Avoiding the Satanic 'Intellect'

This was a piece of advice from Hamad bin Atiq an-Najdi to Muslims in general, written around two hundred years ago. It finds itself very relevant today. 
“…And it should be known that intellect (‘aql) is of three types:

• Natural intellect
• Faith-based intellect obtained from the Prophetic light
• Satanic, hypocritical  ‘intellect’

And the possessors of this last type think they are something special, and this type of intellect is found among many people – most of them, in fact. It is the essence of ruin and the fruit of hypocrisy, as its possessors think that intellect is to please everyone and to not go against their interests and desires, as well as to gain their friendship (at the expense of speaking the truth). They say that the best thing for you is to just be part of the people and don’t cause them to hate you. 

This is the corruption and ruin of the soul, and this is due to four things: 

The first is that the one who does this has gained the pleasure of people by angering Allah, and the people are more important in his eyes than Allah. Whoever gains the pleasure of people by angering Allah will end up with the anger of both the people and Allah. It was narrated that Allah Said: “When I am angered, My Curse reaches the seventh generation of descendants.” 

So, if the one who is able to enjoin the good and prevent the bad abandons doing so, he will bring about Allah’s Curse that will reach the seventh generation of his progeny, and this is proven by the verse: {“The disbelievers from the Children of Isra’il were cursed by the tongue of Dawud and ‘Isa bin Maryam. This is because they were rebellious and would transgress…”} [al-Ma'idah; 78] 
So, it is clear that this compromising person has ruined himself through what he thought would help him.

Second, it is inevitable that Allah will open a door of humiliation and disgrace for the one who compromises from where he sought honor. And some of the Salaf said: “Whoever leaves off enjoining good and preventing evil out of his fear of people, the respect and obedience people had for him will be removed.” So, if he orders his son or servant to do something for him, they will belittle his status. Just like he belittled the rights of Allah, Allah will belittle and humiliate him: {“…they forgot Allah. So, He forgot them…”} [at-Tawbah; 67] 

 

Third, if some sort of punishment is sent down, the one who compromises will be one of its targets, as in the verse: {“And beware of a trial that won’t only afflict the wrongdoers among you…”} [al-Anfal; 25] 

…And Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reported from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: “When Dawud made a mistake, he said: “My Lord, Forgive me!” So, Allah Said: “I have Forgiven you and placed your sin on the Children of Isra’il.” Dawud asked: “Why, O Lord? How can this be when You are the Just who oppresses nobody? I fall into error and You place the sin on others?” He Said: “When you did this error, they didn’t criticize you for it.”“ 

And Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reported that Allah revealed to Yusha’ bin Nun (Joshua): “I will destroy 40,000 of the best of your people and 60,000 of their worst.” He asked: “My Lord, I can understand the worst of them being destroyed. Why destroy the best of them?” He Said: “They didn’t become angry for My Anger, and they would give the worst ones food and drink.” 

 

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and others reported that Allah commanded one of the Angels to destroy a town. So, he asked: “My Lord, it has such and such a person who is a zahid who worships You constantly!” Allah Said: “Begin with him, and let me hear his voice. His face never once became red for My sake.” 

So, the only way out when punishments descend is to be from those who enjoin the good and prevent the wrong, as Allah Said: {“So, when they forgot what they were reminded of, We saved those who would forbid what was bad…”} [al-A'raf; 165] 

 

Fourth, this compromising person who seeks the pleasure of people is worse than the adulterer, the thief, and the consumer of alcohol. Ibn al-Qayyim said: “The Religion is not just leaving off outer prohibitions. Rather, it is to fulfill what Allah Loves along with this. Most religious people today don’t do this except when it comes to things that the majority of people accept and agree with them in. As for Jihad, enjoining good and preventing evil, giving advice for the sake of Allah and His Messenger to His worshipers, giving aid and victory to Allah and His Messenger and Book and Religion – these obligations don’t even occur to them, let alone evoke a desire on their part to carry them out, let alone be carried them out by them! 

The lowest of people in the Religion and the worst of them with Allah are those who abandon these obligations, even if he practices the most zuhd from everything in this world. It is rare to find from them one whose face becomes red for the sake of Allah, and who becomes angry due to His limits being violated, and who gives all he has to help his religion. Those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than these people.” 

 

So, imagine that someone fasts all day, prays all night, abstains from all worldly pleasures, and despite this never becomes angry or has his face reddened for Allah’s sake and doesn’t enjoin good and prevent evil – such a man is the most hated of people to Allah and the least of them in religiousness, and those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than such a person. 

 

And a trustworthy person told me that Shaykh al-Islam, the leader of the da’wah in Najd (Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab), once said: “I saw some people sitting in the mosque with their Qur’ans, reciting and weeping. However, they didn’t enjoin the good if they saw it and they didn’t prevent evil if they saw it. I saw people sitting near them saying: “These are the source of benefit,” and I said: “These are the source of disgrace.” Someone heard me and said: “I can’t say they are a source of disgrace!” So, I replied to him: “They are blind and mute.”" 

 

And this is supported by what some of the Salaf said: “The one who is silent about the truth is a silent devil, while the one who speaks falsehood is a speaking devil.” 

 

So, if the one who compromises by remaining silent comes to know that he is from the most hated of people to Allah even if he thinks he is good, he would speak openly. And if the one who seeks the approval and pleasure of people came to know that by not speaking out against their evil that those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than him – even if he assumes himself to be religious – he would repent from his compromise and would retreat from it. And if the one who is stingy with his tongue from openly proclaiming the command of Allah came to know that he is a silent devil even if he fasts, prays, and is a zahid, he would do all that he could to avoid being similar to Satan. 

 

['ad-Durar as-Saniyyah'; 8/75-79]