04 July: Shaitan visited you today...what were the signs?

[X-press]

http://thm-br1r2.search.vip.scd.yahoo.com/image/131870052

While I was a Christian, I never associated anything negative around me as the work of Shaitan (Satan). To my opinion then, any wrong doing was simply the cause of a negative predisposition or the influence of a simple negative energy. Nothing beyond that and to think otherwise would sound absurd!

Years later when I learned more about islam, I suprisingly realized that there is in fact something behind this 'negative energy".

I discovered that all we do against the command of Allah (God) are in fact the work or the influence of Shaitan on us. Many non-muslims will go http://www.englishsabla.com/forum/images/smilies/shoked.gif, but it is okay as they are learning something new today :).

Even if we can't see him, Shaitan is around us (muslims and non-muslims without distinction) from the time we wake up, till the time we sleep. Even while we sleep, he can manage to enter us and come in our dreams. During the day. he tries his best to pull us to his side and make us do wrong deeds.

I understood that it is only when we know and try our best to obey the command of God, and when we know and try our best to fight back the influence of Shaitan, that we can in fact be on the right path.



My questions today are:

~ Tell us what were the signs that Shaitan visit you, your house or even someone you know today?

~ Tell us if he managed to 'win' you (or to win that person you know) or if you (or that person) were able to push him away?

[amo_l_oman]

Not today but some days ago and is something which happens from time to time: not praying for 4 or 5 days.
And i didn't try anything really to come out from this state of apathy , simply slowly slowly the will came back and started again: i feel am such ungrateful person many times, dunno why God loves me so much or maybe yes i know and most times refuse His love.
The weird thing that when i was Christian and didn't feel to pray or to go to function but had to do cause i live in a catholic small community didn't bother me much if i felt or not, while now that am alone (well not alone, is me and God living here few Muslims but not forming a true community) and no one really checking my actions, like a priest or a nun, i feel truly out of me when i pass those moments.

[IceTea]

Good topic XP and yes the Satan is around us and his objective is to mislead people and throw them with him in the hell. And in the hereafter he will say to them I didn't ask yo to follow me!. Below some of the Hadiths supporting the existance of Satan around us:

When the child is born

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "When any human being is born. Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead."


At prayer time

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet offered a prayer, and (after finishing) he said, "Satan came in front of me trying persistently to divert my attention from the prayer, but Allah gave me the strength to over-power him."

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "When the Adhan is pronounced Satan takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the Adhan. When the Adhan is completed he comes back and again takes to his heels when the Iqama is pronounced and after its completion he returns again till he whispers into the heart of the person (to divert his attention from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall to his mind before the prayer and that causes him to forget how much he has prayed."

In the dreams

Narrated Abu Qatada:

The Prophet said, "A good dream is from Allah, and a bad or evil dream is from Satan; so if anyone of you has a bad dream of which he gets afraid, he should spit on his left side and should seek Refuge with Allah from its evil, for then it will not harm him."

During sexual relations

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you on having sexual relations with his wife said (and he must say it before starting) 'In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. the coming offspring) from Satan, and if it is destined that they should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that offspring."

When sleeping

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "During your sleep, Satan knots three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, 'The night is, long, so keep on sleeping,' If that person wakes up and celebrates the praises of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and happy, otherwise he gets up dull and gloomy. "

Satan at sun rise/set

Narrated Ibn Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "When the (upper) edge of the sun appears (in the morning), don't perform a prayer till the sun appears in full, and when the lower edge of the sun sets, don't perform a prayer till it sets completely. And you should not seek to pray at sunrise or sunset for the sun rises between two sides of the head of the devil (or Satan)."

Satan thoughts on humans

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "Satan comes to one of you and says, 'Who created so-and-so? 'till he says, 'Who has created your Lord?' So, when he inspires such a question, one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts."

[X-press]

amo, Shaitan is around us everyday, so it is not possible that he didn't visit you today...but maybe he didn't have a strong influence on you yet ;).

As for me, he did pay me a visit....

1) .... as he managed to make me sleep over fajr prayer (Very bad)!

2) ... I always said that I should first thing in the morning when I wake up I should thanks God for 'coming back to life' after a deep sleep and for HIM not to have taking my sould away at night....but again I forgot. Is it only my conscious which was forgetful or was in Shaitan making sure that I don't remember to be thankful :lost: ...I don't know.

3) When I had my breakfast, I again forgot to say "bismillah" before drinking my coffee....and something often makes forget to do it, no matter how hard I try to put in my mind that I shouldn't forget.

4) Is it him that makes me enjoy this forum so much that I put some of my work behind and I am late for my afternoon prayer :(

....more to say, but what about you?

[amo_l_oman]

Today :irk: my airplane came back after 20 minutes landing cause engine was down, so had to wait in Doha 2 hours then finally to Rome at 5am; being a bit upset i treated bad in order: hostesses, stewards, police, ma driver, plus hardly said hi to my parents after 2 weeks away. Now going to sleep, hope he stays away few hours at least :rolleyes:
Surely visits me every day and every minute, that episode is something i hate and wish it didn't happen again that's why i mentioned nothing more.

[X-press]

Originally posted by IceTea

The Prophet said, "A good dream is from Allah, and a bad or evil dream is from Satan; so if anyone of you has a bad dream of which he gets afraid, he should spit on his left side and should seek Refuge with Allah from its evil, for then it will not harm him."



I read before about this 'spitting on our left side", but I have honnestly never done it....hoping I can spit on a tissue as my hubby is sleeping on my left side and I wouldn't want to send him an unpleasant suprise :D.


Originally posted by IceTea

During sexual relations

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you on having sexual relations with his wife said (and he must say it before starting) 'In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. the coming offspring) from Satan, and if it is destined that they should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that offspring."[/i]



I only learned recently about this saying Icy and again I can say that I never mentioned it before any relations. Not to blame my hubby, but as he was muslim before me, I feel that he should have thought me these things....After studying more about jinns and shaitan, I can understand much better why we should protect ourself against them and say such duah.

Now, Icy this thread is about saying how Shaitan visited you today, so can you tell us in which area he whispered in your ear??

[monotheism]

the Torah speaks about the "yetzer hara" [evil inclination] and the "yetzer ha'tov" [good inclination]

here are some teachings on this topic [this is from the section known as Chapters of the Fathers. A Mishnah is part of the Talmud, the central text of Jewish Law and moral guidance]:

Mishna 1

Akavya ben Mehalalel said: Reflect upon three things and you will not come near sin: Know from where you came, and to where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an accounting. "From where you came" - from a putrid drop; "and to where you are going" - to a place of dust, maggots and worms, "and before whom you are destined to give an accounting" - before the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He.

Reflect upon Three Things

Reflect upon three things - this reflection will help you to overcome the yetzer hara when the opportunity to sin comes your way. But even more than this, it will help you to perform fundamental therapy for your soul, by removing the yetzer hara from within you, and consequently, you will never sin. (Maharal of Prague)

Reflect upon three things - all three together. However, if you reflect on only one, or some of them, not only will they be ineffective, but such a meditation could even cause harm. For example: If you reflect on where you came from - from a putrid drop, you will come to the conclusion that you are not to blame for anything, since your very basis is nothing more than a putrid drop. Alternatively, if you reflect only on where you are going to, that your future is a place of dust, maggots and worms, one might mistakenly believe that there is no ultimate judgment and accounting. Therefore, we are told to also reflect on "before whom you are destined to give an accounting." Thus, all three aspects of this meditation are dependant upon each other. (Midrash Shmuel)

And You Will not Come Near Sin

The Mishnah does not say, "you will not come to sin," but rather, "you will not [even] come near to sin." The author of the Mishnah instructs us not only in how to avoid sin itself, but even those things which might lead to sin. (Likkutei Sichos, vol. 4, p. 1203)

According to the law of the Torah, a person is bound only to refrain from actual transgression. However, since Pirkei Avos instructs us in middos chassidus, which extends beyond the letter of the law, we are given advice and guidance in reaching the level of "fear of sin," which means that a person does not even come near to sin. (Likkutei Sichos, vol. 17, p. 365)

These teachings apply to non-Jews as well, as far as observance of the Noahide laws, the law of the Torah for all mankind, is concerned.

[Nocia9600]

Today afternoon Kept swimming at beach and I was late for Salat Jamma Maghrib Prayer.

[X-press]

~ Tell us what were the signs that Shaitan visit you, your house or even someone you know today?

I went to bed very late yesterday night (2.30 am!) and I prayed that I could hear the call for fajr prayer. I noticed that if I really put deep intention to wake up, it is amazing how the call for prayer is so clear in my ear, not matter how tired I am.

Though all night I was in the state of light sleep as I missed the fajr prayer of the day before,...probably Shaitan didn't want me to wake up and wispered in my ear to sleep very deeply. I didn't hear a thing at 4.00 am!....

~ Tell us if he managed to 'win' you (or to win that person you know) or if you (or that person) were able to push him away?

....however, how I managed to win is that I made sure to put my alarm at 4.30 am. I jumped thinking it was the Imam calling for prayer, but it was my clock! I was thankful and I prayed :) I am sure Shaitan was not that thrilled...

[X-press]

~ Tell us what were the signs that Shaitan visit you, your house or even someone you know today?

Shaitan was also around my husband at fajr prayer. I tried to wake him and to pray, but he didn't wake up. I knew that Shaitan was wispering in his ear something like "I am tired!...I don't feel like getting up....I don't want to pray....it is so sweet to sleep...forget about fajr". The more I tried to wake him him, the more he wanted to be left alone and I was nearly certain that he would not make it for fajr but....

~ Tell us if he managed to 'win' you (or to win that person you know) or if you (or that person) were able to push him away?

...something in his conscious mind must have fought this "whispering to sleep more and forget about praying". To my surprise, he woke up, did 'wudu' and prayed his 2 rakats, plus sunnah. He didn't hurry up. On the contrary he took his time and spent a lengthy time in his duahs after the prayer (alhamdullilah).

I felt really good as we both fought together Shaitan today. We did also all our prayers on time too :blush:

What about you today? Did you recognize him?

[MoonChild]

Sorry guys, everything you say sounds like the laziness or forgetfulness of human nature... why is it so important to blame someone/something else for your own failure to live up to the standards you have set for yourself?

How can it be Satan's fault that you wanted to play at the beach, or went to bed late?

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, PEOPLE!!!!!

:bang: :bang: :bang:

[amo_l_oman]

You right Moonie but i think the way Exy exposed is correct: Shaytan visited us and we could have kicked him off but we didn't.

[IceTea]

Originally posted by MoonChild

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, PEOPLE!!!!!



This doesn't contradict with the existance of Satan, it's the person responsiblity to listen and follow Satanic thoughts. For example the muslim listen to the call of the prayer but the Satan wisper in his ears (don't understand this as a real voice) at the same time "to stay in the warm bed and pray latter or sleep little more and wake up latter, etc". So now it's the person responsibility after that what action to take to jump off the bed and go to pray or sleep. Can you see the point?

[MoonChild]

Yes, I see the point but everything above is easily explained by pure simple human nature.

If you want to argue that God created humans with a better "nature" than what we see today, and that what I refer to as "human nature" is a result of Satan's influence, I accept that as a common religious them and we will just have to agree to disagree :p

We are completely in agreement that we each have the choice of whether to listen to that negative little "voice" inside, no matter what the source :)

[IceTea]

Human nature is also there and contributes to the process, Allah say in the Quran "And I do not declare myself free, most surely (man's) self is wont to command (him to do) evil, except such as my Lord has had mercy on, surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful." in relation to the story of Prophet Joseph PBUH.And also as mentioned in this verse "And as for him who fears to stand in the presence of his Lord and forbids the soul from low desires, Then surely the garden-- that is the abode.".

[Nocia9600]

Originally posted by MoonChild
We are completely in agreement that we each have the choice of whether to listen to that negative little "voice" inside, no matter what the source :) That is the key moonchild and in our religion we call "negative little voice" Shatan is whispering negative in your heart.

And we should take our responsibility and not follow that "negative little voice". (that i s Shatan main job )

[Wanderer]

I use a Vicks Menthol Vapor Inhaler each and every morning to get the Shaitans out of my nose first thing.

For the rest of the day I'm Shaitan-free.



Do you have these in Oman ?

http://www.vicks.com/images/Prod_VaporInhaler.gif

Fast Relief from Nasal Congestion and Shaitans

For the temporary relief of nasal congestion due to the common cold, hay fever, upper respiratory allergies or sinusitis and from sin due to Shaitans.

Special formula Vicks® Vapor Inhaler® shrinks swollen membranes; provides fast relief from stuffy nose - and it kicks the Devil right out !

Easy to carry in pocket or purse, can be used anywhere, but is most effective in the nose.



:D

[MoonChild]

And I pull Him out of your toes regularly, too :D

[Nocia9600]

Originally posted by Wanderer
Do you have these in Oman ?

http://www.vicks.com/images/Prod_VaporInhaler.gif :laugh: :laugh: No we use fresh mints instead.


Fast Relief from Nasal Congestion and Shaitans[/B] No westen medicine can work on shaitans, only local remedies does the job
:D :D :D :D Thanks Wanderer

[Shinoda LP]

How can you blame Shaitan for not waking up at 4.00 am when you went in to sleep at 2.30 am? Do you sleep this late everyday? :os

This thread's just funny ... Wandy, I guess Shaitan's my best friend since I always sleep for a good 9-10 hours ... almost always! :D

[Cerulean]

ROFL. Thanks for the laugh Wandy :haha:

[X-press]

Originally posted by Shinoda LP

This thread's just funny ...

Shinoda, I can't blame you for finding this thread funny because I know you are not a muslim and most importantly you are most probably not at all aware of the role of Shaitan in this world we live in.

You are very connected (like so many) with what you only see and live in this material world, that you have no clue what is happening in the unseen world which influences our daily life.

You might think that I sound crazy, but I can guarantee you that most muslims, in this forum and out of it, understand very clearly what I am talking about.

Do you know that it is this little negative voice (Shaitan) which pushes some to make fun of this thread? Not everyone has to agree with its content, but they would 'fight back Shaitan' is they had chosen to remain quiet instead or at least if they had shown an interest to learn something they might ignore.

Not sure you are at the same level than me here, but I hope you got my point...;)

[jack]

Many moons ago when I partook of the vine on a regular bases, I woke up one morning and I'm sure the :6: was laying beside me.

She was a princess the night before ...

That's why I know she had to be shanty when I saw her in the morning light :scary:

[Shinoda LP]

Blaming a non-existant entity for not waking up 2 hours after you go to sleep at night, doesn't sound too "bright" to me! :p Well, if it does ease your guilt then I guess it works ... hell, even a psychiatrist agrees to "bashing" a non-existant entity or your 'most-feared-person' when bad things happen to you.

Oh well ... I, as a Hindu, believe in introspection and ridding yourself of all earthly and materialistic attachments to the world and hence purifying your soul. Thats more like achieving the ultimate truth and not trying to be guilt-free for oversleeping ... :D

[Cerulean]

I believe that Satan exists but I think it's rather silly to blame our actions on him. At the end of the day we are being punished, not Satan. :sweat:

[amo_l_oman]

Please someone tell me where in this thread was mentioned that the one responsible for actions we made against the religion was only the devil.
And please clean also all off topics.

[Cetacea]

I didn’t see any of the signs you mentioned. I think the shaytans were too busy visiting Muslims that they mostly left us non-Muslims alone. ;)

[Raed]

Irrelevant to the thread:

A word of solute:

To Xpress, someone who is persistent in making a difference, I salute that spirit of yours, which does not give up. Time after time you have posted threads at the Islamic Sabla seeking refuge from the usual arguments and tasteless humor that occurs at the “circus sabla” I mean the religious Sabla.

The point of the thread was again easily drifted and swiftly changed to that which you ran away from. Instead of mentioning things that are trivial to Muslims, inform and discuss; you had to again put up with arguing the existence of that which we do not see, before you reach the thesis of this thread. It is as patient as a calculus professor trying to explain to a student that indeed 1+1= 2 while talking about derivatives. Or as calm as a priest trying to continue his Sunday sermon, ignoring the Muslim who just barged in to argue the nature of Christ!

Bless your heart, as years have shaped a spirit that is indeed worth of admiring, neither for being right nor for being wrong, but simply because of tolerance and a will not to go down.

[X-press]

Raed, I really don't know what to say....your unexpected post is simply too touchy and gives me hope to continue without giving up.

Thanks for being one of the few to understand.

[X-press]

Dear readers,

I am not giving up, even if some of you might make a mokery of this thread or might even go as far as thinking that I am not in my right state of mind.

It is my duty as a muslim to share my knowledge and I hope you could read me without automatically thinking that what I am typing is absurd and for sure wrong.

I would appreciate if you could even for few minutes switch your mind and simply say to yourself that you are learning something new which you completly ignored before.

Due to probably some lack of knowledge, you might not know that we are not alone in this universe. Whether you are aware of it or not, accept it or not, the fact is that they are other unseen beings who live here, not in the far distant space, but alongside us on this earth. This is not a new phenomenon as they are existing since the time of Adam.

This is not a fairy tale story, as they are real creatures (called jinns) and though some of them are good, some are not. Shaytaan (or Iblees) is the father of the jinn and his mission on earth is to lead as many people as possible astray (from the time of Adam Doomsday)

Shaytaan is the arch-ennemy of mankind and we need information about this ennemy, his aim and his techniques to get into us. God has fortunately explained to us in his Book how to protect ourselves and fight Shaytaan back.

[X-press]

I want to type you a story which I recently read and which I found fascinating. It can give you a better idea how Shaytaan can come into someone's life (even the more pious man) and how he can turn against him, using his whims and desires to lead him astray.

As the story is rather long, I will separate it in several parts, but I would like you to try to guess what is the rest of story....to show you if you understand how Shaytaan really works and how he misleads people.

The story (which I took time to type and not copy/paste) starts like this:




Wahb ibn Munabbih narrated this interesting story from the People of the Book:

Wahb said: “There was a worshipper among the Children of Israel, who was one of the most devoted worshippers of his time. At that time there were three brothers, who had a sister who was a virgin, and they had no other sister. The call to arms came to all three of them, and they did not know with whom they should leave their sister, who they could trust to take care of her or where they should leave her.

Then they agreed to leave her with the most pious worshipper among the Children of Israel, whom they felt was trustworthy. So they came to him and asked him if they could leave her with him, so that she would remain under his protection and care until they came back from their campaign. But he refused to do that, and he sought refuge with Allah from them and form their sister. They kept insisting until he gave in to them, and he said, bring her and let her stay in a house near my cell. So they brought her there, then they went away and left her.

She stayed in the vicinity of that worshipper for some time, during which he gave her food from his cell, which he would place at the door of his cell. He would lock the door and retreat to his cell, then tell her to come out of her house and take the food that had been placed there for her. But the Shaytaan kept telling him in a subtle way, ...."



What do you think Shaytaan might have tell him to do?

[Abs]

It happens everyday to me:

Whether im praying or sleeping or thinking about something. He always tries to divert my attention. Sometimes i fall in his traps and sometimes Allah's(swt) thoughts help me overpower satan's evil thoughts.

[Nocia9600]

Originally posted by Cetacea
I didn’t see any of the signs you mentioned. I think the shaytans were too busy visiting Muslims that they mostly left us non-Muslims alone. ;)
May be Sheytan has already done his job on non-muslin and Now Sheytan is more intrested to mislead Muslim.
His mission on earth is to lead as many people as possible astray :scratch:

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by X-press
Do you know that it is this little negative voice (Shaitan) which pushes some to make fun of this thread?

How do you know that it isn't just common sense and a healthy dose of skepticism ?

I have an inner self voice. I think we all do. Sometimes it says "I deserve" or "oh bother", but it just as often is the voice of encouragement that says "you can do it" or that says "stay calm". Occasionally it has said "duck". I'm not sure if it meant the action or the bird, but I'd rather look a bit silly in public than end up roasting dinner all day every day.

No matter what my inner self voice says it is up to me to take the advice or not and to decide whether to act upon it or not.


BTW- my inner-self voice is one of the ways I collect coincidences. I heard my self talk say "Spartans" several months ago and was drawn to an article on the Battle of Thermopylae. Then just a week or so later I hear it referenced in Last of the Samurai. Though I must confess that my inner voice most often just says ...

"that's odd".

[Nocia9600]

Originally posted by Wanderer
No matter what my inner self voice says it is up to me to take the advice or not and to decide whether to act upon it or not.

100% correct and that is why we muslim believe at the day of Judgement we will be judged and not Shaytan (BAD inner self voice}

So here we do not blame shaytan, we just chat how he visited you and what were your reaction to it. (in the other words we discuss when that bad inner self voice came to you what were your reaction to it. did it win or you won)

[NaBHaN]

being a muslim , I believe in the existance of the devil , but I think people should take responcibily for the mistakes they make..and not blame it on the devil's whispers or whatever.

I Drank 2 1 litre bottles of mountain dew today after quitting on pop for around 2 months now. I feel bad but it tasted goooodd. D*mn the shaitan/devil , he made me break my promise!!

lol

[IceTea]

I suggest people who don't believe in the existance of the Satan to stay away from this thread.

The human soul itself has a low desiers as well, so a strong muslim should control himself from failing into those desiers and the Satan traps. That is the key point ..

[X-press]

Originally posted by NaBHaN
being a muslim , I believe in the existance of the devil , but I think people should take responcibily for the mistakes they make..and not blame it on the devil's whispers or whatever.


Nabhan, you answer the way you do because you still didn't fully understand the role of Shaytaan and the role of man under his influence.

We are not talking about "blaming" Shaytaan for being mislead or doing wrong and saying that we should not be responsible as he is the one influencing us.

We are saying that Shaytaan is trying his best to mislead us (muslims or non-muslims) as this is his unique mission on earth, and we should learn to identify his signs and his presence, and try our best to "fight" him back (or resist him).

I am sorry to say that your exemple of Mountain Dew is very silly and only show that you didn't understand what we are talking about.

God never told you that it is against his command to drink soft drink isn't it? However let's take a different exemple like alcohol. You know that Our Creator has forbid us to come close to any intoxicants. He clearly said it in His Revelations and in His Book.

Tomorrow, you have the choice to either drink alcohol or avoid it. If you are tempted and drink it, knowing perfectly that God forbid you to to do so, you should blame yourself only for committing that 'sin'.

However, you should understand who is behind you encouraging you to do something against the command of God and who is encouraging you to sin, by pushing you to do something which seems really attractive and good when in fact it is not and only harmful to you?

Shaytaan can appear very attractive and tempting. It doesn't have to be the evilish image often portrayed by men. He makes "falsehood" appear attractive and truth appear off-putting, so that people will be motivated to do evil actions and turn away from the truth.

Remember that it is Shaytaan (or Iblees) which deceived Adam, when he made the idea of eating from the tree which Allah had forbidden him to eat appear attractive to him.

[X-press]

Originally posted by X-press
I want to type you a story which I recently read and which I found fascinating. It can give you a better idea how Shaytaan can come into someone's life (even the more pious man) and how he can turn against him, using his whims and desires to lead him astray.
.......

What do you think Shaytaan might have tell him to do?



I would really like you to try to answer my question from the beginning of the story I started to share with you few posts above (see courier font quote). It will give you a good idea how Shaytaan works in misleading us.

[NaBHaN]

Originally posted by X-press
Nabhan, you answer the way you do because you still didn't fully understand the role of Shaytaan and the role of man under his influence.

We are not talking about "blaming" Shaytaan for being mislead or doing wrong and saying that we should not be responsible as he is the one influencing us.

We are saying that Shaytaan is trying his best to mislead us (muslims or non-muslims) as this is his unique mission on earth, and we should learn to identify his signs and his presence, and try our best to "fight" him back (or resist him).

I am sorry to say that your exemple of Mountain Dew is very silly and only show that you didn't understand what we are talking about.

God never told you that it is against his command to drink soft drink isn't it? However let's take a different exemple like alcohol. You know that Our Creator has forbid us to come close to any intoxicants. He clearly said it in His Revelations and in His Book.

Tomorrow, you have the choice to either drink alcohol or avoid it. If you are tempted and drink it, knowing perfectly that God forbid you to to do so, you should blame yourself only for committing that 'sin'.

However, you should understand who is behind you encouraging you to do something against the command of God and who is encouraging you to sin, by pushing you to do something which seems really attractive and good when in fact it is not and only harmful to you?

Shaytaan can appear very attractive and tempting. It doesn't have to be the evilish image often portrayed by men. He makes "falsehood" appear attractive and truth appear off-putting, so that people will be motivated to do evil actions and turn away from the truth.

Remember that it is Shaytaan (or Iblees) which deceived Adam, when he made the idea of eating from the tree which Allah had forbidden him to eat appear attractive to him.

my example of mountain dew was supposed to be sarcastic. ;)

and anyways.. thanks for the trivia.. which i already knew about. :p