Know your Enemy PT 4
The Devil is waiting on your road to Attack.
(Allah) said: “You are of those allowed respite.”
(Iblis) said: “Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) 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 (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).”[1]
سَبْرَةَ بْنِ أَبِى فَاكِهٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يَقُولُ « إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَعَدَ لاِبْنِ آدَمَ بِأَطْرُقِهِ فَقَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَقَالَ تُسْلِمُ وَتَذَرُ دِينَكَ وَدِينَ آبَائِكَ وَآبَاءِ أَبِيكَ فَعَصَاهُ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْهِجْرَةِ فَقَالَ تُهَاجِرُ وَتَدَعُ أَرْضَكَ وَسَمَاءَكَ وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْمُهَاجِرِ كَمَثَلِ الْفَرَسِ فِى الطِّوَلِ فَعَصَاهُ فَهَاجَرَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْجِهَادِ فَقَالَ تُجَاهِدُ فَهُوَ جَهْدُ النَّفْسِ وَالْمَالِ فَتُقَاتِلُ فَتُقْتَلُ فَتُنْكَحُ الْمَرْأَةُ وَيُقْسَمُ الْمَالُ فَعَصَاهُ فَجَاهَدَ ». فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَإِنْ غَرِقَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ أَوْ وَقَصَتْهُ دَابَّتُهُ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ
It was narrated that Sabrah bin Abi Fakih said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘the Shaitan sits in the paths of the son of Adam. He sits waiting for him, in the path to Islam, and he says: Will you accept Islam, and leave your religion, and the religion of your forefathers? But he disobeys him and accepts Islam. Then he sits waiting for him, on the path to emigration, and he says: Will you emigrate and leave behind your land and sky? The one who emigrates is like a horse tethered to a peg. But he disobeys him and emigrates. Then he sits, waiting for him, on the path to Jihad, and he says: Will you fight in Jihad when it will cost you your life and your wealth? You will fight and be killed, and your wife will remarry, and your wealth will be divided. But he disobeys him and fights in Jihad.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever does that, then he had a right from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, that He will admit him to paradise. Whoever is killed, he has a right from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, that He will admit him to Paradise. If he is drowned, he has a right from Allah that He will admit him to paradise, or whoever is thrown by his mount and his neck is broken, he had a right from Allah that he will admit him to Paradise.'”[2]
Benefits for this topic:
- Shaytaan is a cunning adversary who knows what it takes to mislead us. He uses every means at his disposal to separate us from the straight path. Therefore he’s waiting on every road and direction that leads you to success in this life and in the next. (Iblis) said: “Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.
- “(Iblis) said: “Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path…”
Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (728H) said: Satan wants people to be excessive and extreme in every aspect of the religion. For example If the devil notices the person leans towards mercy, Satan will beautify mercy in his mind until the things that Allah hates doesn’t anger him, and the acts that Allah has Protective Jealousy for, he won’t. Likewise when our adversary notices a man goes to extremes he spruces it up until the person leaves off treating others kindly, being polite, and having gentleness. Satan convinces the person’s harshness has its place in abandoning family ties and showing mercy. Allah and His Messenger ordered Kindness, politeness, gentleness, mercy and keeping close family ties.
Satan lays his trap so the person becomes totally extreme with harsh and rigorous behavior; hence he increases in hatred and finds fault with everybody, so he censures people for acts Allah and His Messenger love. Through this behavior he doesn’t implement the mercy and kindness Allah ordered. This kind of behavior is blameworthy and sinful.[3]
- “ 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 (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).”
The Devil’s speech here shows he’s utterly determined to lead the son of Adam astray. He didn’t have this attitude towards us until he was aware that we would be generations after generations on Earth.
Qadi Abu Muhammad said: Ibliss said he will come towards the Human-being from every direction and path in order to lead him astray. This enemy of ours will do his best to destroy our Aqeedah, make us forget righteous deeds, and make us do and say things for Worldly gain. [4]
- The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘the Shaitan sits in the paths of the son of Adam…”
Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said: From the evil of Satan is he sits in on each path of good for the son of Adam. Every path that leads to good Satan is there keeping his eyes on it and waiting for us to pass. The Devil exerts his ability to prevent the Slave from passing the path, but when the Muslim doesn’t get detoured Shaytaan then tries to slow him down with an obstacle and distraction that cuts him off the road. Now if the slave did the good deed the Devil then sends him something that will fade the effect of that deed and revert it to its original state or origin-(i.e nonexistent.). It’s enough to know this enemy’s evil by the fact he took an oath to Allah to sit on the Son of Adam’s straight path. He vowed that he would attack from their front, back, right and left paths.[5]
- The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever does that, then he had a right from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, that He will admit him to paradise…”
Shaykh Muhammad Adam Al-Ethiopi (may Allah preserve him) said: “ This is the reward for the person who does all the deeds in this hadeeth and opposes Satan.
- Among the 6 books of Hadith only Imam An-Nisa’I collected this hadeeth.[6]
Prepared by the one in need of Allah’s mercy
Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle
Doha, Qatar 1436H©
[1] Quran : Al-A’raf : 15-17
[2] An-Nisa’I 3134 / graded as being Sahih by Sh Al-Bani
[3] Tafseer Al-Kabeer 5/247/ This book is attributed to Ibn Taymeeyah
[4] Tafsir ibn Attiyah vol 3/ 525-526
[5] Tafsir Surah Falaq and Nas, pg 94
[6] Sharh Sunnan An-Nisa’I vol 26/ pg 189