The Dangers of Deception - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

Khutbah: The Dangers of Deception

أَمَّا بَعْد، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

Indeed all praise and thanks is due to Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is his final messenger.

My dear brothers and sisters, on this blessed day of Al-Jumu'ah, I would like to leave with you and deliver to you a very important message. Moreover, it is an understanding — that we will have an understanding of our environment, of where we are and where we are going, how we interact with our fellow Muslims, how we understand Allah.

The Seen and the Unseen

For many of us when we attend the masjid, we see people, we see our brothers, we see our work colleagues. When we are at home we see our children. When we go to work, when we earn our money — all of these are tangible things, things you can touch, things you can hold, things you can grasp, things you can see. And this is a reality that you can see, a certainty that you have because you can see it.

But then there are things which we cannot see, that you cannot touch or grasp, but we have iman in that. And in fact Allah mentions right at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah:

"Those who believe in the unseen."

Now the unseen doesn't necessarily and only mean the hellfire and the paradise, but the unseen for us are many things. There are many things that we do not understand or comprehend fully, but we believe in that. However, there are certain things that it is very easy for us to lose contact with, and because you lose contact with that, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist anymore.

I don't want to sound very philosophical — what am I talking about? More specifically, I'm talking about the plans and the plots and the deception of Shaytan. This isn't something necessarily that you can see or you can touch.

The Oath of Iblis

For no doubt we can say that in theory we are the most knowledgeable people — we should be the most knowledgeable people — in how to deal with this enemy. That from the beginning of time, Iblis refused the command of Allah to bow down to Adam, and that Iblis took an oath and swore by the might of Allah:

"I will do my very best to misguide them all" — except the sincere servants.

As you sleep, as you are busy in your day with your work and your family and your children, Shaytan is busy thinking about how to harm you, to plot and to plan. This plot, this plan, may not occur and happen tomorrow. It may not happen next week or in a month's time. But Shaytan is patient with you, and his goal may be long-term.

The Story of the People of Nuh and the Origin of Shirk

An example of this is that Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه narrates that the people after Adam were upon Tawheed — لمدة عشرة قرون — for ten generations or ten centuries. They were upon the worship of Allah. There was no shirk upon earth.

And then there were a number of righteous people, which is alluded to in Surah Nuh, where Allah mentions the names of five individuals. Those individuals are Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr. These were the names of five righteous people. And within the space of a short time, they all died.

When they died, it is narrated that Iblis came in the form of a person and said to the people: "Why don't you erect statues of these people? They will give you energy, they will remind you of how to be pious, they will remind you and give you some energy to worship Allah — not to worship them, not to worship them now." But the plan of Shaytan, the plan of Iblis, is that the generations to come would then fall by the wayside.

So they erected these statues, images of these righteous people, and they would go there and remember that these were righteous people. The correct understanding concerning these individuals was not passed on to the next generation. So when that generation who erected the statues and pictures of them died, the next generation came through, and it was said to them: "Your forefathers used to go to these people and ask for rain when there was no rain." So then the people would go to these idols and statues, and they began worshipping them.

This was the plan of Shaytan from the very beginning — to harm and to pull people away from the worship of Allah.

Shaytan Knows Your Weaknesses

Now in this story there are many benefits, and maybe on another occasion you can look at it in full. But the point I want to mention is that Shaytan will have patience with you. And even though you do not see him, he sees you. He knows your weaknesses, and he knows the points that you will possibly fall into.

Some people who have strong iman in fasting, or sadaqah, or salah — the focus is not on that. But your focus may be that you are weak in backbiting, spreading false tales, sharing false information — yet you are a person of apparent salah, steadfast and upright, but you have a weakness. And we all have weaknesses. And it is here that Shaytan will focus. Just like salt will slowly wear away at the meat that it is on, Shaytan will focus on these weaknesses that you have.

So Shaytan's plan for us is very clear even though we don't see it. And we live in a world where we are told to believe only that which you can see and touch. But the Book of Allah tells us that we have iman in what we cannot see but have been informed about, and that this عَدُوٌّ مُبِين — this clear and open enemy — you should take as an enemy.

The Stages of Shaytan's Plan

First Stage: Kufr and Disbelief

The greatest and ultimate goal of Shaytan for mankind is for them to disbelieve and reject Allah — to say that there is no ilah, or that Islam is not the truth, or "bring me proof," the origin being that there is no iman, no belief — you have to prove it to me. Or to direct worship to other than Allah, to commit shirk, or to give the attributes of Allah to the creation. These are the main goals of Shaytan with every single one of us — long-term goals for you to reject Allah, to reject Islam.

But you may say: "I'm very strong. There's no way I'm going to disbelieve. I know Islam is the haqq." But remember, the plan of Shaytan is a long-term plan. He looks way into the future. You may not say that now, but when you go to university or college, or through the companions and friends that you have who think completely differently — can you guarantee that you will not be influenced by that way of thinking? Greek philosophy, Egyptian philosophy, all of these ideas — the things that you will look at continuously on your devices — how will that impact you and the way that you think?

You may not say that now, but maybe one day — who knows? This is why every salah you say: "O Allah, guide me to the straight path." And this is why the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ would frequently say in sujood, the turner of hearts: "Allow my heart to remain steadfast upon this deen."

Atheism is becoming widespread. This is one of the main goals of Shaytan — to draw people away from the worship of Allah. So we need to be aware of this.

Second Stage: Bid'ah (Innovation in Religion)

If that person doesn't fall into kufr — major disbelief — then what will they fall into? Shaytan will then try to push you in another direction, for you to fall into those matters which are newly invented into the religion.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4607; also narrated in Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 2137)

Something that is frequently said every Jumu'ah — the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "Be aware of the newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the fire." Nearly every khutbah you hear that.

So Shaytan will try to push you into al-bid'ah immediately, if you don't fall into kufr. But why bid'ah, why? Because Shaytan knows that a person who is practicing bid'ah will not ask Allah to forgive him. And this is one of the biggest traps of innovation — that the person believes they are doing the right thing. And just because a person believes they are doing the right thing, that doesn't give them an excuse. We were warned about bid'ah. We were warned about taking paths other than the Qur'an and Sunnah.

But a person who is practicing bid'ah — that 'abd, that slave — will not say: "O Allah, forgive me for my bid'ah." For this reason, Shaytan is very happy to push you into innovation. This is why the Prophet ﷺ so frequently warned us of the dangers of al-bid'ah.

Maybe some of us are saying: "You're talking about bid'ah too much. We need to focus on tazkiyah, we need to focus on purification of the soul" — which of course has its importance. The ulema of the past, from Imam Malik رحمه الله to Imam Al-Shafi'i رحمه الله, didn't say — for example — regarding the hadith of 'Aisha رضي الله عنها that:

"Whoever invents a matter into this religion that is not from it, it is rejected." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2697; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1718)

They didn't say this hadith represents a third or a quarter of the religion for no reason. These statements were not made lightly. These statements were made because these ahadith are of the utmost importance.

That servant involved in bid'ah will not ask Allah for forgiveness. And one of the punishments that the Prophet ﷺ informed us of is that in the hereafter, when the people will be given the blessing to drink from the nahar al-Kawthar, there will be certain people turned away. They will approach and it will be said to them: "Go back." And they will question: "Why am I being turned away?" And it will be said to them: "You involved yourselves in matters that were not revealed to you. You practiced Islam in a way that our beloved Prophet ﷺ did not teach you." And these are the innovations.

Third Stage: Al-Kaba'ir (Major Sins)

So maybe the person doesn't fall into innovation. Then Shaytan will push you into al-kaba'ir — the major sins: zina, shurb al-khamr (drinking alcohol), ar-riba (interest), taking out a loan, stealing (sariqah). You justify these because: "I am weak, أنا مسكين — I will make tawbah later on." These are the plans of Shaytan — he will justify the munkar for you.

And this is what Allah tells us — that Shaytan is the one who will beautify the deeds for you. "I'm doing this because I have family." "I'm doing this because I don't want to fall into a greater haram, so I'll fall into this haram." And there are so many excuses and justifications for you to fall into that haram.

As for staying away from khamr, alcohol and gambling — why are we prohibited from that? From the reasons, Allah tells us that Shaytan wants to place between you hatred, enmity, and to take you away from the remembrance of Allah. So the knowledge is there — you stay away from these major sins because Allah tells you about their consequences.

In fact, Allah tells us about the فوائد — and for every plot and plan of Shaytan, Allah has given us something superior. Every way that Shaytan will try to come to you, Allah has given us a way that is far superior to preserve and protect us from that plot and plan.

And secondly, that the plots and plans of Shaytan are weak. All that Shaytan will do to you is to call you. He won't physically grab you and drag you to commit that action. You will merely be called, and you will answer the call. For this reason, you will be blameworthy on Yawm al-Qiyamah.

On Yawm al-Qiyamah, Shaytan will say: أَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِنكَ — "I am free from you. I just called you and you answered." So Allah throughout the Qur'an has told us what happens as we are living and what happens when we stand in front of Allah. The excuses that we will give — you will stand on Yawm al-Qiyamah and say: "He told me to do it," and Shaytan will say: "I am free from you. I just called you, you answered. Don't blame me, blame yourselves."

Fourth Stage: Al-Sagha'ir (Minor Sins)

So maybe you don't fall into al-kaba'ir and you feel proud, you feel happy. But do not look at the smallness of your sins — rather look at whom you have disobeyed. So a person can feel — and Shaytan will say to you — "You're a good person, you don't steal, you don't take out riba, you don't drink khamr, you stay away from all the kaba'ir." But you fall into the sagha'ir. And a person who is persistent in the sagha'ir, in the small sins, until they just become normal to them — these minor sins can become a major sin to that person. The minor sins may not always remain small to you.

Fifth Stage: False Security and Self-Satisfaction

So Shaytan — if it's not kufr, it's bid'ah. If it's not innovation, then it's major sins. If it's not major sins, then it's minor sins. And if it's not that, then the person will be made to feel: "Allah guided me, I feel saved." This was the thinking of a people in the past — that the fire will never touch us, we are the chosen people of Allah. You become satisfied with what you offer to Allah. Again, this is another deception of Shaytan.

We ask Allah to protect us from the kayd of Shaytan. I say this and I ask Allah to forgive me and you from all my sins, so forgive me. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah

The Fear of Poverty: Another Trap of Shaytan

Allah tells us what Shaytan will try to put in the hearts of the believers. Allah says that Shaytan will try to place in your heart the fear of poverty and will command you with fahsha' — open wrongdoing, evil, oppression.

If you look carefully, Allah says that Shaytan promises you poverty — he says to you: "You are going to be poor if you give that charity. How are you going to feed your children? If you help that person, how are you going to pay the rent?" And if a person has a fear of poverty, in turn they will become more attached to the dunya.

This is the cycle in which Allah has told us to beware of the dunya — be careful of the dunya, it will suck you in, it will consume you. How will you be consumed? Because you may think the dunya is not going to consume me, but Shaytan will come to you and say: "Poverty. Poor. Put it between your eyes." Chasing money, taking out things which you don't need.

But Allah promises you maghfirah — forgiveness — and fadl — that Allah promises you bounties and blessings. The complete opposite of what Shaytan was promising. The ayah mentions two things from Shaytan and two promises from Allah. The promises from Shaytan are: false poverty and to command you with evil. Allah promises you His bounties, His blessings, His sustenance and provisions, and promises you maghfirah — which overcome the two that were mentioned by Shaytan. As I mentioned earlier, anything that Shaytan gives you, Allah has given you something so far superior than that.

Speaking About Allah Without Knowledge

The final thing I want to mention is something which is so simple to fall into — you don't even blink an eye — and that is when Allah warns us about:

— that you say something about Allah by which you have no knowledge. And how easy it is — at that split second when somebody is having a conversation about something, or there's something online. And the vast majority of shabab, the youth, are now invested in things that happen online — conversations, discussions, debates. So easy to write something. Two brothers are talking about an element of the Sunnah, or two sisters are talking about something from the Qur'an, somebody hears something and they suddenly say: "I don't think it's correct to do that. I think you should let people as they want, let them love what they want to love, let people be whom they want to be, let them express themselves."

Who told us to think like that? Allah tells us what He loves. Allah tells us what He dislikes. We love what Allah loves, we love what His messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ loves. And we dislike what Allah dislikes, and we dislike what His messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ disliked. This is part of our belief.

But a person who doesn't understand that will say things about Islam that have no asr, no basis. "Riba is a darura now, it's a necessity, you have no choice, you have to take out the riba." Or: "The person was born like that, you can't help them." Allah didn't make anyone خَرِبًا — broken — from the start. Every mawlood, everyone is born in a state of fitrah, in a pure state.

So a person who has no knowledge will say things directly against what Allah's messenger عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ said. And our statement on any matter — not what I think or what you think — if it is a matter of deen: قَالَ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ — Allah said, or His messenger said. Or you say اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ — "I don't know." Even if you think you know, say اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ — "I don't know." You would have fear to pass on information that you are not sure of. But how easy it is, at that split second, for you to say something because you feel you have to.

May Allah protect us from al-jahl — ignorance — and from speaking about Allah without knowledge. Ameen.