**The Story Of The Visit Of The Devil **
Surely, Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his “hizb” (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the Blazing Fire.
Qur’an 35:6
The following is a Hadith from Ibn Abbas (RA), as related by Mu’dh Ibn Jabal and contained in Muhyiddin 'Arabi’s book, ‘Shajarat al-Kawn’, (The Tree of Being). This is by information from another Hadith by Anas Ibn Malik (RA). Insh’Allah, this humble retelling will help us to do what Allah says ‘do’, and stop where Allah says ‘stop’.
One day, a congregation was gathered at the home of one of the Ansar around the Prophet (SAW). (According to Anas, it was Abu Ayyub). In the middle of a wonderful discourse, an ugly voice from the outside was heard saying, “O Messenger of Allah would you permit me to enter? I have business with you!”
All looked at the Prophet (SAW), who said to the ones present, “Do you recognize the owner of this voice?” The companions answered, “Allah and His Messenger know best” The Prophet (SAW) said, “It is Shaytan, the Accursed.”
On hearing that, Umar (RAW), who was present, pulling his sword, asked, “O Messenger of Allah, permit me to go and cut off his head. Let me smash his skull and free the people from his trouble”
The Prophet (SAW) replied, “No, Umar, don’t you know that you cannot kill him? He has permission to exist until Doomsday.”
Then he added, “Open the door and admit him, as he did not come on his own, but on Allah’s orders”. Otherwise, he would not come here. Listen to what he says, and try to understand."
The Rawi (RA), one of the companions, relates the tale. "They opened the door and he appeared in front of us as an old man cross-eyed (or blind in one eye) and scant of beard, with only six or seven long hairs from his chin. He had a very big head, his crossed eyes close to the top of his head, high on his forehead, with big thick hanging lips, like those of a water buffalo. He saluted the Prophet and the Companions, to which the Prophet (SAW) responded, 'O Accursed, the salaam and salutations belong to Allah Most High. 'Then he said, 'I heard you are here on business. What is it?
"Shaytan said, ‘I did not wish to come here, I was forced to. An angel came to me from your Lord, who honors whom He wishes, and said, “Allah Most High orders you to Muhammad, but you will go to him in humility and abasement, and be submissive and tractable. You will tell him how you seduce and mislead humankind. You are going to answer all his questions truthfully, without a single lie.” And Allah said that if I lied to you, He would turn me into ashes and blow me away in the wind, and my enemies would laugh at me. I come with such orders, O Muhammad.’
"Then the Prophet (SAW) asked the Devil, ‘Tell me, who in the creation do you hate most?’
The Devil answered, ‘You O Muhammad! (“And all the prophets.”) There is no one in the whole creation that I hate more than your or another like you.’
“The Messenger of Allah (SAW) confirmed that the Devil was his (and all the prophets’) greatest foe. He asked, Whom else do you detest, besides me?”
"Shaytan said, 'The young ones who have given up their pleasures and themselves for Allah’s sake; the men of knowledge who act upon their knowledge and who decline all that is doubtful; the ones who are clean, so clean that they wash thrice that which they wish to cleanse. the patient poor, who neither ask from others the things they need, not complaining.the thankful rich, who give alms lawfully. the knowledgeable who act on what they know; the readers of the Qur’an who pattern themselves on it; those who call to prayer on time; advisors and reformers; abstainers from unlawful food and sex and those who place their trust in Allah; benefactors of the poor; the devout busy in Allah’s service.
"Then, the Prophet (SAW) asked, ‘What happens to you, O Accursed One, when my people do their prayers?’
“I shake and tremble as if stricken with malaria, because I see your people raised in blessing and power each time they prostrate.”
Q: “'What happens to you, O Accursed, when my people fast?”
A: ‘I have my hands and feet tied until they break their fast..’
Q: ‘What happens to you when they all meet on the Pilgrimage at the house of their Lord?’
A: 'I lose my wits, I go mad."
Q: ‘What happens to you when they recite the Holy Qur’an?’
A: ‘I melt, like lead turning to hot liquid in the fire.’
Q: ‘And when they pay alms?’
A: I am torn to pieces, as if the generous donors took a saw and sawed me into four pieces, because there are four beatitudes which the donor receives: the blessing of abundance, love and respect from Allah’s creatures, a shield from Hell fires, and relief from distress and troubles.’
Q: "Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) asked the Devil what he thought of his beloved Companions.
A: About Abu Bakr (RA) he said, ‘I hate him. Even before Islam, he refused to obey, nay! even to hear me. How can he now listen to me?’ About Umar Ibn Khattab he said, 'I run away whenever I see him. And about Ali Ibn Abu Talib he said, ‘Oh, if I could just be safe from him, if he would just let me be, I would let him be. But he will not leave me alone!’
"Having heard the answers of the accursed Shaytan, the Prophet (SAW) thanked Allah said, 'Praised be to Allah, who has blessed my people with such felicity and cursed you with such negativity until that appointed time.
"When the Devil heard that, he said, ‘Alas for you, what felicity for your people? How can you feel there is safety for them as long as I exist? I enter their very veins, their very flesh, and they cannot even suspect, let along see or feel me. I swear by Allah Who has given me time until Doomsday, that I will seduce them all, the intelligent and the simpleminded, the learned as well as the ignorant, the devout as well as the sinner. None will be safe from me, except the true servants of Allah.’
Q: ‘Who are the true servants of Allah, according to you?’
A: 'You know well, O Muhammad, that whoever loves his money and his property, Allah does not count among His servants. Whenever I see someone who does not say “mine” and me, who does not love either money or flattery, I know he is truly a servant of Allah and I run away from him. As long as one loves money, property, flattery, he obeys me, he is my servant. I need many servants and I have servants. I am not alone. I have 70,000 children, each of them with his assigned duties. Each of my 70,000 children has 70,000 shaytans serving under him, all assigned to different posts. Many are with the young, and the older women, and with the theologians and preachers and shaykhs. There are almost no difference of opinion between your young children. And some of the devout and some of the pious get along very well with my people! My devils lead the imagination of the sincerity of their devotions. Soon, they fight with each other and they don’t even know what is happening to them. Then, I whisper to them, “Disbelieve”, but when they disbelieve, I say,
“I am free of you. Surely I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Sûrah al-Hashir, Ayat 16.)