Satan’s Cunning Wiles

This article covers Satan’s Cunning Wiles against humans.

Satan Deceives People With Narrow Minds, Short Views, …

First Point: One of Satan’s most cunning wiles is to deceive people with narrow minds, short views, and constricted hearts concerning the immensity of the truths of belief. He says: “It is said that a single Being directs and administers within His dominicality all particles and planets and stars and all the other beings and all their states. How can a person believe in such an immense and extraordinary matter? How can it be contained in the heart? How can the mind accept it?” He awakens a feeling of denial in respect of human impotence.

The First Way: It is possible, but it is truly immense and wondrous. Certainly, such an astonishing work comes about through wondrous art in a most wondrous way. As for that way, it is its coming about through the dominicality, will, and power of a Single and Eternally Besought One, to Whose existence there are witnesses to the number of beings, indeed, of minute particles.

The Second Way: This is the way of unbelief and associating partners with God, which is in no way possible and is difficult to the degree of being impossible and is in no respect reasonable. There would have to be present in all the beings in the universe and even in every single particle absolute divinity and all-encompassing knowledge and infinite power so that the total order and regularity, and sensitive balance and distinction, and the perfect, adorned embroideries of art to be observed in beings could come into existence.

In Short: If there was no immense and tremendous dominicality, which is completely appropriate and in place, it would necessitate following a way which is in every respect unreasonable and precluded. Even Satan cannot propose fleeing from such immensity, which is appropriate and necessary, and suggest entering upon impossibility.

Satan And His Helpers

Satan And His Helpers

Satan Does Not Want You To Admit Your Faults

Second Point: Another of Satan’s cunning wiles is to prevent man admitting his faults so that the way of seeking forgiveness and taking refuge with God should be closed. He also incites the egotism of the human soul, so that the soul defends itself like a lawyer, quite simply acquitting it of all faults.

Yes, a soul that listens to Satan does not want to see its own faults. Even if it does see them, it explains them away in a hundred ways. According to the saying: “The eye of contentment is blind to faults,” when a person looks with pleasure on his soul, he does not see its faults. And because he does not see its faults, he does not admit to them, and does not seek forgiveness, nor seek refuge with God from them, and becomes the plaything of Satan. How can the soul be relied on when a noble prophet like Joseph said:

“Nor do I absolve my own self [of blame]; the [human] soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Sustainer do bestow His mercy (12:53)?”

One, who accuses his soul, sees its faults. And one, who admits his faults, seeks forgiveness for them. And one, who seeks forgiveness, takes refuge with God. And one, who takes refuge with God, is saved from Satan’s evil. Not to see his faults is a greater fault than the first fault. And not to admit to his faults is a serious defect. If he sees the fault, it ceases to be a fault. If he admits it, he becomes worthy of forgiveness.

A Satanic Wile Corrupting The Life Of Society

Third Point: A Satanic wile corrupting the life of society is this:

it is not to see all the virtues of a believer on account of a single bad point. Those unjust people who heed this wile of Satan’s are inimical to believers in that way. However, when Almighty God weighs up deeds with absolute justice on the supreme scales at the Last Judgment, He will judge in accordance with the predominance of good deeds over evils and vice versa. And since the causes of evil deeds are numerous and their existence is easy, sometimes He veils many bad deeds with a single good deed.

lucifer

The Church views Satan as an archetype of pride, individualism, and enlightenment.

That is to say, dealings in this world should be in accordance with that Divine justice. If a person’s good points are greater in regard to quality or quantity than his bad points, the man is deserving of love and respect. Indeed, one should forgive numerous bad points on account of a single valuable virtue. However, due to the vein of tyranny in his nature and through the promptings of Satan, man forgets the hundred virtues of a person because of a single bad point, is hostile towards his believing brother, and commits sins. Like a fly’s wing covering the eye conceals a mountain, so too, due to the veil of hatred, man conceals virtues as great as a mountain due to one evil like a fly’s wing; he forgets them, is hostile towards his brother believer, and becomes a tool of corruption in the life of society.

Through another wile resembling this one, Satan corrupts the wholeness of peoples’ thoughts. He destroys sound judgement concerning the truths of belief and damages integrity and correctness of thought. It is like this:

He wants to destroy hundreds of evidences proving the truths of belief through a slight hint refuting them. Whereas it is an established principle that “A single proof is superior to a hundred denials.” The statement of a witness proving a claim is preferable to a hundred people denying it. Consider this truth by means of the following comparison:

There is a palace with a hundred doors all closed. On one of its doors being opened, the palace may be entered and the other doors opened. If all the doors are open, and one or two are closed, it may not be said that the palace cannot be entered.

Thus, the truths of belief are the palace. Each evidence is a key; it proves the truths and opens a door. If one of the doors remains closed, the truths of belief cannot be abandoned and denied. Satan however, as a consequence of certain things or by means of heedlessness or ignorance, points out a door that has remained closed, thus causing a person to disregard all the positive evidences. Saying: “See, this palace cannot be entered. Perhaps it is not a palace, and there is nothing inside it,” he deceives the person.

O my dear friends afflicted by the wiles of Satan! If you want the life of religion and of society and personal life all to be healthy, and if you want integrity of thought, a sound view, and a sincere heart, weigh up your actions and thoughts on the scales of the incontestable matters of the Book and the balance of the Practices of the Messenger. Always take the Holy Book the Practices as your guide. Say: “I take refuge with God from Satan the Accursed”, and seek refuge with God Almighty.

Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of mankind * The Ruler of mankind * The God of mankind * From the mischief of the Whisperer [of evil], who withdraws [after his whisper]- * [The same] who whispers into the hearts of mankind- * Among jinns and among men;(Qur’an, 114:1-6.)

By Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

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