Enmity with Shaythan

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s (r.a.) Ayyuha al-Walad.  When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi (q.s.) asked his student, Hatim Ism (q.s.), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight. 

Of the sixth, he said, “O my teacher!  The sixth benefit is that when I glanced at the people, I saw that every person having enmity with someone else for some reason.  Then I deliberated on the following verse: 

سُوۡرَةُ فَاطِر

إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّاۚ ... (٦) 

Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy ... (Surah Fathir:6) 

After that, I developed the certitude that Allah’s (s.w.t.) Saying is the truth; I should not have any enmity with anyone other than Shaythan.  Since then, I considered Shaythan my enemy and did not obey any of his orders.  Instead, I developed obedience and followed the Commandments of Allah (s.w.t.) and adopted only His worship and servitude.  The correct way is the Swirath al-Muswtaqim as Allah (s.w.t.) has Himself Said: 

سُوۡرَةُ یسٓ

۞ أَلَمۡ أَعۡهَدۡ إِلَيۡكُمۡ يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ أَن لَّا تَعۡبُدُواْ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنَ‌ۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (٦٠) وَأَنِ ٱعۡبُدُونِى‌ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٲطٌ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٌ۬ (٦١) 

“Did I not Enjoin on you, O you children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?”  And that you should worship Me, (for that) this was the Straight Way? (Surah YaSin:60-61)””