44 – Abu Bakr ibn ʿUbayd said: “Abu ʿAbd Allah Muhammad ibn Musa related to us; Jaʿfar ibn Sulayman related to us; ʿAmr ibn Dinar, the steward of the household of al-Zubayr, related to us; Salim ibn ʿAbd Allah, on the authority of his father, said:

‘When Noah boarded the Ark he noticed an old man whom he did not recognize. Noah asked him, “What made you come aboard?” He replied, “I entered so that I might capture the hearts of your companions—so their hearts will be with me while their bodies remain with you.”

Noah said, “Get out, O enemy of Allah!”

He answered, “There are five things by which I destroy people. I will tell you three of them, but I will not tell you the other two.” Then it was revealed to Noah, “You have no need of the three; order him to inform you about the two, for with them he has ruined mankind.” He said, “They are envy—because of envy I was cursed and made a banished devil—and greed; greed opened the whole of Paradise to Adam, and through greed I obtained from him what I wanted.”

He (the narrator) said: Iblis met Moses and said, “O Moses, you are the one whom Allah chose with His message and to whom He spoke directly. I am one of Allah’s creatures; I committed a sin and I wish to repent. Intercede for me with your Lord that He may accept my repentance.” Moses then supplicated his Lord.

He was told, “Moses, your request has been granted.” Moses met Iblis and said, “You have been commanded to prostrate at Adam’s grave and then your repentance will be accepted.” Iblis became arrogant and angry, saying, “I did not bow to him while he was alive—shall I bow to him now that he is dead?”

Iblis then said, “Moses, because you interceded with your Lord on my behalf, you now have a right over me, so remember me in three situations—destruction lies only in them: remember me when you are angry, for my whispering is in your heart, my eye is in your eye, and I course through you like blood;

remember me when you meet the battle-lines, for I come to the child of Adam at that moment and remind him of his children, his wife, and his family until he turns and flees;

and beware of sitting alone with a woman who is not a maḥram to you, for I am her messenger to you and your messenger to her.’”