Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #162The Dangers of Falling for the Tricks of the Devil
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the danger of falling into the tricks of the shaitan, which is a test and the ultimate goal is to turn them away from the straight path. They also discuss tools for dealing with the devil, including seeking refuge and turning to Allah for guidance. The importance of facing the light and not letting one's slavehood be subhanelled by the devil is emphasized, along with providing guidance for seekers with Sheikh and daily guidance for those tackling their daily needs.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the Roja, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni.
In our
sessions
on
looking at the blameworthy traits of the self
and how to
treat them.
We've
looked at some of the
harms of whim
and some of the harms
related
to self consequence.
And
today,
we're going to be looking at
the danger
of falling into
the tricks
of the shaitan,
of the devil.
And
as
CS Lewis put it,
one of the greatest tricks of the devil
is that he convinced people that he that
he probably doesn't exist.
So
the reality of the Shaitan
is affirmed in revelation.
Right? Affirmed
in revelation.
And Allah
created
the Shaitan
with the with a
with an existential purpose.
Right? Why was
the devil created?
Right?
You know, we need to always go back
to first principles. Right?
That
the dev that Iblis,
right, who
who was
a jinn
and was worshipping amongst the angels.
His refusal
to submit
to Sayna Adam
because of his arrogance,
because of his haughtiness,
because of his self
consequence.
Was any of that
outside of
the Iqadah and Qadr of Allah? The decree
and destiny of Allah? No.
Right? Allah knows an eternity
of the fall of the devil.
Allah willed in eternity
for the devil,
for for Iblis
to become the devil.
And
all that Allah manifests
in His creation
is wisdom because He is Al Hakim
and there's wisdom
in it.
It is
this great dramatic moment
in time
telling us
about the harms
of the inflated self.
I am better than him.
The harms
of Kibir and Takabbur,
of pride and arrogance,
of Ujb,
of
conceit,
self satisfaction,
of Ihtikar,
of reviling someone else,
of envy
of Hassad
because
Iblis
from his sense of self consequence
he was envious
that Allah created
a creation,
human beings
that were superior
in the sight of Allah
than
him.
That there are prophets
who are far greater than any other creation.
So
not only
is Iblis
a reminder
of the harms of the unrestrained
self,
but Iblis
is also
a test.
What is he a test of?
He is a test.
Because Allah
gave him
the leeway
to test us in this life
by his waswasa,
by his waswasa.
And he made
a he asked Allah
that give me time
until the day of resurrection,
and he was granted that.
And
he asked Allah permission
to misguide his servants.
And I will cast them astray. And Allah
allows that to happen, why?
Because this
life
is
exactly that, it's a test.
It's a test,
And you are tested
with,
as Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells in the
Quran,
you are tested both
with the good and you're tested with the
bad.
You're tested with ease and with hardship.
You are tested with inclinations towards good, and
you're tested with inclinations
towards
evil,
towards towards virtue and vice.
And the shaitan
has been granted
permission by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
to engage in
to give us ill thoughts.
The purpose of the shaitan
is
is to turn us away from guidance,
either immediately and directly.
If he can get you just to say,
I don't believe anymore.
I will not pray anymore. I will not
do the right thing
directly. Then
he's there for the catch.
He can't do it directly. He'll do it
indirectly
and immediately.
He can't do it directly or indirectly immediately,
he will do it gradually.
But
there is always
an indirect,
there is always an effort
from the shaytan to
turn us away from the straight path.
That is just and we have within us
capacities to incline
away
from the straight path.
We have guided them
to the two ways,
the highway
and
the
way of rising and the way of descent.
And that
that choice
is not just
on some occasions in life, although sometimes
we are at real crossroads in our life,
but every moment is a crossroad.
There are
choices of ascent,
and there are choices
of descent.
And
the the yeah. And the prophet tells us
that everyone
has their own shaitan.
And Sahag were surprised. He said even you,
oh Messenger of Allah?
And he said even he said even he
has
a shaitan except that
that
the that he is the
that his shaitan became a believer.
Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has come in the
sound hadith.
So this is the purpose of the shaitan.
Right? However,
the
the keys to avoiding
the shaitan have been given to us by
Allah and his messenger.
So he tells us in the 38th
blameworthy trait
From the blameworthy traits of yourself
is that you feel safe
from
the deceptions
of the devil,
of Shaitan,
and his tricks,
and his whisperings,
and
his
various traps.
Now that may seem kind of intimidating if
you think, well, you know, I haven't been
around that long, and I haven't been serious
about things that long,
and I have an enemy who's been here
for a long time.
That might seem very daunting.
And yes,
is it challenging?
Yes.
But
on the other hand,
have we been given the tools
of dealing with it? All the tools of
dealing with the devil
are summarized
in
what Allah tells us. That if any
ill thought is cast in you by the
by the Shaitan, what do you do?
Then seek refuge in Allah.
Then seek refuge
in Allah.
Because all the shaitan has no power
over you whatsoever.
Because the shaitan too is governed
by the great existential reality that
there is no ability
whatsoever
for anyone
whatsoever
in any way whatsoever,
nor any power to anyone whatsoever
in any way whatsoever,
over anything whatsoever.
Except
by
Allah.
So what is the strength of the believer?
If you think you can just do things
by yourself
in your life, you'll be miserable.
In your religion, you will struggle.
But rather
you say,
I seek refuge in Allah. And what is
I seek refuge? It means I turn to
Allah
fleeing
in need
with urgency,
seeking His
protection,
care
and shelter,
knowing
that He is
the able,
He is
the powerful,
He is the merciful.
Right?
So I
turn
with urgency to Allah,
seeking his
protection
and care,
k,
from the Shaitan.
So in that sense,
any moment of temptation,
any moment
of ill thought,
any moment
where
the Shaitan
gives you either a spiritual
ill thought,
such as thinking ill about Allah. Why did
Allah
try me with this? Or why did Zubaydah
say no?
Or
you know, like,
you
know,
why? You
know? Why or what if or all these
kinds of questions,
spiritually or socially.
You think ill of another.
Yeah. They're just out to get you. Just
all kinds of negative thoughts in all of
them. Turn to Allah.
Turn
to Allah. And what do you do when
you turn to Allah?
You
you seek His help, but then you ask
yourself what is the the path
here of the pleasure of Allah.
Right?
So
that's why he tells us
and its treatment.
The treatment
for such ill thought
is
to rectify
one's
slavehood to
Allah. That is what it means
to
well, that's what
means.
Tawuz
seeking refuge in Allah. What is refuge in
Allah?
By
submitting to Allah and surrendering
to
what is pleasing to Allah.
Right?
And
and if you don't,
then
you are at the
whims of the of the devil.
Right? And they say catch a fire, and
you're going to get burnt.
And to
entreat Allah
that he gift you with
rectifying your slavehood to Allah
Right? And
all acts of submission are light.
Right?
Where does the where does the devil operate?
He operates in the shadows.
Right? But there's always wherever there's light,
there's always
shadows.
Right? That's why we always ask Allah
to guide us to the path that is
straight, the path of light.
But at the edges of the path of
light,
there's always shadows.
Right? Like just look at the sun when
it's shining. It's bright, but are they shadows?
Yes. And what are the shadows?
The shadows are where the reality of light
is not upheld.
Where you're going through the motions of your
worship, for example,
but you don't
uphold sincerity,
presence of heart,
true slavehood to Allah in your worship. So
what happens?
What is it that dispels the devil? It
is
trueness.
Trueness. The kind of trueness manifest by Sayyidina
Umar ibn Khattab,
regarding whom
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that Umar
walks down no path except the devil flees
from it.
Right? Except that the devil flees from it.
That is
to
be true.
Right? So one keeps away from those shadows.
Sometimes
you know when we deal with people, we
may uphold
the adab with them outwardly. Assalamu alaikum, how
are you? Etc. But inwardly we're like such
a loser. You know we have all these
things. Those are the shadows
where the devil creeps in.
Right? Where you have forms without realities.
Right? We have forms without realities.
Or even worse, when you don't have forms
or realities.
Right? Where you don't even do it. You
don't greet somebody. You don't,
you don't bother
with a sunnah.
Right? Even though you know you should.
So
when you find that struggle, when you find
yourself
in that struggle,
you are tempted.
You are feeling down.
Whether you are tempted with your desires, or
feeling down, or you feel lack of resolve
in your relationship with Allah, you know you
need that it's dua time. It's a time
for the midday prayer, and you know what
great reward has been promised
for this amazing
prayer.
Right? Reward that's
unimaginable
in its
wonder and marvel.
But yet,
you know, we just
go through the motions and say,
well, you know, we we don't
stir our hearts. You know, for example,
salatulduha,
regarding which
it's related
from the prophet
on the authority of Abu Darda
that whoever prays
the duha prayer is 2 rakas.
Will not be recorded amongst the heedless.
And whoever prays 4 rakas
will be recorded as one of the devoted.
Whoever prays dua is 6 rakas will be
granted sufficiency
in that day.
Whoever prays
8 raka'ahs
for will be recorded amongst
the truly devoted,
the kaliteen.
And whoever prays 12 raka'ahs of
Allah builds for them
a home in paradise.
There's no day or night except that Allah
has
a great favor that he bestows upon his
servants, said the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
And there's
a giving
that is due upon them,
or there's a giving from Allah. Both meanings
are possible.
And Allah
gifts
no
one of his servants
with a greater gift
than inspiring them to remember him
than inspiring them to remember him. And this
is related by Imam at Tabarani in his
Kabir.
And this hadith
regarding which ibn Hajar
says though the chain of transmission has some
weakness
because
but the the weakness is because one of
the narrators, he says,
There's a little bit of softness in this
narrator. Like, it's it's a slight weakness, but
he says
This hadith has much supporting evidence by which
it is strengthened.
So
something
like this, you know about this, but you
don't find that resolve. Okay. I'm going to
act upon it. That's what trueness is.
What do you do?
Rectify
your slavehood to Allah. How?
By imploring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Oh Allah,
I ask you for your assistance.
Oh, Allah, I ask you for your assistance
and force yourself
to do it
even if you don't feel it. Right?
Knowing that that
disinclination
is from
from the minister of disinformation,
the shaitan.
Alright?
Ask Allah to make you a true servant.
Allah
says,
truly my servants
truly my servants, you do not have, oh
devil, any
power over them.
Right? You have no power over them. So
that's the way to protect yourself
from,
from
from him. Rather,
the times that one is tested
by
by misgivings, by doubts,
by
ill thoughts,
take it as a time of celebrating
your Lord.
Even Atha'illah says,
The times of distress
are the festival seasons
of those seeking Allah.
Are the festival why? Because you're tested.
Pause and say, oh, Allah, I am your
servant. I want your closeness.
I want
your love.
I want your good pleasure,
and I want you to facilitate for me
to act
like
your true servants act. I ask you to
facilitate for me
to
do
what is pleasing to you, to do
what is beloved to you, to do what
will make me of those close to you.
Oh, Allah, I ask you for your assistance.
And sometimes
ask Allah for the things that you know
you should do. Oh, Allah, I ask you
that you assist me in performing this duha
prayer. I ask you for assistance
in responding
to the prophetic call,
the call that I know gives me life
with
complete acceptance.
I ask you that you make me always
inclined
towards that.
And that is
how one would deal with the the whisperings
of the devil.
And that's why some of the early Muslims
said, if there's some someone in creation that
I would give all my wealth to, I'd
give it to the devil.
And people are like, what?
Said because no one has helped me more
in turning to Allah than the devil has.
Why? I said, how is that? Said because
every time
he tempts me I rush to Allah Subhanahu
wa
ta'ala. So no one has
placed in me more urgency in turning to
Allah than the devil.
But
I have to take him as an enemy,
so I do. Right?
So that was just meant to to make
a point.
Right?
So never feel that
that
this matter is difficult. We'll close by the
words of one of the great,
early Muslims,
Abu Bakr al Thomastani,
who
died
in the year
341
or thereabouts.
He said,
The path to Allah is clear.
The book of Allah and the sunnah of
his prophet
are established
before us.
And the virtue of the companions is known.
And they upheld
that way,
and we know what they did.
And what is the virtue of the companions?
Because they preceded us in migrating to Allah
and his messenger.
And because of the good company they kept,
the company of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam.
Right? The the virtue of the companions, he
says, goes back to 2 things.
Because they preceded us in migrating to Allah
and his messenger. That's the spiritual migration.
And because of the company they kept.
So whoever of us keeps the company of
the book of Allah and the sunnah of
the messenger. How?
By
reverence
and
following.
Right?
And who
abandons
and who
migrates away
from their own lower self
and from inclinations towards creation.
And who migrates with their heart to Allah
Most High.
They are the one who is true
and rightly directed.
So every time
there is any
test from the devil
might renew your migration to Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala.
Renew your migration to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to realize
us in that.
Of self inflicted harm.
I have a friend who asked one of
the respected scholars, when should I start wearing
a turban? He said, pray
120 days of prayers,
you know, without missing a single prayer. Because
otherwise,
it's like someone who's all dressed up and
nowhere to go.
Thank you for listening to Naraha, daily guidance
for seekers with Sheikh Farozra Benny. Help SeekersHub
give light to 1,000,000 around the world by
supporting us through monthly donations by going to
seekershub.org/donate.
Your donations are tax deductible in the US
and Canada.