Satan infusessuspicion and doubt in the hearts of Muslims, thus making
them think badly of one another. The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa
sallam) is reported to have said: "Satan has lost hope of ever getting
worshipped by the righteous believers; however, he seeks to provoke
them against one another
Suspicion and doubt often lead to evil thinking, especially when
amplified by Satan's whispering into one's heart. 'Um Al -Mu'mineen
(Mother of Believers), Safiyya Bint Hayiyy (May Allah be pleased with
her) is reportedto have said that one night when Allah's Messenger (salla
Allahu alayhi wa sallam) retired to the mosque for devotion, I went to
him. We talked and I wanted to go back home. He got up to escort me.
We were walking side by side in the dark when two men sawus and
recognized Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam)
They walked away from us as fast as they could, but Allah's Messenger
(salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) stopped them and said: 'Wait you two, this
is Safiyya Bint Hayiyy.' The two men said: 'Glory be to Allah, O
Messenger!'. He (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) added: 'Verily, Satan
runs into man's body as bloodstream does, and he might have cast evil
thoughts into your minds "
A man walking side by side with a woman at night; a situation tha t could
have incurred hasty judgments. But the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa
sallam) wanted to clarify the matter and remove any evil doubts that
might have occurred to the two men, and so he stopped them and
explained to them that he was escorting his wife home
This is a lesson that we all have to learn. We should not leave a doubtful
matter unexplained so that there would be no room for facts being skewed
or rumors being spread
Satan also provokes people against one another, filling them with hostile
feelings. Sulayman Ibn Al -Sard (May Allah be pleased with him)
narrated: "I was sitting with the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam)
when we heard two men calling each other bad names. The Prophet (salla
Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: 'I know an invoca tion that, when uttered,
can drive their anger away. This is to say 'I take refuge in Allah from the
cursed Satan
One of Satan's strategies is to push the believer to extremes: either utter
negligence or over zealousness. If he finds that his target is of the sort
that looks for loopholes and excuses, he deals with him from that vantage.
He strikes him with laziness and lethargy. He opens for him the door to
subjective interpretations of stable rulings and commandments. He gives
evil actions such pleasing names as to appeal to those who can be easily
influenced. In this way, he dupes his victim, thus making him believe that
forbidden things are lawful
And if he finds that his target is keen on performing his obligatory duties,
he tries to convince him t o strive even harder. He convinces him that
what he is doing is not enough and that his ambition is to be greater. He
must work harder than the others do; he should not sleep when the others
do; he should not break his fast at the assigned time. If the other wash
their hands and face three times when doing ablutions, he should wash
them seven times, and so on and so forth
There are those who commit sins, but they perform the five daily prayers
regularly. They believe that they are thus observing the greate st pillar of
Islam, which is looked at first thing on the Day of Reckoning, and so
there is no harm in committing some sins, hoping that these can be
forgiven
There are others who say that true religion is manifested in good conduct
and behavior towards others. For them it is more important to be kind to
people than to perform the obligatory duties ordained by Allah and His
Messenger
It is also more important for them to have good intentions in the heart
than to see them fulfilled in action
Postponing ordelaying things until later is one of the ways used by Satan
when he approaches his victims. He puts hindrances, or so they appear, in
their way in order to make them put off their religious duties indefinitely.
For example, one might say 'I will return to Allah in repentance, but when
I have finished school or when I have found a job ’
When someone feels that he has reached perfection or that he is far much
better than others, this is definitely a false sentiment that has been infused
in him by Satan. Thi s leads to self -admiration and vanity. The person
affected usually has a patronizing look towards others. Such a person
never admits that he can make mistakes
I have always noticed that this kind of person gives up learning when he
makes the slightest error, especially during those sessions where the
reciting of the Qur'an is taught. Instead of attending regularly in an
attempt to correct the mistakes made, he absents himself altogether to
avoid being exposed to embarrassment, and so he never finishes whathe
has already started
When Satan fails to stimulate someone's vanity, he tries to persuade him
that he would rather be humble. He keeps whispering into his mind that
he is not so efficient for what he is planning to do, which has only been
cut for big minds. This results in self -abasement when the person affected
begins to abuse and underestimate his own abilities; and so he gets
convinced that he is always wrong
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