Ruined By Arrogance: Important Life Lesson from Shaytan

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Every story and every single character in the Qur'an have some benefit for us. Even the shaytan has important life lessons that we can learn from.

We know that the shaytan used to be one of the top notch worshipers of Allah. In fact, his quality of worship was so good that Allah honored him with a place among the angels. And he was there doing his worship until Adam (peace be upon him) was created.

When Adam (peace be upon him) was created all the angels were asked to bow down to him, and the shaytan was included in this command because he was trying to be as good as the angels. And this was where the shaytan lost it. He disobeyed. And he arrogantly disobeyed even when Allah admonished him to listen.

قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْ‌تُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ‌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ‌ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ ﴿١٢

[Allah] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Satan] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay." (12) [Qur'an, Al-A'raf 7:12]

He argued with God and he refused. Not only did he refuse, he also said he would spend the rest of his life trying to take humans off the straight path. But why?

Pride and arrogance can lead us to suppress the goodness and common sense within us simply to provide merit to our egocentric agendas. Pride and arrogance put a veil on our eyes and hearts and can lead us to more sins. One sign of such an attitude involves engaging in frequent argumentation, disputes, and quarrels simply to push misguided viewpoints. Such an attitude in general stands counter to everything that the Qur'an and the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wassallam taught us. If faith was simply knowing the facts in one’s heart, then that is similar to shaytan's situation because he was very knowledgeable about his Lord, yet his pride and his arrogance led him to become argumentative and disobedient to Allah, and in the process became the worst of creatures.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam associated such an attitude with misguidance. He said, “A nation never went astray after being guided except by means of disputation. [Tirmidhi and ibn Maajah].

Allah, the Exalted, provides examples in the Qur'an about such people, for example:

وَلَمَّا ضُرِ‌بَ ٱبْنُ مَرْ‌يَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ ﴿٥٧﴾ وَقَالُوٓا۟ ءَأَـٰلِهَتُنَا خَيْرٌ‌ أَمْ هُوَ ۚ مَا ضَرَ‌بُوهُ لَكَ إِلَّا جَدَلًۢا ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ ﴿٥٨

And when the son of Mary was presented as an example, immediately your people laughed aloud. (57) And they said, "Are your gods better, or is he?" They did not present the comparison except for [mere] argument. But, [in fact], they are a people prone to dispute. (58) [Qur'an, Az-Zukhruf 43:57-58]

A Righteous Worshiper Ruined by One Arrogant Sin

In this there is a very important lesson for all of us. One arrogant sin was the shaytan's ruin. He lost the greatest gift that one can have: guidance. It is a lesson for all of us whom Allah has guided to his way to remember Allah’s gift of guidance.

At times we forget about when we were lost and judge those who are. We forget what a tremendous gift it was from Allah that He took us out from the darkness and brought us to light-- the very precious gift of Iman (Faith). Allah brought us the light, and yet we mock at those who are stuck in darkness?

Arrogance is what we show, when we look down upon those who do not obey. We see their sins in the open, but Allah sees ours behind closed doors. Do we judge another only because they sin differently than us?

Guidance is a gift that Allah bestows very specifically. His Guidance is what we all need to be successful in this life and the next. He bestows it on those He chooses out of pure grace.

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ‌ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُ‌وا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَا أَرَ‌ادَ اللَّـهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَ‌دَّ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ ﴿١١...

..Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron. (11) [Qur'an, Al-Ra'd 13:11]

No matter what actions we may have done, a sin, especially out of arrogance, could make us lose out on the best gift we have here— guidance. And once that gift is lost, no matter what we do, we cannot get it back unless Allah hands it back to us. Look at what happen to the shaytan. He is misguided, roaming around spending his days lost and making others lose their way as well.

The shaytan arrogantly disobeyed and was deprived of this gift. Is it not a lesson to us to stop arrogantly disobeying our Lord? Is it not time we turn back to Him when time still is there? When He has guided us to repent and ask forgiveness? Do we want to be cursed and cast out as well? For sure, we do not.

Shaytan refused to make one sajdah (prostration). Let us not refuse one ever again. Guidance is nurtured in that deed that the shaytan refused to do— sajdah. Let us all take care of our prayers today. And every day.

Look within ourselves and see whether the pride in our hearts or the arrogance of our attitudes in anyway influence us to refuse seeing or listening to the truth. If you are suffering from such diseases, what is needed instead is an attitude of humility and humbleness that can motivate us to stay calm and open to seeing our mistakes thereby providing an opportunity to fix them.

And Allah loves those who are constantly repentant.

إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ﴿٢٢٢ ...

...Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves." (222) [Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:222]

May Allah keep us on the straight path and make us of those who are humble and constantly repentant.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالتُّقَى وَالْعَفَافَ وَالْغِنَى

Allahumma inni as 'alukal-huda wat-tuqa wal-'afafa wal-ghina

O Allah! I ask You for guidance, piety, dignified restraint, and contentment and sufficiency." [Muslim]

Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam

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