Understanding Our Enemy: The Cursed Syaitan

Origin

To understand the enemy and ways to enfeeble them, we must travel back in history and review the pivotal moment that involves the first act of disobedience by Iblis. 

But before delving into the history of Iblis, we should ask ourselves what and who is Iblis?

As Allah swt created this universe with all its creations, He created two types of creations that have free-will and cognitive ability; 1) Humankind and 2) Jinns, to worship Him, Allah swt. As what was stated in the Quran, Surah Adh-Dhariyat verse 56: 

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ٥٦

I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.

Types of Jinns

As humans with their various backgrounds, cultures, and upbringings, has resulted in a myriad of types and races of their own kind, the same goes for Jinns, as they too can be categorised into several classifications.  

Sheikh Umar Sualiman Ashqar in his book, quoted that Sheikh Ibn Abdul Bar said that the names of Jinns in the arabic language are based on different ranks and or degrees:

1- Jinni, is used to describe a Jinn that is sincere and pure, and has no ill or malicious intent towards humans. Only focused on performing his worship to Allah swt.

2-Syaitan, is used to describe a Jinn that is malicious.

3-Ifrit, is used to describe a Jinn that is more malicious and tenacious than the previously mentioned Syaitan.

Furthermore, the Jinns are called as they are, “Jinns”, due to their concealment from the eyes of humans, as Allah mentions in Surah Al-A’raf, verse 27:

ۗ إِنَّهُۥ يَرَىٰكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُۥ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٢٧

Surely he (Satan) and his soldiers watch you from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils allies of those who disbelieve.

These are only a few of the many categorisations of Jinns. Therefore, from the different ranks of Jinns, it can be concluded that the Jinns are like humans in terms of categorisations. As humans consist of good and evil willed people, this can be said for Jinns too, as a group of them may possess positive traits such as goodwill, benevolence, compassion, and sincerity (Jinni). While another group  may possess negative traits such as maliciousness and malevolence (Syaitan & Ifrit).

Derivation of Creation

Jinns in general are created from the smokeless flame of fire, as what was stated in various verses of the Quran:

1-Surah Al-Hijr, verse 27: 

وَٱلْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنَـٰهُ مِن قَبْلُ مِن نَّارِ ٱلسَّمُومِ ٢٧

As for the jinn, We created them earlier from smokeless fire.

2-Surah Ar-Rahman, verse 15:

وَخَلَقَ ٱلْجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍۢ مِّن نَّارٍۢ ١٥

and created jinn from a ˹smokeless˺ flame of fire.

Syaitan (Azazil/Iblis)

After we are informed on the types of Jinns, we can now further tighten our lens to focus on the Syayatin that is of pure evil and ill-intent toward humans with their ultimate end goal to drag humankind with them to eternal fire in Jahannam. 

The Syaitan that was stated in the Quran pertaining the incident with Prophet Adam peace be upon him, was from the realm of Jinns. 

In the beginning, he worshiped Allah swt, lived with the angels in the sky, and was given entry to paradise. But shortly after, when he was commanded by the Almighty Allah swt, to prostrate to Prophet Adam peace be upon him, he vehemently refused, mainly due to the source and element that the Prophet Adam was created from. He, Syaitan, was created from the smokeless flame of fire, while Prophet Adam was created from piles of mud and clay. This act of disobedience was stated in the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 34: 

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ٣٤

And ˹remember˺ when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam,” so they all did—but not Iblîs, who refused and acted arrogantly, becoming unfaithful.

Hence, due to his disobedience, he has been damned eternally and severed any chances of mercy from Allah swt. Since then, he has been called by the name of “Iblis”, which means; one who has nothing to expect from the mercy of Allah swt, as he was guaranteed damnation to eternal hellfire in the afterlife.

A group of past scholars, stated that Iblis was called by the name “Azazil”, before he disobeyed Allah swt’s command. However, this claim has no support or evidence from the Quran or Sunnah.

Strategic Warfare of Iblis:

Knowing his inevitable damnation, Iblis promised Allah swt that he will mislead the children of Prophet Adam peace be upon him to ensure that they will enter Jahannam with him. This was also stated in the Quran, Surah Al-Hijr, verse 39:

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ٣٩

Satan responded, “My Lord! For allowing me to stray I will surely tempt them on earth and mislead them all together,

There are a multitude of ways for Iblis and his army to mislead humankind, be it directly or indirectly. In this section, we will uncover the strategic warfare of Iblis to ultimately mislead mankind.

1- Domains (Points of attack)

One of the prominent ways for Syayatin to mislead humans is by infiltrating and penetrating their hearts. 

Hearts that are calm, peaceful and pleased (Nafsu Mutmainnah/Mardiah) that regularly recite supplications are protected by Allah swt from these infiltrations. However, one who possesses an ailing heart that tempts towards evildoings (Nafsu Ammarah), and does not take care and reflect on his own heart nor imbue it with constant supplications, will create an opening in the heart to ease the infiltration made by the army of Syaitan, as mentioned by Imam Al-Ghazali. As Allah swt said in the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 10: 

فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضًۭا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْذِبُونَ ١٠

There is sickness in their hearts, and Allah ˹only˺ lets their sickness increase. They will suffer a painful punishment for their lies.

In Imam Al-Ghazali’s book, Ihya Ulumuddin, there is a section where he explains about the wonders of the heart “Ajaibul Qalb”. The infiltration of the heart by Syayatin can happen if these openings/cracks are created:

– Obsession (Al-Hirsh):

Al-Hirsh is an over obsession towards certain goals, objects, materials, and worldly status, will blind and deafen the believer. The heart will be uneasy until he is able to attain what he has dreamt of. It is to the extent that in certain circumstances, the believer is willing to trespass the legal rulings that were set by The Almighty, just to ensure he can attain his temporary worldly pressures. 

عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ حُبُّكَ الشَّيْءَ يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ

5130 سنن أبي داود أبواب النوم باب في الهوى

356 المحدث الزرقاني خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن في مختصر المقاصد

Abu Darda reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Your love of something might render you blind and deaf.”

Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Zurqani

Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 5130

– Envy (Al-Hasad):

Hasad is an uneasy feeling when seeing others attain ni’mah/blessings such as to succeed in a certain career or profession. This happens concurrently when he himself feels that the person receiving all the blessings does not deserve it. But when he sees others experience setbacks, he will relish satisfaction in witnessing such a tragedy.

– Excessive Eating:

This trait is for the one who excessively eats more than he is capable of consuming. Although the food is halal and permissible to consume, eating excessively may lead to negative effects to the physical body, such as laziness in acts of worship. 

The trend as of late in our generation, is the excessive fascination towards food, where some would plan their whole weekends to visit every “viral” restaurant, and splurge ghastly amounts of money just to fulfil their digestive pleasures.

– Sycophant (Boot-Licker):

This trait is the excessive flattery with the objective and motive to gain hierarchical advantages. To the extent where one will degrade their own morality and principles, and in some cases, will throw away religion in pursuit of status and wealth. This disease has been prevalent in our society, especially in the corporate world. Where a lower ranking employee will do whatever it takes to “boot-lick” his employer to gain advantages. Subconsciously, they will practise hypocrisy, and after a period of time, they will regard this act as customary in their perspective.

– Hastiness:

This negative trait prevails when certain things are not attained instantaneously. Where certain situations call for perseverance and patience, the unsettling heart will disregard it and will do whatever it takes to attain what it wants. This has been a norm in our tech savvy era, where all the information is at the tip of our fingertips. We can see that many people today do not comprehend the meaning of delayed gratifications. An example such as a pursuit of knowledge, a student can acquire answers on the internet faster than consulting his own teachers. Though swift, certain information without proper context and filtration may not be the correct and appropriate answers the student may be looking for. 

Allah swt has also stated in the Quran, Surah Al-Anbiyya, verse 37: 

خُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِنْ عَجَلٍۢ ۚ سَأُو۟رِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِى فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ ٣٧

Humankind is made of haste. I will soon show you My signs, so do not ask Me to hasten them.

2- Weapon

The main weapon of Syayatin amongst other numerous weapons, is Al-Ghaflah, which is to stray the believers from their true objectives in this temporary world by preoccupying them and instilling forgetfulness in their hearts with futile activities that is only related to worldly matters, not the hereafter. This will preoccupy the believers to the extent where acts of worship are being abandoned. There are three reasons that could make the believers preoccupied with worldly matters and abandon acts of worship: 

1. The soul does not pursue knowledge to better understand the existence of Allah swt and his Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him. 
2. The soul pursuing only a minimal amount of knowledge regarding the existence of Allah swt and his Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him.
3. Spots and specks of sins such as rebellion and cruelty have entered the heart affecting the soul.

Allah mentions in his Quran, Surah Ar-Rum, verse 7:

يَعْلَمُونَ ظَـٰهِرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ غَـٰفِلُونَ ٧

They ˹only˺ know the worldly affairs of this life, but are ˹totally˺ oblivious to the Hereafter.

3- Army

The main soldiers of Iblis would certainly be his direct descendants from Syayatin. Many people in our society assume that the Jinns do not produce and possess their own lineage, but this has been debunked as Allah mentions in the Quran regarding the marriage of people in paradise, in Surah Ar-Rahman, verse 56:

فِيهِنَّ قَـٰصِرَٰتُ ٱلطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌۭ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَآنٌّۭ ٥٦

In both ˹Gardens˺ will be maidens of modest gaze, who no human or jinn has ever touched before. 

Those that are considered amongst the army of Iblis besides the Syayatin, are truly at a great loss. As the sins committed by them have blinded the shimmering light in their souls. They have no patience in worship, and demand instant gratification to attain the temporary worldly pleasures.Their perception of what is right and wrong will be blinded and misconstrued, as they will perceive something that is forbidden as permissible, vice versa.

Allah swt mentions in the Quran, Surah Az-Zukhruf 36-37:

وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُۥ شَيْطَـٰنًۭا فَهُوَ لَهُۥ قَرِينٌۭ ٣٦
وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ ٣٧

And whoever turns a blind eye to the Reminder of the Most Compassionate, We place at the disposal of each a devilish one as their close associate,

who will certainly hinder them from the ˹Right˺ Way while they think they are ˹rightly˺ guided.

The army of Iblis comprises both 1) Syayatin and 2) Humans. The Syayatin that flow through the blood of humans, they are the descendants of Iblis, and they will always tempt and whisper in the hearts of humans to commit sins, and to go against the Almighty Allah swt.

عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَجْرِي مِنْ الْإِنْسَانِ مَجْرَى الدَّمِ

صحيح مسلم2174 

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Satan flows through the human being like the flowing of blood

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2174

By cooperating with one another, Syaitan is able to drag the misled humans towards Jahannam, while the misled humans are able to acquire pleasures in this world such as wealth, status, and mystical powers. One of the prominent ways that humans can attribute themselves to become one of the soldiers of Syaitan, is the utilisation of black magic that is still prevalent amongst our community. While the bearers manage to fulfil their desires, they are blinded by the fact that the pleasures are temporary, but the punishments in Jahannam are eternal. To commit shirk, seeking assistance other than Allah swt is one of the 7 major sins in Islam as stated in a hadith reported by the companion, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ اجْتَنِبُوا السَّبْعَ الْمُوبِقَاتِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُنَّ قَالَ الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ وَالسِّحْرُ وَقَتْلُ النَّفْسِ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَكْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَكْلُ مَالِ الْيَتِيمِ وَالتَّوَلِّي يَوْمَ الزَّحْفِ وَقَذْفُ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ الْغَافِلَاتِ

6857 صحيح البخاري كتاب الحدود باب رمي المحصنات

89 صحيح مسلم كتاب الإيمان باب بيان الكبائر وأكبرها

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Stay away from seven mortal sins.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, what are they?” The Prophet said, “Idolatry with Allah, occult magic, killing a soul that Allah has sanctified except for a just cause, consuming usury, usurping the property of an orphan, fleeing the battlefield, and accusing chaste but unwary believing women.”

Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6857, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 89

4- Appearance (Incarnation)

Like the angels, the Syayatins are able to shapeshift into any beings they see fit to further their cause in misleading and corrupting humans. Oftentimes, they will shapeshift into a horrifying entity, while other times, they will shapeshift into an entity that portrays sympathy such as an elderly individual. Seldom do they reveal their true forms, as they will pick the most suitable of forms to deceive the children of Prophet Adam peace be upon him. Although, they are able to shapeshift into any forms they desire, they are unable to shapeshift into the most perfect of human beings, which is the Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him.

The true form of Iblis and Syayatin, as what has been stated earlier in this write-up, is that they are purely made from the smokeless flame of fire.The characteristics of their true form are fine/thin, possessing immense mystical powers that our limited minds cannot comprehend. Though made of fire, they are still capable of shapeshifting into any form they desire such as animals, mountains, planets, sun, moon, clouds, money, weapons etc. But once made from fire, will always be fire.

Debilitating the villain

To eradicate Iblis, the bane of human existence, and his army completely of the face of earth is impossible as Allah swt mentions in the Quran, Surah Al-hijr, verse 36-38:

قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ٣٦

قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنظَرِينَ ٣٧

إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْوَقْتِ ٱلْمَعْلُومِ ٣٨

Satan appealed, “My Lord! Then delay my end until the Day of their resurrection.”

Allah said, “You will be delayed

until the appointed Day.”

Though impossible, there are ways for us humans to debilitate, enfeeble, and weaken them. Hence, in this section, Al-Faqir will state a few strategical counter measures:

Allah swt’s Army:

If Iblis and his army were created to deceive humans, then angels were created to lead them towards the righteous and pleased path of Allah swt. Angels were created from radiant light, their figures are not visible to the human eyes. They were created with wings that vary from one another based on their different types, objectives, and functions. This has been proven in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him: 

وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏ “‏خلقت الملائكة من نور، وخلق الجان من مارج من نار، وخلق آدم مما وصف لكم‏”‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏

‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Angels were created from light, jinns were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and ‘Adam was created from that which you have been told (i.e., sounding clay like the clay of pottery).” 

[Muslim].

Riyad as-Salihin 1846, Book 18, Hadith 19

and in the Quran, Surah Fatir, verse 1:

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُو۟لِىٓ أَجْنِحَةٍۢ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَـٰثَ وَرُبَـٰعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ١

All praise is for Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made angels ˹as His˺ messengers with wings—two, three, or four. He increases in creation whatever He wills. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything.

Every human is accompanied by various types of angels.There are accompanying angels that take note of the good and bad deeds that are being committed by the human. Whereas the angels that accompany and safeguard humans are called “Hafazan”. They drive, motivate, and advise the humans to be steadfast in their worship towards Allah swt. These angels will take turns and shifts in accompanying humans, to ensure that they are always protected. As Allah swt mentions in the Quran, Surah Al-An’am, verse 61:

وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ ٦١

He reigns supreme over all of His creation, and sends recording-angels, watching over you. When death comes to any of you, Our angels take their soul, never neglecting this duty.

Deprive The Weapon of Syaitan

To enfeeble the weapon of Iblis, and its points of attack, we are to be in control of our evil-commanding soul (Nafsu Ammarah), as Allah mentions in his Quran, Surah Yusuf, verse 53:

۞ وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلنَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌۢ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ٥٣

And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord. Surely my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

To confront and combat the soul is a never-ending battle, but it is imperative to fend it off as it is regarded as one of the most harmful enemies. To let it roam free in our hearts and souls will bring about the most gruelling of adversities, and its remedy will require the most strenuous of efforts. 

Imam Al-Ghazali stated in his book, Minhajul Abidin, two reasons for us to fend off the evil-commanding soul: 

1- Enemy from within, Imam Al-Ghazali stated an analogy that the soul is identical to a thief that has trespassed our homes, where his deception/trick increases in power and strength that may enlarge its detrimental effect.

2- Beloved enemy, the soul is regarded as the beloved of the human, but the human can be blinded by the ramifications that an evil-commanding soul can incite.

The suppplication to fend off the evil-commanding soul, that has been taught to us by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him in a hadith:

حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ أَبُو بِشْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ ‏ “‏ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا

It was narrated from Ibn `Abbas that:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

Praise is to Allah, we praise Him and we seek His help. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds, (Sahih, Sunan Ibn Majah 1893, Book 9, Hadith 49)

Once the soul is rid of malicious whispers and temptations, in a state where it is calm, peaceful, and pleased with the fate and tribulations that Allah swt laid out for him, then he will be granted entry to the paradise of Allah swt. In Surah Al-Fajr, verse 27-30:

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ٢٧

ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ ٢٨

فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ٢٩

وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ٣٠

˹Allah will say to the righteous,˺ “O tranquil soul!

Return to your Lord, well pleased ˹with Him˺ and well pleasing ˹to Him˺.

So join My servants,

and enter My Paradise.”

Deny Entry To The Heart by Seeking Refuge from Allah Swt

After weakening the weapons of Iblis by cleansing our soul of all evil traits, to further deny Iblis and his army from entering our hearts, we are to seek refuge, assistance, and aid from Allah swt. 

In the Quran, Surah An-Nahl, verse 98-100:

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ ٩٨

إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ سُلْطَـٰنٌ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ٩٩

إِنَّمَا سُلْطَـٰنُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِهِۦ مُشْرِكُونَ ١٠٠

When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.

He certainly has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.

His authority is only over those who take him as a patron and who—under his influence—associate ˹others˺ with Allah ˹in worship˺.

It was mentioned that the believers who ascertain firm conviction that the All-powerful, All-knowing, and All-encompassing is only Allah swt. Iblis and his soldiers, with all their might and power, have no reign over humans as long as those humans seek refuge from Allah swt, whose strength knows no competition. 

Believers with all their faith are aware that Allah swt is the creator, while Iblis is merely one of his creations, being put on earth to mislead and tempt humans. To seek out amongst those humans and believers that possess piety. In Quran, Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13:

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ ١٣

Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.

By regularly reciting Isti’adzah/Taawuz that has been taught by the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, 

وعن سليمان بن صرد رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ كنت جالساً مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ورجلان يستبان، وأحدهما قد احمر وجهه، وانتفخت أوداجه‏.‏ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ‏”‏ إني لأعلم كلمة لو قالها لذهب عنه ما يجد، لو قال‏:‏ أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم ذهب منه ما يجد‏”‏‏.‏ فقال له‏:‏ إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏ تعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم‏”‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏

Sulaiman bin Surad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I was sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) when two men began to quarrel and curse each other and the face of one of them turned red and the veins of his neck were swollen (from rage). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “I know of a word, if he were to utter that, his rage would vanish and that is: A’udhu billahi minash-Shaitan nir-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed).” So they (Companions) said to him: “The Prophet (ﷺ) tells you to utter: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed”.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin 46] 

Allah swt will grant protection by donning the reciter a radiant barrier-like armour that prevents Iblis and his soldiers from coming in contact with the reciter. This will also grant the reciter in performing the acts of worship such as reciting the Quran with tadabbur/reflection and understanding the meaning of the verses being recited. Not merely reading but reciting with proper pronunciation and tajwid. Not merely reading with physical presence, but with the purest of heart and soul.

Outro

As taught by our scholars and teachers, we are to always place temporary worldly matters in the palm of our hands, and to fill, inculcate, and instill the love Allah swt and his Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, in our hearts. So that if a tragedy relating to temporal matters befalls us, we are not affected with despair, desolation, and misery. We simply just let go of those emotions by opening up our hands and letting it be blown away by the breeze of the wind. Whereas we are more concerned with losing the pleasure of Allah swt, as the pain and sorrow in our hearts arise when we feel we are too distant from Allah swt and his Messenger, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. If we are to chase the creator Allah swt, surely we will be blessed and be granted his provisions in ways we can never imagine, as what was stated in the Quran, Surah At-Talaq, verse 2-3:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًۭا ٢

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُۥٓ ۚ

And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them,

and provide for them from sources they could never imagine. 

And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them.