If the speaker wrote down his words on paper, a reader might not detect any satanic sense in the words. But satan supports the speaker with so many details that, even though the words he uses have a positive sense, they leave listeners with just the opposite impression. His various emphases, his tone of voice, the juxtaposition of sentences and topics and even his facial expressions add a very different meaning. When a believer hears this kind of conversation, he realizes that the words do not come from a conscience conforming to the moral teachings of the Qur'an, that there is something satanic hidden in them.
What does satan want to achieve by such negativity? First of all, he wants to stir up strife among believers, to secretly inculcate negative thoughts in them and give them a negative spirit. He wants to destroy the brotherhood and unity among them, prevent them from being content and joyful—and, finally, to distance them from the moral teachings of the Qur'an. He thinks he can achieve these aims by the hidden evil in conversations of those taken under his influence.
But such could not possibly occur among people of sincere faith, who above all, are protected by Allah's mercy. Because of their sincerity and their having made Allah their protector, He protects them from satan's wickedness and of those who follow him. His Presence keeps them constantly on the true path; He gives them superior intelligence, understanding and perception so that they can see and spoil the games that satan plays. In this way, all of satan's efforts will come to nothing.
Those who follow satan despite being around believers are, in fact, very well aware of satan's objectives. However, their following satan serves their very own aims. Because they want to let people around them know that they feel uncomfortable, they use this method that satan has inspired with intention. With the negative manner they put on, they seek to draw attention and interest to themselves; to make others think about them and do what they want. They use satanic methods to secure the same blessings they could have earned honestly by living sincerely according to the moral teachings of the Qur'an and using their intelligence consciously. This is certainly a dead end.
Believers never respond to demands made using satanic methods. Believers are responsible for opposing satan's incitements and for calling on others to accept the moral teachings of the Qur'an. Satan tries to deceive humans with other possibilities and have them believe they can live happily if they follow his methods. But satan promises nothing more than a deception.
Nobody likes a person who always wears a discomforting look, remains determinedly silent, dour and sulky, sees the negative side of everything and looks at things pessimistically. Such a person will never be happy and live a good life until he rids himself of every kind of wickedness, both secret and open, submits to Allah's religion and experiences the contentment of living according to the moral teachings of the Qur'an.
Eventually, those overpowered by satan's intimations to look at everything negatively become unable to appreciate the countless blessings and good things that surround them. They criticize and try to find fault with everything to the point where only these thoughts occupy their minds. They complain constantly about what makes them unhappy, but never mention the blessings that Allah has created for them to enjoy. They speak about what they see as defects, flaws or deficiencies very fluently but never express of the good things and blessings that Allah has created. That is because, people of this moral who are deeply under satan's influence think only about the things they regard as flawed.
However, they should know that any blessings a person possesses are not his own. A person should never make such a false assertion of ownership. Allah bestows His servants all His blessings, great and small, simply out of His generous will to do so and His endless mercy toward them. Humans have everything they possess because Allah has shown His generosity to them. Allah tells us in the Qur'an about the wrong behavior of a person named Qarun who boasted of the blessings he possessed: "I have only been given it because of knowledge I have." (Surat al-Qasas: 78) Then Allah tells us the kind of end Qarun faced because of this:
We caused the Earth to swallow up both him and his house. There was no group to come to his aid, besides Allah, and he was not someone who is helped. (Surat al-Qasas: 81)
Qarun's fate points to a truth that everyone should consider and learn from. Allah gives countless blessings to His servants on Earth. But most of those who develop a negative personality display such a character because of the courage brought by living in a comforting environment among believers. Their complaints about the many blessings that could make them happy and give thanks to Allah are an indication of their ingratitude. However, if these blessings were to disappear, and they suffered hunger, sickness and other difficulties, they would not be able to bear them. They would then regard the smallest blessing as a great value and would thank Allah for it.
In the Qur'an, Allah has made us responsible for continually remembering and recounting His blessings: "And as for the blessing of your Lord, speak out!" (Surat ad-Duha: 11) In another verse, He announces the multitude of blessings surrounding human beings and reminds us of His mercy:
If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 18)
No doubt, any logical and intelligent person can see this truth. No special effort is necessary to understand it; one needs only look around. In this case, why do some individuals not aware of these good things? Why do they avoid the enjoyment and joys that these blessings give? This is a result of the influence of satan, who does not want people to lead their lives with the awareness of this truth. For this reason, he distracts his followers with empty apprehensions and diverts them with anxieties. In this way, he wants to lead them to where they think only about these negative things and do not appreciate the mercy that Allah has toward them.
But sometimes satan does not have such a direct influence on people. It is enough for him to draw people into exhibiting the negativity of personality described in this chapter. A person who develops such a misunderstanding of morality finds negativity all by himself: Just to be contrary; he does not speak about the good and avoids edifying conversation. Although he sees the blessings that Allah has created in all their beauty, he deliberately avoids mentioning them. He wants to show his acquaintances that something is making him discontent.
This is one of the messages sent in this insidious, silent language that satan teaches human beings. They pretend not to have heard good news that has made everyone happy; while everyone else greets it with sincere joy, these individuals do not join in the excitement or even say a word. If necessary, they say a few terse words in a cold and uninterested voice. In this way, they send the message that they are unhappy about something, in a very different spiritual state from the others around them, and that even this good news cannot liberate them from their spiritual condition.
However, all this effort is clearly pretense. If he wanted to, this person has the will to snap himself out of that state in a moment. But he does not want to, and is determined to continue in this satanic behavior. Were he to mention all the blessings around him, his negative atmosphere would dissipate. Seeing the truth, he would conform his behavior to the moral teachings of the Qur'an. But because he does not want to do so, he remains deliberately sullen in the heaviness that listening to the voice of satan has cast over him. With the traps he has set, satan convinces people that the evil deeds they have done are good and, by their own will, draws them into a system that will do them harm.
The Qur'an tells us that the ungrateful, who refuse to acknowledge the blessings of our Lord, are actually aware that they are behaving in this way:
Truly man is ungrateful to his Lord and indeed he bears witness to that. (Surat al-'Adiyat: 6-7)
In another verse, Allah says that these individuals are really able to perceive these blessings:
They acknowledge Allah's blessing and then deny it. Most of them are unbelievers. (Surat an-Nahl: 83)
In such a situation, however, one must immediately take refuge in Allah. If he persists in behavior contrary to the moral teachings of the Qur'an, he must remember that Allah may repay him with the pangs of Hell. Such a person should consider his own helplessness compared to the infinite power of Allah, that he needs His mercy; and must adopt a moral attitude that will never permit him the audacity to be so bold.
People who become unable to appreciate the countless blessings that Allah has given may later reach the point where they cannot take pleasure from the blessings they do possess even if they wanted to.
Looking at the spiritual state of those under the influence of satan and the anxieties they experience as a result, we see clearly how this character they have assumed in order to send hidden messages leads to their own destruction.
Negative thoughts occupy the minds of these individuals for hours, months and years, from which they cannot rescue themselves:
They repeat actions that have given them pangs of conscience, claim that there are wicked people around them, and are determined not to be subject to their consciences. They cause tension among their acquaintances, are resolute in their arrogance. They always think the worst possibility is the most likely one. They do everything in their power not to be liked and afterwards, feel sad and wonder why no one likes them. Looking negatively at everything, they oppose everything and afterwards complain that nothing makes them happy. Taking their worries and apprehensions everywhere they go, they are easily irritated by others. Adopting the attitude that people snub them, they do everything they can to make themselves unattractive and are sorry later.
These are only a few of the traps satan has set for human beings with the negative point of view that he has inculcated in them. Someone who falls under his influence and acts according to this point of view is his own worst enemy. Forgetting that he is under the control of Allah and His infinite mercy, he lives constantly in fear and chaos. Because of his anxious spiritual state, he becomes introverted and prefers to be alone. In this state, he will grow sorrowful and without hope and have spare time to invent imaginary scenarios. Forgetting Allah and adopting a way of thinking that gives preference to other people; he is directed into ways of thinking that gives him ample scope to make himself miserable. A meeting he must attend, a bus he missed or an outfit he doesn't like assumes the dimensions of a disaster. No matter how much he tries to convince himself that he shouldn't care about these things, none of the reasons he comes up with affects him. The spiritual condition he's in makes it impossible to persuade himself. He forgets that everything happens to him with Allah's knowledge; he believes that he must manage people and events by himself. And, seeing that he lacks the strength to do this, he is devastated.
In such a situation, the strongest body cannot stand up to the tension. Thinking that people and events are unrelated to Allah, he cannot see any good; therefore, his point of view is totally negative and he gradually comes to the point where he does not care about anything. He views everything pessimistically. He cannot admit to himself that he no longer believes in happiness or love. And, when he thinks of the situation he's in, his anxieties increase. Having hope is very difficult. If others pay him a compliment, he thinks they are making fun of him; if someone does him a favor, he thinks he's done it to humiliate him. If someone prefers to keep a secret, he thinks that it's a matter that has to do with him. His mind always works in an unhealthy way, and there is no solution to this other than following the moral teachings of the Qur'an and submitting to Allah. The happiest events cannot make anyone happy if he is negative, determined to be unhappy and does not submit to Allah. Allah tells us in the Qur'an about the spiritual state of these people:
Our Lord, our miserable destiny overpowered us. (Surat al-Muminun: 106)
But by Allah's will, every individual has the power to save himself from every kind of wickedness. Allah has revealed this in many verses of the Qur'an. Allah has inspirited in the human lower self both wickedness and the ways to avoid it. Therefore, every individual has this possibility from his creation. Only a person who does not know the Qur'an and does not practice religious morality can despair and say, "It's out of my hands!" Believers know that such helpless words have nothing to do with the morality that comes from faith.
A person can be at ease, joyful and content only if he submits to Allah and draws close to Him. It pleases Allah for an individual to reject negativity and the unhappiness it brings. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that there is no fear or sorrow for those who truly believe:
It is He Who sent down serenity into the hearts of the believers thereby increasing their faith with more faith... (Surat al-Fath: 4)
... Then when guidance comes to you from Me, those who follow My guidance will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-Baqara: 38)
Another characteristic those under the influence of satan develop is a sullen, stiff appearance with which they make their secret protest. Their purpose is to send various messages to those around them and form a foundation on which to carry on their moral insincerity. They embrace the methods satan has shown them, and even though they are lively, extroverted and basically joyful individuals, they deliberately become unmovable, cold, stiff, introverted, taking pleasure in nothing. They have lost the joy of living. When not under satan's influence, however, they are good companions noted for their agreeable behavior and bring joy to those around them. But falling under the influence of satan, their state of mind suddenly changes; they try to give an impression of monolithic darkness as if it was a part of their nature.
These individuals give some excuses for the coldness they have deliberately assumed under satan's direction. They take refuge in the lie that their good intentions and sincerity were misunderstood, bringing them to their present state. They say that serious discomfort they have suffered has made them introverted and inflexible. They claim that their sorrowful state of mind has worn them out and that, they cannot get their joy back, no matter how hard they try.
But none of these assertions reflects reality. Their every excuse is a deceit put into their minds by satan and their own lower selves. A person with faith immediately detects a truly sincere and well-intentioned individual. Moreover, such a person is naturally well-loved, respected and trusted; he need not behave in any special way or make any effort to be so regarded. It's enough that he lives according to the moral teachings of the Qur'an.
Clearly, even if there were a real case of misunderstanding, a person of faith would never resort to measures that go against the Qur'an to resolve the issue. In the Qur'an, Allah exhorts believers to speak to one another in the "best" possible way. People must express what they want to say to one another not with silent messages and methods of protest, but sincerely and openly.
Like their other assertions, these people's claim that they could not regain their joy even if they wanted to and have not the will to overcome their unhappiness is false. First of all, nothing can rob a faithful person of his joy and pleasure; nothing can make him introverted or anxious. A person with faith knows that Allah has created everything for some good purpose. He continually experiences the joy from knowing that Allah's mercy and compassion are infinite and that He will create a good life on Earth for His faithful servants and the best things in the life to come. He lives happy in the hope of finding favor with Allah and in the glad tidings that he will go to the Garden and live forever amid incomparable blessings.
Besides this, Muslims never say in their conversations that they "do not have the strength or the will." In the Qur'an, Allah has given examples of how hypocrites speak in this way, showing how they use these words as an insincere excuse as to why they don't live according to the moral values of the Qur'an. A Muslim always relies on and trusts in Allah; even in the most trying situations, he is never daunted. Secure in the knowledge that "Allah is with us," he lives content in his trust in Him. This allows him always to be hopeful and to have a strong and determined personality.
All this shows that people under satan's influence are basically on the side of a totally insincere morality under the guise of "good intentions." They deceive themselves and, although they perceive their own insincerity, they ease their consciences with the excuses they put forward.
They maintain that they can give up this kind of behavior any time they want, and deliberately try to make those around them tense and uncomfortable. An aware person who knows the moral teachings of the Qur'an, but deliberately engages in behavior that goes against his conscience, will have his appropriate repayment in Allah's presence. It would make no sense for a person to live an unhappy life and then suffer the pangs of Hell in the next life, just for the sake of a small gain in this Earthly one.
The kind of person who wants to harm sincere individuals under the guise of good intentions can never achieve his aims. Muslims know that every wicked deed will rebound against the perpetrator, both in this world and in the next. Believers know that they will lose nothing, that their responsibility is only to exhort others to embrace goodness and remind them of the rewards they will receive in the next life for what they have done in this one. For this reason, doers of wickedness basically harm only themselves.
One of the most important blessings that Allah has given to human beings is their eyes. Everyone of sound mind uses his facial expressions to express his feelings. But those under satan's influence use their faces for an opposite effect; they use their eyes that Allah has given them to reflect the wickedness that they harbor within themselves. One of these people's most obvious characteristics is their dead look and the dull, expressionless faces that their depression, fatigue and exhaustion give them. With this lifeless look, they seek to send a message to those around them. Sometimes they plan to attract the attention of others to their unhappiness to make them uncomfortable. Sometimes— again under satan's influence, they try to keep expressions of love, respect and other positive emotions from appearing on their faces. And sometimes, their silent language tries to hint at the anger, vindictiveness and jealousy in their hearts.
It must, of course, be very hard for any individual to display such a satanic will, suppress normal human behavior and go steadily for hours with an uncomprehending look on his face.
Since, as we said earlier, all of a person's emotions are naturally reflected in his face, it is difficult for him to hide what is going on inside him. For this reason, any healthy person would have to exert a special effort to hide his reactions and not express his emotions in his eyes. In order to enter such a state, that person would have to behave not according to the high morality of the Qur'an, but according to the will of satan. Otherwise, he would not trouble to make another person uncomfortable, tense and ill at ease. Anyone who would go to such trouble hears the voice of conscience that Allah has inspired in him, but attempts to repress this voice. Such people are determined to listen to satan and carry out what he inspires in them—which is both physically and mentally exhausting.
Despite this, they are determined in their behavior, exerting special strength of will not to show respect or friendship on their faces. They want to suggest the vindictiveness, jealousy and anger in them and protest how others around them are acting. In the same way that they distance themselves from everything good that gives joy and happiness, the joy of others around them—their excitement in their faith and all their blessings—cause these people distress. Their state of mind is exactly the opposite of the lively, joyful, bright-eyed and eager deportment of Muslims. They carry on in their own way, with eyes that seem to be staring at nothing, with gazes that fail to reveal where they're looking.
The silent protest directed against believers carry different messages and meanings. Societies that don't live according to the moral teachings of the Qur'an may not attach much importance to how people look at one another in their daily lives. Some do pay attention to this, of course, but there are some who generally give no thought to the lifeless facial expressions of those around them. Actually, they do not care about it because many of them are in a similar condition. With believers, the situation is different. They use their minds and intellects in the way the Qur'an directs and so they sense the slightest negativity or influence of satan in others. They exhort a lifeless person whose stare has been fixed by satan's influence to practice a morality in accord with the Qur'an. They urge him to think about Allah and the next life and try to show him the error of his ways. They remind him of his responsibility in Allah's presence for his lack of eagerness and that, if he ignores his conscience, he may not be able to account for himself in the Afterlife. They tell him that failing to recognize these blessings among all the others that Allah has created for human beings, adopting an expressionless personality, may constitute ingratitude for Allah's mercy. But because such people deliberately fashion the state they are in, they do not learn from the exhortations that believers give them.
But, as explained above, these individuals are the ones most harmed by their attitude, both spiritually and materially. Expressing emotions in one's facial expressions is natural, but such people expend much energy to repress these expressions. They deprive themselves of many blessings by taking no pleasure in pleasant situations, by pretending not to like something that everyone else does, by looking sad when they could have been joyful. By trying to stifle their natural human feelings of joy, liveliness and exuberance, they are actually harming nobody but themselves. Because of the stress and anxiety that accompany such deportment, these people physically weaken, their constitution suffers and they are prone to many illnesses.
All these qualities are visible at first glance in those who want to reflect negative thoughts. They should be reminded that they will experience anxiety in this world and receive their appropriate reward in the world to come. Life of this world is fleeting and short; in the Afterlife, everyone will receive an eternal reward for what they have done.
Generally, people take pleasure in loving, being loved and being cared for. But some people, because of the tactics satan has used against them, deprive themselves by their own will of this blessing. First of all, the messages they send to those around them distances them from loving and being loved. For the sake of following the path that satan has shown, they unknowingly make life difficult for themselves and deprive themselves of all good things.
But this, like all other perverse acts that satan encourages, goes against human creation. The Qur'an tells us that satan ruins human nature and prevents people from living a life of pleasure and happiness:
I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes. I will command them and they will cut off cattle's ears. I will command them and they will change Allah's creation.' Anyone who takes satan as his protector in place of Allah has clearly lost everything. (Surat an-Nisa': 119)
On the contrary, he draws them into an oppressive situation in which they are bereft of blessings. Love is one of the most wonderful blessings that Allah has created for human beings in this earthly life. But under satan's influence, an individual may be deprived of loving and being loved. Human beings are basically open to love, but satan attempts to persuade them with various reasons why they should not show their love, but repress and even abandon it. With his intimations, he forces them to act coldly and uninterestedly towards those who really have many lovable qualities.
Those who fall into satan's trap live in anxiety because they cannot experience love as they should and are not loved because they are deliberately contrary and cold. Satan's influence blinds them to others' many lovable qualities. The Qur'an reminds us that human beings fashion this situation with their own hands:
Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves. (Surah Yunus: 44)
Satan's suggestions lead a person into perverse behavior, with some of the thoughts such people form to persuade themselves:
with their arrogance and pride
One of the most evident characteristics of those who live according to the Qur'an's moral teachings is their humility and gentle temperament. These qualities open many doors of blessings for them and let them take their rightful pleasure from the blessings that Allah has created for human beings in this world. Because of their modest characters, they can enjoy a profound experience of love—one of the most wonderful blessings of the Garden in this world. They can appreciate all the loveable qualities of others; they can show the love in their hearts in all sincerity to other persons and, at the same time, are themselves lovable because of their fine moral character.
However, the most notable characteristics of a person under the influence of satan are his arrogance and pride. Such people see themselves as all-important. This arrogance was the reason why satan was expelled from the Garden, and he wants to debase human beings and deprive them of Allah's mercy and blessings. The growing sense of self-aggrandizement within them prevents them from feeling love for others and appreciation of the goodness and blessings around them. In time, this attitude takes hold of a person and reaches unimaginable dimensions. Allah tells us that they will never achieve the desire in their hearts to make themselves important:
... [They] have nothing in their breasts except for pride which they will never be able to vindicate... (Surah Ghafir: 56)
The Qur'an tells us that arrogance and self-importance are not pleasing to Allah:
When he is told to fear Allah, he is seized by pride which drives him to wrongdoing. Hell will be enough for him! What an evil resting-place! (Surat al-Baqara: 206)
Living with a sense of self-importance that is unattainable, a person loves himself more than everyone and everything else and acts always in his own selfish interests. His love for himself and his lower self are so great that the most important thing for him is getting what he wants. In this regard, he becomes reckless.
To achieve his aim, he can disregard those he loves and behave badly toward them in the selfish pursuits of his lower self.
The love that such people feel for themselves is so strong that in their arrogance, they may even show no love for or interest in believers. Even though they know that believers have many fine, lovable qualities, and are trustworthy and can be their closest friends, they do not feel love for them as they ought. But this is a situation into which these people have fallen by their own will. Their consciences inspire in them the necessity of living a good moral life, but they deliberately refuse to show love in order to requite the selfish desires of their hearts. Sometimes they do this as protest, sometimes to express their anger, resentment and jealousy toward someone, and other times simply out of their own arrogance. They do this to conceal what they have done and to send a silent message, thinking that in this way they will obtain what they want.
Of course, we never see this kind of behavior among believers. The only kind of conduct acceptable to them is what conforms to the moral teachings of the Qur'an. Those who wish to achieve their goals by living according to the morality that Allah has revealed will (Allah willing) be successful. Otherwise, the harm from the satanic deeds they have done will embrace them, and they will not be able to go on without being tormented. They will experience this difficulty as a punishment for following satan instead of practicing the morality that pleases Allah.
The obsession of waiting for another person to
express love first
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