Evil Web

EVIL WEB

1.INTRODUCTION

After the creation of Prophet Adam (As) as His vicegerent (khalifa), Allah (SWT) commanded all the angels to prostrate him in order to prove his superiority to other creatures. All angels prostrated as per Allah’s command, but Azazil, a jinni disobeyed, therefore he was declared as Iblis (Satan). Instead of repenting,  Iblis declared that he will prove that Adam was not eligible for the position of Allah’s vicegerent. To achieve this objective, he devised a strategy to mislead Prophet Adam and his progeny by attacking them from all directions. To fulfil his mission Iblis requested Allah (SWT) to extend his life till people will be resurrected from their graves. Allah (SWT) accepted his request, but extended his life till the end of this world. 

After this event Allah Almighty, informed Prophet Adam that Iblis was his archenemy. In Paradise, Adam was allowed to eat everything, except the fruit of a tree. In a short span of time, due to whispering of Iblis the Prophet Adam and his wife had eaten the fruit of the prohibited tree, but immediately they realised their mistake, repented sincerely, and Allah with His great Mercy accepted their repentance.  

As a result of that event, Prophet Adam and his wife, and Iblis were sent to the Earth as enemies of each other. On the earth, Iblis could not do any harm to Prophet Adam and his wife, but he was able to mislead his son Qabil, who killed his brother Habil without any just cause. 

Iblis developed his network consisting of jinn satans and human satans. Before proceeding further it is imperative to define certain terms such as Iblis, Jinn, and Satan. Due to disobedience of Allah’s command of prostrating to Adam Azazil was made Iblis by Allah as a punishment. It was not merely the change of name, but a big degradation in his status. First he was living in the company of Angels and  he was a devoted worshipper of Allah (swt), but then he became the leader of the evil web. The word Iblis means an evil spirit or devil. 

The word Iblis has only been used in the Qur’an for that being who refused to submit to Adam. It refers to that evil spirit which is opposed to angels and places doubts in the heart (1).

The word ‘Jinn’ means ‘to hide,’ or ‘to be hidden.’ Jinn can disperse the components of their bodies and then collate them. When they collate their bodily components, they can be seen. And when they disperse themselves they become invisible like water vapour which appears like clouds when condensed and disappears when heated (2).

The Arabic word satan means ‘mischievous.’ Satans can be both from Jinn and human beings. Satan has power to incite men with tempting thoughts, to call them towards evil, and to make evil seem beautiful to them. They can exert their influence on men’s thoughts; deter human beings from worshipping Allah; and from doing other pious deeds; encourage them to believe in superstitions, instead of reality; and try to keep them away from truth. The word satan has been used in the Qur’an for the evil spirits that place doubts in the hearts of people. 

The word Satan is derived from Shatana, which means the far thing. Some religious scholars are of the view that the word Satan is derived from Shata (burned), because it was created from fire. Satan is Ar-Rajim means being expelled from all types of righteousness. Rajim is the person who throws or bombards things, because Satan throws doubts and evil thoughts in a human’s heart (3).  (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

 2.THE CONCEPT OF EVIL

Evil is the opposite of good; it is profoundly immoral and wicked; morally reprehensible; morally bad, cruel, or very unpleasant; it is something that is bad and harmful; and is the antithesis of good. An evil is horrendously bad and no wise and sensible person can conceive of doing it; and an evil person is one who knowingly wills, does or orders bad actions. 

The concept of evil has been under discussion since Greek civilization. For example, Plato was of the view that evil was a result of ignorance. Nietzsche argued that evil was a dangerous concept that was created by the church. Still there are many different viewpoints and there is no consensus on the single definition of evil. Still it is not clear that an evil is a concept by itself or a dysfunction on the ability to experience goodness. At present, there is a pertinent question about the basis of evil. Some scientists are of the view that evil has a neurological basis as well, but others insist that  it is entirely dependent on socio-cultural beliefs.  

There are two main concepts of evil: a broad concept and narrow concept. The broad concept picks out any bad state of affairs, wrongful action, or character flaw. It tends to be the sort of evil referenced in theological contexts, such as in the discussions of the problem of evil. In contrast to the broad concept of evil, its narrow concept picks out only the most morally despicable sorts of actions, characters, and events, etc. (4).

Evil is a thick rope of many complex, twisted, and intertwined strands (5).

The Qur’an reveals that Allah (swt) is the only authority in defining good and evil. Our perception on this subject may be misleading. It is therefore imperative to make decisions based on analysis in the light of both Revealed Knowledge and acquired knowledge. In this connection the Qur’an says: 

Battle has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not (6).

The definition of good and evil in Islam is based on the purpose of creation of the universe and everything therein, especially those of human beings and and the meaning of their life. The ultimate goal of human life is to become perfected spiritually through firm faith and righteous deeds. In short, whatever brings a person closer to Allah Almighty in this world and in the Hereafter is good, and whatever takes a person away from Allah, and incurs His anger is evil. In other words, good leads towards true success (flah), while evil leads towards failure; good actions create light, while evil actions create darkness in the human personality. 

No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah – He will guide his heart (7).

The tricks of Satan may be perceived as evil. But they are evil only for those who fall for those tricks and forget Allah (swt). On the other hand, through resistance to Satan and through patience in submission to Allah Almighty, one grows spiritually and becomes closer to Him. For such a person, the existence of Satan and his tricks is a means of spiritual advancement. Allah (swt) provides guidance and saves them from disasters who have firm in Him, while those who do not remember Allah and satans overcome them and they become losers. While those who observe patience in hardships, establish prayer, help poor, and prevent evil with good achieve true success in this world and in the Hereafter. 

Satan has overcome them and made them forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the party of Satan. Unquestionably, the party of Satan – they will be the losers (8).

And those who are patient, seeking the countenance of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them secretly and publicly and prevent evil with good – those will have the good consequence of (this) home (Paradise) (9).  

The Qur’an sheds light on various shades of moral evil and explains how they are manifested through the actions of various agents. When it comes to natural evil and human suffering resulting from it, the Qur’an provides a utilitarian place for it in human life. Rumi and Iqbal, whose mystical views are rooted in the Qur’an, argue that evil is relative, and that evil has an important role to play in advancing the spiritual development of an individual. Moreover, Rumi regards evil as a logical necessity for the functioning of life in this world (10).

The word evil (sharr) is used for loss, injury, trouble and affliction as well as for the means which cause losses and injuries, and afflictions. For example, hunger, disease, injury in an accident or war, being burnt by fire, being stung or bitten by a scorpion or snake, being involved in the grief of children’s death and similar other evils which are evil in the first sense, for they are by themselves troubles and afflictions. Contrary to this, unbelief, polytheism and every kind of sin and wickedness, for instance, are evils in the second sense, for they cause loss and affliction, although apparently they do not cause any trouble at the moment, rather some sins give pleasure, and bring profit (11).

The Qur’anic narrative elaborates on various kinds of evil, moral evil and natural evil, in a comprehensive style and talks about their implications in human life. The Qur’an elaborates how various forms of moral evil are manifested through the actions and interactions of various agents such as the devil, lower soul, and freewill. In the context of natural evil  or physical evil, the Qur’an sheds light on how Allah uses it, in various forms, to test the believers and punish the wrongdoers (12).

Belief in Allah is the highest aim of creation and the most sublime result, and humanity’s most exalted rank is knowledge of Him. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for the jinn and humanity is love of Allah (swt) contained within knowledge of Allah (13).

Every pious deed brings a person closer to Allah, and every evil act takes  the doer away from Allah (swt). With every pious deed one moves a station forward in one’s spiritual journey towards the Lord of the universe. The distance covered in the spiritual journey  depends on the nature and extent of the pious deeds. Through an evil act one may move step wise downward and may become a marginal believer such as Fasiq, Fajr and Zindiq, and after it may become non-believer and the member of evil network. May Allah save us from such degradation. 

There is great wisdom in the creation of the evil web, because without it there would not be any ‘station’ or status for making progress step wise and reach at very high levels and attain the companionship of Prophets and pious people in the Paradise. In the absence of the evil web we would be like other creatures, including angels who have fixed stations or status, without any advancement. 

3. THE CONCEPT OF WEB

A web is a sticky pattern of threads woven by a spider, or something similar that appears to be woven together. Some webs are literally woven – of thread, yarn, ropes, or any other strands of material. Other websites are more figurative, like the web of connections between people who work in the same field or the web of rules and regulations attached to filing your income tax return. There is also the internet web, which is a web-like series of interconnected documents and links. Web is an interconnected system of things or people tangled in a web of cloth; an intricate trap that entangles or ensnares its victim. 

The term ‘spider web’ is typically used to refer to a web that is apparently still in use. Many spider species build webs specifically to trap and catch a variety of organisms, especially insects to eat. Webs allow spiders to catch prey with the minimal use of energy. Some species of spiders make as their living chamber, and other species make webs for both purposes: residence and hunting their prey. 

After completing a web the spider waits on or near the web for a prey animal to become trapped. It senses the impact and struggle of a prey animal by vibrations transmitted through the web; it positioned in the middle of the web makes for highly visible prey for birds and other predators in the beginning, but with the passage of time, reduces this risk by hiding at the edge of the web. Generally, the web consists of two types of strands. (sticky and non-sticky strands). Spiders use sticky strands to entrap diverse organisms, especially insects. Spiders avoid going near the sticky strands, but other organisms are not aware of those strands, therefore are entangled in them. Trapdoor spiders dig holes, cover them up with dirt doors hinged with spider silk, and lie in wait for the passing prey. There are various other tactics to catch the prey. 

False Widow Spiders are venomous, but unlikely to be deadly to human beings, although they might give a nasty bite if disturbed. In this connection there have been reports of swollen limbs and hospitalisation, as well as schools were closed as a result of an infestation in England. In his commentary St. Anthony likens the devil to a spider. By means of evil temptation, “The devil weaves the web of wickedness. The devil spins his web like a spider, of which Natural History tells us: ‘The spider first puts forth forth the thread of her web, and fastens it at the ends, Then she weaves the middle, between these ends, and so produces a web strong enough, in a conveniently prepared place, for hunting. She comes into the middle, as one lying in wait for some small beast. If some fly, or the like, falls in, at once the spider moves, leaving her place and starting to bind it round with the web, until she reaches the point where the prey is helpless. Then when she feels hungry, she sucks the moisture from it; and without that moisture she cannot live (14).

St Anthony says, “In the same way, when the devil wants to catch a man, he first puts out the slender thread of subtle thought, and fixes it at the end, the senses of the body. By this he craftily finds out to which vice the man is most susceptible. Then in the midst – the heart he waves the web of temptation, sufficiently strong and in a conveniently prepared place for hunting. He comes to the middle, as one lying in wait for some small creature. The devil finds no member, in all the human body, which is so suitable for hunting, lying in wait and deceiving, as the human heart: for that is the very source of life. Once the devil has caught a sinner in his web, “he begins to bind it with all sorts of temptations, to wind it in darkness until it becomes helpless and enfeebled in mind.”  He sucks out the very life of the Soul. 

The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes (constructs) a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider (15).

4. THE MAIN TARGET OF EVIL WEB

The main target of Iblis and his network is the heart of human beings. About the term ‘heart’ some scholars are of the view that the heart is of two types: ‘material heart’ and ‘spiritual heart.’ Others insist that the same heart performs both the functions in the human personality. 

The Prophet Muhammad said, “Verily, there is in the body a piece of flesh, that if it is correct (good or healthy), the rest of the body will be correct due to it, and if it is corrupt, then the rest of the body will be corrupt due to it. Verily, it is the heart (16).

A good or sound heart refers to one that is free from arrogance and tries to please Allah (swt), while a corrupt (diseased) heart refers to one which is controlled by one’s vain desires based on whispering of satans of evil web.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Holy Prophet said, “The heart is a king and the body parts are its soldiers. So if the king does good, then the soldiers will be good. And if the king does wickedness, then the soldiers will do wickedness” (17). 

The heart is the most honourable part of the body, and other organs are its followers. Having knowledge of the heart is of paramount importance, because it is the battlefield of good and evil forces in human personality, which is like a kingdom. The best way to repulse devils from the heart is to have firm faith in Allah Almighty and do righteous deeds abundantly and remain under His protection continuously. 

5. IBLIS: A GREAT SATAN

In the Qur’an Iblis is known as Satan and Khannas).  In the Bible his different are mentioned, such as Abaddon (Destruction), Apollyon (Revelation 9:11), Dragon (Revelation 12:9), Accurser (Revelation 12:10), Adversary (Peter 5:8), Belial (Corinthians 6:15), Evil one (John 17:15), Father of lies or Liar (John 8:44), Enemy (Mathew 13:9), Leviathan (Isaiah), and Power of darkness (Colossian 1:13). His personal name is Iblis. He perpetually  remains in grief, confusion and despair of Allah’s Mercy. 

There are innumerable numbers of satans in the world both from jinn and human beings. He may be called by the name of Iblis or Satan, but no other satan can be called as Iblis. He is the founder and lifetime in-incharge of a network of all satans. 

And (mention) when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam: so they prostrated, except for Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers (18)

And We have certainly created you (O mankind), and given you (human) form. Then We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam; so they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was not of those who prostrated” (19). 

And (mention) when We said to the angels, Prostrate to Adam,” and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was of the Jinn and departed from (disobeyed) the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his descendents as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? (20).

From verses 2:34, 7:11 and 18:50 it becomes evident that Azazil was one of the jinn and he did not comply with Allah’s commandment in connection with prostration to Prophet Adam. 

(Allah) said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you? (Satan) said, “I am better than him. You have created me from fire while created him from clay” (21).

(Allah) said, “Descend from it (Paradise), for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased” (22).

(Allah) said, “Then depart from it, for indeed, you are expelled. And indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense” (23).

He got the name Iblis when he refused to prostrate to Prophet Adam. In this connection Allah says that Azazil did not submit to the will of Allah due to arrogance, pride and jealousy. He considered himself superior to Adam and his descendants (human beings) that was why when he was asked as to why he did not prostrate before Adam, he replied that he was superior to Adam due to his better basic material – smokeless fire as compared to clay or dust. Due to his disobedience to Allah’s command, he was transformed from Azazil to Iblis. He was in Paradise worshipping and glorifying Allah for a long span of time. Suddenly he fell down from a very high status to the lowest status among the creatures of Allah. In spite of this big blow, he did not repent for his disobedience, and became an enemy of human beings and became more rebellious, therefore, instead of confessing his fault, he requested Allah Almighty for giving him respite till the Resurrection of people from their graves, so that he can mislead them from Adam to the last person and prove that they were not fit for the position of Allah’s vicegerents on the planet Earth.  Allah accepted his request partially, and gave him respite till the end of this world. It becomes evident from the conversation of Allah (swt) and Iblis that in reality he was not His obedient servant, therefore he utterly failed in his first test. There was no evil force to mislead him, except his own lower soul.

5.1.  Iblis as Enemy of Human beings 

But Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from that (condition) in which they had been. And We said, “Go down, (all of you), as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time” (24). 

O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts (25).

And tell my servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces (dissension) among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy (26).

Indeed, Satanis an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze (27). (35:6).   

Iblis is such an enemy of human beings with whom there is no possibility of making truce nor to except any good from him. He is always in search of an opportunity to destroy your Hereafter. You must never be neglectful of such an enemy (36:60, 35:6). He will do his best to spoil your good deeds and push you down into the abyss of ruin and destruction. He has many helpers against you, of these the most dangerous are your lower Soul and your unnecessary desires. He is like a barking dog; if you turn your attention to it, he will bark and jump at you to bite; but if you ignore, he will remain calm and quiet (28). 

Iblis, the cursed, was dismissed from the ranks of mercy with the curse of ‘the lowest of the low’ and was thrown from the place of Illiyin to the Sijjin. Iblis, the lower soul and the profane world, all three, are in agreement with each other and they have vowed together to humiliate the sons of Adam (29). 

5.2. Challenge of Iblis

(Satan) said, “Because You have put me in error. I will surely sit in wait for them (mankind) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful (to You) (30).

Iblis declared that he would prove that Prophet Adam and his descendants are not entitled to hold the position of Allah’s vicegerent, and to achieve this objective he will attack them from all sides directly or through other satans. In other words he declared that he will lay in weight for the believers in order to distract, confuse, and lead them astray. He is at war with human beings in general and particularly with the believers. 

After this announcement Iblis started his mission vigorously and with his full strength. While Adam and his wife were in Paradise, He came there and swore by Allah that he was their well wisher and sincere advisor, but used his most powerful – waswasa (whispering) and deceived them, due to which they tasted the fruit of a forbidden tree. In this way the first victims of Iblis were Prophet Adam and his wife and the next was their son Qabil, who killed his brother Habil without any just cause. 

Since then, Iblis along with his network has continuously and consistently been misleading human beings and trying to gain control over them, shake their beliefs, and inspire them to do sinful deeds. The battle of the evil web with believers will continue till the end of this world. He remains busy round the clock to create confusions in their faith in Allah and other articles of Islam; corrupt their hearts and minds; make them slaves of their desires; and involves them in sinful deeds; encourages them to collect heaps of wealth; and inspires people to fight for their rights, but avoid from duties towards other. They also interfere in matters pertaining to difficulties and hardships one’s life in this world, such as when one worries about one’s job, sustenance, and interactions with family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. He also misleads people by creating inferiority complexes and superiority complexes. 

Iblis challenged that he would beguile human beings from the Right Path. It was the start of a battle between good and evil. Allah guides human beings through His Prophets for achieving true success in this world and in the Hereafter, and they enter into Paradise, which is the best abode. On the other hand Iblis misleads people through whispering and they walk through an evil path which leads them to Hell, which is the worst abode to live in. 

5.3. Strengths of Iblis 

Iblis is a Jinni and jinn possess a number of physical strengths as compared to human beings. Generally Jinn are not visible to human beings, but human beings are visible to them; they are very powerful creatures; have the ability to transform themselves into different forms; can attack human beings from different directions; even they have the ability to circulate in human body like blood; they can fly in the atmosphere of the atmosphere at great heights, and even beyond; and their life cycles are very long. Probably their ability of hiding and manifesting at different times lies in the subtlety of their bodies. 

With the passage of time Iblis developed his network and each member of his network can mislead human beings in a number of ways, but the most strong tool with them is waswasa (whispering). This world in different forms is mentioned in a number of verses of the Holy Qur’an: waswas (114:4), waswasa (114:5), yuwaswis (7:20), fawaswas (20:120), and tuwaswisu (50:16). 

Waswasa means to whisper into the heart of a person an evil suggestion over and over again in such a way or ways that the one who is being inspired may not feel that the whisperer is whispering an evil suggestion into his heart (31). 

Waswasa literally means to whisper; something secretly and repeatedly in the heart as misgiving or delusion; negative thoughts instilled in the heart by Iblis and other satans in order to divert one from one’s worship of Allah and from doing righteous deeds; and inspiring to do evil deeds.  Waswasa creates doubts in one’s mind to the extent that one may question the existence of Allah (swt). In reality, it is a trap to exhaust the believers, and discourage them from Allah’s worship. 

In certain cases there may be a combination of whispering of Satan and certain other factors: such as experiencing psychological coping mechanisms due to certain stresses; manifestations of psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, and OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder)that are expressed in the guise of being religious; sometimes as a response to a very strict upbringing, etc. 

Waswasa is a strong tool with Iblis to destroy the spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being of human beings. Through this tool, he tries his best to make people eager for this life as compared to life in the hereafter; tries to transform positive personality traits into negative ones; and causes confusion in the religion, and lures them to commit sins. 

Waswasa comes from different sources, such as Iblis, one’s lower soul, and devils among the jinn and among human beings. About Waswas Allah (swt) says: 

And We have already created man and know what his lower soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than (his) jugular vein (32). 

The Satan (Iblis) whispered to him: he said, O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate” (33).

The word khannas is derived from ‘khunus’ which means to hide after appearing and to retreat after coming into view. Since khannas is the intensive form, it would imply the one who behaves thus very frequently. Now, obviously the whisperer has to approach man for whispering again and again, and besides, when he is also described as khannas, the combination of the two words by itself gives the meaning that after whispering once he retreats and then again returns over and over again to repeat the act of whispering. In other words, when once he fails in his attempt to whisper evil, he withdraws, then he again returns to make the second, and the third and the next attempt over and over again. An evil suggestion is the starting point of the evil act. When it affects a careless or heedless person, it creates in him a desire for evil. Then, further whisperings change the evil desire into an evil intention and evil purpose. When the evil suggestion grows in intensity, the intention becomes a resolution, which then culminates in the evil act. Therefore, the meaning of seeking Allah’s refuge from the evil of the whisperer is that Allah should nip the evil in the bud (34). 

The Qur’an reveals that human beings have been created as weak. 

Indeed, he (Satan) sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them (35).

And Allah wants to lighten for you (your difficulties); and mankind was created weak (36). 

So when you recite the Qur’an (first), seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled (from His mercy) (37). 

5.4. Weaknesses of Iblis  

Iblis is powerless over true believers. In this connection the Qur’an says: 

Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of taghut. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak (38).

Indeed, there is for him no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who through him associate others with Allah (39).

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 (40).

Firm faith in Allah and other articles of Islam enhances the resistance of human beings against Satan. The one who has firm faith and does righteous deeds and comes under the Protection of Allah, is saved from the attacks of Satan, while, the one who depends on his own strength will not be able to save himself from the machinations of Satan. In this connection Ibn Qayyim said, “The sinner is forever shackled by his satan; he is confined to the prison of his desires and chained by his whims. 

Abu Hurairah said, “Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah came and said to him, ‘We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to speak of.’ He enquired, ‘Are you suffering from that?’ They replied, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That is a clear sign of faith.’” (41).

Ibn Abbas reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, “I think thoughts to myself, which I would rather be burnt to a cinder than speak of them.” The Holy Prophet said, “Praise be to Allah, who reduced all his (the Satan’s) plots to mere whispers” (42).

It is evident from above mentioned traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that believers may suffer from the whispering of Satan, but if they are very much worried about them and disliked them and try their level best to push away from their hearts is a clear sign of faith. In reality it is reality that due to the activities of believers in connection with doing righteous deeds, doing worship of Allah sincerely, acquiring beneficial knowledge and teaching such knowledge to others disturbs  Satan very much, therefore he comes to stop believers from these activities through waswasa, but believers became restless and he fails to mislead them. Due to success in the test, Allah will raise their status and in this way believers move forwards stepwise and subsequently achieve true success in this world and in the hereafter. It becomes evident that the network of Iblis is weak, because it can mislead only susceptible believers; and it has no potential to mislead resistant believers. 

6. IBLIS’S NETWORK 

Network of Iblis consists of human lower souls and satans from jinn and from human beings. Jinn satans include Qareen, and other non-believer or sinful jinn. These are briefly described below: 

6.1. Satans

Satans are both jinn and human beings and they are supporting each other in most of the cases. For example, jinn satans fly beyond earth’s atmosphere and steal some information from the conversation of Angels about certain affairs relating to human beings; they manipulate that information and transmit it to human satans such as magicians, astrologists, and soothsayers, etc. They use that information to mislead people and create diverse problems in the society, especially for the believers: for example conflicts between husband and wife and in other relations among the human beings. In addition to this human satans mislead different segments of the society with the assistance of jinn satans.    

One of the jinn satans known as Qareen, which  literally means ‘constant companion.’ It is generally believed that Qareen is a creature, which Allah (swt) has caused to accompany every human being in this world. It is an important member of Iblis’s network. The Qareen is mentioned in a number of verses of the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):  

And he to whom satan is companion – then evil is he as a companion (43).

And whoever is blinded from remembrance of the Most Merciful – We appoint for him a satan, and he is to him a companion (44).

He (satan) companion will say, “O Lord, I did not make him transgress, but he (himself) was in extreme error” (45). 

Ibn Masud reported that the Messenger of Allah said,  “There is none amongst you except that his Qareen from the jinn and his Qareen from the angels were assigned to him.” The Companions asked, “Even you.” O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Even me, but Allah supported me against him, so I am safe from him and he does not command me; but to do good” (46).  (Muslim). 

Religious scholars are of the view that Qareen, a jinni satan is assigned to every person in the world. His name is ‘Al-Waswaas’  and he is a son of Satan (Iblis) and is born when a child of a human being is born. It means all the jinn satans are the children of satan, and every child of Adam has one companion from his children. 

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and others said, “In verse 50:27 the word Qareen refers to the satan who is appointed to accompany him will say, ‘Our Lord!  I did not push him to ‘transgression’ meaning, I did not lead him astray, but he was himself in error for estray.’” 

The statement of the Messenger of Allah in this tradition has been interpreted by the religious scholars in two  main ways: one is that he was safe from the evil and temptations of the Qareen. The other other version is that his Qareen  became Muslim or a believer, so he did not tell him to do anything, but good. It means the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was protected from qareen in every manner – physically, mentally, and spiritually, etc. 

The Messenger of Allah said, “The satan moves inside the son of Adam just as blood circulates inside him” (47).

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “The satan places his halter on the heart of the son of Adam; if he remembers Allah, the satan withdraws, and if he forgets Allah, the satan swallows his heart” (48).

The tradition of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) reveals that the Qareen round the clock and throughout one’s life tries to conquer the heart of the designated person. In this endeavour, he has to compete with the angel Mulhim. When a person remembers Allah and does His worship with good intention and devotion, the Qareen is defeated and the angel takes control of the heart. 

In addition to directly whispering into the hearts of believers,  jinn satans fly in groups and reach just near the prohibited area beyond the atmosphere of the earth and take their position to steal the information from the conversations of angels relating to human beings. In this endeavour, satans put their lives in danger, because there is great risk of the showers of Meteors who follow them. After getting the requisite information a satan immediately conveys it to other satans nearby before his death.  We intend to briefly discuss this issue. 

Allah (swt) has created stars for three purposes: for beautification of the nearest heaven, use of stars (meteors) as missiles to be thrown at satans, and as signs for the guidance of the people (49).

In the literature different terms such as meteors, meteorites and meteorides; burning flame, flashing flame, shooting star, shihab-e-mubin, and shihab-e-thaqib are used; it is imperative to elaborate these terms in order to avoid confusion. The meteoroids are solid objects moving in interplanetary space. They travel around the sun at different velocities (up to 42 km per second). They are dust or sand particles to boulder-sized particles of debris in the solar system. The visible path of a meteoroid that enters earth’s (or another body’s) atmosphere is called a ‘meteor’ or ‘shooting star’ or ‘falling star’. If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite. The root word ‘meteor’ comes from the Greek ‘meteoros’ meaning high in the air.

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris or rock from an object such as a comet, asteroid, meteoroid, etc. that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon, especially earth. They are ancient pieces of celestial bodies. The majority of meteorites are fragments of shattered asteroids; a small number of meteorites are pieces of rock from the surfaces of other planets; small pieces of the moon occasionally reach the earth as meteorites. They can also come from comets, etc. Their fall to earth is often in a blazing fireball. They can be as small as the dust particle or as big as nine feet across, with 54000 kg weight. More than 50,000 years ago, a meteorite weighing about 270,000 metric tons slammed into the earth, which made a hole one km wide and 230 metres (750 feet) deep.

The meteors are objects that come from space and enter earth’s atmosphere by pulling due to earth’s gravity. When it enters the earth’s atmosphere at high speed it burns up, creating a streak in the sky that is commonly known as shooting star or falling star. Very bright meteors are known as ‘fireballs.’ If a meteor is large enough it can reach the ground and creates a crater. A meteor usually enters the earth’s atmosphere at the speed of 60 km per second.

The dust and rocks that cause meteor showers come primarily from the earth passing through the debris stream left behind by a comet as it orbits the sun. Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any given night. Some meteor showers occur annually or at regular intervals as the earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by a comet and in a few cases, asteroids. There are various types of meteor showers and they occur at different times of the year. The appearance of a number of meteors occurring in the same part of the sky over a period of time is called ‘meteor shower. The term meteoroide only applies when a meteorite is in space. 

The ‘burning flame’ is the part that detaches from stars and falls in the air or on land or in the sea; and it is glowing when it detaches from the star, then it dims as it moves closer to the earth. Astronomers call it a meteorite.” About verse 37:10 At-Taahir Bin Aashoor said, “The burning flame is the ember from the fire. What is meant here is what astronomers call a meteorite”(50).

Meteors are celestial stones which wander in irregular paths through the entire solar system. It stones each satan that deserves stoning. While these objects are roaming, some of them fall into the earth’s gravitational field and they emit a piercing brightness when they come in contact with earth’s atmosphere at a very high speed. One may see this brightness as a glowing arrow (shooting star) on clear nights. Some meteors collide with the surface of the earth; thereby they become known as meteorites” (51). 

Az-Zamakhshari said, “The meaning of the star being a missile for the satan is that the meteor pounces from the star to stone the devils who eavesdrop on the heaven. The meteors detach from the fire of the stars, and it does not mean that the stars themselves are the missiles” (52).

In Arabic, the term shihab-e-mubin literally means a fiery flame or bright flame. In verse 37:10 the Arabic word shihab-e-thaqib means the flame that pierces through darkness, piercing flame, piercing flare or piercing projectile. Some people are of the view that shihab-e-mubin and shihab-e-thaqib are the same thing. 

And We have protected it from every devil expelled (from the mercy of Allah); except one who steals a hearing and is pursued by a clear burning flame (53). 

Indeed We have adorned the nearest (lower) heaven with an adornment of the stars; and as protection against every rebellious satan. These Satans cannot hear the words of the exalted one; they are darted at and driven off from every side, and for them there is a perpetual torment. However, if someone snatches away something, a flashing flame follows him (54). 

According to Ali Anol when satans or evil spiritual beings attempted to ascend to the heavens, the pure inhabitants there were mobilised to repel them. Allah displays the vast heavens as a castle or city arranged with a tower on which sentries are posted, so that those inhabitants of the heavens and the earth may reflect on the Majesty of His Lordship (55).  

It does not mean the stars themselves are pelted at the Satans, nor that the meteorites shoot out only to drive away the Satans, but it means that the countless meteorites which originate from the stars and wander in space at tremendous speeds and which also fall on the earth in a continuous shower prevent the Satans of the earth from ascending to the heavens. Even if they try to ascend heavenward these meteorites drive them away (56).

Arabs believed about the soothsayers, and this also was the claim made by the soothsayers themselves, that the Satans were under their control, or that they had a close contact with them, and through them they received news of the unseen, and thus, could foretell the destinies of the people. That is why at several places in the Qur’an, it has been stated that there is absolutely no possibility of Satans’ ascending to the heavens and bringing news of the unseen (57). 

Devils attempted to ascend to the heavens to listen to the angels’ conversations about the Divine Truths and some future events and also during Revelation. But Allah did not permit them to do so; and if any among them snatched away something from the angels, they were destroyed with missiles. The devils never give up their attempts to ascend to the heavens; but in every attempt, they are repelled, and if some are able to obtain something from the angels, they are then destroyed (58). 

Based on available literature it can be concluded that jinn satans go to the mission to get information from the conversation of angels in the heavens by taking positions in such a way that they can get maximum information. To achieve this objective they are ready to sacrifice their lives. They arrange them in such a way that they can transmit information among themselves in an effective way. 

Whenever a devil gets the information he conveys it immediately to the one who is beneath him, who in turn conveys it down to the one who is beneath him and so on. Perhaps in most of the cases the flaming fire strikes the devil before he is able to throw it down or perhaps he conveys it before the flaming fire strikes him and burns him. If the devil communicates the information to others before its death due to a missile, the receiver of the information takes it to the soothsayer or other relevant persons.

6.2. Human Lower Soul 

Fadalah Bin Ubayd reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “The one who wages jihad is he who strives against one’s l;ower soul (59).

The Arabic word ‘Nafs’ can be translated into English as ‘psyche’, ‘self,’ ‘ego,’ ‘I’ or ‘lower soul.’ In this article we intend to use the word ‘lower soul.’ Lower soul means a strong impulse to do bad things. Lower may be bad or good. In the Qur’an this world has different concepts: For example, the verse 5:32 describes it as the totality of the human personality; but verse 13:11 points out that it relates with the behaviour of human personality. In other words human behaviour mainly depends on the lower soul. The verse 6:12 reveals that it refers to the inner human side that has good or bad potential. 

It is almost consensus among the eminent religious scholars that the lower soul is a subtle thing existing in the body and is considered as the seat of evil. It is the lowest principle of man. It has the potential of functioning from the grossest to the highest level and it incites evil in human personality. The lower soul is a real substance and its attributes are clearly perceivable. Generally, when the term lower soul is used in the negative sense, it means Nafs Ammarah. 

The Holy Prophet said, “Thy worst enemy is thy lower soul, which is between thy two sides.” 

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) considered the struggle against the lower soul as jihad-i-Akbar (greater war) and war against the unbelievers or disbelievers as Jihad-i-Asgar (smaller war), because the former is more painful and difficult, because this war is for whole life continuously and round the clock. 

Lower soul, etymologically, is the essence and reality of anything, but in popular language it is used to denote many contradictory meanings. Some mystics are of the view that it is the source and principle of evil, but others assert that it is a substance located in the body, but some others hold it to be an attribute of the body, as life is. But almost all agree that it is the immediate cause of blameworthy actions (60).

The Qur’an has mentioned three kinds of human nafs: (i) Ammarah, (ii) Lawwamah, and (iii) Mutmainnah. These three forms of nafs are briefly described below: 

Nafs Ammarah is the lower soul that gives up protests and surrenders itself to the devil. It resides in the senses and is dominated by human desires and passions and evil lies hidden in it. 

And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the lower soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful (61).  

O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan – indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing (62).  

The Holy Prophet said, “What do you think about a companion who, if you treat him nicely, feed him, clothe him, still he will throw you in all sorts of troubles, and if you insult him, keep him hungry and naked, he will do what is good for you?” They said, “O Prophet, there just cannot be a companion worse than him in the whole world”(63).

The Holy Prophet said, “Your greatest enemy is your lower soul which not only disgraces you by getting you involved in evil deeds but also makes you run into all sorts of troubles” (64). 

Nafs Ammara possesses such a tongue that accepts falsehood. It enjoys the status of a king in the human body and Satan is its advising minister. If you give him all the cosmos, even then his ravenousness does not end! It is like a (stormy) gale and all its actions are the cause of destruction, corruption, and dissention. It sucks the blood of man with its nastiness and suppression. Its origin is lust and desire. Every person who has any negative trait in the personality, his Higher Spirit is from amongst those Souls who followed the call of Satan! Those people whose Souls, on hearing the call of Satan, had entered the world, and they became successful in accumulating the world. They chose this world and lost the Hereafter (65). (The Key of Tawhid by Sultan Bahu).

 Nafs Ammarah facilitates the entry of Satan into the body of man and subdues them and such people become obedient to Satan. But Satan cannot enter the body of those persons who possess true belief, do righteous deeds and remain busy in the remembrance of Allah (swt). 

 The satan cannot enter a man’s heart until he desires to commit a sin: but when a certain quantity of passion appears, the devil takes it and decks it out and displays it to the man’s heart; and this is called diabolic suggestions (waswas). It begins from passion, and in reference to this fact Allah said to Iblis when he threatened to seduce all mankind: “Verily you have no power over My servants.” (15:42), for the satan in reality is a man’s lower soul and passion…. Passion is mingled as an ingredient in the clay of Adam; whoever renounces it becomes a prince and whoever follows it becomes a captive. Junayd said, “Union with Allah is to renounce passion” (66).

……………………………………………………

The most manifest attribute of the lower soul is lust (shahwat). It is a thing that is dispersed in different parts of the human body, and is served by the senses. On the Day of Judgment every person will be questioned about the use and misuse of his senses and certain other organs. The lust of the eye is sight, that of the ear is hearing, that of the nose is smell, and that of the tongue is speech, that of the palate is taste, that of the body surface is touch, and that of the mind is thought. Whoever is afflicted with lust is veiled from all spiritual things.

Nafs Lawwamah (the blaming self) is the blameworthy self which blames its owner for his own shortcomings. It is in a state of constant awareness, self-observation and self-criticism. It recognizes its shortcomings, wrong actions, disobedience and the neglect of duties. It cannot rest in one state. It often changes and alters, remembers and forgets, submits and withdraws, loves and hates, rejoices and becomes sad, accepts and rejects, and obeys and rebels. 

And I swear by the reproaching soul (to the certainty of resurrection) (67).  (75:2). 

Nafs Mutmainnah is the highest stage of the lower soul. It is the self that feels full satisfaction at following the right path and abandoning the wrong path. It achieves full rest and satisfaction as his personality gets equipped with the qualities of quietness, mildness, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding of all beings. It leads to resolution of one’s inner conflicts and attainment of harmony with Allah (swt). 

(To the righteous it will be said), “Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing (to Him), and enter among my (righteous) servants, and enter My Paradise (68). (89:27-30). 

It is the soul of the believer which is in complete calm and satisfaction under all situations and circumstances; it is at rest and content with his knowledge of Allah’s Names and Attributes and with what He has said about Himself and His Messenger, and with what He has said about the Hereafter. …So he submits to the will of Allah and surrenders to Him completely, never dissatisfied or complaining, and with his faith not wavering. He does not rejoice at his gains, nor do his sufferings make him despair” (69).

6. CONCLUSION

Couplets from Mathnavi of Maulana Rumi about Adam and Satan: 

Therefore the Lord of the heart set up a khalifa (vicegerent) 

To serve as a mirror to reflect His own sovereignty

Therefore He gave him unlimited purity and light,

And on the other side He set darkness opposing the light

Allah set up two standards, a white and a black one, 

The one Adam and the other Iblis;

And between these two mighty armies 

Ensued war and battle that all we have witnessed

Thus too, in the second generation lived pure Habil (Abel); 

Qabil (Cain) was the opposite of his pure light

Since then the war of light and darkness has been continuing and it will continue till the end of this world. In this connection he gave certain examples from human history:   

In like manner those two standards of right and wrong 

Were borne aloft till the age of Namrud

Namrud was the opponent and adversary of Abraham

Age after age these two parties continued war. 

Even till the time of Pharaoh and gentle Moses

Between these two the war was waged for years, 

And when it passed all bounds and affliction increased

Allah made the water of the Nile a judge between them,

That the one who deserved preeminence should endure

It is evident from the human history that water of Nile as Allah’s agent saved Prophet Moses and his nation, but killed all human satans alongwith Pharoah. Likewise, all the human satans were eliminated from the nations of Prophets, Noah, Lut, Salih, but the Prophets and their followers were saved. In like manner it went on till the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in which the polytheists who opposed the Islamic movement either reverted to Islam or they were eliminated completely and the light of Islam spread all over the world and the evil web reduced to nothing. But with the passage of time when the believers due to deviation from the Straight Path became weak, the evil web became again strong. 

O Allah, bring our hearts together, reconcile between us, guide us to ways of peace, and deliver us from darkness into light. Keep us away from immorality, outwardly and inwardly, and bless us in our hearing, our seeing, our hearts, our spouses, and our children. Accept our repentance, for You alone are the Relenting, and  the Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings, Praising and accepting them, and give them to us in full (70 ). (Reported by Abdullah Bin Masud, Sunan Abu Dawud). 

To be continued: it is a series of 3 to 4 articles and all the references will be given in the last article.