What is your aim?
My aim is to increase the distance between you and Allah.
How do you do this?
I offer you unlimited worldly pleasures so that you may forget Allah. Many of you do not need any encouragement. But among you there are some that are cautious, some that exercise moderation. Yet I am not concerned for I have a plan for these people, a plan that rarely fails.
What plan is that?
I whisper to you, informing you of how much better you are than others.
What does this do?
When I remind you of how much better you are than others, you always foolishly find a sense of comfort. In reality though you should be worried because I never show you how far away from Allah you actually are. I do my utmost to conceal this from you as I want you to be comfortable. The more comfortable you are the more you do not feel the need to make any changes. You simply justify and excuse your inaction by comparing yourself to those lower than you. This is a state of paralysis that does not allow you to ascend to Allah. Even if you are aware of this paralysis I am not concerned for I have another plan.
What plan is that?
So as to keep you indifferent to your paralysis, I remind you Allah is All Forgiving and this keeps you comfortable with where you are. But I do not tell you His forgiveness is dependant on your effort. I do not tell you that real love is shown not said.
You mentioned how comparing ourselves to those lower than us keeps us in a state of paralysis. What if we compare ourselves to the Prophet and Imams, wouldnt this make us realise we must try harder?
Normally yes but then I always have a plan of attack. In such a case I remind you that no one can be like the Prophet and Imams. You then foolishly interpret this to justify your paralysis by believing that Allah will understand why you are unable to journey to Him because you are not special like the Prophet and Imams are. But I do not tell you Allah sent you these people to be followed so that you too can be special.
What is your plan of attack for those who are embarking on the journey to Allah?
I whisper to you, informing you of how pious you are. I prove this by making you focus on the praise other people give you. Eventually you enjoy the praise to the extent that you end up worshiping Allah to be praised. You will not dare acknowledge this for you believe you are pious. This plan of attack is the most gratifying for I was able to turn a potentially great monotheist into a foolish polytheist, in this case, someone who worships himself along side Allah.
Who are those that can defeat your cunning plans?
They are those that never cease to critically analyse themselves, they are the self critical. As a result of their critical analysis, they are always aware of their flaws and therefore they are always humble. If the whole world were to praise them they would be more self critical. I try to counter this by whispering to them how noble it is for them to be so self critical, hoping to get them to relax. But because they are so self critical, they never rest as they feel they are not doing enough so they continue to strive to better themselves. That is because they are in love with Allah. I am envious of this love for it is real love. The love where all you want to do is to never stop getting closer to the object of your affection and so there is nothing that can get in the way, even me. I fear them as they are with Allah. I try to tell them I fear them but they are too self critical to know. I try to tell them that they are the ones Allah has said I cannot touch but they are too self critical to know. How then can I get them to stop being self critical when it is their joy and refuge to be self critical?
Husayn_Forever said...
Who is the author?
Very good article, Alhamdulillah.
Thanks for the reminder to work on evaluating the self and making an effort to remove all arrogance.
ALLAHu akbar
said...
Salam Alaykum,
Allahuma salli 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad!
MashaAllah brother, you have left us spechless yet again! I loved " An Interview with a Soldier" but this one is even better! I can't help but wonder who you'll intervew next:)
May every step you take bring you closer to our Creator!
Your Sister:)
said...
Salam alaikum
This was so amazing that I will be begging my muslim and nonmuslim friends to view this blog. This interview with the shaytan was a wonderful and creative way to help us all remember that the battle is real. May Allah bless you. InshaAllah
walalikumasalam