Prayer of satan
9-6-2004 | IslamWeb
Question:
I would like to ask about the Satan, how he prayed that no one should disobey Allah and how he was the one who disobeyed God.
Please explain in details and tell me where I can read for myself.
Thank you so very much.
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
What made Iblees (Satan) not fulfill the order of Allah is pride and envy, Allah says: " And (remember) when we said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." And they prostrated except Iblîs (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allâh)." (Al-Baqarah 2:34)
Allah also says: "(Allâh) said: "What prevented you (O Iblîs) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblîs said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." (Al-A'raf 7:12)
Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Al-Qayim said: "Not fulfilling an order is more serious in the sight of Allah than committing what is forbidden, in many aspects:
Firstly, what Sahl Ibn Abdullah stated about Adam and the enemy of Allah Iblees (Satan), referring to the saying "Not fulfilling an order is more serious in the sight of Allah than committing what is forbidden", because Allah forbade Adam not to eat from the tree, but he ate and Allah accepted his repentance. and Iblees was ordered to prostrate to Adam but refused and Allah cursed him."
Secondly, the cause of committing what is forbidden is in most cases desires and need, and the cause of not fulfilling an order is in most cases pride and self-esteem. A person who has an atom weight of pride will not enter paradise; on the contrary a person who dies believing in the Oneness of Allah will enter the paradise even if he had committed adultery, or fornication and theft.
We do not know that Iblees called to the worship of Allah, the Most- High, what we know is the contrary. He calls to disbelief in Allah and to His disobedience. When Iblees causes someone to become a Kafir or to disobey Allah in this world, or to fall in the fire on The Day of Judgement, he declares himself to be innocent from him.
Allah says: " (Their allies deceived them) like Shaitân (Satan), when he says to man: "Disbelieve in Allâh." But when (man) disbelieves in Allâh, Shaitân (Satan) says: "I am free of you, I fear Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)!" (Al-Hashr 59:16)
He further says: "And (remember) when Shaitân (Satan) made their (evil) deeds seem fair to them and said, "No one of mankind can overcome you this Day (of the battle of Badr) and verily, I am your neighbour (for each and every help)." But when the two forces came in sight of each other, he ran away and said "Verily, I have nothing to do with you. Verily! I see what you see not. Verily! I fear Allâh for Allâh is Severe in punishment." (Al-Anfal 8:48)
Allah also says: " And Shaitân (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allâh promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allâh (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." (Ibrahim 14:22)
Allah knows best.