The other beauty of this Ayah, Allah (swt) didn’t say, “Fee sudoo-rihim mara-dun”
He said: “Fee-quloo-bihim mara-dun.”
There is a big difference “Sudoo” and “Quloob”. Let me explain that to you. I think most of you know Surah An-Nas.
“Al-laz-ee yu was-wisu fee sudoo rin-nas.”
We don’t say “Al-laz-ee yu was-wisu fee quloobin nas.”
We say: “Al-laz-ee yu was-wisu fee sudoo rin-nas.”
If it said Quloob in Nas, you would have translated it as the one who whispers in the hearts of people. That is not what it says, it says, “The one who whispers in the chests of people.
Now, there is a difference between the heart and the chest. The chest is actually a place. The thing inside this place, the treasure inside this place is the heart. Shaytan has access, not to your heart; Shaytan has access to your chest. Think of the heart as your home, and think of the chest as the fence around your home; the front porch, the backyard. Shaytan has access to your property, but he can’t walk in until you open the door. You understand?
The heart is your home and that is locked, you can’t let him in. But he won’t come and knock: “Hey hey! You want to listen to something? I got something for you.”
Our job is to sense when Shaytaan is knocking on our hearts. Because he is close, he is in the chest.
And, he won’t whisper in the chest. When someone is knocking on the outside, can it be heard inside? Can it be? Yeah.
And, the thing is, sometimes when people knock, you can shoo them away; and sometimes, when people knock, you open the door. If you open the door enough times, he moves in. He just moves in; and when an outsider moves in, they start redecorating the place. You understand that, right? And so, what happens is- if you don’t let him in, you have your own sense of what is beautiful. You have your own sense of what is good: which colors are nice, which furniture is nice. When you let the intruder move in, you come one day- the walls are pink, and the furniture is green, and all the plates are purple. “What just happened here?”
“Well! This is my taste, this is what I like, you know. He has turned the kitchen into the living room and the bathroom into the guest room.” You are like: “What is going on here?”
Why am I telling you this? Because, if you let Shaytan inside your heart, inside that home; then, what used to be beautiful becomes ugly, and what used to be ugly becomes beautiful; and that is why Allah (swt) says, “Shaytan (Satan) made their deeds fair-seeming to them,.” (Al-Ankabut 29:38)
Shaytan cannot make anything ugly beautiful for you, until he is where? Inside of your heart. Now, if you don’t let Shaytaan in your heart, what is still in your heart? Iman.
“Allah has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts.” (Al Hujurat 49:7)
You understand this imagery? Now Allah (swt) says here,
“Fee-quloo-bihim mara-dun.”
“In their hearts, there is a disease.”
Oh oh! This is a problem. Because, it is not limited outside the chest, now it’s made its way into the heart. Now, if an intruder comes into your heart, into your home. What are you supposed to do? As soon as you realize this was a bad idea, now you are supposed to kick him out. So, sometimes, we do listen to Shaytan. Don’t we? Sometimes we do open the door.
And, the moment the realization hits, what are you supposed to do?
(A’oodthu billahi minash-shaitanir-rajeem)
You seek refuge. You kick him out, you push him away. That’s what you are supposed to do. But, if you allow him to stay in, and you allow him to cook his way, and you allow him to stink up the place. Then you know what? You are going to start getting sick. You are going to start feeling sick.
By the way, this whole imagery is going to come a full circle a few Ayahs later, we are going to find “Wa-iza khal-oo ilaa Shayateen-ihim.”
So, now there is a disease inside their hearts.
The thing is, though, Allah (swt) empowered every single human being:
“Inna ibadee layisa laka Alayhim sultan.”
Shaytan was told to his face, “My slaves, you will have no authority over them.” (Surah Al- Hijr 15:42)
He cannot force his way into your heart, and he cannot force his way to stink. The moment you say, “Get out!”- he has to get out.
So, if you let him in and you let him stay, that is not because he has control; that is because you never kicked him out. And, if you refuse, Allah (swt) gave you every tool possible to kick him out. Just say:
A’oodthu billahi minash-shaitanir-rajeem.
“In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease.” (Surah Baqarah 2:10)
Just make Istighfar, he will be gone.
Transcribed by Anoshia Riaz
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