and will find no escape from it.” Allah Most High says:

“Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to commit indecency, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and bounty. Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.”

This verse, too, mentions his command and his promise. When Moses killed the Copt, he said:

“This is Satan’s doing. He is indeed an enemy who clearly leads astray.”

Several Companions, including Abū Bakr and Ibn Masʿūd, said concerning opinions they reached through their independent judgment: “If it is correct, it is from Allah; and if it is mistaken, it is from me and from Satan.”

Thus, they attributed beliefs instilled in the mind that do not accord with the truth to Satan, even though the person holding them incurs no sin because he has exerted his utmost effort. Likewise, a person incurs no sin because of Satan’s whisperings during prayer or because of his own inward thoughts. The believers said:

“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake.”

And Allah said: “I have granted this.” Forgetting the truth is from Satan, and error is from Satan. Allah Most High says:

“When you see those who engage in offensive discourse concerning Our verses, turn away from them until they turn to another subject. And if Satan causes you to forget, then once you remember, do not sit with the wrongdoing people.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it must pray it when he remembers it.”

When he and his Companions slept through the prayer during the Khaybar expedition, he told them:

“Move on, for this is a place where a devil came to us.”

He also said:

“Satan came to Bilāl and began lulling him as one lulls a child, until he fell asleep.”