Do You Know The Strategies Of The Shaytan?

'A'udhu billahi min al-shaytan al-rajim Al-La'een. Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim. Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen. Wa afdhal as-salati wa atam at-taslim alaa sayyidina Muhammad wa 'ala Ahli Bayti at-tayyibin at-tahirin. Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad. Welcome, my dear brothers and sisters, to our eighth session of Reflecting Together and the Holy Qur'an. And InshaAllah, we will begin today's verse with a loud salawat 'ala Muhammadin wa ali Muhammad. [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad, wa aali Muhammad]. Today, my dear brothers and sisters, we will be talking about the Shaytan's moves.

The reason why we need to explore that is because we are at a battle with the Shaytan. The Shaytan is, has got a plan. He's got a strategy. And that strategy is very well known. But unfortunately, we haven't explored that strategy. What is really, really interesting, my dear brother and sisters. And I guess this is the holy month where, you know, we get to find out these particular things. Is that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has given us in the Holy Qur'an, He has given us the Shaytan's strategy. Its spelt out very, very clearly in the Holy Qur'an.

And, you know, when you're in a battle, in a war with the other side, you don't really know their strategy. You don't know what the opposition are going to do, how they're going to hurt you, how they're going to make sure that you lose this particular battle. But for us, as momineen, the believers of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, believe that the Shaytan does exist and he is there to make sure that we divert from from the path of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

He has given us this particular strategy. And he said, look, I know we are at battle, but I'm going to tell you all my moves, OK? Try to stop me. But unfortunately, we haven't comprehended on that. So InshaAllah, today we will explore the Shaytan's moves. So it is highlighted in this particular verse, chapter seven (Al-Ar'af) verse 17, where before this verse, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, shows us in the Holy Qur'an the the conversation that happened between the Shaytan and Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. And Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala tells Shaytan because he said, because of your arrogance, I'm going to I'm going to punish you.

And the Shaytan said, well, let me live, in the life, in the world. Right ? So I can take as many as I can with me to hellfire. And so therefore, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala said, OK, go and do that. And so He gave him that particular permission so that he can make sure that he takes people into the opposite path of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. But then he said, OK, so what I am going to do is, I'm not going to make sure, I'm going to make sure they do not go in the right path, that is the verse 16, so verse before this particular verse.

Then he said, how am I going to do this? He's revealed the strategy. He said: "thumma la atiyannahum mim bayni aideehim, wa min khalfihim, wa 'an aimaanihim wa 'an shamaaa'ilihim" (7:17). So he said, "I'm going to come from the front and I'm going to go from the back and I'm going to come from the right and I'm going to come from the left " right? And my aim is what ? My aim is to stop them becoming grateful to You, God.

"I am going to make sure that they do not become grateful to you, right ? It is a lesson of, you know, a lesson for us that we really need to be one of those shakirin, these people who, are always, show gratitude to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. So let us explore these particular moves of the Shaytan a bit more InshaAllah. So, so this is the strategy, my dear brothers and sisters.

The first one it is says, "thumma la atiyannahum mim bayni aideehim". Mim bayni aideehim is like these, you know, the two hands, right? We've got ayadi. Right. These yad and yad. These make aideehim, right ? And so this is the front, isn't it? This is the front where Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is saying he you know, the Shaytan is going to come from the front. The Shaytan has said that this is what I'm going to do. I am going to come right from the front. And what does that mean? He says he is going to attack from the front, which is the most straightforward way.

And the and the narrations say that, you know, he will make the hereafter quite insignificant for us, you know, when we when we want to commit a sin, right. We you know, it is a deterrent, isn't it, that we think of hellfire and things like that. But he will make it very insignificant. So I will go and do that particular sin that I am going to do or even you know, it does not really need to be a sin. It is just, you know, wasting time or or procrastinating or whatever. But I do not really find it significant that I have got to work really hard, right? To give myself lots of hasanaat, to give myself lots of reward so that I can enter Jannah. But no, I am not going to do that. What about helping in the community? People are in need.

When you say, look, help out in the community, we really need you and your reward is Jannah, InshaAllah. But the Shaytan will say, oh no, you are too busy. Come on, let us watch this Netflix stuff. Come on, let us go out with friends. Let us do all these things, not help in the community, for example. And then you think he makes hereafter insignificant. Oh, who said there is going to be a hereafter? Always going to be a long time until you die. He said there is in fact any death, right. That that death that you know after which you will, you will enter hellfire and then you will be punished or rewarded.

Who said that is going to be the case? Or you might forget that. He wants you to forget the concept, the phenomena of death and says all that is going to be a long time. You are still young. That death is not going to come to you. All of these particular thoughts that come into your head are from, of course, the Shaytan.

So he will come right from the front that is mim baini aideehim and then wa min khalfihim and then he comes from the khalf. Khalf is from the back. Is what we are not noticing, right. We are not cognizant. We are not noticing. He comes from the back. And what the narration say is that. He will make us, the Shaytan will make us accumulate wealth, right. And will make us fear that if we do not continuously work hard for this Dunya, for this world, we might become poor. And if we become poor, then we cannot give money to our children.

So therefore, I have got to work harder and I have got to work harder. I am going to work hard. And this is really interesting, my dear brothers, sisters, do not you think? Because sometimes, you know, we we have got to we do not have a stop in terms of our work for this dunya. Look, what we are saying is we are not saying you should not work. Of course you should work. Of course, you have got a responsibility for your family.

If you are the the husband here and you have got responsibility for your family, if you are the wife, you might be also working. And if you are not married, maybe the future, you might also work. But what is important is we are not saying do not work, but do not work too much so that you reach a stage, right, where you continuously want money. You know, there are individuals who are very wealthy in the community, but they hardly give anything to the poor.

Right. Because the money that they have is so precious for them is extremely precious that they cannot even give a few pounds to the poor or to help the community grow. There are so many projects that we need, you know, mental health projects, for example, or building community centers for the youth, et cetera. But they won't give because that is very, very you know, it is very important for them this this particular money and wealth. So therefore, they say, oh, I do not want to lose my money.

I do not want I want to make sure I get a lot of wealth so that I can I can I am going to give my family. But you have got you have got enough to feed your family, but try to share with others. And also importantly, is try to make sure that this does not overwhelm your life. Work, make sure it does not overwhelm your life. But the Shaytan comes and say it is no work more. There is an opportunity here. You can do this nightshifts.

You can do that particular work. We can do this. You can buy shares, you can do all that. So you can get more and more and more and more money. Right. So then you get occupied with money and your your focus will be money, right. So that you can make sure that you get more money, you can do more things, you can give more to your children, etcetera, etcetera. Right. So you occupy comes you from the back without you noticing.

And sometimes when you think you told, OK, guys, listen, you there is the Shaytan here. He is saying get more money and things. You know, that is me. But the Shaytan comes as a form of a thought, right. He whispers in your ear. He is a form of a thought, says, well, what about this? Make sure you get this higher raise. And if you do not get the raise or know, why did not you get this raise?Try again.

Continuously, you know, making sure that you get you get more from this dunya. Of course, I am not saying that you should not work. We all should work. Please try to understand what I am trying to say, but do not overdo it. You know, life is not just about work. Life is about giving. Life is about caring. Life is about loving. Right. So it is not just about work. And I guess the pandemic has helped this to some extent, that some people have now got a bit more time with their family thinking less about their work, you know, less trouble, etc. They finish on time, maybe, perhaps for some people. So so, the pandemic maybe is a blessing from Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, although, of course, a lot of people have also lost their lives.

Number three, he says, so we have said: bayni aideehim, wa min khalfihim, wa 'an aimaanihim. So they, so Shaytan comes from the right. He attacks you from the right. And when he, when he attacks you from the right. This is this is, the direction of true understanding of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. You know, you say that you should be the people of the right. You know, ashaab ul-yameen, right. The people of the right. And this is really interesting, my dear brothers, sisters, what he will do, he will come and corrupt you through your religion. He will come and make doubts on you through confusion and doubt, through the religion of Islam and specifically through Shiism. And unfortunately, there are individuals out there, whose, Shaytan has skewed their minds and they are speakers, perhaps or the so-called scholars, right. Who come and they will make sure that they will skew your views of Islam, right.

They are outliers out there. So we have got to make sure that we know who to listen to in terms of speakers. We know who to read which books we should really read. Right. They are the approved scholars. We've got the approved maraja that we should always go back to, etc. And they are approved scholars but there are individuals out there who are not so-called approve.

And so they are not, people of, people who are bringing a skewed version of our religion. And unfortunately, people are listening to them and people like to hear something new. And so therefore, you know, it is you know, they want to go against the status quo, whatever, and all these things. So therefore, there are people who will try to skew the religion and unfortunately, if we dig deeper, even in our circles, there are certain Hadith, there are certain things that is not really authentic.

So people need to really be vigilant that this is, they investigate these particular hadith. They make sure they know this makes rational sense. Does it really go with with my intellect? And so if I was to take it. But so the Shaytan comes and whispers and does things to add to the human being so that he creates this confusion within your own religion, which is the right. He comes from the right. And finally he comes from the left, "wa 'an shamaaa'ilihim."He comes from the left.

So he will attack in the form of and the direction of sinning. You know, we do not want to be, becoming the people of the left. You know, that is you know, we do not want to become the people of the left. And so he will make lust and desires overcome your judgments. When I am sitting down watching Netflix, if there was an indecent image, I will continue watching that. Right. Because the Shaytan has whispered and said, come on, you know, it is OK, you know, and then they becomes an indecent image online, etc.

OK, you are alone. It is OK. So he will make my sort of judgments skewed and will cloud my judgments and so that, you know, so that I can sin. And this is his goal so I can continuously sinning. And what about also, you know, about backbiting and about lying and about all these particular things that the Shaytan will come and say, oh, come on, it is nice gossip. Say this about this person. Say this about this person. He is coming from the left, right. So, so, so then I will say it just so that, you know, he has clouded my judgment and I will say it. And of course I will commit a sin.

So these are the strategies of the the Shaytan, my dear brothers and sisters. And the end goal, the Shaytan says, so that I can stop them from being grateful. So therefore, if we stop the Shaytan from attacking us from the fronts, remember, bayni aideehim, you know, make sure that the judgment is, the judgment is, not significant from us, from our back.

You know, when he makes us collect wealth, wealth so we forget those who are in need and and occupies us in wealth from the people of the right. You know, he comes to us from the right. Skews our religion and then people, and then he comes from the left where he tries to make us cloud our judgment so that we can sin.

If we stop all these from the strategies of the, we stop the Shaytan from from from, attacking us from all these directions, we can be grateful to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. And in fact, being grateful to Allah will stop the Shaytan from attacking us from these particular.