Satan's gateways to the heart

The heart is like a fort and Satan the advancing enemy, who is intent
on infiltrating and occupying it. Hence, only by guarding the gates,
entrances and vulnerable positions, will it be impenetrable. Yet, a
person who is unacquainted with the structure of the fortress,
particularly its access points, cannot adequately defend it. By the
same token, the obligation ofguarding the heart from the whispers of
Satan cannot be fulfilled and he cannot be wardedoff, unless a person
knows the gates to the heart that Satan maytake.
These gateways are, generally, personal characteristics, of whichthere
are many, but, here, we willonly refer to the ones that are so wide so
as to accommodate all the numerous soldiers of Satan. These include:
- Anger and desire: Anger is the ghoul of the psyche; when it weakens
the guards of one's mind, Satan's soldiers immediately seize the
opportunity to attack. Furthermore, when a person becomes enraged,
Satan toys with him in the same way children play with a ball.
- Envy and greed: No matter how careful man is, his covetousness makes
him deaf and dumb. The light of insight reveals the gates of Satan;
when envy and greediness mask this light, man becomes at risk. Hence,
Satan seizes that opportunity and adorns for an acquisitive person
whatever leads to his or her desires, even if it is heinous and evil.
The Prophet, , spoke of avarice: "If two starving wolves were left in
a flock of sheep, they would not be as harmful [to them] as a person's
hunger for money and status is to his [or her] faith." [At-Tirmithi,
Hasan Saheeh]
- Satiating oneself: This is one of Satan's gateways to the heart;
although lawful, eating in excess strengthens one's desires, which,in
turn, are his weapons.
- Impetuosity: Haste and recklessness are among the widest gates of
Satan to one's heart, as the Prophet, , said: "Hastiness is from Satan
and deliberateness is from Allaah the Almighty." [At-Tirmithi]
- Miserliness and fear of poverty: They prevent a person from giving
in charity, instead justifying hoarding, which only leads to a painful
punishment.
- Bigotry toward a specific school of thought or an inclination toward
a desire, bearing grudgesagainst opponents or treating them with
contempt: This destroys the immoral and pious alike. Defaming people
and calling attention to their faults is one of the predatory
characteristics inherent in humannature.
- Thinking ill of Muslims: Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {O
you who have believed! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions
are sins.} [Quran 49: 12]. Indeed, only hypocrites seek out flaws in
others, whereas believers seek excuses for them.
A person may now ask: "How can one ward Satan off? Is it enough to be
in constant remembrance of Allaah the Almighty or to utter [phrases
like] ' Laa hawla wala quwwata illaa billaah (There is nopower or
strength except in Allaah)'?" The answer is that you must know that
the course of treatment to save one's heart from the whispers of Satan
is to block the gateways [he takes] and to purify the heart from the
aforementioned bad characteristics.
This needs to be further elaborated. The remembrance of Allaah the
Almighty should indeed suffice in stopping Satan from passing by or
whispering in one's heart. However, that cannot happen unless the
heart itself is already of a pious nature and purified from evil
characteristics. If not, words of His remembrance will be no morethan
mere thoughts without any impact on the heart or substanceto deflect
Satan. Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, those who are
pious - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember
[Him]and at once they have insight.} [Quran 7: 201]. Therefore, since
this is only confined to the pious, once a person manages to uproot
evil traits from within, Satan may pass by or whisper, but will never
be able to reside inthe heart.
You see, Satan is like an approaching starved dog; if a person has
neither bread nor meat, it will move away just by your voice which
commands it to "go away". However, if you have meat in your hands and
the dog is hungry, it will attack the flesh and your mere words will
not be enough to keep the animal at bay.
Similarly, if the heart is free from anything Satan can feed on, Thikr
(remembrance of Allaah The Almighty) will be enough to fend it off. On
the other hand, if a person's desires dominate his or her heart, the
influence of Thikr isrestricted to the outer edges of the heart and
instead, its core becomes a residence for Satan. The Prophet, , said:
"The heartis touched twice: [one of it is] a touch by the angel [which
constitutes] a command of goodness and an acceptance of the truth. So,
if a man experiences this, he should knowthat it is from Allaah the
Almighty and he should consequently thank Him. On the other hand,
[there is] a touch from the enemy [Satan, and that constitutes an]
insinuation of evil, disbelief in truth and being barred from good.
So, if a person experiences this, he should seek refuge with Allaah
from the accursed Satan." Then, the Prophet, , recited the Saying of
Allaah the Almighty (which means): {Satan threatens you with poverty
and orders you to immorality . }. [Quran 2:268]." [An-Nasaa'i and
At-Tirmithi]
Expounding on this, Al-Hasan said: "They [i.e., the two touches] are
actually two concerns that occur to the heart: one from Allaah the
Almighty and the otherfrom the enemy [Satan]. May Allaah have mercy
upon a slave who examines his concerns and lets that affect him which
is fromAllaah The Almighty, and strives against whatever he deems from
the enemy."
By nature, the heart equally accepts both the inspiration of anangel
and the incitement of Satan, such that there is a balance. However,
the latter aspect dominates when a person acts ravenously and indulges
in desires, whereas the former overrules it if a person turns away
from wants and whims, and resists them.
When man becomes subservient to his desires and his actions become
driven by rage, the influence of Satan will prevail via whims, which
are his haven, and the heart will become Satan's nest and pasture. On
the other hand, if a person strives against his or her desires,
barring them from impacting him or her and adopts some angelic traits,
his orher heart will become the dwelling and station of angels. Thus,
the soldiers of angels and of Satan are in an epic struggle, until the
heart opens to one of them, allowing them to reside within and
dominate; the other party, then, will only be able to pass with
stealth.
Unfortunately, most hearts are conquered by the soldiers of Satan,
sustained by obedience to desires and whims, and, therefore, the
organs are riddled with base notions that give preference to this
temporary life, with clear disregard of the Hereafter. The heart
cannot be recaptured except when it is purified from the nutrition of
Satan and is supported with the remembrance of Allaah the Almighty,
which is the haven of angels.
Responses of the heart to temptation
Huthayfah ibn Al-Yamaan narrated that the Prophet, , said:
"Temptations are presented to hearts in the same way as a reed mat is
woven, stick by stick. Any heart which is saturated by them will
receive a black mark, whereas any heart that rejects them will have a
white mark put on it. The result is that there will be two types of
hearts: a black and dusty heart, which is like an uneven vessel that
neither recognizes good nor rejects evil, except what is impregnated
into it of desires; and a white heart that will never be harmed by any
temptation, as long as there are heavens and the earth." [Muslim]
When the lure of desire and doubts are presented to the heart, it
transforms into either oftwo types:
- The first is a heart that absorbs temptation in the same way a
sponge soaks up water. This one will get a black stain every time
itgives in to a temptation, until it becomes wholly dark and uneven.
When this happens, the heart will be susceptible to two dangerous
diseases: firstly, it will be unable to differentiate between good and
evil, to the extent that it will not recognize either of them.
Thereafter, the illness will pervade the organ until a person believes
that good is evil and evil is good, the Prophetic Sunnah is a
religious innovation and vice versa, and that truth is falsehood and
the opposite holds true as well. Secondly, the heart will begin to be
subservient to its whims, making them a criterion for judging the
teachings of the Prophet, , sallam.
- The second is the white heart that is illuminated by the light of
faith. When temptations are presented to it, it will immediately deny
and reject them, thereby increasing in brightness and radiance.
As for the temptations themselves, they are categorized into two:
desires and doubts. While the first leads to the corruption of both
intentions andone's will, the second taints a person's knowledge and
belief.
Accordingly, diseases of the heartare also of base desires and doubts;
the former can be interpreted by the verse in which Allaah the
Almighty Says (what means): {Do not be soft in speech [to men], lest
he in whose heart is disease should covet.} [Quran 33: 32] Unlike a
healthy person, a patient is more sensitive to the slightest changes
in heat, cold or movement; likewise, when the heart suffers from an
illness, evena small amount of whims or doubts harms it and it is
unable to ward them off. On the other hand, a sound heart powerfully
fends off these temptations, evenin the face of more attacks.
As for the other kind, Allaah the Almighty referred to the disease of
doubt, when He Said (what means): {In their hearts is disease, so
Allaah has increased their disease.} [Quran 2: 10] Commenting on this
verse, Qataadah and Mujaahid stated that "disease" here refers to
misgivings.
Although illnesses of the heart come in these two forms, the Glorious
Quran is a remedy for both. It includes decisive proofs that
distinguish between truth and falsehood; with them, the disease of
doubt, which corrupts a person's knowledge and intellect, is removed,
and a person can perceive things in their real form. Thus, the Quran
isthe true cure for malicious allegations and doubts. Yet, its
effectiveness is contingent on understanding the Quran and
comprehending its essence. And, if Allaah the Almighty grants that to
a person, his or her heart will as clearly distinguish between truth
and falsehood, as it does between night and day.
Additionally, the Quran heals the other of the two diseases:
desire;for, it includes wisdom, admonition and encouragement. It also
contains verses warning people against indulging in the worldly life
and instead urging them to work for the Hereafter. Furthermore, it has
parables and stories that illustrate various lessons and warnings.
Contemplating all this, a sound heart will surely incline towards what
benefits it in both worlds and turn away from what will be of harm.
The heart will then love guidance and detest vice.
Thus, the Glorious Quran removesdiseases that result in corrupt
yearnings; it reforms the heart, and so, reforms its wants, thus
restoring it to the natural, pure state that it was created in.
Referring to this, Allaah the Almighty Says (what means):
· {And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for
the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in
loss.} [Quran 17: 82]
· {O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lordand
healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the
believers.} [Quran 10: 57]
The heart feeds on faith and the Quran, taking from it what purifies
and strengthens it. Both the heart and body require growth and
development until they become perfect and sound. Hence, just as the
body needs nutrients that build it and a healthy diet that protects it
from harm, so does the heart. But, it can only obtain its nourishment
from the Quran; and if it attempts to get something similar from
another source, it would be provided with very littleand not be able
to reach its potential. Similarly, plants do not grow or become ripe
without nutrients and proper environment; only when those are
available, can we say they do.
Therefore, a person should study the signs of an ill and a sound
heart, so he or she is able to discern which type he or she possesses.
If the heart is sick, a slave of Allaah The Almighty mustdo his or her
best to treat it before he or she meets Him with a sick heart, which
will deprive him or her from entering Paradise. If the heart is sound,
then he or she must nonetheless continue to safeguard its soundness
until he or she dies in this state. If, however, the heart is dead, he
or she can take solace in the fact that Allaah the Almighty gives life
to the dead, asHe Says (what means): {Know that Allaah gives life to
the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs;
perhaps you will understand.}

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