An Advice Regarding Sickness & Difficulty, Especially in Relation to Magic
Part Seven: The Plots of the Shaytān
So, how does the shaytān affect the sick? The first thing that you have to understand is the aim of the shaytān in everything he does: that you worship something else with Allāh, so that you enter Hellfire with him forever. Allāh said:
"[shaytān] said, ‘Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. 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].’"
But he doesn’t stop there. If he isn’t able to get you to worship something else besides Allāh, he will try to get you to do major sins, especially innovations, because so few people repent from something that they think is good in the first place. If he can’t get you to do major sins, he will try to get you to do lots of minor sins because they pile up like the person who carried a small twig, then another, then another, until he built a fire. If he can’t get you to do that, he will try to make you busy with things that are halāl but have no reward. If he can’t get you to do that, he will try to get you to do something that is less important, or has less reward, instead of something that is more important, and has more reward. From the major aims of shaytān in this world is to separate between husband and wife in any way possible, and to a lesser extent to prevent marriage from happening in the first place. From this is that he causes arguments between them and makes them jump to conclusions about each other. The Messenger of Allāh – may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him – said:
"Iblees places his throne upon water; he then sends detachments (for creating dissension); the nearer to him in rank are those who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of them comes and says: I did so and so. He replies,‘You have done nothing.’ Then one amongst them comes and says, I did not spare so and so until I sowed the seed of discord between a husband and a wife.’ Satan goes near him and says, 'You have done well’...He then embraces him."
Having said all of that, you need to learn the golden rule when it comes to the plots and plans of shaytān, whether in the form of whispering, or in the form of magic and the touch of the jinn, or in any other form. Allāh The Exalted said:
"Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak."
The closer a servant of Allāh comes to Allāh the weaker the plots of shaytān are. Allāh said:
"But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allāh."
Allāh also said:
"Secret counsel is only from shaytān that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allāh. And upon Allāh let the believers rely."
And Allāh said:
"And they had planned their plan, but with Allāh is their plan, even if their plan had been [sufficient] to do away with the mountains." T
here are many other āyāt with a similar meaning.
From the Mercy of Allāh to this ummah is that He has not left us without guiding us to the things that remove the shaytān, and lessen his effect. From these things are:
- Seeking help from Allāh, relying upon Allāh and keeping as far away from sins as possible. This is part of taqwā as was mentioned.
- Reciting the Qur’ān. For example, the shaytān does not enter the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is read, and a person who reads Ayāt-ul-Kursee before going to sleep, Allāh sends an angel to guard them until morning. There are many other narrations that can be found in books of du’ā and manners.
- The Adhān. It is authentically reported that the shaytān cannot stand to hear the adhān, and so he runs away and breaks wind loudly so that he can’t hear it.
- The remembrance of Allāh. Shaytān hates it in every single way. Whether it is remembering Allāh when you enter your house, or when you eat, or in the morning and evening, or before intercourse, or when entering the bathroom; all of these things are authentically reported to keep the shaytān away. Not mentioning these du’ās leads to the shaytān coming close to you. I recommend the website duas.com for more information.
- Removing everything from the house that the shaytān loves. This includes pictures of humans and animals, music, films, TV, etc. This also includes charms, ta’weez (according to the correct opinion), and anything else that is kept for luck or protection. The Prophet – may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him – said, "Whoever hangs a charm around his neck has committed shirk." This issue is something that is not often understood. Firstly, we must divide these charms/ta’weez into two groups: (a) that which is done only from the Qur’ān (b) that which contains something else. If it contains something else then there are two situations: (a) The person believes that the charm itself benefits them without Allāh. There is no disagreement that this is shirk and disbelief and the person has left the religion of Islām. (b) The person believes that Allāh has made the charm a cause for his benefit but that the actual benefit comes from Allāh. This is lesser shirk which does not take the person outside of Islam but it is still from the greatest of the major sins.
The Messenger of Allāh – may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him – said:
"Whoever wears a charm he will be entrusted to it"
He also said to one of the companions:
"If you didn’t cut it off, you would never have been successful" (i.e., in this world and the next).
As for that which is purely from Qur’ān, the scholars differed regarding it. The correct opinion, and the one which is reported from the companions – may Allāh be pleased with them – is that it is harām, but it does not count as shirk. What makes it even more dangerous is that I have seen and heard time after time, people who have something they think is the Qur’ān, but inside of it there are other things written between the words – this is the way of the magicians and so called ‘healers’ – may Allāh curse them all! How many people have been cured from magic when their so called ‘ta’weez’ given by their holy shaykh was cut from their neck! Allāh is the one whose help is sought. More information can be found here.
At this point there is something very important to mention; it could be said: ‘but I know so and so who wore a charm and they were cured’. I reply that I have no doubt about this. Remember that the number one aim of the shaytān is to make you disbelieve in Allāh. As soon as you trust in the charm you have disbelieved, or come close to disbelief, and therefore the shaytān’s work is done – he will quite happily leave. Even when being defeated, the shaytān tries the same trick. Often he will say to a person doing ruqyah, "I will leave for your sake." If that person agrees the shaytān is happy and will often leave. However, when you reply, "no you will leave for Allāh’s sake," you find him much less co-operative! This explains the Christian missionaries who remove the shaytān ‘in the name of Jesus’ and so on. In the case of pictures, if your house contains them, no angel will enter your house and therefore your house will be a home for the shaytān – no matter what other things you do to keep him out.