Quran Garden

Session 485

Chapter 3

Verse 155

As for those of you who turned away on the day the two armies met in battle, it was Satan who caused them to slip through some of their actions.  God has now pardoned them: God is most forgiving and forbearing.  (Chapter 3: Verse 155)

Let's start with the phrase "caused them to slip." We know that slipping happens before a fall; in this case, it means falling into sin.  But how did Satan lead them into error?  More specifically, from which door did he enter?  God says, "it was Satan who caused them to slip through some of their actions." This is a critical point to understand.  Satan would not approach you unless he finds a weakness.  Strong people who exercise self-control over their desires do not leave room for Satan.  Satan is always watching, and when you give in to temptation, he takes note: "Ahh!  This person has a weakness that I can exploit.  I bet I can make him slip." But Satan loses access if you deny your impulses and stay on the straight path.  Listen to the words of Satan quoted in the following verses,

He said, "By Your might, I will mislead all of them, Except Your servants among them, endowed with sincerity in faith." (38:82-83)

We say that your desires are the horse that Satan rides to victory.   Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "Verily Satan runs through the son of Adam as blood flows through the veins." Meaning that Satan watches your every move closely, and once he sees weakness, he says, "There is hope!" God teaches you that while you cannot see Satan, and might not even be aware of his presence, he can see you as mentioned in the following verse:

O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts.  Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.  Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.  (7:27)

How can you fight such an invisible enemy?  Is there any hope?!  We answer that you should seek refuge and protection in a power that can see and overpower Satan: God Almighty.  Before the end of this video, we will share the story of how God's company can save you from even the fiercest enemies like it saved Prophet Muhammad and his companion.  God says,

Say, 'I seek refuge with the Lord of people, the King of people, the God of people, against the evil of the slinking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of people, Whether of Jinn or of people.  (Chapter 114)

Allah referred to Satan as the "Slinking Whisperer" because he waits till you are away from your Lord and then sneaks in quietly and lures you to sin.  That is what happened to some of the companions in Uhud.  God says, "As for those of you who turned away on the day the two armies met in battle, it was Satan who caused them to slip through some of their actions." Satan noticed their weakness towards the spoils of war and immediately exploited it and nudged them to go against the commands of Prophet Muhammad.  

We discussed earlier that, when dealing with the believers, Allah wraps his punishment in mercy.  He says in Aya 153, "God rewarded you with sorrow for sorrow so that you may not grieve for what you missed or for what happened to you." Here too, Allah protected the believers from some of their sins and offered, even the sinners, some protection from Satan.  He says, "God has now pardoned them: God is most forgiving and forbearing." Why?  Because, even when you slip, Allah honors your faith in Him and appreciates that you identify with the principle of monotheism and Islam.  The companions who chased after the war loot and those who abandoned the battlefield may have experienced a moment of weakness, but they were still pious Muslims.  They had to pay for their mistake, but not fully, because Allah forgives.  He says,

Whatever affliction befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned, and yet He pardons much.  (42:30)

It is of God's infinite mercy that he taught us how to stay by His side and face not only Satan, but also the most difficult situations in life.  Listen to what الصادق جعفر (Ja'far Al-Sadiq), a great-grandson of Prophet Muhammad and one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the virtues of the Quran.  He said,

"Indeed, the horrors of life for man are fear, adversity, anguish, and being conspired against.  I am surprised by a person who is afraid but does not resort to the words of God in this verse:  'God is sufficient for us, and the best of protectors' (3:173), for God said in the very next verse, 'Hence they returned with a mighty blessing from God and a great bounty.  They suffered no harm whatsoever' (3:174).  And I am amazed at a person inflicted by adversity.  Yet, he does not resort to the following words of God: 'Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of all who show mercy' (21:83), for God Almighty said in reply, 'We responded to him and removed from him the harm which was afflicting him' (21:84).  Furthermore, I am astonished at a person stricken by distress, and yet he does not say the following words from the Quran: 'There is no God but You!  Glory be to You!  Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers' (21:87), for I heard God saying in response, 'So we heard his prayer and delivered him from his anguish.  And this is how We rescue the faithful.' (21:88).  And I am surprised by a person who is conspired against and does not rush to the following words: 'I entrust my affairs to God.  Indeed God is All-Seeing of His servants' (40:44), for I have heard God Almighty saying in the very next verse, 'So God safeguarded him from the evil things they plotted' (40:45)."

As long as you remain in God's company, No one dares harm you. 

On the day of migration to Medina, the Prophet, peace be upon him, retreated to the cave of ثور (Thawr) with his friend Abu Bakr.  The disbelievers were on the hunt for them, closely following their trace.  Later that day, the armed men reached the cave and stood at its entrance.  At that moment, Abu Bakr whispered to the Prophet, "If any of them just glances down, he will spot us."  The Prophet replied, "O Abu Bakr, what do you think about two people when God is the third of them?"  The incident is summarized in the following verse:

Even if you do not help the Prophet, God helped him when the disbelievers drove him out: when the two of them were in the cave, he said to his companion, "Do not worry, God is with us," and God sent His calm down to him, aided him with forces invisible to you, and brought down the disbelievers' plan.  God's plan is higher: God is almighty and wise.  (9:40)

Human eyes cannot comprehend God, and since the Prophet and Abu Bakr were in the company of God, then the eyes of the disbelievers could not comprehend them either.  Looking at the Prophet and Abu Bakr at that moment would have been like looking into thin air.