7 Ways Satan Affects Human Beings According to the Qur'an

But of great importance is looking at the Qur'an, and trying to disciple what Allah says about the Shaytan, and how the Shaytan works. Because I tell you, each and every one of us, needs to know exactly the methods of the Shaytan, and the operations of the Shaytan, and the maneuvering of the Shaytan. No doubt this is of great importance. How are we expected to encounter the influence of this particular creation of God, if you are not equipped with the necessary tools and the knowledge given to us in the Qur'an and the Sunnah?

The Qur'an says, when it comes to the Shaytan, don't think that he is strong. No. The Shaytan's impact is weak. "Inna kaida Shaytani kana dhahifa" (4:76). Allah says: 'definitely, very surely, Shaytan is weak. It is the human being that develops that relationship and enables the devil to have the influence upon them. Yes. Number one.

Number two: the Qur'an says the Shaytan promises falsely, gives false advice. "Yahiduhu wa yumannihim. Wa ma yahiduhum ash-Shaytanu illa ghururah" (4:120). The Qur'an says: 'the constant promising of the Shaytan is full of deception, full of conceit'. Similarly, the Qur'an, what does it say? It says one of the tools of Shaytan is that, he places fear in the hearts of the human being. Shaytan promises you poverty, yes. One of the tools of Shaytan is that he wants to make you fear the future when it comes to deeds, when it comes to actions, specifically regarding wealth and spending of money is concerned.

Of the most important elements that the Qur'an speaks about with regards to the operation of the devil is that he has a tailor-made plan for every human being. Please pay attention to this. Allah Tabaraka wa Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an: Bismi-Llah, Al-Rahmani, Al-Rahim. "Ya ayyuha alladheena amanu, la tattabi'u khutuwat ash-Shaytan" (24:21). 'Oh you who believe. Don't follow the footsteps, or the plan of Shaytan'. "Wa man yattab'a khutuwat ash-Shaytan fa innahu yamuru bi 'l-fahsha'i wa al-munkar" (24:21). Whomsoever does so will be what? Ordaining and commanding falsehood and evil.

So it is not only that they will be following Shaytan, they will be agents of the devil. They will be agents of this evil creation of God. This Satan? Yes. Very importantly, this plan has two sides. There is a general plan and there is a private plan. Understand this and many things will become clearer. What do we mean?

The Shaytan wants to take you and I on a journey. This journey. The ultimate destination is Kufr, and the rejection of God, and polytheism. But this journey has a number of levels of association with Iblis himself. What do we mean? The Qur'an gives us this particular objective of the Shaytan. That's the beauty of the words of Allah, the mesmerizing words of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. Why? Because Allah says I haven't left you alone. I haven't abandoned you. Shaytan is weak. Sometimes we and I are weak. We succumb to the temptations of Shaytan. But Allah says I have given you the tools to defeat him. Understand it, then you will be successful.

How does the Shaytan get us closer to him? There are seven or eight degrees of association and level of membership with the Shaytan party. The first level of the association with Shaytan is known as wiswas: "alladhee waswisu fi 's-suduri 'n-nas" (114:5). This is what? Whispering. In Arabic wiswas means what? It means something that is done in private, very quietly, without necessarily anybody hearing it or anybody knowing that it is been uttered or mentioned. The Shaytan begins this.

Rasul Allah Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad], says that the Shaytan flows through the human being the same way as blood goes through their veins and the arteries. Yes. You don't feel it, you feel the circulation in our bodies. No. The Shaytan can penetrate. Yes, that is the first level. Yes. That is known as Whisas.

The second degree of the association with Shaytan, according to the Qur'an is Hamza or Hamaza. What is that? The Qur'an says when it comes to the Shaytan, he after the wiswas can penetrate a little bit deeper into our souls. And what? Has a bigger influence. After that acceptance of the human being, and the lack of the rejection of the whisperings, there is what is known as Nazgha. "Wa imma yanzaghannaka min ash-Shaytani nazghun, fa 'sta'idu bi Llah" (41:36). The previous verse is: "wa qulu Rabbi a'udhu bika min hamazat ash-Shayatin" (23:97). This is all from the Qur'an. Yes. What is this ghamza? This "yanzaghannaka" means now the Shaytan has been able to penetrate to a degree that the heart is encapsulated with Satanic thoughts, with Satanic desires and directions, after which the relationship goes on to the fourth level.

And that is Brotherhood or sisterhood, so to speak. The Qur'an says: "inna al-mubaddirina kanu ikhwana ash-Shayatin" (17:27), those who are spending their wealth in the wrong manner. That is what? Tabdhir. Because some people ask what is the difference in Qur'an between Tabdhir and Israf? There are two terms, those who know Arabic, we use them sometimes synonymously.

Whereas, ulama, some of them have suggested Tabdhir means when you use something in the disobedience of God: wealth, your eyes, your ear, your mouth, anything that Allah has given you, you utilize it for the wrong reasons. That's Tabdhir. Israf, is when you and I go excessively out of boundaries and waste what has been given to us, yes, we are overindulgent, so to speak. Sometimes I am hearing, once one of the scholars said, he met someone, we said to him, Mawlana Sayyidna, you know, I have 500 ties. 500 ties. What are you going to do with it? 500 ties. And just to be fair, yes, sometimes some of our sisters have hundreds of pairs of shoes.

The idea exists is sometimes we go way over what is normally acceptable. Yes, that is what? Israf. The Qur'an says "inna al-mubaddirina kanu ikhwana ash-Shayatin" (17:27). So they become the brothers of Shaytan. Once they become brothers, then they are on their way to become friends: awliya'u ash-Shaytan. Friends normally listen to each other. They advise each other, yes. They give each other pointers. Once, God-forbid, an individual has become a friend of the Shaytan, the Shaytan is able easily to misguide them. Yes, the Shaytan easily is there.

You know, sometimes when we have a problem, we have a challenge in life. Who is the first person that we call? Our friends because we know the friends are not necessarily going to judge us. They are going to help us. They are going to size with us. Similarly, when the Shaytan reaches that level of association with the human being, when there is that loyalty of friendship, then the first thought that comes to the human being when they are about to do something is Satanic. Because Shaytan has become their close, intimate buddy, their companion.

But this doesn't end there. The Shaytan then makes them part of his hizb. This "hizb ush-Shaytan" is mentioned in the Qur'an (58:19). That means their loyalty is so fierce and strong now that they are one of the party of Shaytan. The party means there is unwavering loyalty. The party means wherever it takes, I will do what the Shaytan commands me to do. Yes.

And the final and the most emphatic means of their relationship and the connection of this creation of God with the human beings is to worship the devil or to worship Shaytan. I tell you, how there, how many people worship him? Qur'an says many. Bismi-Llah, Al-Rahmani, Al-Rahim. "Alam a'had alaykum ya Bani Adama an la ta'budu ash-Shaytan. Innahum lakum a'duwwun mubin" (36:60). "Wa 'an ya'buduni! Hadha as-Sirat al-Mustaqim" (36:61) [Did I not charge you, O children of Adam ! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy - And that you should serve Me; this is the right way]. Surah Ya Sin! We recite it many times!

Allah says, 'did I not tell you and took a covenant and an oath from you? Don't worship the Shaytan, yes. The human being reaches that level. Of what? Of being the worshippers of the Shaytan. Meaning, they do whatever it takes to please the Shaytan and they are totally in the hands of the evil whisperings and the temptations of Shaytan.