A Beneficial Principle

Concerning the means by which a servant protects himself from Satan, repels his evil, and guards against him. There are ten such means.

The first is seeking refuge in Allah from Satan. Allah Most High says:

41:36 “And if an evil suggestion from Satan incites you, seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”

Elsewhere, He says:

7:200 “Indeed, He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”

As explained earlier, the hearing intended here is hearing that entails answering, not merely hearing in its general sense.

Reflect on this subtlety of the Quran: in Surah Hā Mīm, Allah emphasizes the attributes of hearing and knowledge by including the pronoun “He,” which reinforces their attribution to Him and their exclusivity, and by using the definite article with both attributes. The context calls for this emphasis, whereas in Surah al-A‘rāf it is omitted because the context does not require it. In Surah Hā Mīm, the command to seek refuge follows the command to do what is among the hardest things for the soul: to respond to someone’s mistreatment with kindness. Only those who are patient can do this, and none attains it except one endowed with great good fortune, as Allah Most High has said.

Satan will not let the servant do this. Rather, he makes it seem to him that this is humiliation and weakness, and unleashes