World of Jinn (part 2 of 2)

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Description: An introduction to Allah’s creation known as the “jinn.” Part 2: The story of Satan, the mission of Satan and the devils and means of protection from them.

Published on 18 Feb 2013 - Last modified on 25 Jun 2019

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Objective

·Learn the story of Satan or Iblees.

·Understand the mission of Satan and the devils.

·Learn 7 ways to protect oneself from the devils.

Arabic Terms

·Jinn – A creation of Allah that was created before humankind from smokeless flame. They are referred to at times as spirit beings, banshees, poltergeists, phantoms and so forth.

·Iblees – the Arabic name for Satan.

·Qareen – a devil attached to every human being.

·Shaytan- sometimes spelled shaitan or shaytaan. It is the word used in Islam and the Arabic language to denote the devil or Satan, the personification of evil.

·Shayateen – devils, plural of ‘shaytan’.

·Sunnah - The word Sunnah has several meanings depending on the area of study however the meaning is generally accepted to be, whatever was reported that the Prophet said, did, or approved.

·Surah – chapter of the Quran.

We learned in the previous lesson that some jinn are good and some are evil. Allah has given them the ability to become believers or disbelievers. The evil jinn are known as devils or shayateen in Arabic. The leader of the devils is known as Satan or Iblees in Arabic. He has a very ugly appearance and has two horns.

The Story of Iblees

Satan used to worship Allah with the angels before he became arrogant. He chose the evil path in life, knowing it would bring him punishment. Allah created Adam and ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam. Satan used to worship Allah with the angels, so he was also addressed to prostrate himself as well but he refused Allah’s order out of arrogance. As a result, Satan was cast out of Paradise. He made a promise to Allah that he will mislead the children of Adam if Allah allowed him to live till the Day of Judgment. Thus, he became the greatest enemy of man. He saw that Adam was the cause for his expulsion from Heaven and the reason why Allah cast His curse upon him.

Mission of Satan and the Devils

Satan, or Iblees, is the Commander in Chief of the battle against the earthly human beings. He lays the strategy of this battle against human beings, dispatches his soldiers, and then reviews their performance. He praises those who accomplish his mission. The Prophet of Allah has told us,

“Iblees sets his throne on the water. From there, he sends out his troops to tempt mankind. The one whom he regards as closest to him is the one who causes the greatest temptation. One of them returns to him and says, ‘I stayed with so and so and did not leave him until he did such and such,’ and he is told, ‘You have done nothing.’ Then one comes and reports, ‘I did not leave him until he separated from his wife.’ Iblees then brings him near to him and says, ‘How fine are you!’ [1]

He has soldiers among the jinn, known as devils, and among human beings. Among his soldiers from the jinn is the qareen, the devil that accompanies every human being.

The ultimate goal of Satan is to take human beings with him to Hellfire and keep them from entering Paradise. He does this by getting people to worship others besides Allah. If he cannot do that, then he leads them to sin and to disobey Allah. He tries to block people from doing good deeds. If he cannot do that, then he will do his best to ruin the acts of worship so the person will not receive any reward for them.

One of the means by which Satan misleads people is sorcery. Sorcerers can sometimes perform acts to please the devils who in turn do their bidding. Sorcery is sometimes used to create a separation between husband and wife (Quran 2:102). Sorcery is of two types, some of it is an illusion and some is real. Real sorcery can cause separation between spouses and cause other harms.

Protection Against Satan and the Devils

1. The greatest means of protecting oneself against the devil is by sticking to the Quran and Sunnah and by living according to Islam’s teachings. Allah has said in the Quran,

“O you who believe, enter into Islam completely and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is an open enemy to you.” (Quran 2:208)

2. Seeking protection with Allah. Actually turning to Allah and asking Him for protection is one of the best ways to be safe from Satan. Allah teaches us in the Quran the words of protection that can be translated as,

And say, ‘My Lord, I seek refuge with You from the whisperings of the devils and I seek refuge with You, My Lord, in case they come close to me.’” (Quran 23:97-98)

3. Place your children and property under Allah’s care. Allah’s Messenger used to seek protection for his grand children with these words:

“U’eedhu-kuma bi kalimaa-til-laahit-taamah min kulli shaytaanin wa haama wa min kulli aynin laamah.”

“I commend you two to the protection of the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and vermin, and from every evil eye.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

4. The best words to seek Allah’s protection.

The last two chapters of the Quran, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Naas, are the best words to seek protection (Sunan Nasai).

5. Seek protection with the Verse of Al-Kursi

“Whoever says this when he rises in the morning will be protected from jinn until he retires in the evening, and whoever says it when retiring in the evening will be protected from them until he rises in the morning.” (Hakim)

You have learned Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Naas, and the Verse of Al-Kursi in an earlier lesson. Please review them.

6. Sticking close to Muslim Community

To avoid falling into the traps of the devil, stick close to the Muslim community and choose good, Muslim friends for yourself that will help and encourage you to follow the truth and stay away from falsehood. The Prophet, may Allah praise him, said,

“You must adhere to the Muslim community and beware of division, for the devil is with the one who is alone, but he is further away from two.” (Tirmidhi)

7. Oppose the Devil

The devil eats, drinks, and takes things with his left hand, so you should oppose him and eat, drink, and take things with your right hand. The devil likes to see money being wasted, so be careful and don’t waste your money. Lastly, suppress yawning (which indicates laziness) as much as you can as it is from the devil.

Footnotes:

[1] Saheeh Muslim

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