In the books that interpret the Holy Qur’an and the related books of prophetic tradition (known as the Hadith), it was reported that the two noble fortresses, Al-Falaq (All that’s coming to Appearance) and An-Nas (Oblivious Mankind, Oblivious Jinn-kind) were revealed because of an incident involving Lubaid Ibn Al-A’sam. According to this account, Lubaid Ibn Al-A’sam bewitched the messenger of God (cpth) using a comb, hair combings, dried pollen husk, one male pollen and a tied string that contained eleven knots and had needles stuck into it. The contention is that the two noble Fortresses were sent to the prophet Mohammad (cpth) for this reason. After this, whenever he read a verse, one knot unraveled and he consequently felt that his energy levels increased up to the point that the last knot became untied, at which point he got up as if he had been released from fetters. The people who reported this story also claimed that he didn’t know whether or not Satan was entering into his chaste wives during his affliction.
Such claims about bewitching him (cpth) were mentioned in the books Al-Bukhari and Al-Jalalein Interpretation that were written by Lubaid the Jew, and through other books of explanation that were filled with interpolated sayings. So, what is the extent of the truth of this account?! This devilish report of wicked falsehood tells us that Satan entered into the prophet’s chaste and purified wives; moreover, it was related in some of their statements that the messenger Mohammad (cpth) remained under the influence of magic and its devils for about eighteen months. So, we wonder did the inspiration cease to be sent to him during this period?! Did not the Almighty say: “Nor is this the utterance of an accursed devil”?
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 81, At-Takwir (Extinguished!), verse 25
Was it Satanic inspiration, then?! This contention disparages the Great Qur’an, charging it with having been whispered by devils, which is the same claim that was made by the envious and spiteful polytheists of Mecca. God says: “…when the wrong doers declare: ‘the man you follow is surely bewitched’.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 17, Al-Isra’ (The Night Journey), verse 47
And undoubtedly, devils never approach those who are pure, for the Almighty says: “Shall I tell you upon whom the devils descend? They descend on every lying (departing) sinner.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 26, Ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets), verse 221-222
A departing sinner is a person that turns away from the path of righteousness and insists on loving this lower life and its mean yearnings. Thus, is this devilish description appropriate with respect to Al’lah’s messenger (cpth), the most perfect one in all creation, whom Al’lah the Almighty had confirmed in his perfection, and who is the guide of worlds to the straight path? The Almighty says: “And the star when he stoops, your compatriot (Mohammad), is not in error, nor is he deceived! He does not speak out of his own fancy. This (all his sayings and actions) is but an inspired revelation. He is taught by the Powerful and the Mighty.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 53, An-Najm (The Star), verse 1-5
So he (cpth) never went astray from God’s way, nor was he tempted by this lower life, nor did he utter anything that came from his own personal inclinations. All his sayings and actions were inspired revelations from Al’lah’s Honor. He did not utter a word without Al’lah’s Permission, and he was always working according to His Order. His knowledge (cpth) was directly obtained from the Presence of Al’lah, who is the Manager and the One who steers the reins of heavens and earth at the top level of perfection. And what about Quraysh and the Jews? Would they have kept silent if they had found even a single blemish upon God’s Envoy (cpth)?! If this fabricated account was true, would they not have said that the Holy Qur’an came out of the devils’ whispers? However, the Almighty says: “It was not the devils who brought down this Qur’an. It is neither in their interest nor in their power.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 26, Ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets), verse 210-211
These interpolated stories indicate that devils had an influence over God’s Envoy so that they could make him sick, although devils can never in fact attend his assemblies (cpth) at all. Al’lah says: “In fact, they are expelled from hearing it (The Qur’an).”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 26, Ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets), verse 212
So, would any illustration serve better than Al’lah’s? The Almighty says: “No power has he (Satan) over believers who put their trust in their Provider. He has power only over those who befriend him and those who take him as a god besides Al’lah.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 16, An-Nahl (The Bees), verse 99-100
Since Satan is chased away from holding any sway over a true believer, would it then be logical to think that he had power over Al’lah’s Envoy (cpth)? God forbid! Surely not!
Thus, Satan’s domination acts only upon malicious people and polytheists who have turned away from spiritual surrender to Him, whereas this domination never affects God’s Envoy (cpth), who is the head of the monotheists.
Besides, Satan himself trembled with terror and turned tail when he saw Al’lah’s Envoy (cpth) with those who believed alongside him. Indicating that, the Almighty says: “…but when the two armies came within sight of each other, he took to his heels, saying: ‘I am done with you, for I can see what you cannot. I fear Al’lah for His punishment is so stern’.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 8, Al-Anfal (Spoils of War), verse 48
That was what happened when he saw the Godly support for the believers, so how would it be with God’s Envoy (cpth) who is His successor on earth and His ambassador to all of creation?! For more illustration of this point we say that the word ‘peace’ in the statement, “communication with Al’lah and peace are through him” serves to show that Al’lah the Almighty kept him safe from every mutinous devil and from all the evil in creation due to his continuous recourse to Him and the fortification by his Provider of all of Creation and the oblivious humankind and oblivious jinn-kind. We also say: “peace is upon him.” The word ‘peace’ here indicates security from every evildoer. On the contrary to what is claimed, Al’lah’s messenger (cpth) surmounts them at all times. The Almighty says: “…but Al’lah gives His envoys authority over whom He will…”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 59, Al-Hashr (Creation-Gathering), verse 6
Also: “Is Al’lah not All-Sufficient for those who are obedient to Him?! Yet they threaten you with those who are inferior! ...”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 39, Az-Zumar (The Groups), verse 36
Furthermore, “…Al’lah will protect you from all the oblivious mankind and oblivious jinn-kind...”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 5, Al-Ma’ida (The Table), verse 67
All that Al’lah, the Great, says is true. Al’lah is enough as a witness against their false statements. The messenger (cpth) said: “I was granted victory by the disbelievers’ fear of God while one month distant from them (on foot).”[38]
This refers to the time when the prophet (cpth) was on his way to fight the disbelievers. They had decided to stay and fight him at first, but in the end they fled because they were filled with horror at his impending arrival. They ran away when the distance between the approaching prophet and the group of disbelievers was one month’s march on foot; that is to say, approximately one thousand kilometers. In those days, distances were measured by the time it took to travel the distance in question on foot. Because the prophet was sent by God to be a mercy to all of both humankind and jinn-kind, in order to release them from darkness and allow them to enter into light, God allowed the prophet (cpth) to triumph over the disbelievers. This happened because God always gives His prophet a light through which he is able to conquer and defeat the darkness of the disbelievers. Al’lah gives support to His prophet (cpth), just as the devil gives support to the disbelievers. Al’lah filled them with horror and they ran away, just as the devil runs away in horror as soon as he sees the light of the prophet, because if he stays and is close to this light, he will be burnt and will die. The prophet relies on his Provider, the Mighty, whereas the disbelievers are followers of the weak Satan, who abandoned them and fled in order to escape his own death.
Besides, when Satan tried to whisper to our great master Adam (peace is through him), aiming to prove that Adam might come to disobey his Provider, he achieved only failure and defeat, as an evil plot affects none but its designers. As for our master Adam (pth), he acquired endless heavens instead of the single paradise he had been enjoying, whereas Satan dwelt in misery and hellfire, and this will remain his abode. So, when Satan viewed this outcome he said: “He said: ‘my Provider! Since you have led me astray, I shall adorn this life before mankind on the earth and seduce them all, except your selected (true) followers from among them’. God said: ‘This is the right course for Me. Surely you shall have no power over my worshippers, except for the sinners who follow you’.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 15, Al-Hijr (Stone Buildings), verse 39-42
As shown through the noble verses, Satan realized his loss when he approached Al’lah’s selected sincere followers who are the prophets. He himself avoided them of his own volition and that is indicated by his saying in the noble verse: “…except your selected followers from among them.”
Yet the Almighty asserts that Satan has no influence over the true believers when He says: “Surely, you shall have no power over my worshippers, except the sinners (tempted ones) who follow you.” The ‘tempted ones’ refers to those who do not make use of their ability to think to carry out the real search that would lead them to know their Provider. They have been seduced by the lower life, thinking that it has something real within it, but the truth will be unveiled to them when death comes, and they will realize that it contains nothing, and everything was only a gift, a kindness, and the benevolence of Al’lah. Thus, they shall suffer regret and remorse, and then their abode will be in hellfire for the purpose of diverting them with their hellish pain.
So, we ask: was not God’s messenger (cpth), whom the Almighty had selected to inform people of His Mission, the lord of prophets?! Al’lah the Almighty is the Hearing and the Omniscient. Al’lah heard the prophet’s sublime saying and knew about his high status and intention. So, due to Mohammad’s purity and elevated intention, He chose him to guide creation to Al’lah. Is it reasonable or acceptable, then, to relate such an account about him (cpth)?!
Does not the Almighty say: “What does Al’lah gain by your punishment if ye are grateful and you believe? Al’lah is Thankful and Omniscient.”: that is: what does He attain by afflicting you with torment? Why does He punish you?! He has created us to make us happy here and in the hereafter, but since the spirit hides what illnesses it has inside, He sends us this distress so that we may withdraw from our sins, and repent and communicate with Him to have our spirits purified of their illnesses.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 4, An-Nisa’ (Women), verse 147
So, as God’s messenger (cpth) has the utmost pure spirit because of its continuity in remembering God without a single moment’s disconnection from Him, therefore the Almighty utterly prevented any one of humankind or jinn-kind from being able to touch him or cause him even the slightest of harm. Al’lah met his requirements (cpth) due to his constant resorting to Him. God says: “Is Al’lah not All-Sufficient for those who are obedient to Him?! Yet they threaten you with those who are inferior!…”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 39, Az-Zumar (The Groups), verse 36
So, who would dare to face he (cpth) whom Al’lah supports?!
Al’lah says: “…Al’lah will protect you from all the oblivious mankind and oblivious jinn-kind...”: Al’lah preserves him, thus none can cause any damage to him (cpth).
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 5, Al-Ma’ida (The Table), verse 67
The Almighty also says: “He alone has knowledge of what is hidden. His secrets He reveals to none, except to the apostles whom He selects. He sent down guardians to be before them and behind them.”: that is: there are angels protecting him (cpth) from ill or from any harm that may issue from any creature, whoever they may be, from among humankind or jinn-kind.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 72, Al-Jinn (The Jinn), verse 26-27
We realize the messenger’s dependence (cpth) upon Al’lah the Almighty through this noble verse: “…say: ‘Call on your false gods and scheme against me. Give me no respite’.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 7, Al-A’raf (The Heights), verse 195
This is so because He is the only Doer, and he (cpth) is completely pure, so nobody can hold sway over him. He has never committed a mistake or an error through which one may have power over him, since there is no power or might except with the only God.
The messenger of God (cpth) is the first humane doctor. He heals hearts before treating bodies, so those that adhere to him will be protected from the slyness of devils and magicians. Wherever a believer who seeks refuge in God and His messenger is, the devils shall certainly fall into forfeiture and failure. It was said: “when he who is supported by God’s messenger meets lions, they shall fearfully keep to their woods.”
Communication with Al’lah and peace are through the one who became the greatest of realities’ suns, unmatched by all of the universe’s suns in his great illumination, which restores and refers to the Grandeur of God. The Almighty says: “Prophet, we have sent you forth as a witness, a bearer of good news and a warner; one who invites to Al’lah by His leave and a shining lamp.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 33, Al-Ahzab (The Combined Clans), verse 45-46
Thus, anyone who has witnessed even just a little of his exalted reality will discern the futility of what has been related about him (cpth). How could a devil draw near to him?! Furthermore, since Satan enters into people’s spirits when bewitching them, controlling their affections, senses, thoughts and even their acts, then how could a weak devil, that can be easily burnt just by the slightest beam of Al’lah’s light, penetrate the focus of descending Godly revelations?!
The true believer will recognize the reality of this statement and will never believe that report, because when they measure matters according to their own status and correctness after they connect themselves with God’s messenger (cpth) and remember Al’lah, they will find that every sneaking whisperer of evil will be driven away from them, and any magicians who have woven webs and plotted against them will promptly fail and be defeated. The Almighty says: “If those who see by Al’lah’s light are tempted by a passing Satanic temptation, they will remember Al’lah and then they will discern the truth.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 7, Al-A’raf (The Heights), verse 201
It is the messenger (cpth) who protects and defends all believers. God mentioned the word ‘Al- Mihrab’[39] in the Holy Qur’an, using it to describe how the messenger fights against devils and wards them off his followers who surround him and pay attention to what is right. That is to say, when the devil comes whispering in the chests of those followers who have begun to follow the messenger (cpth), trying to make them commit forbidden acts so that they become desperate, or trying to sow doubt in their hearts so as to make them shun the messenger, he (cpth) confronts the devil and drives him away from them with the power of his luminous, magnificent, and lovely spirit. Such things can never be seen with the physical eyes, nay – they can only be seen with the eye of the heart and the insight. The Almighty says: “The angels called out to him (our master Zacharias) as he was communicating with Al’lah in Al-Mihrab (fighting the devils), saying: ‘Al’lah bids you rejoice in the birth of John, who shall confirm the word of Al’lah. He shall be a master whose spirit always heads for Al’lah, and a prophet that deserves our donation’.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 3, Al ‘Imran (The Family of ‘Imran), verse 39
So it was for our master Zacharias, who was absorbed in his fight against the devils, trying to repel them from his disciples.
Al’lah the Great also says: “Then he (Zacharias) came out before his people from Al-Mihrab (after fighting against the devils) and exhorted them to glorify Al’lah morning and evening.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 19, Maryam (Mary), verse 11
In another verse He says about our master David: “Have you heard the tale of the two litigants who entered the Mihrab?”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 38, Sâd (the Letter, S = True), verse 21
Similarly, our master David (pth) was fighting against the trespassing devils, burning them or pushing them away from his Muslim adherents.
Thus, the word ‘Al-Mihrab’ indicates combat against devils and warding them off the followers of the prophet. It is also used to indicate the place where the messenger isolates himself in order to enter into Al’lah’s Presence through communication with Him, and each Mihrab (prayer niche) was established in order for believers to perform communication with Al’lah. In this way, the evil of the devils will be forced out. The Almighty says: “…pray for them while communicating with Me, for this prayer will give them comfort...”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 9, At-Tawba (Repentance), verse 103
The messenger (cpth) has the light of Al’lah upon him, and through such prayer, he immerses the believers in this great illumination, thereby driving the schemes of every mutinous devil away from them. Besides that, sending his spirit – which is in constant communication with Al’lah – to his followers helps to abate their inclination to the lowly yearnings, as he floods them with his Provider’s sacred Manifestation by sending them that which makes them forget all their inclinations except those that are high-level and virtuous and towards the Originator of perfection and the source of Beauty and Majesty – the Great and the Almighty. Thus, since Al’lah’s messenger (cpth) is our rescuer, how could Satan dare to approximate him? How impossible!
Using that fabricated story about how the prophet (cpth) was bewitched, and the other false statement (that we should learn magic but not practice it), evil spirits have crept into Muslims’ houses, for they believed these lies and convinced themselves that they were true. It seems as if they are saying to themselves: “Since the prophet himself was bewitched, or affected by magic, how would it be with us, when we are so weak compared to him?!” It has slipped from their memories that their deeds that infringe on the noble statute of God brought Satan upon them, to increase their distance from the path of repentance and virtue.
In the current era, those who wish to recount the prophetic tradition (the Hadith) and the interpreters of the Holy Qur’an should, with greater judiciousness, revise these books and compare them with what they read within the Noble Qur’an. Then, only if these Hadith agree with It can they be regarded as true sayings. But if any of them are in contradiction with It – such as the report about the bewitching of the prophet, and the statement that one should learn magic but not practice it – they must be neglected completely and Muslims should be warned against such reports and their like. By eternal God! That is the function of the real religious scholar: clarifying the Holy Qur’an, which is the Provider’s declaration for people; teaching them the wisdom of its verses and the lessons hidden behind its stories; instructing them about its laws and commands; and informing them that adhering to It will save them, whereas forsaking It and turning to books that are filled with fabricated sayings will cause them destruction.
Now, through the books that have been issued from the eminent scholar Mohammad Amin Sheikho (his soul has been sanctified by Al’lah), the Almighty has facilitated us in having the ability to distinguish between truth and untruth, and knowing the difference between distorted sayings and correct ones. These books reveal to us the ways to guide people to what is right, and spare us the difficulty of returning to the contents of other books to unveil the truth.