Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan & His Tactics

Module 1 – Circle 7 Who was Azazil? Azazil was a creation of Allah swt who was given free will, and chose to obey Allah swt and worship Him alone. Because of his extreme virtue and the intensity of his prayers, The Lord raised him up into the heavens to live among the angels.

Module 1 – Circle 7 What happened to Azazil? Allah swt asked all the Angels and Azazil to bow down to Adam (as). Azazil refused, and then became one of the wrongdoers. From this point, he became known as Iblis, and now more commonly known as Shaytan. "Call to mind, when We commanded the angels: Submit to Adam and they all submitted, but Iblis did not; he refused and was arrogant, being already one of the disbelievers." – (Surah 2, Verse 35)

Was Iblis an Angel? Angels are made of light and do not have freewill, so can never disobey Allah swt. Iblis was made from smokeless fire, and therefore, he is from a creation known as the Jinn. Allah swt says in the Quran: “And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord...” (Surah 18, Verse 50) Module 1 – Circle 7

What did Iblis ask of Allah swt, and what was his promise? Satan said: Grant me respite till the day when they shall be raised up. Allah said: You are given respite. Satan said: Because you have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path. 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]. (Surah 7, 14-18)

Module 1 – Circle 7 Does Shaytan fear Allah swt? “Shaytan says to man, ‘Deny the truth!’ But as soon as (man) has denied the truth, he says, ‘Behold, I am free of you, I fear Allah, the Sustainer and Lord of the Worlds’.” (59:16)

Module 1 – Circle 7 Does Shaytan always aim to make you commit major sins? Shaytan finds it difficult to provoke the believing servants of Allah into committing the major sins. Instead he tries to reach them by other, more subtle means. “Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.” From Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWS) last sermon

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics - Intentions Shaytan plays with our intentions. Although we do have a love of the Akhirah in our hearts, it is contaminated with a longing for the pleasures of this life. This may be through seeking position and fame for the work that we are doing which is no doubt commendable and praise-worthy in most cases.

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics – Neglecting Tauba Shaytan causes us to neglect the minor sins that we commit. Every human, apart from the Prophets, commits errors and sins. For the believers, these sins may be small but if they do not purify their souls and ask for repentance, these sins will grow to form a chain, which will lead this person to become a loser both in this life and the hereafter. This is because, they will have lost the pleasures of this life, which the disbelievers enjoy, but will also lose out on some of the potential rewards of the next life due to the smaller neglected sins which will be added to their scale as bad deeds.

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics - Pride Shaytan also gets to the believer by making him or her pride of oneself; one’s knowledge, one’s good deeds, one’s talents and so on. When this happens Shaytan has truly mastered the heart of that believer. Now the believer asks a higher price for him/herself than they are due; expecting positions of authority, expecting to have the last say in all matters, thinking one’s opinion is the only valid one. Also this person will not be able to receive criticism and advice in a way that will lead to correction. Rather, this person will deny this advice and only take heed of the words of praise that come from some others. Finally, this person will stand above his or her other brothers and sisters, looking down upon them, seeing them as inferior in knowledge and taqwa.

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics - Desires Allah says in the Qur’an: “Do you not see he who has taken his desires to be his God - And Allah, knowing him to be such, has left him astray...” (45:23)

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics – The lesser of two goods Sometimes good thoughts can also come from Shaytan, when he would rather you do the lesser of two goods, and choose the good deed with less reward in it. For example, although reciting the Quran and making Dhikr of Allah swt is a great act, he would rather you do this alone, than a deed which may change the community and society around you for the better. A deed such as that may bring more people closer to Allah swt, and therefore ruin Shaytan’s work.

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics - Despair The name ‘Iblis’ is an Arabic word which can mean ‘one who despairs’. When a believer may have committed a huge sin, Shaytan whispers to the believer that ‘You’ve committed such a huge sin, that there is no way that Allah swt can forgive you now. There is no point in even trying to be a good Muslim’. Allah swt is the forgiver of ALL sins. Allah says: “Say: O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Sûrah al-Zumar, Verse 55)

Module 1 – Circle 7 Shaytan’s tactics – Gradualism Shaytan does not lead you into committing a big sin straight away. He begins by whispering smaller sins to you which he knows you will commit in time. Once you’re committing the smaller sins, he moves you on to slightly bigger sins, and then the larger sins. He has led away great worshippers of Allah swt through this tactic. The story of Barsisa highlights how Shaytan can lead a pious man astray