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road rage, suicide bombings, school shootings, down to a neighbor punching a neighbor because he didn’t cut his grass soon enough. Satan’s goal is to drive wedges among people so they can’t stand united against him. And he makes all kinds of promises to be there to support them, but his promises are all false.
[17:53] Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.
[58:10] Secret conspiracy is the devil’s idea, through which he seeks to hurt those who believed. However, he cannot hurt them against GOD’s will. In GOD the believers shall trust.
[8:48] The devil had adorned their works in their eyes, and said, “You cannot be defeated by any people today,” and “I will be fighting along with you.” But as soon as the two armies faced each other, he turned back on his heels and fled, saying, “I disown you. I see what you do not see. I am afraid of GOD. GOD’s retribution is awesome.”
It all began when we were not firm in our support of God before creation. We waffled and so we became humans. Even then, we were in Paradise, but we listened to Satan’s lies as he told us that we could have more. He convinced us that God was keeping something from us.
[20:116] Recall that we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Satan; he refused. [20:117] We then said, “O Adam, this is an enemy of you and your wife. Do not let him evict you from Paradise, lest you become miserable. [20:118] “You are guaranteed never to hunger therein, nor go unsheltered. [20:119] “Nor will you thirst therein, nor suffer from any heat.”
[20:120] But the devil whispered to him, saying, “O Adam, let me show you the tree of eternity and unending kingship.”
[7:19] “As for you, Adam, dwell with your wife in Paradise, and eat therefrom as you please, but do not approach this one tree, lest you fall in sin.” [7:20] The devil whispered to them, in order to reveal their bodies, which were invisible to them. He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree, except to prevent you from becoming angels, and from attaining eternal existence.” [7:21] He swore to them, “I am giving you good advice.” [7:22] He thus duped them with lies. As soon as they tasted the tree, their bodies became visible to them, and they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Their Lord called upon them: “Did I not enjoin you from that tree, and warn you that the devil is your most ardent enemy?”
We failed the test. We listened to Satan’s blasphemous whispers and so we became humans. The system that God then instituted called for us to be exposed to the devil, as the footnote for 22:52 reminds us: Throughout this worldly test, Satan is allowed to present his point of view (we are born with a representative of Satan in our bodies). This allows the people to make a choice between God’s evidence and Satan’s evidence. Satan’s evidence is invariably based on lies.
We are assigned a jinn companion who represents Satan’s point of view (43:36), and God tells us that the majority of people will follow the devil (34:20). God warns us in 3:175 that Satan will use fear as a tool, to frighten people to follow him. But we are to fear only God. If we ignore God’s warnings, Satan will hound us.
[7:175] Recite for them the news of one who was given our proofs, but chose to disregard them. Consequently, the devil pursued him, until he became a strayer.
One of Satan’s most effective traps plays on our tendency to be idolatrous. He convinces us that God isn’t enough. We need an intercessor. He masks it in the idea that God is too great, too busy to have time to bother with our mundane needs, so we need a go-between to lighten God’s burden.
This is totally blasphemous, but millions fall for it. They implore Jesus or Muhammad or the saints to help them here on earth and to intercede for them on the Day of Resurrection.
Satan’s Most Effective Bait: The Myth of Intercession
[9:80] Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them—even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times—GOD will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieve in GOD and His messenger. GOD does not guide the wicked people.
*9:80 If Muhammad could not intercede on behalf of his own uncles and cousins, what makes strangers who never met him think that he will intercede on their behalf? Abraham could not intercede on behalf of his father, nor could Noah intercede on behalf of his son (11:46 & 60:4).
Satan uses prohibitions as a means of repelling from God’s path. He has convinced traditional Muslims that every part of the pig is prohibited; shellfish is prohibited, although 5:96 tells us: All fish of the sea are made lawful for you to eat. They have made other prohibitions, such as birds of prey, animals with fangs, reptiles. You may choose not to eat any of these creatures, but God prohibits only the meat of the pig, carrion, running blood and food dedicated to other than God (6:145). Satan has led people astray with all these extra prohibitions.
Satan Prohibits Lawful Things
[2:168] O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.
If prohibition doesn’t work, he’ll go the other way and convince people to do more. He will couch it as though it’s more righteous to be more miserable. Why stop with 4 rakats in the night prayer when you can do ten or more? Obviously, it’s more righteous to do more. But God has given us the number of prayers to do, a number that conforms to the 19-based mathematical code. It’s a reasonable number, which makes it a pleasure and
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