Part 4 (b) Iblis’ Ploy: Heart Therapy

Read the Table of Contents of Heart Therapy

Read Part 4 (a): Ibli’s Ploy (3 types of Ibli’s ploy)

The remaining 3 types of Iblis’s ploy are:

4. Al Sagha’ir (Minor Sins): Being unsuccessful in enticing the believer into kufr, shirk, bid’ah, or major sins, Iblis now seeks to entrap the believer in minor sins. These sins may ruin a person if they accumulate, that is why the Prophet (SAW) likened them to small sticks which when stacked together and kindled create a huge fire. Likewise, minor sins stack up, little by little, eventually destroying the person, thus, one should be more wary of them. However, because people consider them inconsequential, and one is likely to persist in them without repentance. It is for this reason that a person having committed a major sin, fearing its effect and repenting from it, is in a better condition than someone persistent in minor sins.

5. Distracting with the Permissible actions: Being unable to lead the believer to his fall with disbelief, innovations and sins etc, Iblis now seeks to entrap him by concerning him with permissible actions that incur neither reward nor punishment. This person is at a loss because he is being prevented from doing rewardable, recommended deeds that will earn him Allah’s pleasure. Such a person might occupy himself with ‘permissible’ computer games, reading ‘permissible’ books etc. and yet he is losing out as he could have occupied himself with the rewardable instead.

6. Occupying oneself with good deeds of lesser reward: Failing to even distract the believer with permissible actions, iblis resorts to his sixth ploy and attempts to occupy him with good deeds that are of lesser reward. the believer who falls into this trap is at a loss because this preoccupation with ‘good deeds of lesser rewards’ prevents him from doing thins with greater rewards. People are generally unaware of this ploy; rather they consider the urge to do the ‘lesser good’ as an opportunity of gaining closeness with Allah. He does not attribute this urge to Iblis as he anticipates Iblis to onl call to that which is prohibited, harmful or bad.

This emphasises that one should be very careful in prioritising his deeds, and consciously concern himself with the more rewardable (perhaps those restricted to a specific time or place)

Examples

One should not give da’wah to the exclusion of performing the prayers on time, nor should one occupy himself with nawafil to the exclusion of disobeying one’s parents, etc.

Part 4 (c): Iblis’ Last Attack shall be posted soon insha Allah…