They cannot obtain the appreciation they think they deserve by any means. They see that Allah is generous only to those who sincerely believe in Him; and they understand that as the Qur'an says, they "... have nothing in their breasts except for pride which they will never be able to vindicate." (Surah Ghafir: 56) They struggle to attain these desires, but realize that they never will; and so, experience deep anger because of their lack of knowledge.
Those they regard as inferior to themselves are appreciated and honored for their good moral characters and sincerity. They are always in the background, however, and in these people's shadow.
Very satisfied with themselves, they want to have a say in everything. Regarding others as inferior (although they are actually superior), it is very hard for their lower selves to listen to what anyone else says or take their advice or recommendations. They don't see their own deficiencies and so can't find any remedy for them. That these others try to show them the way causes secret anger in their hearts.
They point out the faults of others in order to hide
their own mistakes.
Conversations using satan's secret language are full of clues that sincere Muslims notice. These people always point out the faults of others, trying to cover over their own unseemly moral characters. They use satan's language in their desire to divert attention from themselves, lest their own morality be criticized. This way, they try to confuse matters and ensure that topics relating to them are overlooked. Their purpose is always the same: to be in the right… If a discussion is interrupted at a point they planned, and attention is directed to someone else—and especially if what they said about that individual is accurate—then the direction of the matter will change in the way they desire. The matter concerning themselves will be forgotten and they will be in right again.
To this end, they feel the need to make a careful analysis of what happens around them (if only to make use of it in similar situations that may arise later). Yet this is not a well-intentioned analysis, but an insidious examination. They notice who made errors and when, what reactions they provoked and what was said; and they keep all these details clear in their minds. At the right time, they'll reveal all this "evidence," and, according to their distorted way of thinking, obtain the justice they deserve.
However, Allah's justice is manifested in the best way among human beings. People of sincere faith will obtain their reward from Allah's mercy; but others who play games with their insincere thoughts will receive what they most justly deserve in this world and the Hereafter. When they compare themselves with others by pointing out their errors, all they are trying to do is obtain satanic justice. Their main goal in doing so is to attain, by satan's distorted idea of justice, a superiority they do not deserve. But their efforts are in vain; they will never attain it. As in the case of satan himself, these individuals will also receive the repayment of Allah's justice.
Every human being is responsible for his own actions. Judging others and comparing one's self to them is useless from the point of view of one's position in the next world. In the Qur'an, Allah swore an oath: "No! I swear by the self-reproaching self." (Surat al-Qiyama: 2) It must be remembered that being able to criticize one's lower self and see what is wrong with it is a good characteristic of a Muslim. Only in this way can a person attain a good moral character and receive Allah's mercy.
Although they try to cause dissension, they say
they are correcting others.
Some people who know Allah's infinite mercy, the perfect workings of destiny and the morality of the Qur'an that brings contentment to human beings but try to give the secret impression that they have been treated unjustly are held accountable in the sight of Allah. With such attitude, they behave in such a way as to create dissension among believers, and the Qur'an tells us that such people should beware of their wickedness. Such people are called hannas (devils) in the Qur'an; their characters give secret apprehensions to hearts and stir up dissent:
Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of humanity, the King of humanity, the Allah of humanity, from the evil of the insidious whisperer who whispers in people's breasts and comes from the jinn and from humanity." (Surat an-Nas: 1-6)
These people are absolutely certain that they have been treated unjustly; they make mischief among believers by satan's intimations. In order to prove themselves right and to protect their pride, they don't hesitate to create confusion among believers in an attempt to drag them down to their own spiritual state. They show unseemly boldness in their insidious activities and give no thought to what results will ensue in this world and the next. They do not intend to live their lives like Muslims and seek every opportunity to create confusion in almost everything they do and say. When told what they are doing, that their actions are contrary to the Qur'an, they do not accept the admonition because they are under satan's influence. On the contrary, they defend themselves, insisting that they are well-intentioned. They maintain that their intention is not to create confusion, but to do good; that they want to correct others and be of some use to other people:
... they come to you swearing by Allah: "We desired nothing but good and reconciliation?" (Surat an-Nisa': 62)
But Allah says that their way of thinking is false and that their basic aim is to "create dissension":
When they [hypocrites] are told, "Do not cause corruption on the Earth," they say, "We are only putting things right." No indeed! They are the corrupters, but they are not aware of it. (Surat al-Baqara: 11-12)
Elsewhere in the Qur'an, Allah tells us that devils deceive these people into thinking that they are on the right path. Then they actually call on their friends to join them on that path.
Say: "Are we to call on something besides Allah which can neither help nor harm us, and to turn on our heels after Allah has guided us, like someone the demons have lured away in the earth, leaving him confused and stupefied, despite the fact that he has companions calling him to guidance, saying, 'Come with us!'?" Say: "Allah's guidance, that is true guidance. We are commanded to submit as Muslims to the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat an-An'am: 71)
These verses of the Qur'an show that satan made these people do these things for the sake of goodness, truth and perfection. They show that he calls them to practice his morality for the sake of spreading justice among humanity. However, these people are witnesses to the insincerity of their own words. They know very well what words and logic satan leads them to use from moment to moment. At the same time, they know that their conscience tells them to give up their unseemly behavior and inspires them to behave in a proper way. Satan approaches them from a place they do not know and performs his diabolical actions through these people. He has weakened the wills of these people he has taken under his influence and made them unable to hear their conscience's voice.
By satan's influence, these people pretend that they do good by correcting others. But Allah warns them against satan's stratagems. He says that all their efforts will be in vain in this world, that they will obtain their proper reward in Hell:
People whose efforts in the life of this world are misguided while they suppose that they are doing good. (Surat al-Kahf: 104)
They distort the meaning of words said to them to
give the impression that they are treated unjustly
Satan intimates to people that they are always being treated unjustly, to distance them from sincere faith. The wickedness reflected in the spiritual state of those under satan's influence is intricate and varied. One of these kinds of wickedness is concealed in what they say when distressed at thinking they've been treated unjustly. Often when we examine the general meaning of what they say, we see them defending themselves by misstating the facts. Such a person puts into his sentences the satanic message he wants to give in such a way that his bad intentions cannot be noticed. Even if he says something positive that others agree with, his words will suggest denial and rejection. His sentences are constructed with reverse logic. He begins a conversation in a conciliatory way, but with insidious words in the middle of his sentences, he implies that the others' intelligence is not up to the matter under discussion.
We can give a few common examples of the methods used by these people who tend to think themselves treated unjustly. When told that it would be better to avoid falling sick by avoiding the cold weather, he first forms a positive sentence accepting the idea: "That's right! From now on, I'll be careful." But later, expressing his sadness, he somehow brings a satanic manner into play. He may say, for example, "You're right. I didn't think going outside was such a bad idea or such a big deal." With these words, he makes the recommendation seem trivial, even irrelevant. He's making the other person seem to have made a strange and illogical recommendation. But he makes himself seem put-upon by complying with the unjust recommendation. However, the other person's recommendation was well-intentioned and far from being insincere.
This is a classic secret method often used by people living in societies far removed from the moral teachings of the Qur'an who seek to intimidate others by making it seem that they've made an illogical request. For example, when people of such character are admonished that they should spend their money wisely, they reply, "Yes, I'll be careful. I won't eat or drink a thing," interpreting what the other person said in a different way than what they intended. This is a method of making the other person regret what he said and amend his words. In this instance, the person concerned gathers evidence so he can claim that he was given irrelevant advice. However, there is no way that an intelligent person would recommend anything to harm another person's health or keep him from meeting his natural needs.
Those who tend to believe they are treated unjustly respond to people with faith calling them to virtue with this method all the time. But the only result they obtain with this kind of insincere behavior is that their approaching more closely to satan's own moral character. As Allah says in the Qur'an, correct behavior is the best way to disarm these false methods:
Rather We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through its brain and it vanishes clean away! Woe without end for you for what you portray! (Surat al-Anbiya': 18)
They interpret the Qur'an in such a way as to
justify themselves and their behavior
Those who pretend that they are treated unjustly enter a spiritual state in which they are ready to do things that run contrary to the Qur'an in order to justify themselves. As we said before, these people draw dangerous deductions from their insincere stratagems and make many false accusations against others. In order to show their innocence, they deliberately interpret the Qur'an erroneously. The Qur'an draws our attention to this game that they play to legitimize their aberrant characters:
It is He Who sent down the Book to you from Him: verses containing clear judgments—they are the core of the Book—and others which are open to interpretation. Those with deviation in their hearts follow what is open to interpretation in it, desiring conflict, seeking its inner meaning. No one knows its inner meaning but Allah. Those firmly rooted in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All of it is from our Lord." But only people of intelligence pay heed. (Surah Al 'Imran: 7)
As this verse says, the verses of the Qur'an are very clear and understandable. Using insincere methods to find justification for bad moral behavior is an important indication of the sickness these people hide in their hearts. Like all the satanic traps they set, this one too is destroyed by Allah's will.
They make accusations against believers in order
to seem in the right
Many verses of the Qur'an say that Muslims are deeply attached to one another in love and faithfulness, and that firm friendship exists among them. But if one becomes friends with believers not out of faith and fear of Allah, but for his own gain, this bond will be easily broken for reasons related to one's lower self. When contending with their lower selves, those under satan's influence may disregard in an instant their relationship with believers; making false accusations against them to prove that they are in the right. They tell nasty lies and make mischief. However, Allah says in the Qur'an that making accusations is wrong, that believers must avoid listening to these kinds of accusations:
You were bandying it about on your tongues, your mouths uttering something about which you had no knowledge. You considered it to be a trivial matter, but, in Allah's sight, it is immense. Why, when you heard it, did you not say, "We have no business speaking about this. Glory be to You! This is a terrible slander!"? Allah warns you never to repeat the like of it again if you believe. (Surat an-Nur: 15-17)
They try to blame believers for things that happen
to them
These people, consumed by the thought of being treated unjustly, persist in their unseemly morality even after being warned; they think that others are responsible for whatever negative things happen to them. They know what faith is and that they ought to behave morally, but still follow satan. They do not listen to advice, but persist in their wickedness. They refuse to change, even though Allah has given them various warnings, which are a great mercy toward these people both in this world and the next.
The warnings' purpose is to make them open their awareness to see the truth and realize that they are following the wrong path. Allah reveals this in the Qur'an: "Do they not see that they are tried once or twice in every year? But still they do not turn back. They do not pay heed." (Surat at-Tawba: 126) Allah tells us that the negative things that happen to human beings are meant to cause them to turn to faith: "... We seized them with punishment so that hopefully they would turn back." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 48)
But these warnings are difficult for people whose lower selves claim that they are important and in the right. They feign ignorance about them. They claim that others are responsible for the anxieties that befall them. In the Qur'an, Allah gives the example of the people of a city who displayed just such a moral character and to whom He sent a Messenger.
They [the inhabitants of the city] said [to Our messengers], "We see an evil omen in you. If you do not stop we will stone you and you will suffer a painful punishment at our hands." They said, "Your evil omen is in yourselves. Is it not just that you have been reminded? No, you are an unbridled people!" (Surah Ya Sin: 18-19)
In the continuation of the verse, Allah says that the condition of these people claiming they suffered injustice because of the advice given them arose from their having exceeded their bounds. If they behaved according to the Qur'an, they would see that their misery may be a warning from Allah and would fear him and correct their morality.
The idea that Allah may inflict suffering in the Afterlife would cause a person of normal intelligence to fear and regret. Considering what he had done, he would repent, abandon satan, take refuge in Allah and completely change his intentions. But in such a situation, some people are determined to maintain their friendship with satan; the idea of being treated unjustly grows in their minds and they continue to make accusations against others. In the Qur'an, Allah gives further examples of the way these people operate:
Whenever a good thing came to them, they said, "This is our due." But if anything bad happened to them, they would blame their ill fortune on Musa and those with him. No indeed! The ill fortune is theirs in Allah's sight. But most of them did not know. (Surat al-A'raf: 131)
They said, "We see you, and those with you, as an evil omen." He [Salih] said, "No, your evil omen is with Allah; you are merely a people undergoing a trial." (Surat an-Naml: 47)
From these verses, we can see that the situation of those claiming they are treated unjustly and holding sincere believers responsible for their misery comes from their weak faith—or their lack of it.
They claim that they are treated unjustly because
others suspect the intentions of their hearts
One insincere method these people use to prove they are in the right is to claim that others judge their inner intentions, which no one can really know. This way, they seek to keep anyone from interfering with them and finding shortcomings in their personalities. However, Muslims never make judgments about the intentions of anyone's heart. They take as the basis of any judgments the signs that Allah has revealed to them in the Qur'an. They know that indications taken from these examinations are only opinions, and that only Allah knows the truth.
Those under satan's influence see others' meticulousness and sincerity in this matter, but try to put those others in the wrong and make themselves seem innocent. They say, "Only Allah knows the human heart" to stop others from urging them toward goodness.
Claiming to have good traits, they try to hide their
wickedness and appear to be right
Their idea of their own good qualities deceives these people and makes them insist they are right. They know that their efforts in some matters is why, under satan's influence, they see themselves as sufficient and feel no need to improve their moral characters. They are totally deceived by the idea that they are better than others and are trying much harder than they. But attaining better qualities in this regard does not improve other aspects. To exhibit a Muslim morality in some aspects and to follow satan in others is inconsistent with the morality of the Qur'an. If one resists to live the kind of life pleasing to Allah, and thinks he is being treated unjustly in the petty matters that conflict with his lower self, he must compensate for these aspects of his character. Otherwise, his other endeavors will be in vain.
Those who refuse to think about this, telling themselves that they have shortcomings in certain areas and placing their better aspects to the fore, claim that their good points have never been noticed and that their negative aspects have always been complained of. In doing this, they are insincerely trying to show that they are right. However, if a person does have some good aspects, they'll certainly get noticed. Even if no one else perceives them, it is enough that Allah does.
But the fact that a person has good qualities is no reason for his shortcomings not to be ignored. Allah will examine everyone in the next life regarding the deeds he has done, and everyone will receive the appropriate reward for the good and the evil he has done. For this reason, if people with faith tell another of his shortcomings, it will be beneficial for him. He will certainly benefit from compensating for these deficiencies. For this reason, those who espouse an insincere morality use their secret methods to stop those others who summon them to goodness, but in so doing, they are harming only themselves.
Even while the angels take their souls, they will
claim that they have been treated unjustly, saying
that they have done no wickedness and have
been treated unjustly
Those who have become slaves to the idea that they're being treated unjustly will never renounce it until the moment they die. Until then, they will claim that they have been misunderstood. they have never been able to express to others that their hearts are really pure, and are well-intentioned and innocent. They imagine that they have been unfairly treated because they cannot express themselves well, that no one has been able to understand them except themselves.
At the base of all this blame they direct toward others is their insincerity towards Allah, Who created all the things they have experienced. The Qur'an tells us that these individuals will see nothing wrong in defending themselves to Allah even at the moment of their deaths:
As for those the angels take in death while they are wronging themselves, they will offer their submission: "We did not do any evil." Oh yes you did! Allah knows what you were doing. (Surat an-Nahl: 28)
Instead of leading their lives in a way to please Allah, they follow satan and, although called to the true path, they do not give up their wickedness. Since they constantly find various means of justifying themselves, they do not hesitate to defend themselves until the last minute. The Qur'an tells us that these people have made a sickness out of their desire to be right and that, in doing so, have not exhibited the character of a Muslim:
Those who associate others with Allah will say, "If Allah had willed we would not have associated anything with Him, nor would our fathers; nor would we have made anything forbidden." In the same way the people before them also lied until they felt Our violent force. Say: "Do you have some knowledge you can produce for us? You are following nothing but conjecture. You are only guessing." (Surat al-An'am: 148)
In other verses we are told about their insincere lies in this regard:
Or lest they should say, "If only Allah had guided me, I would have had heedfulness." (Surat az-Zumar: 57)
... If only you could see when the wrongdoers, standing in the presence of their Lord, cast accusations back and forth at one another! Those deemed weak will say to those deemed great, "Were it not for you, we would have been believers!" (Surah Saba': 31)
From the beginning of this book, we have seen how satan leads people into evil with his insidious methods, and the efforts he makes to remove them from the morality of the Qur'an. But as we consider these matters, there is one very important thing to keep in mind.
Satan has no coercive power over human beings. In urging people toward wickedness, he simply calls them to adopt this kind of moral behavior. To follow him or not is completely up to the individual. By sending down holy books and sending messengers, Allah has shown what is right and wrong in every matter. He has created our conscience to inspire what is right in everything that a person encounters in every stage of life.
By Allah's will, one's conscience always calls a person to goodness. Therefore, no matter how wicked the lower self is, everyone knows enough to avoid it and determine what is good and right. For this reason, anyone must know that, if he follows satan, he is responsible for himself. In the Afterlife, he will give a personal account of everything he has done in this world. Allah has revealed this truth to humanity in the Qur'an:
You have come to Us all alone just as We created you at first, leaving behind you everything We bestowed on you. We do not see your intercessors accompanying you, those you claimed were your partners with Allah. The link between you is cut. Those you made such claims for have forsaken you. (Surat al-An'am: 94)
No indeed! We will write down what he says and prolong the punishment for him. We will inherit from him the things he is talking about and he will come to Us all alone. (Surah Maryam: 79-80)
Each of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone. (Surah Maryam: 95)
Throughout their lives on Earth, satan never ceases pursuing human beings, saying that he is their friend and helper and making them promises. But in the Afterlife, he will abandon them, saying that they are responsible for themselves. He will tell them that they have themselves, not him, to blame for the wickedness they have committed. This is because he has only called them to wickedness, but they heeded his call of their own free will and knowingly followed him. The Qur'an explains this truth:
When the affair is decided, satan will say, "Allah made you a promise, a promise of truth, and I made you a promise but broke my promise. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. Do not, therefore, blame me but blame yourselves. I cannot come to your aid nor you to mine. I reject the way you associated me with Allah before." The wrongdoers will have a painful punishment. (Surah Ibrahim: 22)
Therefore, anyone who adopts satanic morality in this world will not be able to blame satan in the world to come for the wickedness they have committed. They may protest that they did wicked things because they followed satan and that they are innocent, but such excuses will not be accepted. In the Qur'an, Allah tells people about satan's morality, that he tells them only lies and does everything to drag them into the pangs of Hell. He says that satan will abandon his followers in the next world and leave them all alone:
They are like satan when he says to a human being, "Disbelieve," and then when he disbelieves, says, "I wash my hands of you. Truly I fear Allah, the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat al-Hashr: 16)
Individuals who know this truth revealed in the Qur'an will flee from satan the moment they realize their error and take refuge in Allah. They must not knowingly persist in their unseemly morality. Allah tells believers about this:
Those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing. (Surah Al 'Imran: 135)
In the Qur'an, Allah admonishes those who are determined to follow wickedness although their conscience shows them what is right:
Or do those who do bad actions imagine they can outstrip Us? How bad their judgment is! (Surat al-'Ankabut: 4)
No indeed! Those who accumulate bad actions and are surrounded by their mistakes, such people are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Baqara: 81)
And what of him the evil of whose actions appears fine to him so that he sees them as good? Allah misguides whoever He wills and guides whoever He wills. So do not let yourself waste away out of regret for them. Allah knows what they do. (Surah Fatir: 8)
As the Qur'an says, those who follow satan and persist in doing evil will suffer an eternity of pain. No matter how many excuses a person may offer to prove his innocence, he will not be accepted in the world to come. Actually, the Qur'an tells us that a person knows that such excuses are insincere lies:
In fact, man will be clear proof against himself. In spite of any excuses he might offer. (Surat al-Qiyama: 14-15)
And in the world to come, this person will admit with great sorrow that he followed satan and turned his back on the true path of his own free will:
The Day when a wrongdoer will bite his hands and say, "Alas for me! If only I had gone the way of the Messenger! Alas for me! If only I had not taken so-and-so for a friend!" [A wrongdoer will say,] "He led me astray from the Reminder after it came to me." satan always leaves man in the lurch. (Surat al-Furqan: 27-29)
If only you could see when they are standing before the Fire and saying, "Oh! If only we could be sent back again, we would not deny the signs of our Lord and we would be among the believers." (Surat al-An'am: 27)
We have warned you of an imminent punishment on the Day when
a man will see what he has done, and the unbeliever will say, "Oh, if only
I were dust!" (Surat an-Naba': 40)
Those who adopt the secret language of evil as a way of life and make it the foundation of their personality will lose more than they have ever imagined. They live every hour trying to perform acts of silent wickedness and trying to hide their methods that they only reveal to satan. This will bring ruin upon them. Increasing pangs of conscience embrace their personalities; their merciless struggle to extinguish these pangs begins to exhaust them. They sedate their brains and try not to think; they want to escape from the fierceness of the silent and destructive battle within them. They spend their lives thoughtlessly, in helpless grief and sorrow.
Their pain-filled life derives from the fact that they abandoned Allah and became the agents of satan. Instead of doing good, they practiced evil. Allah says in the Qur'an that the reason that their lives are full of pain is because they espoused wickedness:
Or do those who perpetrate evil deeds suppose that We will make them like those who believe and do right actions, so that their lives and deaths will be the same? How bad their judgment is! (Surat al-Jathiyya: 21)
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