Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 823 [Read full issue]
Evil Whisperings
The Prophet (peace be upon him) often prayed for protection from Satan and his evil promptings: "O God, I seek refuge in You from Satan the accursed, from his promptings, inspirations." [Muslim]
One of the signs of the End of Time is that the minds of people will become full of whisperings. People today are constantly fed messages that ask them to do something, whether to buy a product or revel in the beat of a song or agree to its message. Music, television, Internet, cellular phones (with Internet access), and films are so ubiquitous, one has to forcibly alienate one's self from popular culture to find solace.
Evil whisperings and suggestions can come in a variety of forms, visual and audible. They go to the heart, especially when people are not circumspect as to what they permit into their souls. Over time suggestions build up to the point one can no longer discern what is real or a fraud, what is beneficial or ruinous. Hearts are destroyed this way. Seemingly innocent facets of our lives can exhaust a person's time with trivial matters. The whole culture of sports enthusiasm can lead to an incredible loss of time by passively watching the competition. When one wastes time, the heart becomes complacent and lazy.
Once we realize that we are accountable for our entire life, then every minute becomes vital. Time is a gift God has given us. And what we do with it is the most important challenge that faces us. This is not to suggest that recreation is at odds with iman. People who fail to take some form of recreation will impair both their physical and mental health. But the warning here is about something different: it is about the way things are today, in which millions of people live to be entertained, as if this is the purpose of their lives. People who are serious about their spiritual health (about being a successful human being) need to wean themselves from the culture of fun.
Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 173, 174