The Traps of Iblees

 

The Traps of Iblees

by Ibn al-Qayyim

from At-Tafseer Al-Qayyim of Shaikh Ibn
Al-Qayyim [Al-Hijra magazine]

---

It is not possible to encompass one of
Iblees' evils, let alone all of them. Since Iblees' evil is of six types,
Iblees remains behind the son of Adam until he gets him to do one or more
of these six evils. 

 

THE FIRST EVIL IS THE EVIL OF KUFR AND
SHIRK and enmity to Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam).
If he gains this from the son of Adam, his moaning is eased, and he rests
from his ordeal with this man. Further, this is the first thing Iblees
wants from al-'Abd (the worshipper). If Iblees gains this, he makes this
person part of his army, one of his soldiers, and he appoints him as a
deputy or agent against other human beings. Then, this person becomes one
of the deputies or callers of Iblees. 

If he despairs of enticing him with the
first evil, and if this person is one of those for whom it was written
that he would be a Muslim in his mother's womb, Iblees tries the SECOND
CLASS OF EVIL. THIS IS BID'AH (innovation). Iblees loves Bid'ah more than
debauchery and disobedience because the harm of Bid'ah is in the essence
of the religion. Moreover, it is an unrepentable sin and is against the
call of the messengers and is a call to a message different from the one
conveyed by Ar-Rasool. Bid'ah is a gate to Kufr and Shirk. Therefore, if
Iblees gains the performance of Bid'ah from a person and makes him one
of the people of Bid'ah, he also becomes one of his agents and a caller
of his.

If Iblees fails and is unable to trap Al-'Abd
at this class, and if he is one of those who were granted by Allaah the
gift of As-Sunnah and hatred of the people of Bid'ah and error, he proceeds
to the THIRD CLASS OF EVIL, which is the class of MAJOR SINS in their various
forms.

Iblees is very covetous of letting a person
fall into major sin, especially if he is a scholar who is followed. Iblees
is covetous of that, so that he may repel people from him and spread his
sins and disobedience amongst the people. He uses some people as his agents
to spread this person's sins under the false pretence that this will help
them to get closer to Allaah. But in fact this person is the deputy of
Iblees without knowing it. For those who would like abomination to be spread
amongst the believers there is a great torment in this life and in the
Hereafter especially if they take charge of spreading about enormities,
not out of advice, but by obeying Iblees and being his agent. All this
is to repel people from the Scholar and from his benefit.

Furthermore, the sins of this person (scholar),
even if they reach the sky, are less to Allaah than the sins of those who
would like to spread his sins about. The scholar's sins are wrongdoing
to himself. If he seeks forgiveness from Allaah and repents, Allaah will
accept his repentance, and He will change his bad deeds to good deeds.
However, the sin of those who spread about abominations are doing wrong
to the believers by looking for their mistakes and by intending to expose
them. Allaah is in close observation, and He knows about this ambuscade.
Nothing hidden in the chest or soul is hidden to Allaah.

If Iblees is unable to snare Al-'Abd at
this degree he moves him to the FOURTH CLASS, or the MINOR SINS. These
sins may ruin a person if they accumulate. That is why Ar-Rasool (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) said, Be aware of the minor sins, because the simile
of the minor sin is like the people who went to a desert. Then he (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) mentioned a Hadeeth the meaning of which is that every
one of them brought a stick of wood until they had kindled a huge fire
(just as the minor sins add up little by little until they become a major
sin). The person continues taking the matter of minor sins easily until
he considers them inconsequential. Therefore, a person who commits major
sins but fears their effect is in a better condition than he is.

If the Al-'Abd has prevented Iblees from
trapping him at this level, he moves him to the fifth level. The FIFTH
LEVEL IS TO OCCUPY HIM WITH PERMISSIBLE THINGS that do not gain him reward
or punishment. However, the punishment of this level is caused by passing
the reward missed by being occupied with these deeds. If Al-'Abd has kept
Iblees from succeeding at this level, and if he is careful about his time,
being covetous with it, knows the value of moments, and knows the value
of what comes of comfort or torment, Iblees transfers him to the sixth
level. The SIXTH CLASS is to OCCUPY HIM WITH DEEDS OF LESSER REWARD to
keep virtue away from him and to prevent him from attaining the reward
of the favoured deed.

Therefore, he orders him to do a good action
with less reward if that includes leaving a better action. Very few people
are aware of this. Because if a person feels a strong urge to some kind
of obedience, he does not doubt that it is true obedience and that he is
getting closer to Allaah. He never thinks that this call is from Iblees
because he believes that Iblees never calls one to do good. Therefore,
he thinks that this call is from Allaah. Actually he is excused because
he never knew that Iblees would call one to seventy doors of good deeds
either to get him to one door of evil or to let a better deed than these
seventy deeds pass away from him.

This cannot be known except by a light
from Allaah, a light he instils in the heart of Al-'Abd. The source of
this type of knowledge is following the way of Ar-Rasool (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) and taking care of the levels of deeds with Allaah, the deeds
of His favoured ones, the deeds more pleasing to Him, and those more beneficial
to Al-'Abd, and deeds that have more Naseehah (guidance) from Allaah, His
Rasool, His Book, and His believing worshippers. No one has this type of
knowledge except the inheritors of Ar-Rasool (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam),
his deputies in the Ummah, and his successors on earth. In addition, most
of the creation is screened from this. This call does not come to their
hearts. Allaah gives His favour to whomever He wills from among His worshippers.

If Al-'Abd prevents Iblees from trapping
him at any of these six levels, and if it becomes difficult for Iblees,
he empowers his party of jinn and human beings with different kinds of
harm, IMPUTING DISBELIEF TO HIM, CALLING HIM MISGUIDED AND AN INNOVATOR,
WARNING PEOPLE AGAINST HIM, and intending to weaken him and to disturb
his heart. Iblees, by using this method, tries to confuse this person's
thinking and tries to PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BENEFITING FROM HIM. Therefore
Iblees expends his utmost effort to empower the defenders of falsehood,
from human beings and from jinn, against him. Then the believer is at war
until death. Whenever he gives up, he is hurt or is taken captive. Hence
the believer is in Jihad until he meets with Allaah.

Finally, we hope you take note of this
chapter and think about its great benefit. Moreover, make this knowledge
your balance to weigh people and deeds. This shows you some universal realities
and the level of people. Allaah is the one from whom we seek aid, and on
Him we depend.