Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Innovations in Deen
The two main traps of shaitaan to mislead man are the traps of wealth and women. These two traps are extremely destructive, and most of the sins which take place in the world stem from these two traps.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Indeed, the world is sweet and lush (i.e. attractive and enticing), and Allah Ta‘ala has appointed you as vicegerents in the world, so that He may examine your conduct and behaviour in the world. Hence, beware of the fitnah of the dunya (i.e. the fitnah of wealth) and the fitnah of women, as the first fitnah of the Banu Israa’eel was the fitnah of women.”[1]
Apart from the traps of wealth and woman, another fatal trap which shaitaan uses to destroy the deen of many people is the trap of bid’aat (innovated practices in deen).
The Sin from which People Do Not Make Taubah
When shaitaan learnt that the door of taubah is open to Nabi Aadam (‘alaihis salaam) and his progeny until the end of their lives, and he realised that a lifetime’s effort of misleading man will be ‘washed down the drain’ in a few seconds through a believer shedding tears of taubah before Allah Ta‘ala, then he devised a plan whereby he would be able to stop man from making taubah.
Shaitaan said that he will engage people in such deeds which will be haraam, but they will not regard it to be haraam, due to which they will not make taubah and seek forgiveness from Allah Ta‘ala.
He will immerse them in the evil of bid’aat (innovated practices) and other similar wrongs which he will beautify before them, until they will begin to justify their wrongs. On account of them not regarding the wrongs to be sins, they will not turn to Allah Ta‘ala in taubah.
Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Hold firmly to the recitation of Laa ilaaha illallah and to istighfaar (repentance), and ensure that you engage in them abundantly, for Iblees said, ‘I destroyed people through involving them in sins, and they destroyed me through reciting Laa ilaaha illallah and engaging in istighfaar.
“‘When I saw that, then I destroyed them through involving them in their desires (i.e. innovated practices or wrong practices which they justify). Hence, they regard themselves to be rightly guided (and therefore do not make istighfaar).”[2]
The Plan of Iblees
Imaam Awzaa’ee (rahimahullah) mentions that Iblees said to his armies, “What will you use in your effort to misguide man?” They replied, “We will use everything possible to attack him!”
Iblees then asked, “Will you be able to stop them from engaging in istighfaar?” They replied, “That is very difficult! That is something that is attached to tauheed!”
Iblees then thought of a plan and said, “Certainly I will make certain sins common among them for which they will not repent to Allah Ta‘ala (due to regarding these sins as permissible).” Thereafter, Iblees began to involve them in actions which they justified due to their desires.”[3]
From this Hadith, one understands that prior to Qiyaamah, there will be many impermissible practices which will become common. People will justify these practices and will not deem them to be sins and crimes in deen.
As a result, they will continue to engage in these practices and will not repent, as they will regard them to be general practices or norms of society.
Among these sins are intermingling of sexes, involvement in photography, women going out to the workplaces without a valid reason and interacting freely with the opposite gender.
Similarly, there are many business trends which are such that upon close examination and inspection, one realizes that they resemble the kuffaar ribaa systems, though presented in a different form. All these form part of the plot of shaitaan.
The Prophecy of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
In regard to the latter period close to Qiyaamah, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had also apprised the ummah of these plots of shaitaan materialising and becoming a reality in his ummah. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
“O my Sahaabah! What will be the condition of my ummah when your youth will commit sin openly and your women will transgress all limits?” The Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) asked, “Will such a time ever dawn upon the ummah?” Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Yes, and even worse.”
Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then said, “O my Sahaabah! What will be the condition of my ummah when you will stop enjoining good and forbidding evil?” The Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) asked, “Will such a time ever dawn upon the ummah?” Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Yes, and even worse.”
Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then said, “O my Sahaabah! What will be the condition of my ummah at that time when you consider wrong to be right and right to be wrong?”[4]
[1] صحيح مسلم، الرقم: 2742
[2] مسند أبي يعلى، الرقم: 136، وسنده ضعيف كما في إتحاف الخيرة المهرة 7/422
[3] سنن الدارمي، الرقم: 316، ورواته ثقات
[4] مسند أبي يعلى، الرقم: 6420، وسنده ضعيف كما في إتحاف الخيرة المهرة، الرقم: 7404، الزهد والرقائق لابن المبارك، الرقم: 1376
