Satan's mastery of the heart through insinuations

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

An exposition of satan's mastery of the heart through insinuations/waswasa; the meaning of insinuation, and the cause of its subdual

It has been seen that the heart is affected by information brought by the five senses, and by internal faculties such as imagination, appetite, anger, and character traits. The most important influence, however, comes from those random thoughts, promptings and ideas which are projected by the devil into the mind, and distract or confuse it: these are termed khawatir. To ward these off, man should engage in remembrance/dhikr of God, and continue with the process of self-discipline and inner purification.

An exposition detailing satan's entrances into the heart

The heart is like a castle, and man must guard its entrances against the enemy, who is the devil. The main entrances are: (1) irascibility and desire; (2) envy and greed; (3) Eating one's fill, for this increases the other desires, causes illness, and reduces one's receptivity to wisdom and desire for worship; (4) Love of self-adornment, whether on clothes, furnishings or residence; (5) Coveting what others own and control, and hence flattering and deceived them; (6) Haste, which, according to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam peace be upon him 'comes from satan'; (7) Money, property, and all other kinds of wealth in excess of one's needs, for wealth creates its own concerns which will distract the heart; (8) Avarice and fear of poverty, which will destroy the heart's serene conviction that God will provide; (9) Fanatical attachment to schools of thoughts and sects, hatred of rival doctrines, and delight in criticising them; (10) studying advanced theological doctrines for which one is not prepared, and hence falling into false beliefs about God; (11) Harboring a low opinion of other Muslims, which leads to self-satisfaction and backbiting.

The heart must be purified of all these evil traits before dhikr can be effective; otherwise the dhikr will itself be a form of khawatir/thoughts with no real influence. Even when these traits are removed, it is necessary to cure oneself of heedlessness and distraction. If one does not, one will be like patient who derives little benefit from a medicine because he takes it when his stomach is full of food.

There are many devils, each with his own name, who cast thoughts into the heart on specific occasions: ritual ablution, the canonical prayer, visiting the marketplace, dealing with one's family, and so on. When they appear, they take the form of base animals such as dogs, frogs and pigs.

The Revival of\n the Religious Sciences/Ihya Ulum al-Din, Hujjatul Islam/Proof of Islam, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, may Allah be well pleased with him

The heart must be purified of all these evil traits before dhikr can be effective; otherwise the dhikr will itself be a form of khawatir/thoughts with no real influence. Even when these traits are removed, it is necessary to cure oneself of heedlessness and distraction. If one does not, one will be like patient who derives little benefit from a medicine because he takes it when his stomach is full of food.

There are many devils, each with his own name, who cast thoughts into the heart on specific occasions: ritual ablution, the canonical prayer, visiting the marketplace, dealing with one's family, and so on. When they appear, they take the form of base animals such as dogs, frogs and pigs.

The Revival of the Religious Sciences/Ihya Ulum al-Din, Hujjatul Islam/Proof of Islam, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, may Allah be well pleased with him