Incident Three

3. Wahb ibn Munabbih narrates another incident:

There was a raahib (ascetic) and aabid (worshipper) from amongst the Bani Israeel who had renounced the world and devoted himself to the ibaadah of Allaah Jalla Jalaalahoo. He was the most pious saint in Bani Israeel. During his time, there were three brothers who had one young sister. The three sons planned to go on a jihad expedition. However they were concerned about their sister. They had no relatives with whom they could leave their sister. They did not trust anyone. Finally they decided to leave her in the care of the worshipper. They held him in the highest esteem and regarded him as most trustworthy.

They approached the worshipper and requested that he takes custody of their sister until they return. He first refused and sought refuge with Allaah Jalla Jalaalahoo from them and from their sister. But the brothers pleaded with him. Finally, he submitted to their appeals and instructed them to leave their sister in the room opposite his place of worship.

Every day, the worshipper would descend from his place of worship to leave food for her outside the door of his place of worship. He would then lock his door and ascend the stairs. From inside, he would call the girl and she would come to collect her food. This continued for quite some time.

Then Iblees began with his talbis (treachery). He started to whisper into the heart of the worshipper that the girl’s emergence from her room was improper. People passing by would see her, and perhaps some evil man may even molest her. He then developed the idea that it would be better if he left the food at the door of her room. That would be even more rewardable by Allaah Jalla Jalaalahoo. This ‘logic’ whispered into his heart by Shaytaan appealed him. He would then place the food at the door of her room without speaking to her. Some time went by in this manner.

Then Iblees approached him with exhortations of virtue and reward. The argument developed in his mind that if he placed the food inside her room, it would be better. This logic appealed to him. He submitted to this ploy of Shaytaan and for some time thereafter he would deliver the food inside the room.

Iblees then whispered to him, “She is extremely lonely and scared of living all alone. She will be comforted if at least you say a few words of advice to her.”
However he would not speak to her inside the room. He would speak to her from the window in his place of worship which was upstairs.

Then Iblees whispered that it would be better if he descended from his place of worship and spoke to her from outside his door, to make her feel more comfortable. Thus he submitted to this satanic ‘logic’ and daily sat outside by the door of his place of worship and conversed with her while the girl sat outside by the entrance of her room. By this time, mutual conversation had become the norm, and this pattern continued for quite some time.

Iblees then tempted him to go a step further, with the excuse of earning reward through showing more kindness to her and comforting her, by sitting near the entrance of her room. The worshipper then began to sit near to her, by the entrance of her room.

Iblees, pursuing his pernicious plot, whispered to him that it is more in conformity with modesty if he sat inside her room to converse with her, so that passers-by do not see her. The worshipper was by this time fully in the clutches of Iblees. He submitted to the satanic logic and would spend the whole day talking with her inside her room. At night time he would leave, ascend into his place of worship, and engage in ibaadah (worship).

The deception of Iblees had thoroughly eroded his spiritual fibre. Now the process leading to the ultimate act of fornication was quite simple for Iblees. Soon, the worshipper committed fornication and the girl became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy.

Now Iblees came and whispered to him, “What will you do when her brothers return? You will be utterly disgraced and punished. The best option is to kill the baby and bury him. She will keep it a secret, fearing the anger of her brothers over her evil actions”
And this is exactly what he did. He murdered the baby. After he killed the baby, Iblees again appeared to him and said, “She has seen what you had done with her baby. Do you think she will conceal this from her brothers? It is best that you kill her as well, so that your deeds remain a secret.”

Submitting to this satanic command, he killed the girl. Then he threw her body and the body of the baby into a pit and covered it with a huge slab of stone. He then ascended into his place of worship and once again engaged in ibaadah.

When the brothers finally returned, they came to fetch their sister and questioned the worshipper regarding her. He praised her much, expressing grief and sorrow. He pointed to a grave saying, “That is her grave. She has died.”
The brothers went to her grave and remained there for a long time making dua. They grieved and cried much. They stayed at the place for many days and then departed for their home.

When they arrived home and went to sleep, Iblees appeared to the eldest brother in a dream. He assumed the form of a traveller. In the dream, Iblees explained the entire episode of his sister, mentioning where her body as well as the baby’s were. Then Shaytaan appeared in a dream of the other two brothers as well. He informed them precisely as he had informed the eldest brother.

In the morning, when the three brothers met, they related their dreams. They were very surprised to learn that all three had seen identical dreams. The eldest said that the dreams were most probably false and satanic, and they should ignore them. The youngest brother however insisted that they visit the place to check. This they did.

They went directly to the spot indicated to them in the dream and found the two bodies there. When they questioned the worshipper, he now had no other alternative but to make a confession. The brothers apprehended him and took him to the king. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.

When he was mounted on the scaffold for execution, Iblees appeared to him and said, “Do you know I was your companion who had trapped you into fornicating with her and into killing her and her baby? If today you will obey me, and reject Allaah who created you, I shall save your life.”

The worshipper, panicking and, utterly bereft of any spirituality, in desperation obeyed and committed kufr. After he committed kufr, Iblees abandoned him. The worshipper was executed.

In relation to such episodes of the deception of Iblees, this verse was revealed, “….Just like Shaytaan when he says to a person, “Commit kufr.” After the person commits kufr, Shaytaan says, “Verily I am free from you. Verily I fear Allaah, the Sustainer of all the worlds.” 
(Hashr verse 16) (Tafseer Qurtubi vol. 18 page 39-41 – Translation mostly adapted from ‘The Interfaith Trap of Kufr’ by Majlisul Ulema of South Africa)

To be Continued In Sha Allaah

مَوْلَاىَ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَداً  عَلىٰ حَبِيْبِكَ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ