Read this very profound story of Barisa, the pious worshipper of Allah, who was influenced by Shaytan and his trickery…
There was a pious worshiper from the tribe of Israel. He was the most pious person of his time. During his time, there were three brothers who had a sister. She was a virgin. And they had non sister other than her. They were all about to leave the town to go to war. They did not know with who to leave their sister and who they could trust to look after her. They all agreed to leave her with that pious person. They all trusted him. They went to him and asked if they could leave her with him. She would be in the building next to him until they return from the fighting. He refused their request and sought refuge in Allah from them and their sister. They persisted until he finally acquiesced. He said, “Put her in the house next to my place of worship.” So they put her in that house, and they left, leaving her there. She remained living next to that pious person for some time. He would put food for her in front of the building of worship. Then he would lock the door and return to his place of worship. He would then tell her to come out of her house and take the food. Then shaytan (satan – a general term in Arabic ’shaytan’ that refers to any arrogant rebel) approached him softly. He encouraged him to treat her kindly. He told him that it was not good to make the woman come out of her house during the day as someone may come upon her. If he took the food directly to her door that would mean a greater reward for him.
He continued for some time to go to her door and place the food at the front of her door without speaking to her. Then Iblees (this word means ‘that there is no good in him’, and ‘ublis’ means ‘despaired, lost’ – Allah named him so because he was despaired of having the Mercy of Allah for the crime he committed)came again and encouraged him to do good and get more reward. He said, “If you took the food and placed it in the house for her, you would get a greater reward.” He continued like that for some time.
Then Iblees came again and again encouraged him to do good. He said, “If you talk to her for a while she will be put to ease by your conversation as she is in a state of fear and she is all alone.” Then he started talking to her from atop his place of worship.
Then Iblees came again. He said, “If you were to come down and talk to her while she sits at her door and talks to you, that would be even more comforting for her.” He continued to encourage him until he came down and sat at the door and would talk to her. The girl would come out of her building and sit at the door and they would talk for a while.
Then Iblees came again and encouraged him to get great rewards for treating her well. He said, “If you were to go from the door of your place of worship and sit close to her door, that would be even more comforting for her.” He continued extorting him until he did so. He continued that act for a while. Then Iblees came again. This time he said, “If you enter her house and talk to her, and not make her show her face in public it would be even better for you.” He continued extorting him until he entered her house and spent the while day talking to her. Then when night fell, he returned to his place of worship.
Then Iblees came to him after that and continued to make her more appealing to him. Until the worshiper got upon her and kissed her. And Iblees continued to make her look nice in his eyes and desire her until he finally [committed zina (adultery/fornication)]. She got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. Then Ibless came to the worshiper, “Do you not realize what the brothers of the girl will do to you when they see that she has given birth to your son? You will not be safe if your matter becomes clear. You should go to the boy and kill it and bury it, that way you can conceal your affair and they will not do anything to you for what you did to her.” Then he said to him, “Do you think that she will conceal from her brothers what you did to her and the killing of her son? Take her, kill her and bury her with the son.” He continued spurring him on until he killed her and threw her into the ditch with her son. Then he put a large rock over them and leveled it. Then he returned to his place of worship and worshipped therein. He stayed in that state for as long as Allah willed until the brothers came to him and asked him about their sister. He mourned her loss and started to cry. He said, “She was the best of women and that is her grave.” The brothers came to the grave and cried over their sister and asked Allah to have mercy on her. They stayed at her grave for a few days and then went to their families. When the night overtook them and they were in their beds, shaytan came to them in their sleep in the form of a traveler. He started with the eldest and asked him about their sister. The brother told him what the pious man had stated and how they were shown her grave. Shaytan told him that the pious man had lied. He said, “He did not tell you the truth about your sister. He got her pregnant and she had his son and he killed and buried her out of fear of you. Then he threw them in a ditch he dug behind the door of the house she was staying in, to the right of the entrance. Go and enter the house in which she stayed and on the right entrance you will find everything I told you about.” Then he went to the middle brother and did the same. Then he went to the youngest brother and did the same. When they woke, they were all surprised at what they had seen. When they met each other, they all said, “I saw an amazing thing last night,” and they informed each other of what they had seen.
The eldest said, “The dream has nothing to it so just ignore it.” The youngest said, “I will not leave it until I go and look at that place.” They all went until they reached the door of the place where their sister had stayed. They opened the door and looked for the place that was described to them in their dreams. They found their sister and her son buried in a ditch, as they were told. They asked the worshiper about it and he confirmed what Iblees had told them. They then took him and were about to crucify him. When they had him on the wooden cross, Shaytan said to him, “You know that I am your companion who tempted you by the woman until you got her pregnant and you killed her and her son. If you obey me today, and deny Allah, who formed and shaped you, I will rescue you from your predicament.” The worshiper then belied Allah, Shaytan left from being between him and the others and they were able to crucify him. (In another narration the once pious Barisa is told by Shaytan to make sujood (prostration) before him, and in doing this, Barisa is left alone to be killed, and he dies on kufr (disbelief).
“Or the likeness of shaytan when he tells man to disbelieve, then, when he disbelieves, says to him: ‘Lo! I am innocent of you. Lo! I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” (al-hashr, 16)
(From Wahb ibn Munabbih, as quoted in the book of Dr. Umar Sulaiman al-Ashqar called ‘The world of the Jinn and Devils’ as translated by Jamal al-Din Zarabozo.)
InshAllah may Allah help us against the trickery and deciet of Shaytan, the accursed. May Allah give us the stregnth to see the truth and to follow it, and never fall into the deceptive cloak of Shaytan, the accursed. Ameen.
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