, everything in the universe belongs to Him. He is our Rabb— even we ourselves belong to Him. We should think maybe there is something wrong with our attitude and our way of seeking help. Let us see how Allah the Master wants us to ask for help.
- Seek Forgiveness: f we succumb to Satan’s plots, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah we still have the opportunity to rectify our mistakes by acknowledging our wrongdoings and repenting to Allah. For repentance to be accepted, it must be sincere, to never commit that same sin again.
- Avoid Sinful Environments: We must distance ourselves from anything that may lead to sinning.
- Keep Good Companionship: The company you keep strongly influences your decisions and actions. Good companions will remind you about
- Do Good Deeds: Keeping busy with religious deeds, especially prayer, is an excellent means of defeating Satan. If one occupies their time with good, they are less likely to be influenced by Satan’s tricks.
Allah has made certain actions obligatory on every Muslim, the most regular of which is the five daily prayers. Therefore, Satan seeks to make us neglectful of prayers so that we fall further into sin. God could have destroyed him right there and then we would all have been in a better place, but with His wisdom, God allowed him to linger till a determined time. Allah says:
قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
“(Shaitaan) said, “Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit for them (on) Your straight path.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:16)
Satan makes people believe in such false ideologies and dreams; he prevents people from seeing the truths. Satan knows to make deceitful sentences very well. Satan keeps people with false dreams and desires. He not only was proud and arrogant, but he was also fearless of God’s final punishment.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
“O mankind! Indeed, (the) promise (of) Allah (is) true. So (let) not deceive you the life (of) the world, and (let) not deceive you about Allah the Deceiver.” (Surah Fatir 35:5)
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“And if an evil suggestion comes to you from [the] Shaitaan [an evil suggestion], then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He (is) All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Surah Al-A`raf 7:200)
فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“Then why not when came to them Our punishment, they humbled themselves? But their hearts became hardened and made fair-seeming to them the Shaitaan what they used to do.” (Surah Al-An`am 6:43)
قَالَ اخْرُجْ مِنْهَا مَذْءُومًا مَّدْحُورًا لَّمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
“(Allah) said, “Get out of it disgraced and expelled. Certainly, whoever follows you among them, surely, I will fill Hell with you all.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:18)
Satan tricks people into forbidden acts instead of those which are permitted, such as fornication over marriage, music over the Quran, haram income over halal, and into the small percentage of prohibited food and drink over the vast majority that is wholesome and pure. Allah says:
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا
“And I will surely mislead them and surely arouse desires int and surely I will order them so they will surely cut off (the) ears (of) the cattle and surely I will order them so they will surely change (the) creation (of) Allah.” And whoever takes the Shaitaan (as) a friend besides Allah, then surely he (has) lost – a loss manifest.” (Surah An-Nisa` 4:119)
Every human has desires and temptations. Satan plays on this and convinces the man to indulge in instant gratification without considering the consequences. This inevitably leads to regret and humiliation, either in this life or on the Day of Judgement. Allah says:
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ
“Indeed, the Shaitaan (is) to you an enemy, so take him (as) an enemy. Only he invites his party that they may be among (the) companions (of) the Blaze.” (Surah Fatir 35:6)
The battle against Satan can only be won if we are aware of his traps, and if we apply the strategies to defeat him. On the Day of Judgement, Satan will confess to his sins and mischief. He will declare before all of creation that Allah is the One who tells the truth and that he (Satan) is a liar. Allah says:
اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ
“Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book, and establish the prayer. Indeed, the prayer prevents immorality and evil deeds, and surely (the) remembrance (of) Allah (is) greatest. And Allah knows what you do.” (Surah Al-‘Ankabut 29:45)
The wise person is he who studies his enemies’ strategies and takes the precautions and measures to defeat them. We ask Allah the Almighty, by His most beautiful Names and sublime Attributes, to forgive our sins and grant us refuge from the traps of Satan.