| To achieve his goal, Shaytan first lures mankind into | | | | (sallalalhu alaihi wa-sallam) said, ‘Beware of the |
| Shirk and Kufr, such as visiting graves and invoking the | | | | insignificant sins like a people who stayed (abode) in a |
| dead or saints for help, practicing magic, etc. because | | | | valley, then this one brought a stick, that one brought a |
| associating partners with Allah is the greatest sin. | | | | stick and others brought sticks too until they cooked |
| ‘Like when Shaytan says to man, ‘Disbelieve in | | | | their bread (meal). Verily, the person who commits |
| Allah.’ But when (man) disbelieves in Allah, Shaytan | | | | these (minor) sins will be seized by these sins and be |
| says, ‘I am free of you, I fear Allah, the Lord of the | | | | destroyed.’ [Musnad Ahmad] |
| Alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).’ [Soorah | | | | If the believer still emerges safe from his traps, |
| al-Hashr (59): 16] If Shaytan overcomes the son of | | | | Shaytan seeks to keep him occupied with permissible |
| Adam with this and succeeds to make him a | | | | matters, like sleeping, eating, pursuing worldly affairs, |
| disbeliever, then he is satisfied and pleased. | | | | etc. Spending one’s time and efforts in these will |
| If he cannot manage to deceive people into committing | | | | earn him neither reward nor punishment, though he will |
| Shirk and Kufr, he does not give up. He causes people | | | | miss the rewards he would have gained if he has |
| to follow bidah (innovations) and take them as their | | | | spent his time in performing good deeds. If the believing |
| religion like celebrating Mawlid, celebrating the night of | | | | slave is not deceived and manages his time well, |
| Isra wal-Miraj, celebrating 15th Shabaan by fasting and | | | | Shaytan will make him busy with less virtuous deeds |
| praying and as Sufyan ath-Thawri said, ‘Bidah is | | | | instead of what is more preferable and rewarding, in |
| more dearer to the Shaytan than sin, for, one may | | | | order for him to miss the reward of the best and most |
| repent from sin, but not from bidah.’ Because when | | | | virtuous deed. |
| one sins, he knows that he is disobeying Allah and | | | | After employing all kinds of temptations and deceptive |
| some time, he may turn to Allah and seek forgiveness | | | | arguments, if Shaytan still does not succeed in his |
| and be pardoned. But one, who practices Bidah, | | | | endeavors to divert the children of Adam from |
| deems his actions to be a form of worship to Allah | | | | religious commitments, he resorts to corrupt their acts |
| and thus never even thinks of repentance. ‘Say (O | | | | of worship and obedience, so that he can deprive |
| Muhammad), ‘Shall We tell you the greatest losers | | | | them of the rewards. He seeks to stir up doubts in |
| in respect of (their) deeds? Those whose efforts | | | | order to make a person feel anxious and uncertain. In |
| have been wasted in this life while they thought that | | | | Saheeh al-Bukharee, it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah |
| they were acquiring good by their deeds!’ [Soorah | | | | y that the Messenger of Allah (sallalalhu alaihi |
| al-Kahf (18): 104] meaning, ‘they performed deeds | | | | wa-sallam) said, ‘When the call to prayer is given, |
| that do not count, deeds that are not in accordance | | | | the Shaytan runs away breaking wind loudly, so that |
| with the prescribed way that is acceptable to Allah’ | | | | he will not hear the adhaan. When the call to prayer |
| and ‘they thought that there was some basis for | | | | ends, he comes back, but when the iqaamah starts, he |
| their deeds and that they were accepted and | | | | runs away. And when the prayer begins, he comes |
| loved.’ [See, Tafseer Ibn Katheer] | | | | back until he whispers into the heart of the person, and |
| If Shaytan fails at causing people to following | | | | says to him, ‘Remember such and such, remember |
| innovations, he will move on to calling them to major | | | | such and such things that he did not remember before |
| sins like abandoning prayers – particularly if the | | | | the prayer until he does not know how many |
| person is well educated or respected, because a lot of | | | | raka’ahs he has prayed.’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee |
| people will follow his example. It is mentioned in the | | | | (608)] |
| Qur’aan, ‘Shaytan wants only to excite enmity | | | | Such whisperings of Shaytan are the weakest of his |
| and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic | | | | tricks. The companions of the Messenger of Allah |
| drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the | | | | (sallalalhu alaihi wa-sallam) complained to him (sallalalhu |
| remembrance of Allah and from As-Salaat (the | | | | alaihi wa-sallam) that they noticed some waswaas |
| prayer).’ [Soorah al-Maidah (5): 91] | | | | that they disliked and did not want to speak of, and he |
| However, if the believer withholds, Shaytan is still not | | | | (sallalalhu alaihi wa-sallam) said to them, ‘Praise be |
| discouraged, he calls them to minor sins. It is recorded | | | | to Allah, Who has reduced his tricks to whispers.’ |
| in Sunan Tirmidhee (2/230 (no. 1753), ‘Shaytan has | | | | [Saheeh Abu Dawood] |
| despaired of ever being worshiped in this land of yours, | | | | If the person is undefeated even after this, the next |
| but he will be obeyed in matters that you think of as | | | | step of Shaytan is to harm the person by, for |
| insignificant, and he will be content with that.’ And | | | | example, persecuting him or distorting his reputation |
| Allah’s Messenger (sallalalhu alaihi wa-sallam) | | | | and his devotion to the religion. This is intended to |
| warned us concerning minor sins by giving an example | | | | discourage the person from his commitment to the |
| of how a great fire can be kindled if small wooden | | | | religion. Many scholars have been tortured or killed in |
| sticks are collected in a place. Similarly, minor sins if | | | | prison because of their commitment to Islam!! |
| allowed to accumulate, might destroy a sinner, he | | | | |