Ramadan Articles - The Devils are Shackled, Ramadan is Here - III

As for whispers inRamadan, scholars said that there are different
kinds of whispers, some of which are pathologicalwhispers
)compulsive(, whispers of the inner self, and devilish whispers.
Pathological whispersare compulsive obsessions that a person cannot
ward off completely, until he/she receivesthe due treatment.
Whispers of the inner selfare inner obsessive thoughts.
Shaykhul-IslamIbn Taymiyyah, may Allaah gave mercy on him, said,"Souls
also whisper to man, inciting him to commit sins."Allaah The Exalted
Says:}And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers
tohim, and We are closer tohim than ]his[ jugular vein.{]Quran 50:16[
Devilish whispers are from the devil, whether the devil is inside or
outside the person's body. This issue is a subject of confusion for
some people. How can the devils whisper to man during the month
ofRamadan, while they areshackled?
The answer to this question is thatchaining the devils does not
prevent them from whispering to humankind. The shackleddevils can
still whisper to people. Shaykh Abu Al-Hasan Al-Qaabisiwas asked about
the meaning of the words of the Prophet,, when hesaid:"The devils are
chained up in Ramadan."He replied,"The devils may still whisper to
people even if they are shackled."
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyahsaid,"If the shackled devils can still
harm people while being chained up, no doubt they can whisper to them.
If the shackled devils can harm people, they can, definitely, whisper
to them."
As for the convulsions that some may experience due to being possessed
by theJinn, there are two ways in whichJinnoverpower or defeat a human
being: it may beout of strength orout of weakness.
1- TheJinn, possessing a human beingoverpowers or defeats a human
beingby tempting him to commit sins, abstain from doing righteous
deeds, renouncing self-reproach, and yielding to his quick-temper. In
this case, theJinnis more powerful than the possessed person and
becomes abletooverpower and defeathim.
However, theJinnmay get help from some of the devils among theJinn,
outside of the possessed human's body. TheJinnthat is possessing the
human becomes more powerful due to this help and becomes able
tooverpower and defeatthe possessed human being. In fact, in both
cases theJinnoverpowers and defeatsthe human being out ofstrength.
2- WhenRuqyah)healing with the help of reciting the Noble
Quran(,Thikr)remembrance of Allaah The Almighty(, supplications, or
the like are recited over the possessed person, this confines
theJinninside the possessed body. It weakens and undermines theJinn's
power and control over the body. Consequently, theJinnis overpowered
and defeated and the possessed person goes intoconvulsions as a
consequence of overpowering and defeating theJinn; as thelatter is
possessing the human's body entirely. It is worth mentioning thatthe
possessed persongoes intoconvulsions because of overpowering and
defeating theJinnthat is possessing his body. The possessed person is
not overpowered or defeated by theJinn.
Therefore, the convulsions, which some people may experience during
the month ofRamadandue to overpowering and defeating theJinnthat is
possessing their bodies isout of weakness on the part of theJinn. This
does not contradict the shackling of the devils and
rebelliousJinnduring the month ofRamadan; since the possessed
persongoes intoconvulsions because of overpowering and defeating
theJinnthat is possessing his body. The possessed person is not
overpowered or defeated by theJinn– Allaah knows best.
Another point that should be mentioned in this regard is thatshackling
the devils does not prevent them from harming people. Shaykhul-Islam
Ibn Taymiyyahsaid,"In the month of Ramadan, the devil's power wanes
due to being chained up.Therefore, the devils become unable to incite
people and harm them inthe month of Ramadan asthey do in other times.
However, they are shackled and not dead orkilled. The Prophetstated
that the devils are shackled, yet they can still harm people."
Sometimes the shackled devils' harm may be too much to be endured by
some people due to the extreme weakness of their faith. In this case,
the shackled devils will be able to overpower and defeat them – Allaah
knows best.
However, fasting weakens the effects of the devil'swhispers on a
person. Accordingly, the devil becomesunable to incite people and harm
them, especially inRamadan, the way it can at others times. Therefore,
a fasting person should make full use of the weakness of the devils
during fasting. He should also take advantage of his strength, energy,
and therevival of faith, which he experiences in order to conquer the
devil, warding off its perils, overcoming ]spiritual[ diseases and
wiping away other psychologicaland marital problems incurred by the
devil's evil plots and power.
People should be encouraged and motivated to recite the Noble Quran
more frequently in the month ofRamadan. For instance, people could
organize competitions among individuals, families and neighbourhoods
for the recitation of the Noble Quran observing the rules
ofTajweed)science of reciting the Quran( or memorizing the first or
the second chapter of theQuran. Benefactors and charitable people
could sponsor such competitions in order to offer valuable prizes for
the winners on the night or the day of'Eed. Perhaps this would help
putting an end to the state of apathy and laziness that many Muslims
experience after two or three days of the beginning ofRamadan.

Ramadan Articles - The Devils are Shackled, Ramadan is Here - II

Based on theinterpretations of our righteous predecessors and the
opinions of theknowledgeablescholars on the meaning of shackling, we
deduce thefollowing:
First:The meaning of shackling may beinterpreted according to its
apparent or intended meaning. It could mean that all the devils
arechained up or it could mean that only the most rebellious and evil
ones are shackled. Moreover, it may also mean that Satan ]Iblees[ and
his descendants are chained up duringRamadanor it could mean that the
disbelievers among theJinnare the ones who are chained. All these
opinions were mentioned by the scholars.
Whatsupports this interpretation is that the nature of the devils is
different from that of humankind. It was mentioned in
authenticHadeeths that the devil does not approach the one who recites
theverseofAl-Kursibeforesleeping until he wakes up. How is the devil
prevented from approaching this sleeping person?
Add to that, reciting theBasmalah)sayingBismillaah( serves as a shield
against theJinn. How is this possible?
The devils are influenced by theRuqyah)healing with the recitation of
theQuran( of a confident person more than that ofa less confident
person; how does this happen?
Glory be to Allaah The Exalted who perfectly created this world and
wisely and skilfully manages It.
Second:Shackling may indicate the inability of the devils to tempt and
incite people through narrowing the channels of blood, in which the
devils circulate due to fasting, asthe devil flows through the son of
Adam just as blood flows through him. While fasting, the veins in the
body become narrow due to hunger and thirst,which causes the
passageways of the devil in the human body to become narrower.
Therefore, by fasting, thewhispers of the devil are held back and the
strength of our desires and anger is controlled. The devils become
unable to incite fasting people as they do with non-fasting ones.
Thus, they are restrained from tempting people who carry out acts of
worship,good deeds, and various actsthat bring one closer to Allaah
The Almighty.
This meaning ]that shackling indicates the inability of the devils to
incite people while fasting inRamadan[ is backed by the following:
·The devil is far from a fasting person and unable to control him
during the month ofRamadanor at any other time. However, the devil's
inability to incite fasting people is far greater inRamadan, depending
upon the person'scompliance withthe conditions and etiquette of
fasting.Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyahsaid, "Whoever observes the due
conditions and etiquette of fasting and perfects his fasting, he will
be able to ward off the devils completely in away that one whose
fasting isdeficientcannot."
A fasting person devotes his days to carrying out acts of worship
inRamadan, which wards off the devil. Indeed, fasting is ashield,
unlike other acts of worship that have limited times during which
thelurkingdevil waits for the worshipper to finish his worship act in
order to incite him. In fact, fastingis a shield against the devil
during the month ofRamadanor any other month of the year.
A fasting person refrains from satisfying his lustful and sinful
cravings of theflesh with which the devil controls him, harming or
inciting him to commit what is forbidden. If a person shields himself
against his enemy, the devil, he will be able to weaken and vanquish
him. This is not exclusive to the month ofRamadan.
Besides, fasting is an act of worship that involves endurance,
will-power, and determination. If one attains an elevated spiritual
rankand sharpens his faith and determination, he can overpower the
devil andfrustratehis evil plots and whispers. Indeed, the devil is
weak. This is not exclusively for fastinginRamadan– and Allaah knows
best.
For some people, it may be acurious paradoxthatpeople continue to
commit sins inRamadan, during which it is said the devils are chained
up. There may be others who experience the whispers of the devil, and
still others maygo into convulsions due to being possessed byJinn.
The paradox that some people continue to commit sins inRamadandoes not
contradict the shackling of the devils. Dissolute evildoers among
theJinnand humans, who are not chained, may incite people to commit
sins. Moreover, it could be dueto people's base desires, their souls
that incline to evil, or the fact that they are used to committing
sins.
Imaam Al-Qurtubisaid,"The fact that all thedevils are shackled does
not necessarily mean thatno man would commit sins or evil acts. People
sin due to other factors, aside from the devils, such as souls that
are persistent enjoiners of evil, bad habits and the devilish people
)devils of humankind(."
Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Jibreensaid,
"Many people who are accustomed to sin may keep doing what they are
habitually used to doing even during the month of Ramadan. Although
the devils are chained up, still, old habits die hard. Therefore, we
may witness many sins committed in Ramadan such as drinking alcohol,
adultery, listening to songs and so on. The urges for such evil
practices are bad habits, whims, souls inclined to evil, devils among
humankind, base desires,temptations, the spread of lewd pictures and
movies, and the like. It is not surprising to witness these sins
during the month of Ramadan, even though the devils are shackled."

Ramadan Articles - The Devils are Shackled, Ramadan is Here - I

Ramadanis a month in which the devils are shackled, as the Prophet,,
informed us. Indeed, the chaining of the devilsis one of the greatest
means of overcoming them and shielding oneself against their perils.
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Prophet,, said:"When the month of
Ramadan starts, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell
are closed and the devils are chained."]Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Ahmad,
and An-Nasaa'i[
Abu Hurayrahalso narrated that the Prophet,, said:"O people! A great
month has come over you; a blessed month.During it, the gates
toParadiseare opened and the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the
devils are shackled.A month has dawned over you wherein lies a night
better than a thousand months.Whoever is deprived of its good is
indeed deprived."]An-Nasaa'i:Saheeh[
The devils harm man, inflicting pain and suffering upon him.
Theywhisper to man and incite him, foster corruption, and sow the
seeds of discord among people. Devils may possess the bodies of people
or whisper to them, inciting them to commit sins. If the devils are
chained up during the month ofRamadan, then it is a great opportunity
for man to overpower those devils and to destroy theJinns, which
possess human bodies.
What is the meaning of shackling or chaining up as stated inHadeeths?
Al-Haafith Ibn Hajarsaid in his bookAl-Fat-h,"The Hadeeth indicates
that the devils are shackled."
'Iyaadh,said,"The words of the Prophetcould be understood according to
their apparent or intended meaning. It could mean that the devils are
really chained up in the month of Ramadan or it may be
afigurativeexpression indicating restraining them from harming and
inciting humankind. Verily, this is a sign for the angels that the
month of Ramadan has begun, an indication of the sanctity of Ramadan
and a sign of restraining the devils from harming the believers."
"It could also be an indication of theabundant heavenlyrewards
andforgiveness in the month of Ramadan. It could point out thatthe
ability of the devils to tempt and incitepeople wanes just like that
of one who is chained up."
'Iyaadh,also said,"Shackling the devils indicates restraining and
preventing them from tempting and inciting people to commit sins and
beautifyinglusts of the fleshandsinful desires."
Ibn Hajarcited the opinion of Al-Qurtubiregarding the meaning of
shackling the devils. He wrote,"It means that when people observe
thedue conditions and etiquette of fasting, the influence of their
whispers grow less and wane.Fasting weakens the effects of the devils'
whispers on a person and reduces his sins."
However, the words of theHadeethmay mean that some devils, i.e.the
most evil and rebellious onesare shackled, and not all of them,as
mentioned in some narrations.
The words may also suggest that the evil of the devils becomes less
asfasting weakens the effect of their whispers on a personand this is
a tangible fact. It is less likely for man to be influenced by Satanic
evils andwhispers while fasting.
Ibn Muflihsaid,"The devils are chained up in Ramadan according to the
apparent meaning ofthe Hadeeth. However, it could also mean that the
rebellious and most evil devils are shackled as some other narrations
mentioned."
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyahsaid,"The devils are shackled; they become
unable to whisper to fasting people, inciting them to commit evil
deeds like they used to do in other times. A shackled creature is
restrained from doing whatever it wishes. Indeed, the devilsare able
to control and incite the sons of Adam because of their lusts. If
people abstained from satisfying those lusts, then the devils are
chained."
In anotherHadeeth)narration(, theProphet,, used the word "chained" to
describe thedevils during the month ofRamadan. Anasnarrated that the
Prophet,, said:"When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened,
the gates of Hell are closed, and the devilsare chained."]Ahmad and
An-Nasaa'i:Saheeh[

Hadees -

1 Ramadan - The French army reached Al-Mansoorah )in Egypt( after
conquering Dumyat - 647 A.H. - The death of Avicenna )Ibn Seena(,
theMuslim physician and philosopher who was thefirst to write on
medicinein the Islamic World - 428A.H. - Al-Qarawiyyeen Mosque was
built in Fes)Morocco( - 245 A.H.