✨The Enmity of Satan

The wisdom of Most Just of judges decreed that mankind would be a successive authority on this earth. That was initially a bit trying for the honorable angels but they quickly responded to the command of their Lord, in obedience and submission. And all of them prostrated to Adam, peace be upon him. However, satan displayed his inner envy and arrogance and refused to prostrate to this creation made of clay. Allah Almighty said:
Al Isra (17) 61: And [mention] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam,” and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He said, “Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?”

And satan claimed that he was better and superior. Allah Almighty said:
Al Araf (7) 12: [Allāh] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth].”

And from that moment the enemy of Allah began an eternal enmity towards the children of Adam. And he took an oath upon himself to lie in wait for them and plot against them.

Al Araf (7) 16-17: (16) [Satan] said, “Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path. (17) 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].”

And satan took mankind an enemy in all situations from birth until death. Satan does not leave an opportunity to harm and deviate mankind. For satan’s first attempt to harm people is at birth when they exit from their mothers’ womb and embrace this world. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Allah’s Messenger ﷺsaid:
No child is born but the devil touches him when he is born, whereupon he starts crying loudly because of having been touched by the devil, except for Maryam and her son. Abu Hurairah then recited Al Imran (3) 36: I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allāh]. [Bukhari 3431, Muslim 2366]

And from satan’s stealth plotting and cunning are the fearful and depressing whispers that he casts. And what satan spreads to people of disturbing and worrying thoughts while they are asleep and awake. Allah Almighty said:
Al Mujadalah ( 58) 10: Private conversation is only from Satan that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allāh.

And Abu Qatadah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺsaid:
A good dream is from Allah and a bad dream is from Satan, so if anyone of you has a dream that makes them afraid, let him spittle dryly to his left three times, and seek refuge in Allah from its evil, then it will not harm him. [Bukhari 3292, Muslim 2261]

And if a person intends to pray, then satan pours his plotting upon them and harms them. This is because prayer is the motto of the believer and the crown of their righteousness and success. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
When a son of Adam recites a (verse calling for) prostration and prostrates, satan retreats weeping, saying, Woe unto him, the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, so Paradise is for him, and I was commanded to prostrate and I refused, so the Fire is for me. Hadith [Muslim 81a]

So congratulations to the believers who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith, and they put their trust in their Lord.

And that is why the satan focuses on prayer and tries to avert Muslims from offering it in the first place. Allah Almighty said:
Al Maedah (5) 91: Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allāh and from prayer. So will you not desist?

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of each one of you, and he seals each knot with the following words: the night is long, so keep on sleeping. When that person wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; when he makes ablution a (second) knot is undone and when he prays, a (third) knot is undone, and he gets up in the morning active and in good spirits, otherwise he gets up in bad spirits and sluggish. [Bukhari 1142, Muslim 776]

And when Muslims gets up to pray, the satan comes between them and their prayer through his whispers. The Prophet ﷺ said:
When any one of you gets up and prays, the satan comes to him an confuses him until he does not know how many (units of prayer) he prayed. If any one of you notices that, let him prostrate twice when he is sitting. [Bukhari 1232, Muslim 389]

And if satan find gaps in the rows of the prayers, he enters between them. The Prophet ﷺ said:
Straighten your rows, stand shoulder to shoulder, be accommodating between the hands of your brothers, and close the gaps, for the satan enters in between you. [Ahmad 22263, Grade: Sahih]

So it is wrong for those standing in prayer to leave gaps under the pretext of not putting pressure on others, or being bothered if someone tries to close a gap.

And looking around in prayer is from the plotting of satan, because Allah Almighty is in front of the face of everyone praying in a manner befitting His majesty. And when Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Prophet ﷺ about looking around in prayer, he responded:
It is a way of stealing by which the satan steals a portion of a servant’s prayer.[Bukhari 751]

So looking around in prayer is theft by satan that he snatches from the prayer, to distract Muslim’s from humility and focus during prayer, so that their reward decreases, and perhaps it may lead to their entire prayer being invalidated.

And the satan is extremely keen to cutoff people’s prayers. The Prophet ﷺ said:
When anyone of you performs prayer, let him pray facing towards a sutrah (a raised partition), let him get close to it and not allow the satan to sever his prayer. Hadith [Sahih ibn Khuzaimah 65/2, Grade: Sahih]

And because interrupting worship and nullifying it is one of the actions of the devil, passing in front of someone praying is like the action of the devil.
And our pure shariah urged us to pray in congregation and warned against leaving it because of what it contains of multiplied rewards. For Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
There are no three people in a town or encampment among whom prayer is not established, but the satan takes control of them.Therefore, adhere to the congregation (congregational prayer), for the wolf eats the sheep that strays off on its own. [Abu Dawood 547, An Nisai 847, Grade: Sahih]

Therefore, it is not surprising that some Muslims’ negligence of congregational prayer helps satan against them, so they forget the remembrance of Allah and then leave religious ordainments and acting upon them.

Whoever is loyal to Allah Almighty antagonizes satan. And whoever turns away from Allah Almighty allies with the satan. And Allah is the guardian and supporter of those loyal to Him. And satan betrays those loyal to him. So it is necessary for us all to repent to Allah. For glory and honor is in obeying Allah and carrying out His commands. And disappointment and loss is in falling into the traps and temptations of satan. I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast satan:
Fater (35) 5-6: (5) O mankind, indeed the promise of Allāh is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allāh by the Deceiver [i.e., Satan]. (6) Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.

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