How to Befriend the Devil
Sunday, January 03, 2010 Read more → Advice, islam, Zahra-Shah In the name of God, entirely Compassionate, especially Merciful | Peace be with you
In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم
Sins - we are all guilty of some misdeed, big or small, may Allah forgive us and guide us on the right path.
But who would have known, that our enemy, shaytan, satan - the Devil, is more pleased with bid'ah (a harmful innovation to worship) than sin. Who would have known that shaytan is pleased even with the minor sins and infractions that we make. This is because in Islamic social sciences smaller actions develop into larger ones. And prevention is always better than the cure.
"...And do not follow the footsteps of the evil one (satan), for he is to you a sworn enemy."
Quran, surah al Baqarah, The Calf/Cow, (2:168)
Bid'ah pleases shaytan, so be aware of any Bid'ah (Innovation) that could lead you on dubious paths.
In contemporary Muslim society we are surrounded by Bid'ah and all it takes is an easy whisper for shaytan to push us into acting on weak desires. May we seek refuge with Allah by reading the tawwudh (audho billahi min'a'shaytan nira'jeem).
Shaytan does not concentrate solely on collecting sins either.
Shaytan does try and get us to commit bigger sins, but more over he's pleased with the smaller continuous ones. Some Muslims will smoke and say it's only a small sin (in this case smoking is haram for being bad for your health). Or they will support the 'smaller' extravagances in modern life like wild parties, flashy fireworks and similar shows for their waste in products, lavish engagements and weddings filled with explicit music and dancing, half naked people mixed together... A lot of times we tend to ignore the smaller sins, give less emphasis to them and repent more on the larger sins, continuing the act of the smaller sins. The devil is pleased with this bid'ah because we think we are in the 'safe zone' but shaytan is aware of the bid'ah and knows you're in his 'safe zone'.
When shaytan can not influence you to commit big sins, and he can not get you to commit smaller sins, and alhumduillah you are not partaking in bid'ah then he attacks your strongest bond to God - he interferes with your salaat (prayer). This is why in the instance of congregational prayer it's important to be as close as shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot so there is no room for shaytan to sneak in between and break the unity. In salaat (prayer) Muslims are in unison and strong like a wall, performing the spiritual motions like one body InshaAllah. Shaytan will still try to whisper to you individually when you're praying; make your mind wander, to make you forget, or make you remember things you have to do. The danger here again is your prayer becomes so broken it could be invalid (makruh). The trick to prevent this? Say the tawwudh again (audho billahi min'a'shaytan nira'jeem).
Narrated Abu Huraira: (Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 22 :: Hadith 324)
Allah's Apostle said, "When anyone of you stands for the prayers, Satan comes and puts him in doubts till he forgets how many Rakat he has prayed. So if this happens to anyone of you, he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting".
We are all guilty of small sins so nobody is pointing the finger at anyone. This is to learn that this is how we can make mistakes, but there's a better way of living and a better friend to turn to. Firstly understand the difference between right, wrong, halal (lawful), haram (forbidden) and makruh (disliked, maybe punishable if God wills). And before jumping at every other Muslim for their 'bid'ah' look to yourself, concentrate on eliminating the weaknesses in your own self because you are only responsible for your own soul. Again seek refuge with Allah and follow the path best as outlined by the Quran and Sunnah.
May Allah be pleased with us all, may he accept our prayers and guide us on the right path, Ameen.
Jazak Allah Khair to Ana, Frishta, and Madinah for sharing their knowledge and thoughts on Wiswusa, Bid'ah and Sins
By: The Immigrant | Peace & respect ★ | www.Muslimness.com
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