Aslam

(12) Bad opinion about Muslims. One of the great doors of the devil is bad ideas and opinions about Muslims, God said : O those who believe, give up many conjectures as some conjecture is sin. 49 :12. The devil gives encouragement to backbite one about whom a bad ideal is entertained. The Prophet said : Save yourself from the place of calumny. Even the Prophet saved himself from it. Once the Prophet was in a state of I,tiqaf or seclusion in a mosque. At that time, his wife Sufiyah came to him and went away in the evening. At that time two Ansars came there and after saluting him were about to depart. The Prophet said to them that his wife Sufiyah had come and gone away. He said : The devil runs through the body of a man like circulation of blood. I fear he may enter in you. So to save oneself from the calumny of others is the bounden duty on all.

These are the twelve great doors of the devil through which he enters into the hearts of men and commit tremendous havoc and ruin.

MEANS TO DRIVE OUT THE DEVIL: The means to shut up the doors to prevent the entry of the devil into human soul or heart is by purification of soul from the evil attributes. The devil is like a hungry dog which shall come to you. Drive it out repeatedly. If you, cannot drive a dog take a place of meat and throw it to it and it will go away. Similarly the soul which is free from the food of the devil can be filled up with constant Zikr or remembrance of God, but when passion and greed are strong in soul, the spirit of Zikr roams round the soul. When the soul is heedless of Zikr, machinations of the devil come in. Hazrat Abu Hurairah reported: Once the devil of a believer and the devil of a polytheist met with each other. The devil of the polytheist was stout and strong and dressed with fine dresses and the devil of the believer was lean and thin, disheveled in hairs and laden with dust. The former said to the latter: Why are you Jean and thin? He said: I remain with such a man that when he eats, he remembers God and I become hungry, when he drinks and remembers God, I become thirsty. When he puts on dress and remembers God, I go without cloth. When he uses oil and remembers God, I become disheveled in hairs. The devil of the unbeliever said: I remain with such a person who does not remember God in any caseand I become his partner in eating, drinking and dresses.

Hazrat Abdur Rahman-b-Abi Laila reported: The devil with a torch light of fire in hand came to the Prophet who was then

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engaged in prayer. Gabriel at once came to him and said: Recite the following: