What did Ibn al-Qayyim say about the deception of Shayṭān?
Ibn al-Qayyim mapped the tactics of Shayṭān with the precision of a general mapping a battlefield — the six gates of attack, the grades of prey, and the weapons that drive him back.
10 passages from 9 books in the library
Ibn al-Qayyim describes Iblis (Satan) as a relentless enemy who works by whispering, arrogance, and forgetfulness. The passages relate that anger itself is from Satan, who was created from fire that water extinguishes, and that Satan caused even those who were saved to forget the remembrance of their Lord. He warns of the traps Satan lays for ignorant worshippers and contrasts the well-fed devil of the disbeliever with the emaciated devil of the believer. Seeking refuge in Allah, he teaches, means abandoning what Satan loves and replacing it with what He loves.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 9 books by Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Kathir — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"devil's whisper, where arrogance refers to the devil's poetry, grandeur, and stinginess."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"I heard the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say, anger is from Satan, and Satan was created from fire, which is extinguished by water."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"from the arrows of Iblis, Satan, has been mentioned previously. The hadith, I have not left behind me"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"and Iblis, followed by Eve with Adam and the snake with Iblis. It is said it is a command to them in"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"Iblis with his wing casting him far away. Emerging from his ordeal Iblis said no one has encountered"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"traps laid by the devil for ignorant worshipers. How can one hope to escape the devil by abandoning"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Satan takes a different one. This is because the hearts were purified from the pastures of Satan"
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"The disbeliever's devil was well-fed and clothed, while the believer's devil was emaciated and"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
-
"His saying, But Satan made him forget the mention of his lord, means, Satan caused the one saved"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Seeking refuge in Allah from Satan means abandoning what Satan loves and replacing it with what"
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