Defeating Him: Refuge in Allah

How, then, is Shayṭān to be defeated and got rid of? The learned have suggested two ways. The first is that there is no way to remain safe from Shayṭān, and to drive him away, except by seeking refuge in Allah. Shayṭān is like a very vicious dog — a leopard-dog — that Allah, exalted is He, has let loose. There is no way of running from him. Imagine going to a house with automatic gates: press the button, it says come in, and the moment one steps through, the door shuts — and all of a sudden, five, six leopard-dogs. They look at a person: what now? This world is entered the same way — come in, they say, beautiful, green, full of colour — and all of a sudden, there are vicious dogs.

A stick in hand is no answer: start hitting, start fighting, and they run away and come back, run away and come back — for hours a person is exhausted, but they never give up. It is impossible to stop such a dog oneself. They will die before they stop, for that is what they were created for: to be watchdogs. The only way is a little whistle from the owner — sit — and they all sit; a person may then walk right beside the dogs and they will not even look at him. Aʿūdhu billāhi min ash-shayṭāni r-rajīm, I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil, is exactly that whistle. Allah says: stop.

It is a matter of asking the dog's owner to stop his dog — that is what is done. A person does not fight with Shayṭān himself; refuge is sought in Allah first. There are many sayings about it: the moment it is said, Shayṭān is finished, and flees. Allah commands it directly in the Qur'an — seek refuge in Allah from the cursed one, He gives the very clue Himself. What else helps? Tawḥīd, lā ilāha illā Llāh, remembrance of Allah. In a state of wuḍūʾ, Shayṭān draws only a little closer, far less effective. In fasting — what happens then? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says the devils are all put in chains during Ramaḍān. In submission and practice, as a practising Muslim, Shayṭān himself says he can have no control or influence over Allah's obedient, devout servants. But isti ʿādhah remains the principal means, for to keep resisting the dog by one's own effort wastes precious time, while not resisting at all means being bitten. It is far better to pray to the dog's owner to keep his animal away.