In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Imaam Ibnul Jawzi [rahimahullaah] said: It is obligated on a sane person to be cautious of this enemy whose enmity has been evident since the time of Aadam [alayhis salaam], and indeed he has given all his life and self in corrupting the affairs of the children of Aadam. Indeed, Allaah [The Exalted] commanded that one is cautious of him, saying:

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٲتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ

إِنَّمَا يَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

And follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy. [Shaitan (Satan)] commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful), and that you should say against Allah what you know not. [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayaat 168-169]

     Allaah [The Exalted] said:

ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلۡفَقۡرَ وَيَأۡمُرُڪُم بِٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ‌ۖ

Shaitan (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.) [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayah 268]

And Allah [The Exalted] said:

وَيُرِيدُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمۡ ضَلَـٰلاَۢ بَعِيدً۬ا

But Shaitan (Satan) wishes to lead them far astray. [Surah An-Nisaa. Aayah 60]

And Allaah [The Exlated] said:

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيۡنَكُمُ ٱلۡعَدَٲوَةَ وَٱلۡبَغۡضَآءَ فِى ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَعَنِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۖ فَهَلۡ أَنتُم مُّنتَہُونَ

Shaitan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salat (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain? [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Aayah 91]

And [The Exalted] said:

إِنَّهُ ۥ عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّضِلٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬

Verily, he is a plain misleading enemy. [Surah Al-Qasas. Aayah 15]

And Allaah [The Exalted] said:

إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّاۚ إِنَّمَا يَدۡعُواْ حِزۡبَهُ ۥ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنۡ أَصۡحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire. [Surah Al-Faatir. Aayah 6]

And Allaah [The Exalted] said:

وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّڪُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلۡغَرُورُ

Nor let the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah. [Surah Luqmaan. Aayah 33]

And Allaah [The Exlated] said:

أَلَمۡ أَعۡهَدۡ إِلَيۡكُمۡ يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ أَن لَّا تَعۡبُدُواْ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنَ‌ۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬

Did I not ordain for you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaitan (Satan). Verily, he is a plain enemy to you. [Surah Yaa Seen. Aayah 60]

It is obligatory to know that indeed Iblee’s preoccupation is to deceive, even though he was the first to fall into self-deception, so he turned away from a clear divine text that commanded him to perform Sujood and then spoke about who was better in origin, [as Allaah stated that] he said: [أَنَا۟ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ۬ وَخَلَقۡتَهُ ۥ مِن طِينٍ۬  – I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay]. [Surah Al-A’raaf. Aayah 12]

Then he depended upon that to raise an objection against The King, The All-Wise, [as Allaah said that] Iblees stated: [أَرَءَيۡتَكَ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى ڪَرَّمۡتَ عَلَىَّ – “See? This one whom You have honoured above me- meaning: Inform me why You honoured him above me?]

The jeopardy of Iblees’s objection was: “What You [Allaah] have done is not wisdom”, then he accompanied that with pride, [as Allaah said that] Iblees stated: [أَنَا۟ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّنۡهُ – I am better than him (Aadam)], and then he refused to perform Sujood and thus he disgraced himself with curse and punishment, even though he wanted to exalt himself.

Beneficial Reminder From The Above Discussion By Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullaah] and Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq Al-Badr [may Allaah preserve him]:

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said: It has been stated that the reason behind Iblees being distanced [from the mercy of Allaah] is because of false interpretation, for indeed he made an analogy with the text and gave precedence to the analogy over the text. He made a false interpretation about himself and that  [his so called] rational analogy takes precedence over the command to prostrate. [Allaah informed us that Iblees said]: [أنا خير منه – I am better than him [i.e. Aadam], and that a virtuous one cannot humble himself to one who has been given virtue over him; therefore he quickly said [as Allaah informed us that Iblees said]: [خلقتني من نار وخلقته من طين – You created me from fire, and him you created from clay].

Therefore, he thought that this rational analogy that resembles truth- even though it is false – will benefit him in his false interpretation. So, that which happened him happened and he became the leader of everyone- until the day of judgement- who makes a false interpretation of the texts of the revelation. How many a person in this world are followers of this cursed leader! And if you contemplate on the majority of those doubts that are made to resemble the truth by the false interpreters of the texts and seeking to nullify them, you will find that it is similar to the doubts of Iblees which he seeks to portray as truth.

So, a person says: If the intellect and the text oppose each other, then give precedence to the intellect. This is where this principle is derived from and he [i.e. the proponent of this affair] use it as a fundamental principle through which he rejects those texts of the revelation which he claims are in opposition to the intellect, just as his leader Iblees claimed that a [so called] rational proof opposed the command to make sujood. This doubt came to him due to pride which prevented him from submitting to the clear texts of the revelation. Likewise, you find every false disputer against the texts of the revelation does so due to pride. Allaah [The Exalted] said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۙ إِن فِي صُدُورِهِمْ إِلَّا كِبْرٌ مَّا هُم بِبَالِغِيهِ ۚ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

Verily, those who dispute about the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, without any authority having come to them, there is nothing else in their breasts except pride [to accept you (Muhammad ) as a Messenger of Allah and to obey you]. They will never have it (i.e. Prophethood which Allah has bestowed upon you). So seek refuge in Allah (O Muhammad from the arrogants). Verily, it is He Who is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. [Surah Ghaafir. Aayah 56] [An Excerpt from ‘As-Sawaa’iq Al-Mursalah 1/371-372’. Slightly paraphrased]

Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq Al-Badr [hafidhahullaah] said: If you say that the intellect is to be given precedence over the revelation, then which intellect should we follow? Are the intellects of the people combined in the intellect of one man or do they differ? There are intellects of the philosophers, the atheists, the heretics, the people of evil desires and those who confound truth with falsehood; and due to this one of the Salaf said, “Had the desires been one, it would have been considered to be the [basis of] truth”; therefore, we say, “Had the intellects been one, it would have been considered to be the [basis of] truth”.  Muqaddimah Fee Diraasah At-Tawheed’ by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Badr (may Allaah preserve him) Lesson: 3]

Imaam Ibnul Jawzi [rahimahullaah] then said: When shaytaan suggests something to the human being, it is obligated on him to be very cautious and should say to the shaytaan when he command him to commit evil, “You want by way of this command an advice for me to fulfill my evil desires, and how can the advice of one be correct when he does not advise himself, so how can one trust the advice of an enemy. Go away, for there is nothing to carry out in your speech”. Then nothing remains, except that he [Shaytaan] seek help from the person’s soul because the soul is urged towards its desires, so one should summon sound intellect to ponder upon the outcomes of sins and hopefully Allaah will bless him with the knowledge and ability through which the hosts of firm resolve are sent to overcome the soldiers of desires and the evil urges of the soul.

Iyaad Bin Himaar [radiyallaahu-anhu] said that Allaah’s Messenger [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] said: “O people! Allaah [The Exalted] commanded me to teach you that which you do not  know of that which He has taught me on this day. [Allaah said], “Every wealth which I have bestowed on My servant is lawful for him. I created all My servants as those having a natural inclination to the worship me alone, but the devils come to them and divert them away from their right religion, made unlawful for them that which I have made lawful for them and commanded them to associate with Me that which I have sent down no authority; and indeed, Allaah [The Exalted] looked at the people of the earth and hated them – Arabs and the non-Arabs, except some remnants from the People of the Scripture”. [Saheeh Muslim 2865]

Beneficial Reminder From The Above Hadeeth By Imaam An-Nawawi [rahimahullaah]:

Imaam an-Nawawi said regarding the statement: “And indeed, Allaah [The Exalted] looked at the people of the earth and hated them – Arabs and the non-Arabs, except some remnants from the People of the Scripture”: Allaah had severe hatred for them and that was before the advent of the Messenger [sallal laahu-alayhi wasallam], except those who adhered to their true religion and did not substitute [alter or change it]. [Sharh Saheeh Muslim 17/162-163. Daar Al-Kutub  Al-Ilmiyyah 1^st edition 1421AH (2000)]

Jaabir Bin Abdillaah[radiyallaahu-anhu] said: “Iblees places his throne upon water, then he sends detachments [to cause corruption]; the closest to him in rank are those who cause greater trial. One of them comes and says, ‘I did such and such”, so he says, ‘You have not done anything’. Then one amongst them comes and says, ‘I did not leave such and such person until I separated him from his wife’. He [Iblees] draws close to him and says, ‘You have done well’”. [Saheeh Muslim 2813]

Beneficial Reminder From The Above Hadeeth By Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullaah]:

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said: “And because of the fact that this bond [between husband and wife] is from the most beloved affairs to Allaah and His Messenger, it is from the most hated affairs to the enemy of Allaah [i.e. shaytaan]”. Therefore he hastens to split two people who love another for the sake of Allaah. [Rawdatul Muhibbeen Wa Nuzhatul Mush-taaqeen. Page:188]

Jaabir [radiyallaahu-anhu] said, “I heard the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wa sallam] said, ‘Indeed shaytaan has given up on being worshipped by the performers of the prayer in the Arabian peninsula, but he entice conflict between them’”. [Saheeh Muslim 2812]

Beneficial Reminder From The Above Hadeeth By Imaam An-Nawawi [rahimahullaah]:

Imaam An-Nawawi said: “This hadeeth is one of the miracles of Prophethood and the meaning of ‘Jazeeratul Arab – Arabian Peninsula’ has already preceded. Shaytaan has given up hope on being worshipped by the people of the Arabian Peninsula, but he strives to cause conflict between them by way of argumentation, hostility, wars, trials and what is similar”. [Sharh Saheeh Muslim 17/129. Daar Al-Kutub  Al-Ilmiyyah 1^st edition 1421AH (2000)]

Source: An Excerpt from Talbees Iblees with the checking of Shaikh Zayd Bin Haadee (rahimahullaah). pages 28-30. slightly paraphrased