The Tricks of Shaytaan

As for the tricks of Shaytaan against you there are mainly SEVEN.

1. He obstructs you from doing acts of obedience.
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that you are in need of these acts of obedience in order to gather provision from this life for the next life, which will have no ending.

2. He commands you to procrastinate and delay in acts of obedience.
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that your appointed time is not in your hands and that you could die at any moment.

3. He commands you to rush in acts of obedience by suggesting to you, "Hurry! In order that you can do so-and-so, as much as possible!"
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that few acts of obedience done with perfection is better than many done incompletely.

4. He commands you to perfect your worship in order to be seen of men.
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that the sight of Allah is enough for you over the sight of men.

5. He whispers arrogance and pride in your heart by saying, "Who is greater and more precise than your obedience?"
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that your acts of obedience to Allah is a blessing from Allah, not from yourself. If it were not for the bounty of Allah, you would not be able to establish any act of obedience, which are nothing next to the blessing of Allah Ta'ala.

6. This is the greatest of his tricks, he says to you, "Make strenuous effort in keeping your obedience of Allah secret. Soon He will make your acts manifest before the world!"
Repel him, InshaAllah - and know that you are a slave of Allah and that He alone is your Master. If He wills, He will manifest you and if He wills He will keep you concealed. If He wills, He will make you important and if He wills He will make you insignificant. That is for Allah to decide, and you should not care whether He manifest your good deeds to people or not, because there is nothing in their hands worth seeking after.

7. He suggests in your heart, "There is no need for you to perform acts of obedience to Allah. Truly, if you were created and destined to be among the people of bliss, then there is no danger in you neglecting the acts of worship. And if you were created and destined to be among the people of wretched, then there is no benefit in doing them."
Repel him, InshaAllah - and realise that you are a slave. And that its the duty of a slave to obey the commands as is the rights to slaveness. Allah is the Master, and He knows the rights of Lordship. Thus these acts of obedience will benefit you in every way if you were created and destined to be among the people of bliss. It will benefit you by increasing your reward. And if you were not created and destined for bliss, then in no way Allah will punish you for acts of obedience. These acts of obedience will not harm you. For to be entered into the fire while you are obedient to Allah is more precious to you than you being entered into the fire while you are disobedient. And how is it possible for you to enter the fire when the Promise of Allah is true and His Words are Truthful. For Allah has promised a tremendous reward for acts of obedience. Whoever meets Allah Ta'ala while he has faith and obedience will never enter the fire and he has dully earned the Paradise by the Promise of Allah the Truthful and not by any act.

It is in that, that Allah has informed us by His saying:

"They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His Promise to us, and has given us (this) land in heritage: We can dwell in the Garden as we will: how excellent a reward for those who work (righteousness)!" " (Surah 39: Ayat 74)

Therefore my brothers and sisters, wake up! It is as Allah has said. So seek the aid of Allah alone and seek refuge with Allah. All matters are in Allah's hands and from Allah alone is success. And there is no power nor might except with Allah the Exalted, the Great.

(Based on the advice of Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio)