Examples of the plots and cunning of the devil

8. Private conversation is from the devil. The private conversation that is from the devil is the one that involves conspiring against the truth or conspiring to harm a Muslim individual or to cast doubts in his heart. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Private conversation is only from Satan that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.} [Quran 58: 10] Qataadah said: “Hypocrites used to hold private conversations which made believers feel anxious so Allah The Almighty revealed this verse.”

There are several honorable Hadeeths that prohibit private conversation in situations that may cause doubts, undermine trust and instill fears. ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “If you were three, then two of you should not hold a private conversation in the presence of the third person, because that would cause him to be worried.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] It is indeed a noble manner and wise reservation to keep doubts away. However, if there is benefit in keeping a secret or concealing something whether in a private or public matter, then there is no harm in holding secret counsel or talks.

9. Inspiration of the devil to his allies from mankind. This inspiration is a kind of satanic whispering; in fact, it focuses on providing disbelievers with what they come to believe to be argument to make them stand firm on their misguidance. It is one of the most dangerous forms of the devilish insinuations and plots for it leads people to go against the commands and legislations of Allah The Almighty through allowing what Allah The Almighty has forbidden and forbidding what He The Almighty has allowed.

Amongst the examples of such Satanic inspirations what Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].} [Quran 6: 121] The devil inspired the polytheists to object to the prohibition of eating the flesh of dead animals, saying: O Muhammad, do you claim that what you and your companions killed, and what dogs and hawks killed is permissible to eat and what Allah The Almighty killed is impermissible! Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: Some people came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah! Do we eat from what we kill and do not eat from what Allah kills? So, Allah The Almighty revealed the following verse: {So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned.} [At-Tirmithi]

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the argument of the devil and his party is nothing but an attempt to confound the truth, for every killed or dead animal has died according to the Decree of Allah The Almighty when its life came to an end, so describing one as being killed by Allah The Almighty or by anyone other than Him is certainly invalid.

10. Devils descend upon soothsayers and fortune-tellers. There is agreement between the devils and the soothsayers. This agreement requires that devils provide soothsayers with the news they stole and then the soothsayers use this news in misleading and misguiding people by adding to the truthful story many lies and untruthful stories. Therefore, Allah The Almighty has warned against them, explained their reality, and pointed out that the stories they invent are from the devils not from the angels and that they are nothing but sinful liars who went too far in doing evil and transgression.

Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar.} [Quran 26: 221-222] Furthermore, it was narrated in a Saheeh Hadeeth that the Prophet was asked about soothsayers, and he said: “They are nothing.” They said: "O Messenger of Allah, they sometimes say things that come true.'' The Prophet said: That is a word of truth which the Jinn snatches, then he gabbles it like the clucking of a chicken into the ear of his ally (from mankind), but he mixes it with more than one hundred lies. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The verse has extended the explanation of the conditions of the soothsayers for they may confuse those who have feeble minds with some predictions of the future. Therefore, the verse explained that the utmost thing that the soothsayers can tell is only a few matters that may rarely be true. Also, their predictions cannot in any way be compared with the Hadeeth of the Prophet and the verses of the Noble Quran that tell about past and future matters, along with what they contain of noble manners, instructions, useful knowledge, eloquence, straightforwardness, and scientific and legislative miraculousness.

11. Casting doubts in the heart of the believer to undermine his belief. This is one of the top priorities of the devil in his mission of misguiding people for if he casts doubt on the religion and the belief of the believer. He will be able to destroy his faith and weaken his religion. Doubt destroys faith. Doubt is associated with disbelief while certitude is associated with faith. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not} [Quran 49: 15] Moreover, the Prophet has warned us against the devil for he comes to the believer to cast doubt in his heart about the origin of the existence. Aa‘ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet said: “The devil comes to one of you and says, ‘Who created you?’ And he says ‘Allah The Almighty .’ Then the devil says, ‘Who created Allah?’ If that happens to any one of you, let him say, ‘Aamantu Billaahi wa Rusoolih (I believe in Allah and His Messenger). Then that will go away from him.’”
Al-Munaawi said in Faydh Al-Qadeer:

This means that I disobey the arrogant enemy of Allah The Almighty and believe in Allah The Almighty and in what His Messenger came with (Then that will go away from him.) He guided to giving up such evil thoughts in such situations. For there are some doubts that can be expelled by giving up thinking about them while some others can be expelled by rooting them out and that requires proofs and pondering over evidences along with supporting the truth with knowledge. Satanic insinuations do not establish evil suggestions firmly so he refers them to giving up thinking about them.

Furthermore, Al-Ghazaali said:

Amongst the plots of the devil is to drive the lay person and those who do not have deep knowledge to think about the Essence of Allah The Almighty and His Attributes, matters which are beyond his comprehension, until he casts doubts on his religion and makes him imagine something about Allah The Almighty that does not befit His majesty in any way. So such thing may make him a disbeliever or innovator while he is happy with what is being cast in his heart, believing that it is true knowledge and rightful insight and that he knows such things by the virtue of his acute intelligence. The most foolish person is the one who trusts most in the acuteness of his intelligence while the most intelligent person is the one who doubts himself most and who is the keenest on seeking knowledge from scholars. The Prophet did not order him to search and think to get rid of such satanic insinuations for such insinuations come only to the lay person not scholars. Lay persons should believe, submit, busy themselves in worship and earning livelihood and leave knowledge to scholars.

12. Extravagance and wastefulness. The devil calls for both ways for they will be either spending in corruption or spending inappropriately in vain things and desires. Both of them will stand in the way of spending on good and appropriate things. In fact, all such things please the devil. There is no wonder then to know that the spendthrifts are soldiers and brothers of the devils. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.} [Quran 17: 27]
‘Brothers of the devils’ means that they are the followers and supporters of the devils in much the same way as one supports his brother.

Such are some of the strategies that the devil uses in misleading and corrupting people and preventing them from worshiping their Lord. In spite of these clear explanations and warnings, most people follow him. That is because the path to Allah The Almighty is surrounded by adversities while the way of the devil is surrounded by desires and passions. Souls usually love and seek the desires of the present life – even if their consequences are pain and grief – more than enduring hardships with patience although they lead to Paradise. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But you prefer the worldly life, While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.} [Quran 87: 16-17] The Prophet also said: “Paradise is surrounded by hardships and Hellfire is surrounded by temptations.” [Muslim]

Therefore, the Muslim individual should be keen on seeking refuge with Allah The Almighty from the evil of the devil and his enticement (of Shirk). He should also be aware of the different forms of the cunning and plots of the devil in order to keep himself safe from them, and to sanctify his soul from its love for desires, for desires are indeed the harbinger of sins and misdeeds.