Chapter X: Evils of Self-Deception
DEVIL AND ANGEL: They have got generators. The cause or urge which calls towards good is called angel and the cause which calls towards bad is called devil. Latifa or essence gives help to soul in receiving Ilham and this help is called Taufiq or grace. The thing which is accepted from Waswasa or contrivance of the devil is called misguiance. The action of an angel is to give impetus to good actions, to disclose truth and to order is to order for evils and indecencies. Thus God created two opposite agencies. He says: I have created two kinds of everything — 13:3.
Except God, all things are opposed to one another. God is One and unique who created different things. So soul lives in dispute between angel and devil. The Prophet said : There are two impulses in soul, one impulse of angel which calls towards good and confirms truth. He who feels this impulse should know that it is from God. Another impulse comes from the enemy which leads to doubt and holds out the truth as falsehood and prohibits good works. He who feels this should seek refuge to God from the accursed devil. Then he recited the verse : The devil shows you fears of poverty and enjoins you to do evils — 2 : 268.
Hazrat Hasan Basari said : Two thoughts roam over soul-one thought from God and another from the devil. God shows mercy on a servant who stops at the time of the latter thought. If soul follows low desires and passions, the devil gets upperhand. If it follows the habits of angels, it becomes the resting place of angels. For this reason, the Prophet said : There is nobody among you in whom there is no devil. The companions asked : O Messenger of God, does it reside in you too? He said : There is also devil in me, but God helped me to overcome it and it has become submissive to me. It does not order me but good.
The devil works havoc through the medium of sexual passion. Who so follows it finds the devil as his guide. When he returns to Zikr, the devil goes behind and the angel gives incentive to good works. In the battle-field of soul, there is constant clash between the soldiers of the devil and angels till it gets upperhand. After victory, soul remains in peace and the devil becomes submissive. The sage Ata-b-Ziyad said : The devil enters a soul as a thief enters a house. If there is anything in the
Vol-M The Book of Destructive evils 33