Disappoint the Satan

On Those Whom the Devil Despairs Of

Praise be to God, Lord of all worlds. And Blessings and Peace be upon Muhammad and his pure progeny. And curses upon all their enemies.

We have been in Moharram of the new year upon us, as should be our custom, we will share a tradition from the holy Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). A blessing, a guidance, a light for our lives and the path ahead.

The holy Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

 "Iblis said, 'Five things there are, where I have no trick, no cunning. 

All other men are in my grasp except these five groups. 

They are: 

he who seeks refuge in God with a true heart and trusts Him in all his affairs; 

and he whose praise of God is great, day and night; 

and he who wishes for his believing brother what he wishes for himself;

 and he who does not despair when calamity strikes him; 

and he who is content with what God has given him and does not worry for his sustenance.'" 

(Al-Khisal, Vol. 1, p. 285, Hadith 37)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Iblis spoke. Five groups of men are beyond his snare. His tricks and deceit, they touch them not. They stand against his wiles. Safe from his trickery. But the others, they are in his grip. Under his will.

 * First, those who hold fast to God. They seek His shelter, truly, from the heart. They grasp His rope. In all their affairs, they lean on Him. They have given all to God. He is their strength. They lean on no other. Hope from no other. These are beyond the devil's cunning. He finds no way in. If a man knows all things are from God—honor, greatness, sustenance, health, peace—then he turns to no other. He bows to no other. He hopes in no other for his troubles. Such men, the devil cannot touch.

 * Second, those who praise God often. Day and night, they are busy with His praise. "He whose praise of God is great, day and night." This praise, it is not just words from the tongue. "Glory to God," they say, and often. But this praise, this remembrance, it comes from deep within them. It is not just words while their hearts dwell on other things, their minds caught by the world.  They learn the praise words, contemplate and understand their meanings and requisites plus prerequisites and practice remembrance after contemplatation and understanding in depth.

 * Third, those who wish for their believing brother what they wish for themselves. "He who wishes for his believing brother what he wishes for himself." Such a man, he truly blocks the devil's way. A man who wishes for others what he wishes for himself, he is clean of malice and envy. He sees others as himself. If he wishes no calamity for himself, he wishes no calamity for them. If he wishes no sickness, no trouble for himself, he wishes none for his believing brother. If he wishes ease, health, well-being for himself, he wishes the same for others. A man who has reached this place, he has trampled his own self. He has crossed the border of selfishness. The devil cannot enter such men. Cannot trap them with his tricks.

 * Fourth, those who do not despair when calamity strikes them. When trouble hits, they do not wail. They remain submissive, content, thankful. "He who does not despair when calamity strikes him." Most men, when trouble comes, they wail and despair. But if a man reaches this stage, to be patient in the face of trouble, he gets the reward of the patient. A reward, the Quran promises, without measure. Patience in calamity is one kind of patience. God has promised paradise for it. And reward without measure.

 * Fifth, those who are content with what God has given them. Their worry is not their daily bread. They are content. It says: "Content with what God has given him and does not worry for his sustenance." This does not mean he should not seek his sustenance, not strive. To strive for sustenance is necessary. For family, for a good life, for comfort—effort is praised. But what is valued in this tradition is that his whole effort is not for gaining wealth. Seeking sustenance is necessary. There is no doubt. But to be content with one's share in this world, with what God has given, that is a great step toward perfection. If a man thinks to himself, if he is not content with his own portion, if he envies others, such comparisons and envies bring spiritual and moral troubles. (He might say, "That man, with no true faith, no true morals, he has much. And I am in hardship." From such thoughts, a crack opens for the devil. And then, who knows where he might lead a man. He might even, God forbid, say that God is unjust. Even learned men, it is written, at the moment of death, before the Angel of Death, have spoken, saying, "We did not know God (God forbid) was unjust." Though they were learned, at death, they attributed injustice to God, God forbid. If we lack contentment, we will fall into the devil's whispers.)

In any case, these five groups, as Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, quoting Iblis, are safe from the devil's cunning, his whispers, his trickery. The devil himself said he has no way into these five. His tricks are useless against them:

 * One who holds fast to God, truly, and trusts Him in all things. If God is Creator, Lord, and Wise, who better to entrust our affairs to? Our future, ourselves, our work, all of it.

 * Second, those who truly praise God often.

 * Third, those who wish for their believing brothers what they wish for themselves.

 * Fourth, those who are patient in calamity and do not despair.

 * Fifth, those who are content with what God has allotted them, and whose sole concern is not gaining wealth.

This tradition, we shared it at the start of the year so that we may, God willing, be among those whom the devil despairs of. A man who insures himself against the devil's tricks, his mind is at ease. Now we see all kinds of insurance—for cars, houses, property. All to cover losses if trouble comes. We think of insuring the things that gain value because of us, connected to us, our extras. But we do not think of insuring ourselves. Let us truly insure ourselves. This means to be among these five groups. To entrust all our affairs to God. To be kind, good-hearted, and well-wishing toward our brothers. To not have wealth as our only concern. To be truly those who praise God. And to be patient in the face of troubles. For the life of every person, it has its troubles, its hardships. But patience in these troubles, God willing, brings ease. "Indeed, with hardship comes ease." If we are patient for God's sake, if we seek knowledge for God's sake, God will surely grant His favor. So, if we are among these men, it will have spiritual effects for us, and material effects too. May God grant us the grace to become, moment by moment, closer to those groups, those individuals, whom the devil despairs of.

What is your greatest hardship, and how do you face it to be progressing within these insured groups?