By:
Hojjat
al-Islam
Mahdi Hadavi
Tehrani
Satan’s
Influence
Question:
How does
Satan influence
our
thoughts?
Brief
Answer
Before
we can
investigate
the
influence
of Satan on
our
thoughts,
we must
gain an
understanding
of who
Satan is.
Lexicographers
differ
over the
linguistic
root of
the word shaytan
(satan).
The
strongest
opinion
states
that it
comes from
“shatana”
meaning
“to be
far.” As
it is
known, shaytan
in
‘Arabic,
is a
common
noun, and
can
therefore
be applied
to any of
a number
of beings.
However,
the
archetypical
satan—the
leader of
them
all—is
known in
Arabic as Iblis.[168]
Satan is
a member
of the
class of
beings
called
jinn. Like
all jinn,
he can
transform
himself
into
various
forms,
sometimes
appearing
as a man,
sometimes
as an
animal.
The only
limitation
placed on
him is
that he
cannot
manifest
himself as
a prophet
or Imam.
It is
mainly
through
these
transformations
that Satan
misguides
people. At
watershed
moments in
a
person’s
life, he
appears as
a
well-wishing
advisor
and lays
the
groundwork
for his
destruction.
Salman
al-Farisi
narrates
that Imam
‘Ali (ع)
said,
“The old
man who
was the
first to
pledge his
allegiance
to Abu
Bakr and
whose
forehead
was
calloused
from
extensive
prostrations,
was the
accursed
Satan.”
However,
Satan does
not always
employ
this
method. He
exists in
an
intermediate
state
between
the
material
and the
immaterial
realms.
For this
reason, he
cannot
directly
affect the
immaterial
spirit of
the human
being.
Rather, he
infiltrates
a
person’s
thoughts
by means
of one
aspect of
the human
soul
called al-nafs
al-ammarah
(the lower
soul).
This is
the
animalistic
aspect of
the soul,
that can
be
transformed
into al-nafs
al-mutma’innah
(the
higher
soul)
through
training
and
enhancement.
It is
through
temptation
and by
showing
the lower
soul
manifestations
of what it
desires
that Satan
paves the
way to
misguide
man. For
this
reason,
Satan is
only a
part of
the cause
of human
misguidance.
These
manifestations
take on
different
forms, yet
they all
conform to
what the
lower soul
desires:
1.
The
beautification
of ugly
deeds: By
making
ugly
actions
appear
beautiful,
Satan effectively
strips the
otherwise
inherent
ugliness
of sin and
mitigates
the
societal
taboo
associated
with sin
in such a
way that
man easily
falls into
the trap
of sin.
This
phenomenon
can be
witnessed
in a
person who
rationalizes
his wrong
actions.
2.
False
promises:
Through
false
promises
and
unattainable
hopes,
Satan renders
man
heedless
of the
Hereafter,
death, and
even Allah (awj).
Such a
person
becomes a
slave to
his
desires
and is
prepared
to go to
any
lengths to
attain the
attainable,
even if it
means
sinning
against
Allah (awj).
3.
Fear:
Satan scares
man with
thoughts
of the
future,
compelling
him to
accumulate
wealth,
flee from jihad,
aid the
unjust,
etc.
Detailed
Answer
To
properly
understand
the answer
to this
question,
we must
first gain
an
understanding
of the
nature of
Satan.
Lexicographers
differ
over the
linguistic
root of
the word
“satan.”
The
strongest
opinion
states
that it
comes from
“shatana”
meaning
“to be
far.” It
is for
this
reason
that
anyone
that
distances
man from
his Lord
is called
a “satan.”
Many
exegetes
of the
Qur`an
believe
that a
“satan”
is any
mischievous
being that
has been
misguided.
According
to this
opinion,
“satan”
is a
common
noun that
can be
applied to
any of a
number of
members,
whether
jinn or
human.
However, Iblis
is a
proper
name for
the
particular
satan who
refused to
prostrate
before
Adam.[169]
The
Qur`an
explicitly
states
that Satan is
a jinn[170]
and is
made of
fire. The
jinn are
in an
intermediate
state
between
physical
and
immaterial
and can
manifest
themselves
as various
physical
beings.
Human
beings, on
the other
hand, are
composed
of a body
and soul.
Man’s
soul in
turn has
two
aspects.
One aspect
is Godly
in nature.
It is
alternatively
called the
spirit (al-ruh)
and the
higher
soul (al-nafs
al-mutma’innah).
The other
aspect of
the human
soul is
animalistic
in nature
and is
called the
lower soul
(al-nafs
al-ammarah).
To gain
control
over man,
Satan must
access
this lower
soul.
Being
immaterial
himself,
he cannot
establish
direct
contact
with
man’s
physical
body. It
is this
connection
between
Satan and
the lower
soul of
man that
is called
a
“whispered
temptation”
(al-waswas)
in
Qur`anic
terminology.
Therefore,
Satan is
only a
part of
the cause
and cannot
misguide
man by
himself.
Rather he
invites
man to
that which
his lower
soul
desires.
Man can
then
choose to
follow
Satan’s
temptations
or the
laws of
Allah (awj)
and the
standards
of his
intellect.
It is for
this
reason
that Allah
(awj)
admonishes
man in the
following
way:
“Do
not follow
in
Satan’s
footsteps,
for he is
your
manifest
enemy.”[171]
How
exactly
does Satan incite
a
person’s
irrational
desires to
push him
towards
sin? We
will
enumerate
several of
the
techniques
that Satan
employs
for this
purpose:
1.
As stated
earlier,
Satan,
being a
jinn, is
able to
manifest
himself in
different
physical
forms. At
various
critical
points, he
presents
himself as
a
well-wishing
advisor
for the
express
purpose of
misguiding
people.
There is
ample
mention of
such
instances
in
history,
and it is
even
possible
that such
instances
have
presented
themselves
in our own
lives.
For
example,
it is
narrated
from
Salman al-Farisi
concerning
the
incident
of Saqifah:
Imam
‘Ali b.
Abi Talib (ع)
asked,
“Do you
know the
man who
ascended
the pulpit
and
preceded
everyone
else in
pledging
his
allegiance
to Abu
Bakr?” I
said,
“No. But
I saw that
he was an
old man
who leaned
heavily on
his cane,
and I saw
that on
his
forehead
was a
large
callous
that was
the result
of lengthy
prostrations.
He was the
first to
ascend the
pulpit. He
expressed
with tears
running
down his
cheeks,
‘Praise
be to the
Allah that
did not
take my
life so
that I
could see
you here.
Extend
your hand
that I may
pledge
allegiance
to you.’
He
extended
his hand
and
pledged
allegiance,
then he
came down
from the
pulpit and
left the
masjid.”
Imam
‘Ali b.
Abi Talib
(ع)
asked,
“Salman,
do you
know who
that
was?” I
said,
“No, but
he upset
me. It
seemed as
though he
spoke
facetiously
of the
Prophet’s
death.”
Imam
‘Ali b.
Abi Talib
(ع)
said,
“That
was
Satan—may
Allah
curse
him.”[172]
2.
The
beautification
of ugly
deeds:
Satan makes
ugly deeds
seem
beautiful
so that
people
begin to
gravitate
toward
them. This
phenomenon
is
referred
to in the
Qur`an as
“the
confounding
of truth
and
falsehood.”[173]
Beautifying
ugly deeds
is a
relatively
easy task
that
conforms
to base
human
desires.
It is for
this
reason
that the
following
verse was
revealed:
“Satan
made their
actions
seem
beautiful
to them,
and then
diverted
them from
Allah’s
path.”[174]
3.
False
promises:
By making
false
promises
and
encouraging
one’s
farfetched
hopes,
Satan keeps
a
person’s
mind
engaged in
thoughts
that are
far from
reality.
As a
result,
the person
remains
heedless
of Allah (awj).
The
following
verse
mentions
this
phenomenon:
“Satan
promises
them and
compels
them to
entertain
farfetched
hopes.”[175]
4.
Fear:
Another of
Satan’s
tricks is
to
frighten
people
about the
future.
Such fear
results in
hopelessness,
cynicism
in Allah (awj),
a lack of
trust in
Allah (awj),
and
finally
complete
abstention
from any
benevolent
actions.
For
instance,
Satan
frightens
people of
poverty to
such an
extent
that they
are driven
to
miserliness,
as the
Quran
states:
“Satan
threatens
you with
poverty
and
enjoins
you toward
sin.”[176]
Notes:
[168]
Iblis
will be
denoted as
Satan with
a capital
‘s.’
When satan
as a
common
noun is
intended,
it will be
spelled
with a
lower case
‘s.’
[169]
Surat
al-Baqarah
(2), Verse
34:
[170]
Surat
al-Kahf
(18),
Verse 50:
[171]
Surat
al-Baqarah
(2), Verse
208:
[172]
al-Kafi,
vol. 8,
pp.
343-344:
[173]
Surat
al-Baqarah
(2), Verse
42:
[174]
Surat
al-Nahl
(16),
Verse 63:
[175]
Surat
al-Nisa` (4),
Verse 120:
[176]
Surat
al-Baqarah
(2), Verse
268:
Power
of Satan
and Jinn
Question:
To what
extent do
Satan and
the other
jinn have
power over
human
beings?
Brief
Answer
The
words
“satan”
and
“jinn”
are
repeatedly
mentioned
in the
Qur`an.
There is
also a
chapter in
the Qur`an
named
“al-Jinn”.
“Satan”
is a
common
noun that
denotes
any
creature
that is
mischievous,
misleading,
and
delinquent,
whether it
be human
or not.
“Iblis”
is a
proper
noun and
is the
‘Arabic
name of
the
particular
satan who
deceived
Adam and
Eve (ع)
and even
now lays
in wait
for any
opportunity
to deceive
the sons
of Adam.
The
word
“jinn”
is
etymologically
derived
from a
word
meaning
“to
hide” or
“to be
hidden.”
It denotes
a creature
made of
fire that
possesses
both a
body
and a
soul. The
jinn are
held
legally
