Question: What should we do, and what should we avoid, to protect ourselves from falling into Satan’s traps, such as considering ourselves followers of the truth while living in falsehood, or believing ourselves to be humble while being consumed by arrogance?
Answer: Satan’s principal aim, as he sees it, is to lead people astray from the path of truth. To achieve this, he employs many different methods and means, resorting to all kinds of tricks and schemes. Before explaining the subject, however, one important point must be emphasized: Satan must not be credited with any real power to create evil, for he possesses no independent creative power of his own. Indeed, when describing Satan’s role in the commission of evil, the Qur’an characterizes him as musawwil and muzayyin—one who makes evil deeds appear good and presents wrongdoing in an attractive light—as we will explain below.
Satan’s Taswīl and Tazyīn: Making Evil Appear Good and Deceiving People
When speaking of those who turn back after the truth has become perfectly clear to them, the Qur’an states:
الشَّيْطَانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَىٰ لَهُمْ
“Satan made their deeds appear attractive to them and encouraged them to indulge in endless worldly hopes and expectations.” [1]
Another verse states that Satan makes people's evil deeds appear attractive to them:
وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ
“Satan made their deeds appear attractive to them and thus turned them away from the right path.” [2]
As these verses show, Satan does not create evil or compel people to commit it. Rather, he makes evil appear attractive by dressing it up, presenting it in a misleading light through distorted thoughts, and exploiting people's imagined fears, hopes, and expectations to encourage them toward wrongdoing.
The Qur’an also makes the limits of Satan’s influence over human beings perfectly clear through Satan’s own words. On the Day of Judgment, he will explain these limits to those who followed him:
وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ
“I had no power to compel you. I merely called you, and you responded to my call. So do not blame me; blame yourselves.” [3]
Thus, Satan whispers suggestions to people, makes evil appear attractive, and encourages them toward wrongdoing, but he cannot deprive them of their free will or force them to sin. It is human beings themselves who choose evil and respond to Satan’s invitation. Indeed, Almighty God makes His judgment on this matter equally clear:
“In fact, Satan had no authority or compelling power over them…” [4]
The Qur’an draws attention to our human weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the following verse:
“The love of women, sons, accumulated treasures of gold and silver, fine horses, livestock, and cultivated lands has been made attractive to people.” [5]
Satan knows very well how to exploit these vulnerabilities within human nature. At times, he seeks to influence people through sensual desires; at other times, through their love for their children, their greed for wealth, or their desire for position, fame, and a comfortable life. Of course, these weaknesses are not present to the same degree in everyone. Satan watches for the particular area in which a person is vulnerable and attempts to deceive them through that weakness.
Satan’s Points of Entry
Satan’s struggle against humanity began at the very beginning of human history, with Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). The Qur’an describes this as follows:
“Satan whispered to him, saying, ‘O Adam! Shall I show you the tree of eternity and a kingdom that will never perish?’” [6]
Indeed, Satan exploited certain inclinations within Adam’s innate nature, whispered suggestions to him, and led him toward the forbidden tree. To illustrate this with an analogy involving the breaking of a fast, Adam did not wait until the proper time to break his fast. He misjudged the setting of the sun and reached for what had been forbidden before the appointed time had arrived.
Undoubtedly, Prophet Adam has no need for us to defend or vindicate him, for he is Safiyyullah, the one chosen and purified by God. Nevertheless, when speaking about a Prophet, we must always observe the utmost reverence and restraint. For this reason, it seems more appropriate to regard this lapse (zalla) within the framework of an error in judgment (ijtihād).
Feelings such as sensual desire, greed, anger, resentment, arrogance, and stubbornness are all part of human nature. These human inclinations, which were present in Adam’s nature, continued to exist among his descendants. Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) kept them under control through faith, willpower, and the discipline of servanthood to God. He mastered his lower self and attained the lofty spiritual station befitting Safiyyullah.
In the terminology of Sufism, he transformed his nafs al-ammāra (the self that commands evil) into the nafs al-lawwāma (the self-reproaching soul) and the nafs al-muṭmaʾinna (the soul at peace). From there, he advanced to the stations of nafs al-rāḍiya (the soul content with God) and nafs al-marḍiyya (the soul pleasing to God), before transcending these stages and rising to the spiritual horizons of nafs al-ṣāfiya and nafs al-zākiya (the purified and spiritually refined soul).
However, not all his descendants have demonstrated the same strength of will and spiritual sensitivity. Satan knows these human weaknesses very well and does not approach everyone through the same door. In some people, he arouses sensual desires; in others, greed or anger; and in still others, arrogance, pride, self-admiration, or the desire for status. Wherever he detects a weakness, he concentrates his efforts on exploiting it.
The Trap of Arrogance, Pride, and Self-Admiration
Arrogance (kibr), pride (ghurūr), and self-admiration (ʿujb) are among the major weaknesses Satan exploits to gain influence over people. By stirring up these feelings, he deceives them and distances them from God.
A person overcome by arrogance begins to regard themselves as superior to others. A person consumed by pride imagines that they are their own master and attributes their admirable qualities and achievements to themselves. Someone afflicted with self-admiration, meanwhile, becomes fascinated with themselves, takes pride in their accomplishments, and seeks every opportunity to speak about their merits.
Sometimes, rather than doing this openly, such a person conceals it behind a display of humility. Yet this is nothing more than arrogance and pride in disguise. They subtly promote themselves, use expressions such as “Astaghfirullah” (“I seek God’s forgiveness”) as a calculated means of eliciting praise, and make remarks calculated to elicit admiration and compliments from others. In this way, without even realizing it, they deceive both themselves and those around them.
For this reason, arrogance and pride concealed beneath a veil of humility may be even more dangerous than openly displayed pride, such as that of Korah (Qārūn), who declared:
إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي
“I have been given this wealth only because of the knowledge I possess.” [7]
Such a pitiable person, crushed beneath the weight of their arrogance and pride and brought under Satan’s influence, attempts to draw attention to themselves even while explaining the truth. Outwardly, they may appear to be interpreting the Qur’an, explaining the hadiths, or discussing religious matters. Yet if you listen carefully, you will notice that, between the lines, they are constantly promoting themselves. Through their eloquent and literary expressions and the depth of knowledge they display, they are actually seeking to emphasize their own superiority.
Over time, people who act under such Satanic impulses become unable to see anyone but themselves. First, they develop a sense of superiority over their peers. Then they begin to belittle the great spiritual figures of the past. If this feeling is not brought under control, it gradually grows and may lead a person to compare themselves with the Prophets, or even to far worse extremes.
Indeed, throughout history, many people who claimed prophethood falsely, presented themselves as the Mahdi or Messiah, or became tyrants and dictators who regarded themselves as above every standard have fallen prey to such unhealthy states of mind. Some have even embraced ideas such as ḥulūl (divine indwelling) and ittiḥād (union with the Divine), ultimately going so far as to claim divinity for themselves.
Once Satan gains entry into a person's inner world through the opening created by arrogance and pride, there is no telling how far he may lead that person unless they exercise their willpower to stop him.
If a person is not prepared to guard against such dangers, and if even a small desire for status, fame, recognition, or self-expression remains within them, they may quickly become eager to establish a group of their own as soon as they find a handful of people who show them attention and admiration.
Moreover, if they are surrounded by flatterers who exaggerate their qualities and achievements and constantly shower them with praise, the situation becomes even more dangerous. If the person considers themselves capable of doing the work of two people, these flatterers portray them as capable of doing the work of ten. Before long, they begin claiming that the person can accomplish the work of a hundred, and eventually a thousand.
Gradually, the person begins to listen to these compliments, keeps those who praise them close, and becomes unwilling to lose their admiration and attention.
In this way, a vicious cycle of mutual deception develops: The flatterers inflate the person's sense of importance through their praise, while that person, in turn, encourages them with compliments and favorable attention. Eventually, both sides begin to perceive and portray each other as something other than what they truly are.
As this mutual flattery continues, egos swell, proper standards are lost, and people become incapable of assessing themselves realistically. Just as a balloon inflated beyond its capacity will eventually burst, a person whose arrogance and pride are continually encouraged will inevitably experience a spiritual downfall.
Satan’s Deception of Making Falsehood Appear to Be Truth
Sometimes Satan dresses up evil so attractively that people immersed in rebellion and transgression imagine themselves to be following the right path. Over time, they begin to mistake truth for falsehood and falsehood for truth, right for wrong and wrong for right.
For example, an oppressor who has inflicted severe suffering on thousands of people may believe that they are establishing justice on earth. A tyrant who commits grave injustices against their own citizens may claim to be defending people's rightful claims. Another person may commit numerous harmful acts under the mistaken belief that they are serving the public good.
Those who spend day and night plotting schemes and conspiracies may speak of their good intentions, while those who disrupt social order and disturb people's peace may claim to be working for reform.
Such people, who speak constantly of truth, rights, justice, and freedom while committing all kinds of oppression, fall into the same terrible error as institutions of the Inquisition that persecuted people in the name of protecting religion, accused them of heresy, excommunicated them, and even condemned them to torture and death.
While imagining themselves to be serving the truth, they are actually immersed in falsehood up to their necks, without even realizing it.
The Qur’an draws attention to this kind of deception:
الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا
“Those whose efforts in the life of this world have gone to waste, while they imagine that they are doing good deeds…” [8]
According to a narration, when the news of the martyrdom of Caliph Uthman (may God be pleased with him) reached Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, he recited this verse concerning the bloodthirsty people who had killed Uthman, thereby drawing attention to the gravity of their crime.
Indeed, one of the greatest forms of self-deception is for a person to imagine that they are serving the truth while pursuing falsehood, or doing something good while actually committing evil.
It is not easy for such unfortunate people, whose standards have become distorted, who confuse good with evil, and who mistake their wrongdoing for virtuous conduct, to recognize their mistakes and turn away from them.
If a person commits an act while knowing it is wrong, however serious the mistake may be, they may one day feel remorse and abandon it. But if they have begun to regard what is wrong as right and what is evil as good, returning to the right path becomes much more difficult.
Such a person resembles someone who is ill but believes themselves to be healthy. As long as people refuse to acknowledge their illness, they will neither feel the need for treatment nor seek a cure.
Satan’s Most Subtle Trick
While Satan constantly strives to lead people astray, he often causes them to forget his very existence or even to deny it altogether.
Someone who is aware of Satan’s tricks and traps remains constantly vigilant against him and seeks refuge in God from his evil through the prayers they recite throughout the day and night. God does not abandon those who place their trust in Him; He becomes their Guardian and Protector. Against a person whose Guardian is God, all Satan’s tricks and traps come to nothing.
However, someone who never takes Satan’s existence or hostility into account has already fallen victim to one of his major deceptions. Without realizing it, such a person becomes defenseless against Satan’s whisperings, suggestions, and traps.
Some people who deny the existence of Satan, just as they deny God, may eventually reach a point where everything associated with religion and faith disturbs them. Efforts made in the service of faith and the Qur’an may virtually drive them into a frenzy, and they may harbor deep resentment and hostility toward those engaged in such efforts.
If they believe that these efforts will bear fruit in the future, reach large numbers of people, and make significant contributions to humanity in terms of goodness and virtue, they may form alliances and launch a relentless campaign against them.
For example, during Bediüzzaman’s lifetime, there were many prominent religious scholars and Sufi masters. Nevertheless, the oppressors who had learned their lessons from Satan chose to target Bediüzzaman, who at that time had only a handful of students around him, and denied him peace throughout his life.
The oppressors did not target Bediüzzaman because they possessed extraordinary powers of spiritual insight or discernment. Their strong instincts and intuitions may, admittedly, have enabled them to recognize, to some extent, his potential for the future. However, we must not overlook the influence of Satan’s suggestions and whisperings on their actions.
Satan directed their attention away from others and concentrated it particularly on Bediüzzaman and his work in the service of faith. He whispered into their ears that Bediüzzaman’s cause would become a serious threat and danger to them.
The Qur’an portrays this kind of whispering in the following verse:
“The devils whisper suggestions to their allies so that they may argue and struggle against you.” [9]
The primary way to protect ourselves from the tricks of Satan described above is never to lose our consciousness of servanthood to God, to maintain a strong relationship with Him, and thereby to remain firmly grounded.
Indeed, even during the Ascension (Miʿrāj), when Muhammad, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), rose to the heavens and reached stations inaccessible to any other human being or even an angel, he was described as “God’s servant” in the divine declaration:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ
“Glory be to Him Who took His servant on a journey by night…” [10]
This shows that there is no higher honor or spiritual rank than servanthood to God.
Therefore, people should never attribute the admirable qualities and achievements they have been blessed with to themselves or regard themselves as the source of divine favors. They should never forget that all worldly blessings are temporary and will eventually pass away.
No matter how great the services they accomplish, they should not take personal credit for them or take pride in them.
True greatness does not lie in the titles and ranks people assign to themselves, but in deepening their servanthood to God and becoming as nothing before Him.
References
[1] Qur’an, Surah Muhammad, 47:25.
[2] Qur’an, Surah al-Naml, 27:24.
[3] Qur’an, Surah Ibrahim, 14:22.
[4] Qur’an, Surah Saba, 34:21.
[5] Qur’an, Surah Al Imran, 3:14.
[6] Qur’an, Surah Ta-Ha, 20:120.
[7] Qur’an, Surah al-Qasas, 28:78.
[8] Qur’an, Surah al-Kahf, 18:104.
[9] Qur’an, Surah al-An'am, 6:121.
[10] Qur’an, Surah al-Isra, 17:1.