Transcribed from the Islaahi Majlis conducted on 31 August 2023
The Incident of Shaytaan and Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam
Shaytaan approached Allah Ta’ala and requested to have control over Hadrat Ayub Alaihis Salaam. Allah Ta’ala allowed Shaytaan control over Hadrat Ayub Alaihis Salaam’s wealth and children but restricted this to the body of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam. Shaytaan returned to his followers and told them of this news. Shaytaan then said to them to show him their power. In a moment, they all turned to fire and then into water. And then, in a moment, they all went to the East and then to the West. This was to show their power to Shayaateen. Iblees then selected a group from there and instructed them to destroy a plantation of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam. He then instructed a second group to destroy the camels of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam. He then instructed the third and fourth group to destroy the goats and cows of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam respectively.
The followers of Ibless destroy the wealth of Ayub Alaihis Salaam
The first group carried out their task. The guard present there informed Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam that a broke out and the entire plantation was wiped out. The second group fulfilled their task and destroyed the camels. The person herding the camels informed Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam that all his camels were killed. Next, the goats and cattle were killed and the shepherds reported this to Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam.
The children of Ayub Alaihis Salaam were killed
When all the wealth of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam was destroyed, Shaytaan now moved towards destroying the children of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam. All the children of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam were eating in the house at the time. Shaytaan broke the pillars supporting the roof and caused it to collapse on them. As a result, they all passed away.
Shaytaan then approached Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam in the form of a slave and said to him that all his children were destroyed. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam questioned him as to his whereabouts when this happened. He said he was there, but he was saved. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam instantly concluded that he was Shaytaan. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam told Shaytaan that when he came into this world, he came with nothing; so, all that he lost today means nothing to him. He then stood up and made Salaah.
Shaytaan was astonished.
At this point, Shaytaan screamed! He could not believe that Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam had suffered such great losses in the form of his wealth and children and yet he still stood up to worship Allah Ta’ala. When a person goes through calamities and gains closeness to Allah Ta’ala through it, then this is the Rahmah of Allah Ta’ala. And on the contrary, if a person becomes angry and moves away from the Ibaadah of Allah Ta’ala (when calamity befalls him), then this is a sign of Adhaab.
Control over the body of Ayub Alaihis Salaam
Shaytaan at this juncture then asked Allah Ta’ala for control over the body of Ayub Alaihis Salaam. Allah Ta’ala permitted Shaytaan but restricted the heart of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam. Shaytaan merely blew on the body of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam and all sorts of boils and sores formed on it. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam would suffer from the afflictions of this illness, and he would sit in ashes for some comfort.
One day, his wife suggested to him that she goes out to work and earns some money to buy some bread for them. And she also said that she would make Dua to Allah Ta’ala to cure Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam from this illness and difficulty. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam stopped here and said, “For seventy years Allah Ta’ala granted me good health. If I go through seventy years of hardship, only then will we have the right to ask Allah Ta’ala to grant us happiness again. We haven’t been through seventy years of difficulty as yet.”
Shaytaan commented that he got no joy from any of the afflictions that Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam went through except at that moment when Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam would let out a sigh from the discomfort and pain of the illness, Shaytaan would feel happy.
Shaytaan attempts to trap the wife of Ayub Alaihis Salaam
After he failed in his attempt to destroy Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam, Shaytaan went to the wife of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam and said to her, “Look how much of difficulty you are going through!” She replied, “This is from Allah Ta’ala.” Shaytaan tells her to follow him and she complies, not knowing that this is Shaytaan. He takes her into the jungle and shows her all of their wealth. He says that he is prepared to give it to her on condition that she makes one Sajdah to him. When a person is utterly distressed, he may reach out to Kuffar for assistance and in that moment, lose his Imaan.
The wife of Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam said she won’t do so until she asks her husband. Nabi Ayub Alaihis Salaam said, “Never! This is Shaytaan! If you do so, I will give you 100 lashes.” In this way, she was also protected from Shaytaan. This is how it is explained in this narration.
The two occasions when Shaytaan destroys a person.
When Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam had the Ark ready, and people were about to drown in the floods, he told the Mu’mineen to board, along with a pair of every animal. When Nuh Alaihis Salaam boarded, he saw an old man on the Ark. He asked him why he was there, and the man responded that he had come to overpower the hearts of the people on board. This old man was actually Shaytaan and he desired the people on the Ark to follow him. Nuh Alaihis Salaam told Shaytaan to get out.
Shaytaan told Nuh Alaihis Salaam to be wary of five occasions when he destroys a person. However, he would divulge three to Nuh Alaihis Salaam and two he would keep as a secret. At that time, Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam received Wahi and said to Shaytaan, “Leave the three that you wish to tell me and tell me instead the two that you wish to conceal.” Shaytaan replied, “The first is Hasad. Because of the Hasad in my heart over Adam Alaihis Salaam, I was destroyed…”
In our time, a family business will be thriving but the moment Hasad creeps in, the business is run to the ground. A family has unity and happiness until Hasad sets in and they fall apart.
“…The second is Greed. Adam Alaihis Salaam was living comfortably in Jannah. Allah Ta’ala gave him full freedom except that he cannot eat from the forbidden tree. When he ate from the tree (due to greed to remain in Jannah forever), he was removed from Jannah.” Shaytaan whispered to Adam Alahis Salaam that if he wishes to remain in Jannah then he should eat of the forbidden tree and he in this way he was misled.
When the ship came to a halt, Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam went in search of Shaytaan. Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam asked him, “Don’t you feel ashamed that so many people have died because of you leading them astray? Because of their Kufr, they were destroyed by the floods.” Shaytaan replied, “What should I do?” Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam told him to make Taubah and sort his matter out. Shaytaan asks Nabi Nuh Alaihis Salaam to ask Allah Ta’ala to forgive him. Allah Ta’ala informs Nuh Alaihis Salaam that he should make Sajdah at the grave of Nabi Adam Alaihis Salaam, but Shaytaan refuses to do so.
It is said that Shaytaan attached himself to the tail of a donkey that boarded the ship and got into the ship.
The three occasions when Shaytaan destroys a person
A pious person mentions that on one occasion when Moosa Alaihis Salaam went to speak with Allah Ta’ala, Shaytaan intervened. One of the Angels rebuked Shaytaan and asked him what he wanted. Shaytaan responded, “What I did to his grandfather, I want to do to him as well. In other words, how I misled his grandfather Adam Alaihis Salaam and removed him from Jannah, I want the same with Moosa Alaihi Salaam.”
Moosa Alaihis Salaam encountered Shaytaan once and Shaytaan told him to ask Allah Ta’ala to forgive him as he had a lot of regret in his heart. Moosa Alaihis Salaams conveyed this message to Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala replied that He is prepared to accept his Taubah on condition that he goes to the Qabr of Adam Alaihis Salaam and make Sajdah to him. When Moosa Alaihi Salaam informed Shaytaan, with such haughtiness he exclaimed that he did not make Sajdah to Adam Alaihis Salaam when he was alive and now he is expected to make Sajdah to him after he has passed away! Shaytaan then said to Moosa Alaihis Salaam, “You did me a favour by taking my message to Allah Ta’ala so let me tell you three occasions on which I can destroy a person. The first is when a person becomes angry. I flow in the body of a person like how blood flows in the body.
The second is when a person goes out in Jihad then Shaytaan tries to manipulate him by playing on his emotions. The third occasion is when a male and female are left alone with each other, I will get them involved in sin.”
At every turn Shaytaan will use any means to mislead and attack a person. Even the Ambiya Alaihimus Salaam were not spared of Shaytaan’s plots. May Allah Ta’ala protect us!
