When the devil was sent away from Paradise after he misled our first forefathers, God gave him respite and since then we, the slave(or servants) of God, have to overcome him . It is neither a fairy tale nor a story to stir morals, but it is a spiritual fact that human beings were originally created to live eternally in paradise with no death and no humiliation. It is because mankind disobeyed the creator that we are bound to struggle…Many people strive to enjoy good health, security and power or wealth and fulfillment on desires of all kind. In this world this can be achieved in a limited time but always after it there is no satisfaction. There have been spiritual teachings and schools focusing on unity in duality, stating that wisdom is to accept that suffering is part of life. Indeed in the process of striving to achieve higher goals in life, undergoing sufferance in unavoidable and the capacity of a human beings to persevere during hardships will determine his overall success. But, since the creator is the real owner of everything, no real success can be achieved without putting him first and identifying the tricks of the enemy of mankind who has decided to be between us and the creator…
He (God) said, “Therefore, you must get out of here as indeed, you are expelled.”
“And indeed, the curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment.”
He (Satan) said, “Then my Lord, give me respite until the day they are resurrected.”
He (God) said, “Then indeed, you are given respite.
Until the day of the appointed time.” (quran 15:35-38)
There are many other verses in the quran where Satan declares war against the servants of God.
[Satan] said, “Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. (quran 7:16)
Indeed the ultimate success is success that lasts longer, and this can only be achieve by reuniting with the ultimate goal of creation and defeating evil. This is a long process that might start by mastering our whims and desires but should end through putting the teachings of the messengers of God into practice, as much as we can. Since it will never be easy to do so, scriptures provide us some simple guidelines that might help us to overcome the tricks of Satan and stay on the path that is straight.
- keeping one’s tongue in remembrance of God
Controlling and directing ones thoughts towards what God recommends us to think about , whether is is in the scriptures or around us, will help us stay on the straight path. A believer should keep thinking about God, his books, his prophets in order to stay on the straight path. The main reason why prayer is prescribed in Islam is the remember and glorify the creator as it is a mean to escape the traps of Satan and stay on the straight path. A good way of mastering one’s thoughts is to read good books. In this case one should read books about revelations and the story of prophets and saints. All what they went through is an example of faith. Prayer has a special status in he submission to God. Gods said to Moses:
“I am God! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Me. So worship Me ˹alone˺, and establish prayer for My remembrance.”(quran 20:14)
And The prophet Muhammad pbuh said, “The Shaytan said: By your Might and Honor my Lord, I will not cease enticing your servants so long their souls are in their bodies. So the Lord said, ‘By my Might and Majesty, I will not cease forgiving them so long as they seek My forgiveness.” [19]
The general idea is that one should remember Allah before performing every action as there are supplication before all actions such as eating, wearing new dresses, entering bathrooms etc..
- Being grateful to God by remembering and counting our blessings
No decent person will act impolitely towards someone who has granted him favors. The creation of man alone and the position he occupies in the universe in a great blessing. The fact that some one will remember God is already a great favor but everything that God granted us is a huge favor. So we should be grateful and avoid wasting. The prophet (pbuh) said, “A sleeping place for a man, a sleeping place for his wife and the third for a guest. The fourth (therefore) is for Shaytān.”
It is a well known wisdom expressed in many books as well as in hadis, that richness is contentment. It does not mean that we have to stop evolving or striving for what is necessary but it means that he who is content with what he has, will resist misleading suggestions of the accursed Satan to forget what is really important and follow his whims and desires.
- Not exposing oneself to some temptations
One of the greatest tricks of Satan is to make us see goodness in a wrong thing. Since it is sometimes wise to go towards that which is good in a bad think, many will go for what is good in the bad thing and will fall in the trap of Satan. We must therefore avoid exposure to some tricks in case of doubt. This can be done by avoiding to dwell unnecessarily at places where Satan is at work such as market places or other gatherings. It is also important to avoid being in seclusion with a non related person of the opposite sex. One should also control his gaze and remember the verses about sinners or transgressors. The punishment for sins in being meted in this world fist as the main cause of dangers and difficulties in life are sins. Some people loose their livelihood due to sins, others saw their honour marred. The glorious quran is ideal in this as in many passages it will be repeated in various words that those who repent for their sins and perform good deeds will inherit paradise whereas those who keep on disobeying and rebelling against God and his messengers will enter Hell where they will dwell forever.
- Adhering to some etiquette while traveling
It is recommended that peoples should travel in groups of more than three . If someone is traveling alone on a considerable journey he should stop from time to time to remember his creator. This is because traveling may involve some stress, and adhering to religious etiquette helps refraining from panic at times of stress.
- Keeping one’s dreams and some family matters private
According to the sunna, if a servant of God sees something that he does not like in a dream he should seek refuge in God and split three times on his left side. Generally it is commended to relate good dreams only to the beloved or some one who can interpret dreams. It is disrespectful to expose one’s private matters to unlearned people who cannot give a good counsel, it can result in humiliation. It is recommended to seek professional help in matters that are out of control or to rely on God when one’s common sense and religions understanding in stronger than his whims and desires.
