Some Prominent Characteristics of Satan

Satan has intentionally killed off his innately good faculties, those that are receptive to good, and developed those related to evil. He has filled himself entirely with defiance and has left no room for belief. Just like an enraged person filled with fury, evil has covered all of Satan’s life, rendering him one with evil and ready to commit any evil.

Hostility, Revenge, and Hatred

Satan’s hostility to humans is apparent. He declared war on Adam and his progeny, because Adam was responsible for the emergence of the seeds of rebellion and defiance that were buried in Satan. Irreverently replying to God, he says:

Shall I prostrate myself before one You have created from clay? … If you would reprieve me until the Day of Resurrection, I will certainly destroy his progeny except for a few. (Qur’an 17:61-62)

Our Lord apprizes us of his hostility that consists of rage, revenge, and hatred, and mentions the need for us to treat him as an enemy:

Satan is an enemy of yours, so regard him as an enemy. He only calls upon his partisans that they may be companions of the Blazing Fire. (Qur’an 35:6)

Satan urges people to fight others by using jealousy, the feeling of revenge that emerges from jealousy, hatred, and rage. He stirred these emotions in Joseph’s, upon him be peace, brothers to such an extent that they threw him into a well (Qur’an 12:10-18).

Satan’s plan is to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you then abstain? (5:91)

Iblis corrodes the social structure through means like intoxicants and gambling, which are described as the abominations of Satan’s handiwork (5:90). The effects of intoxicants and gambling are obvious: families break up, many inhuman incidents take place, and innumerable events paralyze social life, all of which clearly demonstrate social miseries.

It is important to know that Satan is a fierce enemy and that we should be on the alert against him. In fact, whether he is regarded as a serious enemy or not, he will drag his adherents into the blazing fire and never into bliss.

Treachery and Dissention

Treachery is one of the most prominent characteristics of Satan. Treachery, which means the betrayal of trust and the violation of faith, is a branch of dissention. Satan whispers in the ears of people, inciting them to do the most despicable things and making evil seem innocent. When he obtains his goal, he vanishes. He did the same things to Adam and Eve, upon them be peace; he addressed them like an advisor, swore that he was a sincere advisor and then vanished when they had tasted of the forbidden fruit (Qur’an 7:20). Instead of helping them to overcome forthcoming incidents, he left them without help, and without a friend.

Verily, this is how Satan leads man down a precipice and then leaves him in the lurch. (25:29)

 He never befriends people for their own good; he only does so to lead them into trouble. When the situation becomes desperate, he does not hesitate to betray people.

Satan is lonely, and leads people into loneliness. He leaves them friendless, weak, lonely, and forlorn. He is treacherous even to the humans and jinn whom he manipulates as he wishes. He openly declares that he will not help his adherents:

And Satan will say when the matter is decided: “It was God who gave you a promise of truth. I too promised, but broke my promise to you. I had no authority over you. I just called you, and you listened to me. Then do not reproach me, but reproach yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I rejected your former act in associating me with God before.” Such wrongdoers surely deserve a grievous penalty. (Qur’an 14:22)

Satan is the first hypocrite and the mentor of all those who follow. In a way, people have learned how to be hypocritical, how to break their word and how to deceive from Satan; they have developed their potential ability to commit evil through his guidance.

Like Satan, when he said to man: “Disbelieve”; but when he disbelieved, he said: “I am quit of you. Indeed, I fear God, the Lord of the worlds.” Thereupon, their end together was to be in the Fire, to dwelling therein forever. That is the reward of the wrongdoers. (Qur’an 59:16-17)

Suggestion and Slyness

The chapter an-Nas in the Qur’an describes Satan as waswas and khannas. Waswas means one who whispers, softly inspiring evil and all that is bad and useless to the heart, and one who is very skilled in so doing. This noun is attributed to Satan, who is very adept at this matter. Because of this much-used skill of his, Satan, who has become the embodiment of evil, is associated with whispers.

The word khannas means somebody who disappears or tiptoes away when God is remembered, and one who does this in a skillful manner.[5]

Why Satan is described as being waswas and khannas becomes clear when we take into consideration the following meanings: Satan is somebody who secretly whispers despicable or useless things into the minds and hearts of people, who persists in his suggestions to deceive, who leads astray by means of various strategies, and who instills confusion into hearts.

Disobedience and Adamancy

The beginning of Satan’s end was his rebelliousness, and what made the end unavoidable was his adamancy. He did not bow down to Adam and he failed to keep his word. Rebelliousness, i.e. opposition to God’s orders, was his first mistake. When he heard the order, he resisted, became arrogant, and disobeyed. When God asked what had prevented him from bowing down, he dared say that he was better than humans, that he was created from fire while people were created from clay. He could not possibly have felt regret that he had not bowed down because he went on to talk in an insolent manner to God; this was his second mistake. He first rebelled and then he persisted in his rebellion. If he had not persisted in his disobedience, he could have been saved. In contrast, when Adam understood his mistake, he returned to God and was forgiven. Satan, on the other hand, took the opposite path. He did not accept his mistake, but rather tried to defend himself and his actions. He knowingly persisted in his mistake. That is why disobedience comes to mind when opposition to God is discussed, and Satan comes to mind when rebelliousness is discussed. Abraham, upon him be peace, drew attention to this particular side of Satan when he invited his non-believing father to the religion of unity:

Father, do not worship the Devil, for the Devil has been rebelling against the Merciful. (Qur’an 19:44)

Following Satan, who disobeyed God, and befriending him is an attribute of a disbeliever. Adhering to the disobedient Satan causes people to be disobedient to God. Devils are the friends and superiors of those who have no faith:

We have made the devils friends to those who do not believe. (Qur’an 7:27)

There is a close relation between disbelief and Satan. The Qur’an says,

Have you not seen how We sent the devils against the disbelievers to keep inciting them (to sin)? (19:83)

Devils assault those hearts that are without faith. Disbelievers are more inclined to evil-doing, satanic behavior. Since such people are only inclined toward deviltry, the devils can lead them wherever they want.[6]

Satan threatens people with poverty and tries to make them forego charitable actions (Qur’an 2:268). He orders them to commit all things evil. He uses flowery language to deceive people (Qur’an 6:112). He tries to prevent people from praying; people who are performing prayers are doing the thing that Satan hates most.

Prayer surely forbids the foul act and abomination. (Qur’an 29:45)

Satan has many attributes, all of which he implements to achieve his aim. He adorns the path of error (Qur’an 15:39). He makes man fear his friends (Qur’an 3:175). His good attributes have all withered away; in their stead, he has gathered all the bad ones, developing them. Satan has two more qualities. He is the accursed (mel‘un) and the expelled one (rajim); he was despised, and driven away from God’s presence.[7]

[5] al-Isfahani, Mufradat, HNS.

[6] Yazir, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, 3:21-48.

[7] Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, RCM.