What/Who is Shaytan (Satan) in Islam?

[gurufabbes]

Good day everyone,

Following up on my questions, I keep coming across quotations from Islamic texts concerning Shaytan and therefore have to pose the obvious question: What is the Shaytan in Islam? What does he want? Who does he work for?

What does the name mean for Arabic speakers?
(Satan meaning "opponent, accuser" in Hebrew, later becoming the Satan in Christianity "devil" being a short form from the root "diaballo" meaning to accuse, slander in Greek)

I am well versed in what Satan is in Judaism, as well as what he is in Christianity, and here what he is differs widely. I am curious what position Islam takes on this question.

Thank you for any further clarification.

-gurufabbes

 

[greenhill]

Allah has said in the Quran that He has created various 'beings'. Angels, Jinns and humans (not including for this purpose, animals and plants etc). From what I have understood, syaitan is a Jinn. They have 'free will'. And he used to worship Allah to the point his status was elevated. However, his downfall came with the creation of man. His pride got the better of him. He was so used to praising and exalting Allah of his own choice (i.e. not told to do so) that when Allah for the first time asked him to do something (bow to Adam) he balked at the idea, and refused. Hence he was stripped of his status.

He vowed that because humankind caused his downfall, he will lead humankind astray.

What does he want? He wants to lead people astray. He works for nobody but himself driven by his jealousy and revenge(?) against Adam (pbuh) and his descendants.

(Another brief answer)


eace:

 

[gurufabbes]

So why doesn't Gd destroy him then?

 

[syed_z]

So why doesn't Gd destroy him then?

There is divine wisdom at play here with the creation of Satan.

If Satan was to be destroyed then how would we i.e. Humans progress spiritually which we have the potential to and reach great heights in the Unseen realm i.e. the Hereafter?

If we fight Satan and his ilk and do not fall for the temptations he invites us to, then every time we struggle against the influence we come closer to Allah (swt) and this is what Allah (swt) created us for. He in His Kindness wants us to progress so that we fulfill the purpose He created us for in this world so we could have the best life forever in the Hereafter.

In order for us to reach great heights and bring out the actual potential within us we have to fight the evil tendencies or evil commanding soul (Nafs) within us, whom Satan tries to invite towards all kinds of Haraams (illegal things as declared by Allah).

However, Allah (swt) in His Eternal Mercy has not given Satan the power to control weak creatures like us, he has no power over us, all he can do is 'Invite us' or our evil commanding soul (Nafs) and if we obey our evil commanding souls then we ourselves our led towards our own ruin, but every time we reject the temptation it creates within us to do something wrong, we achieve 'rewards' and those rewards are ultimate spiritual development the effect of which we see in our life in this world in the face of increased guidance, faith and nearness to Allah (swt) and in the Hereafter it is seen in the state of lofty positions in Paradise.

In the Quran Allah reminds us:

(14:22) And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."

Satan will say on the Day of Judgment to blame your self (Anfus or plural of Nafs) i.e. the evil commanding souls that you should have resisted against and not submitted to when I was inviting it as he admits Allah (swt) had given him no power over us.

The creation of Satan could also be understood in the following good example shared today by an Imam was that you walk in to a house and the dog of that house tries to chase you and runs after you wherever you go and once you see the owner of the house you call out to him for help and he protects you from that dog because only he knows how to control it because he trained it. Similarly Satan is after you and me and trying to take us away from Allah (swt), attack us and ruin us and the only way to save ourselves is by seeking refuge in the One Who created it i.e. Al Mighty Creator. By doing so we come in to Allah's Protection and remain in this for the rest of our lives safe from all evil forces in this world. We pass away like this in to the next realm and then gain eternal blessings and never ending rewards from Allah (swt) which we cannot even imagine.

So destroying Satan downplays the purpose of our existence.

My advise would be to you, to read what Allah (swt) has said in the Quran and follow His Word and come to Islam, before its too late.

 

[BeTheChange]

Asalamualykum everyone,

Hope your all well in sha Allah.

I must say, you do feel immense happiness when you successfully fight the temptations of your nafs and shaytaan.

May Allah swa protect us all from harm - Ameen

 

[gurufabbes]

There is divine wisdom at play here with the creation of Satan.

If Satan was to be destroyed then how would we i.e. Humans progress spiritually which we have the potential to and reach great heights in the Unseen realm i.e. the Hereafter?

If we fight Satan and his ilk and do not fall for the temptations he invites us to, then every time we struggle against the influence we come closer to Allah (swt) and this is what Allah (swt) created us for. He in His Kindness wants us to progress so that we fulfill the purpose He created us for in this world so we could have the best life forever in the Hereafter.

In order for us to reach great heights and bring out the actual potential within us we have to fight the evil tendencies or evil commanding soul (Nafs) within us, whom Satan tries to invite towards all kinds of Haraams (illegal things as declared by Allah).

However, Allah (swt) in His Eternal Mercy has not given Satan the power to control weak creatures like us, he has no power over us, all he can do is 'Invite us' or our evil commanding soul (Nafs) and if we obey our evil commanding souls then we ourselves our led towards our own ruin, but every time we reject the temptation it creates within us to do something wrong, we achieve 'rewards' and those rewards are ultimate spiritual development the effect of which we see in our life in this world in the face of increased guidance, faith and nearness to Allah (swt) and in the Hereafter it is seen in the state of lofty positions in Paradise.

In the Quran Allah reminds us:

(14:22) And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."

Satan will say on the Day of Judgment to blame your self (Anfus or plural of Nafs) i.e. the evil commanding souls that you should have resisted against and not submitted to when I was inviting it as he admits Allah (swt) had given him no power over us.

The creation of Satan could also be understood in the following good example shared today by an Imam was that you walk in to a house and the dog of that house tries to chase you and runs after you wherever you go and once you see the owner of the house you call out to him for help and he protects you from that dog because only he knows how to control it because he trained it. Similarly Satan is after you and me and trying to take us away from Allah (swt), attack us and ruin us and the only way to save ourselves is by seeking refuge in the One Who created it i.e. Al Mighty Creator. By doing so we come in to Allah's Protection and remain in this for the rest of our lives safe from all evil forces in this world. We pass away like this in to the next realm and then gain eternal blessings and never ending rewards from Allah (swt) which we cannot even imagine.

So destroying Satan downplays the purpose of our existence.

My advise would be to you, to read what Allah (swt) has said in the Quran and follow His Word and come to Islam, before its too late.

Thank you for your long answer. Yours and the other answers given to my questions are appreciated.

So the Shaytan is there to essentially act as an opportunity to sin, and give the person the opportunity not to, therefore bestowing merit on that person.

Which is a fine answer, however it leaves the question of whether Gd is trying to unnecessarily trick, or better yet, does not intervene to stop unnecessary temptations given that, if I've understood correctly, the Shaytan is not apart of Gd and does not work for Him.

The example of the wild dog is apt, but it leaves the same question: The wild dog could potentially kill the person entering the house, in which case its a point both against the dog and against the owner that has left it there to cause trouble, rather than against the person entering, no?


Beyond this, my question is, doesn't these leave open the idea for seperate powers in the cosmos other than Gd? How does that coexist with an idea which I assume Islam shares, of an all powerful gd in control of the laws of nature and the supernatural?

If as in Christianity, Shaytan is an unruly seperate power that can wreak havoc on creation?

 

[syed_z]

Your very welcome.

Which is a fine answer, however it leaves the question of whether Gd is trying to unnecessarily trick, or better yet, does not intervene to stop unnecessary temptations given that, if I've understood correctly, the Shaytan is not apart of Gd and does not work for Him.

The example of the wild dog is apt, but it leaves the same question: The wild dog could potentially kill the person entering the house, in which case its a point both against the dog and against the owner that has left it there to cause trouble, rather than against the person entering, no?

Thank you for your question. No, it's not a point against the Owner, if you would try to closely understand the Wisdom explained earlier.

Beyond this, my question is, doesn't these leave open the idea for seperate powers in the cosmos other than Gd? How does that coexist with an idea which I assume Islam shares, of an all powerful gd in control of the laws of nature and the supernatural?

There are other powers, but they are God given and do not exist on their own.

 

[greenhill]

it leaves the question of whether Gd is trying to unnecessarily trick, or better yet, does not intervene to stop unnecessary temptations given that, if I've understood correctly, the Shaytan is not apart of Gd and does not work for Him

It is easy to fall into that thought process...

Allah gave us 'free will'. It is just too easy not to accept the blame of our sins by saying that Allah Himself did nothing to prevent us from erring. It is even more mind boggling that He leaves us entirely to make those decisions based upon our 'reasoning' skills alone thus the thought of Allah trying to unnecessarily 'trick' us.

Thus, the importance of the 'guidance' given in the form of the Quran and the Sunnah to impart the knowledge for people not to fall into sin. It is all a test and therefore crucial that those who do follow the guide understand the 'predicament' they are in. Those who do not follow the guide will fall into the trap. The Quran states many things and if we were to pay close attention to the 'warnings' etc, we will be better prepared to recognize the temptations and act accordingly, although some cannot prevent themselves from being sucked into performing the sin. It is, at the end of the day, a choice they make. Just like Adam and Eve making the choice to eat of that tree. Nobody forced them. Allah certainly warned them but they made the choice under the careful coaxing of Syaitan. How easy it is to fall. How hard it is to stay on the right path...

The amazing thing is, despite having just a Book (the Quran) and the sunnah (and Allah never disclosing Himself to prove His existence physically) the Muslims still believe in Him and prayers are offered 24hrs a day around the world. Not an easy thing to achieve especially with the demands on the conduct of people, the rules, the compulsory prayers, alms giving etc. Yet, generally muslims follow.

If I were to put my thoughts on this further, Syaitan has a bit more a difficult time trying to distract a 'believer' who takes guidance from the Quran and the Sunnah. He has an easier time with those who do not take guidance from the Quran and the Sunnah. He has a field day with those who reject islam. It is far easier for him to sow the seeds of doubts there and have that person never getting the guidance.


Personally, if you have an hour and a half, I recommend very strongly that you browse YouTube a lecture by Jeffrey Lang on the subject "the Purpose of Life". It is a bit long but will clearly explain (I reckon) your underlying thoughts and questions on this subject. I think "the Purpose of Life" is a root question for all.....and Jeffery Lang does a fantastic job answering it.


eace:

 

[bestoflights]

1) Syaitan and his tribes were created by the Will of Allah.

2) Syaitan in its original form is Jinn. They shows the Root of of Evil to us that is they FEEL they are BETTER than anyone else and ARROGANT and OUTRAGE in Jealousy to ADAM - the Human. AND therefore DISOBEY Allah even though THEY BELIEVE ALLAH and FEARS ALLAH.

3) Through times they Gather their FRIENDS from Human who follow Syaitan, so they become ASTRAY.

4) Syaitan is MINAL (from) JINNA WAL INS. Ins means Human Beings.

5) Allah The Wisdom put Syaitan as a TEST for us - so that we gain Knowledge from the Book of Revelation and see the Truth. Syaitan always talk to our MIND (SUDUR) if we dont want to REMEMBER (ZIKR) to Allah And Dont want to READ and Understand the Quran.

6) Allah created the Angels which will follow every single order by Allah but human beings as the BEST of HIS CREATIONS - is put to Test with Syaitan. We pass this TEST we are Proven The Best Creation. FAIL this test we will be the Worst of His Creations. Knowledge is one of the BEST WAY to combat syaitan.

 

[bestoflights]

People that cannot be influenced by syaitan :

Al-Hijr : 39

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

[Iblees] said, "My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all ●

Al-Hijr : 40

إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

Except, among them, THE MUKHLISIN." ●

The root word is IKHLAS.

It means The Person who only WORSHIP ALLAH and Nothing else SINCERELY without associating any partner to Allah.

 

[Signor]

my question is, doesn't these leave open the idea for seperate powers in the cosmos other than Gd? How does that coexist with an idea which I assume Islam shares, of an all powerful gd in control of the laws of nature and the supernatural?

Shaytaan was allowed to spread corruption as a form of test or trial by the will of Allah.

[Satan] said: "Give me respite till the day they are raised up."

(Allah) said: "Be thou among those who have respite."

[Satan] said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on thy straight way:
"Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies)."

(Allah) said: "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee,- Hell will I fill with you all.
—Quran sura 7 (Al-Aʻraf), ayah 14-18

If as in Christianity, Shaytan is an unruly seperate power that can wreak havoc on creation?

Although his request was granted, Allah also warns Shaytaan that he would have no authority over his sincere ʻubūd 'devoted servants'.

"As for My servants, no authority shalt thou have over them:" Enough is thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.
—Quran, sura 17 (Al-Isra), ayah 65