In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

How to Maintain the Achievements of the Blessed Month of Ramadan

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Introduction

The blessed and invaluable nights of Qadr have swiftly passed nights during which devout believers strove earnestly to take advantage of the divine hospitality and the restraint placed upon Satan during the holy month of Ramadan. Their aim was to free themselves from the clutches of this relentless enemy. Undoubtedly, considering the numerous Quranic verses and narrations emphasizing the significance of this month and the impact of the Nights of Qadr in attaining divine satisfaction, the spiritual gains of believers during this period are profound and remarkable -something that undoubtedly provokes the anger and discontent of Satan.

Thus, what now holds utmost importance is planning to preserve these spiritual achievements so that, through negligence and Satan’s temptations, one does not once again fall into his trap and become deprived of divine mercy.

As the first step in maintaining these spiritual gains, reflecting upon and contemplating the following Quranic teachings is essential and vital.

• Satan is your clear enemy:
  «وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ؛ “And do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is a clear enemy to you.” (Al-Baqarah 2:168)
• Satan’s promises are always deceitful and false:
  «وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا؛ “And Satan does not promise them except delusion.” (An-Nisa 4:120)
• Friendship with Satan results in nothing but loss and destruction:
  «وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا؛ “And whoever takes Satan as a guardian instead of Allah has certainly suffered a clear loss.” (An-Nisa 4:119)
• Whoever trusts in Satan’s promises will face loneliness and abandonment on the Day of Judgment:
  «وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنسَانِ خَذُولًا؛ “And Satan has always abandoned man after leading him astray.” (Al-Furqan 25:29)

The reader will clearly recognize that they are facing an open enemy-one who seeks to misguide them through the weapon of deceptive promises. These promises, though seemingly appealing on the surface, ultimately bring irreversible harm, including humiliation and disgrace in the Hereafter.

Ways in Which Satan Gains Influence

As mentioned in the introduction, preserving the spiritual achievements of the blessed month of Ramadan is essential. The most important step in safeguarding them is identifying the ways in which Satan infiltrates the human soul to destroy these spiritual accomplishments. Below are some of these methods:

1. Creating Doubt in Religious Beliefs

Satan follows a precise and strategic approach in misleading humans, with a clear prioritization. His primary and most significant goal is to strip people of their faith and lead them toward disbelief. If he succeeds in erasing the remembrance of God and faith from a person’s heart, that individual becomes entirely ensnared in his trap and falls under his control. The Holy Qur’an states: «إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ؛ “Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.” (Al-A‘raf 7:27)

One of Satan’s most effective tools in robbing people of their faith is instilling doubt in the beliefs of believers. Numerous narrations indicate that Satan exerts extra effort, especially in critical moments of life-particularly at the time of death-to snatch away a person’s faith. Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: «ما من أحد يحضره الموت إلا وكل به إبليس من شيطانه أن يأمره بالكفر ويشككه في دينه حتى تخرج نفسه؛ “There is no one on the verge of death except that Iblis assigns one of his devils to command him to disbelieve and to cast doubt upon his faith until his soul is taken away.”

For this reason, it is recommended that in the final moments of a person’s life, they be encouraged to recite the Shahada (testimony of faith) so that their faith remains intact and they are protected from Satan’s whispers.

Shia scholars have also emphasized that Satan, in the final moments of a person’s life, employs various methods-tailored to an individual’s desires and worldly attachments-to snatch away their faith. His goal is to make a person turn away from God, which is why he is referred to as “Adilah”-meaning one who causes a person to abandon faith and revert to disbelief.

One of the recommended ways to preserve faith and protect oneself from the influence of Adilah is reciting a special supplication known as Dua al-Adilah. This supplication contains the fundamental beliefs and convictions of a believer, and repeating it throughout one’s life can significantly strengthen one’s faith. By doing so, a person can leave this world in their final moments with a steadfast heart and unwavering faith, safeguarded from Satan’s whispers and deceptions.

2. Beautifying Evil Deeds

The second tool Satan uses to weaken the faith of believers is making false beliefs seem appealing and adorning sinful and immoral actions. Through deception, he beautifies sins and deviations in such a way that they appear desirable and acceptable to people, gradually replacing correct beliefs with misguided ones.

The Holy Qur’an warns believers about this deception in several verses. In Surah Muhammad (47:25), it states: :«إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْهُدَى، الشَّيْطَانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَىٰ لَهُمْ؛ “Indeed, those who turned back after guidance had become clear to them-Satan enticed them and filled them with false hopes.”

Similarly, in Surah An-Naml (27:24), the Qur’an recounts the story of Prophet Solomon (Suleiman) and Queen Bilqis, referring to Satan’s ability to deceive people by making their actions appear pleasing to them. The verse states: «وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ؛ “I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan had made their deeds attractive to them, so he diverted them from the right path, and they are not guided.”

These verses illustrate how Satan manipulates human perception, making sins appear harmless or even virtuous. Recognizing this strategy is crucial in safeguarding one’s faith and avoiding the trap of moral and spiritual corruption.

The concept of “adornment” (Tazyeen) refers to the use of various internal and external factors to make something appear attractive. Sometimes, harmful and dangerous substances are presented in beautiful packaging, or major deviations are disguised under appealing labels such as civilization, intellectualism, and freedom of thought. In this way, the true nature of something is altered and concealed.

By nature, humans are repulsed by false beliefs and immoral acts and tend to avoid them. Therefore, Satan employs the tactic of beautifying sins, presenting them in a way that makes them seem pleasant, desirable, and even virtuous. As a result, people may embrace falsehood as truth and, in some cases, defend it with their lives.

Satan is a skilled and experienced deceiver, much like a crafty beautician who disguises worthless and ugly items, such as sins and falsehoods, in an appealing manner. His goal is to make these evils acceptable and desirable in the eyes of people. The Qur’an highlights several instances of such Satanic deception, including the worship of the sun, stones, wood, and even the golden calf of Samiri. In each of these cases, Satan’s beautification of falsehood was so effective that people abandoned the worship of the Almighty Creator in favor of these meaningless idols.

Even today, many baseless ideologies and beliefs that stand in opposition to faith in God have undoubtedly been influenced by Satan’s deception and embellishment. These ideas could never have gained such widespread acceptance in different societies without Satan’s efforts to make them appear appealing and reasonable.

One of the most dangerous consequences of Satan’s beautification of sinful acts is that people become desensitized to their own wrongdoing and refuse to repent. For example, if someone performs an act of worship that contradicts God’s command-meaning it is based on innovation (bid‘ah)-Satan will help them perform it with great devotion, even causing them to feel deep emotions and shed tears, leading them to believe that their action is righteous. As a result, they continue in their misguided practice, unaware of their error.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny) warned about this deception, stating: «مَنْ عَمِلَ فِی بِدْعَةٍ خَلَّاهُ الشَّیْطَانُ وَالْعِبَادَةَ وَأَلْقَى عَلَیْهِ الْخُشُوعَ وَالْبُكَاءَ؛ “Whoever engages in an act of innovation (bid‘ah), Satan will leave them alone with their worship and will instill in them a sense of humility and weeping.”

This deception also works in reverse. Just as Satan beautifies sinful acts to attract people to them, he also creates doubts and obstacles to discourage people from performing righteous deeds. He whispers uncertainties and suspicions into their hearts, making them hesitant or reluctant to carry out good actions.

3. Procrastination in Important Matters

Another major trick of Satan to mislead humans is tempting them to delay important tasks, especially those related to worship and spirituality. By instilling laziness, deceptive justifications, and false promises, Satan encourages procrastination (Taswif)-the habit of postponing essential duties. This can lead to missed opportunities for spiritual growth and eternal success.

Satan’s strategy involves convincing people that they have plenty of time to repent, pray, or improve themselves later. However, this false sense of security results in neglecting important acts of worship, weakening faith, and ultimately losing the chance to return to God before it’s too late.

Some of the key spiritual duties that Satan persistently tries to delay include:

• Repentance and Returning to God

Many people, when they sin, are misled by Satan into thinking they have plenty of time to repent. However, both the Qur’an and the traditions of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) warn that delaying repentance is extremely dangerous. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said in this regard: «إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَیْكُمُ اثْنَانِ اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى وَ طُولُ الْأَمَلِ؛ “The two things I fear most for you are: following your desires and having long hopes (neglecting death and delaying self-reform).” (Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 42)

• Praying on Time

Satan always tempts people to delay their prayers, encouraging them to first do other tasks and then pray later. However, this leads to the prayer being forgotten or hastily performed at the last minute without sincerity and focus. The Qur’an warns about those who neglect their prayers, saying: «فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ؛ “Woe to those who pray, but are heedless of their prayer.” (Surah Al-Ma’un, 4-5)

• Charitable Deeds

Many people intend to give charity, help others, or perform good deeds, but Satan tempts them to procrastinate. The Qur’an warns about this, stating: «وَأَنفِقُوا مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ؛ “And spend from what We have provided for you before death comes to any of you, and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short term, so I would give charity and be among the righteous.'” (Surah Al-Munafiqun, 10)

This verse underscores the danger of procrastination in doing such good deeds and highlights the urgency of acting on righteous intentions before it’s too late.