Quran Garden

Session 7

I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed

A continuation

God Almighty says:

Satan is certainly your enemy, so hold him as a foe. He only calls his faction to be the residents of Hell. (35:6)

Despite God's repeated warnings, we are often careless in taking any precautions.  Keep in mind that Satan does not possess the authority to compel any person to do what he or she does not want, neither does he have the power to make anyone feel comfortable with sin.  In fact, Satan does not have any powers or authority over any human beings.  Authority is of two types: the first, known as the power of compulsion, consists of forcing one to do an act he or she does not want to do, while the second, known as the power of persuasion, consists of convincing a person to voluntarily do an act while he or she is content.  Satan does not have the power of compulsion nor that of persuasion, but sadly his whispers often find an inclination and a desire within ourselves. This is the reason why we often lend them an attentive ear and pursue them.  However, we should always keep in mind the end result of this struggle.  As the following verse details, Satan will address his followers on the Day of Resurrection:

When everything has been decided, Satan will say, "God gave you a true promise; I too made promises, but they were false ones. I had no power over you except to call you, and you responded to my call. So do not blame me; blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I reject the way you associated me with God before." A bitter torment awaits such wrongdoers. (14:22)

Here you may wonder, why did God create Satan and gave him the ability to entice humans?  The answer is that, if obedience existed without any obstacles or temptations, then one's true faith and commitment would not become clear.  This is just like the honesty of an employee: he or she cannot be judged unless he or she is tempted by a bribe or by an unattended cash register. Without exposure to temptation his or her values will not be known.  Instead, if the employee is confronted by temptation and decides to hold to duty and principle, then this person can certainly be regarded as an honest employee.

Similarly, God gave us the freedom of choice between the principles of truth and those of corruption, to make it known those who believe and follow His path while having the choice to do otherwise.  Most of God's creations are compelled to follow instinct and unconsciously perform their duty in this world.  This compulsion not only proves God's power and ability, but also shows clearly that, had He wanted all humans to believe, He could easily have forced us to do so.  God, however, wants us to turn to Him out of love, not compulsion, and such a love can only come from free will.  It may well be the result of your desire to attain Paradise, and God will grant you what you desire.  At yet at a higher level, this love may be pure for God alone, and not for the desire of any rewards.  This is how some scholars interpret the following verse:

Say: "I am only a human being, like you, who has received revelation. Your god is One God.  So let him who hopes to meet his Lord act rightly and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord." (18:110)

The phrase "him who hopes to meet his Lord" refers to those who do good deeds purely for the pleasure of God's company on the Day of Resurrection.  So, if you do good deeds to attain Paradise, you will get Paradise, and if you aim far higher, you will get what you aimed for as well.

Had God not created Paradise and Hell, wouldn't He be worthy of being worshiped?! العدوية رابعة (Raba'a Al-‘Adawiya) -a pious Muslim woman from the second century after the Prophet- was quoted saying:

"O God, if You know that I am worshiping You out of greed for Paradise, then deprive me of it, and if You know that I am worshiping You out of fear of Hellfire, then admit me into it, for I am only worshiping You because You deserve to be worshiped."

So God wants you to purify yourself for Him and seek refuge in His company when you recite the Quran.  He knows that Satan whispers to distract you and prevent you from reaping the benefits of the Quran.  If you want to attain the full benefits and virtues of God's words, then seek refuge in Him and be in His company.

Listen to what الصادق جعفر (Ja'far Al-Sadiq), a great-grandson of Prophet Muhammad and one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the virtues of the Quran, said:

"Indeed, the horrors of life for man are fear, adversity, distress, and being conspired against.  I am astonished by a person who is in fear but does not resort to the words of God in this verse:  'God is sufficient for us, and the best of protectors' (3:173),  for God has said in the verse right after that 'Hence they returned with a mighty blessing from God and a great bounty. They suffered no harm whatsoever, and they followed the good pleasure of God. Indeed, God is the Possessor of great bounty' (3:174). And I am amazed at a person inflicted by adversity, and yet he does not resort to the following words of God: 'Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of all who show mercy' (21:83), for God Almighty has said in reply, 'We responded to him and removed from him the harm which was afflicting him' (21:84). Furthermore, I am astonished at a person stricken by distress, and yet he does not say the following words from the Quran: 'There is no God but You! Glory be to You! Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers' (21:87), for I heard God saying in response, 'So we heard his prayer and delivered him from his distress. And thus do we deliver true believers' (21:88). And I am amazed at a person who is conspired against and does not resort to the following words: 'I entrust my affairs to God. Indeed God is All-Seeing of His servants' (40:44), for I have heard God Almighty saying in the very next verse, 'So God safeguarded him from the evil things they plotted' (40:45)."

As long as you remain in God's company, Satan does not dare approach you.  On the day of migration to Medina, the Prophet, peace be upon him, retreated to the cave of ثور (Thawr) with his companion Abu Bakr.  The disbelievers were on the hunt for them, closely following their traces.  Later that day, the armed men reached the cave and stood at its entrance.  At that moment, Abu Bakr said to the Prophet, "If any of them just looks down, he will spot us." The Prophet replied, "O Abu Bakr, what do you think about two people when God is the third of them?"  This incident is summarized in the following verse:

Even if you do not help the Prophet, God helped him when the disbelievers drove him out: when the two of them were in the cave, he said to his companion, "Do not worry, God is with us," and God sent His calm down to him, aided him with forces invisible to you, and brought down the disbelievers' plan. God's plan is higher: God is almighty and wise. (9:40)

Human eyes cannot comprehend God, and since the Prophet and his companion were in the company of God, then the eyes of the disbelievers could not comprehend them either.  Looking at the Prophet and Abu Bakr at that moment would have been just like looking into thin air.

Finally, and before we move to the first chapter and the first verse of the Quran, let's take a moment to examine where God chose to put His message.  God's message for humanity came from an illiterate nation.  Moreover, God selected an illiterate man from this nation to deliver it.  Prophet Muhammad did not acquire any formal education or schooling in Mecca, neither was he educated at the hands of people of the great powers of the East or the West.  While illiteracy may bring shame on a person, it was an honor for the Prophet because it confirmed that whatever he brought us of religion was only from God.  In fact, everything that he delivered is a miracle because it was great knowledge and wisdom from an unlearned man.  If the Quran had descended upon a civilized nation of the time, such as the Persians or the Romans, or upon a literate and highly educated person, it would have been said that the Quran is the outcome of the rise of civilizations and a renaissance of reason.  However, by His wisdom, God made His message descend upon an illiterate nation and an illiterate Prophet confirming its unique and direct connection to the heavens, free of any claims to human or cultural influence.  Through God's bounty, Prophet Muhammad, an illiterate person, became a teacher for the entire humankind.