Page 34 - Satan: The Sworn Enemy of Mankind

SATAN: THE SWORN ENEMY OF MANKIND
in the battle over the heart, until the heart is conquered by one of the two
sides which sets up its nation and settles there... And most hearts have been
seized by the soldiers of shaytan (Satan), who fill them with the whispers
that call one to love this passing world and disregard the next.
When it comes to one who has only newly entered into the reli-
gion, he will try to divert him away from it, by causing him to be-
come concerned with shallow and baseless worries, such as being
excluded from those around him, the supposed restrictiveness of re-
ligion, and being unable to maintain the demands of the religion
having once embarked upon it.
Satan is also active against the believers. For example, a be-
liever, who may become angry with another believer, or who finds
some trivial excuse to not read the Qur'an, though it had occurred to
him he ought to, does so because of the evil influence of Satan.
However, Satan is not so overt as to whisper things such as, "do not
read the Qur'an," or simply, "do not remember Allah," to the be-
liever. This he knows to be ineffective. Instead, he aims to distract
the person through involved and meaningless tasks. If the person
falls under the influence of such suggestions being whispered to
him, forgets the Hereafter and becomes consumed with the life of
this world, then he will, inevitably, by way of such lack of conscien-
tiousness, turn away from that commanded by Allah in the Qur'an.
The only way to avoid falling into this trap is to identify the whis-
perings of Satan in time, and to then seek refuge in Allah.
An accurate recognition of these insinuations can be made if
one is well aware of Satan's characteristics, tactics and snares. The
only source in which to seek guidance in these matters is the Qur'an.
In the pages that follow, we shall examine the methods of deception
Satan employs to lead people away from the path of Allah, as they
are outlined in the verses of the Qur'an.

32