Do You Know Your Enemy?
When God created man and blew His spirit into him, the man was named the best of creatures as he could reach perfections and virtues that no other creature could achieve. God asked all angels to prostrate to Adam. Satan did not do so as he believed his being superior to the man. Then God rejected him and urged him to get out of the garden.
This is why Satan has become an enemy of man and has sworn to deviate man from the path of perfection. “He said, ‘By Your Glory, I shall seduce all of them (children of Adam).’” (Surah Sad, Verse 82). This story has been mentioned in verses 34 to 39 of Surah Baqarah.
According to Islamic teachings, Satan can deviate man from the path of God by seducing him to conduct sins.
God has named Satan as the enemy of man on several occasions in the Quran, including “Let Satan not prevent you from the right path. He is your sworn enemy” (Surah Az-Zukhruf, verse 62).
Quran teacher and researcher Mohsen Qaraati points to two of the messages of this verse:
- Considering the history of Satan’s deceiving Adam and Eve, his animosity is evident to everybody.
- Understanding the temptations of Satan does not need extra reflection as man understands any deviation naturally.
Now, what is the necessity of understanding Satan’s enmity towards mankind? If we accept that man is inclined to growth and perfection through guidance, so he needs to know the barriers that lie on this path. Accordingly, one of the main duties of every man is to acknowledge this enemy and the methods that Satan uses to influence him.
