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You Don't Realise This, But Shaytan Is Slowly Ruining Your Life
Summary of the book Igatha Al-Lahfan Fi Maqasid Ash-Shaytan (Supporting the Distressed Against the Tricks of Satan) by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله.
Bint Azizi
April 19, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Brief Summary
Igatha Al-Lahfan Fi Maqasid Ash-Shaytan by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله is a powerful and insightful work for every Muslim. It helps identify signs of dysfunction in the spiritual heart and offers guidance on navigating the relentless assault of Shayṭān in daily life.
Who Should Read The Book?
Anyone ready for an explanation about where things may have gone wrong—or terribly wrong—in their life.
Overwhelmed Muslims struggling with desires, or trapped in confusion due to incorrect understanding about Islam.
Those who want to protect themselves from being subtly lured into self-sabotage.
Table of Contents
What Is The Book About?
Igāthat al-Lahfān fī Maqāṣid ash-Shayṭān examines the ways in which Shayṭān sows chaos and harm in our lives—by exploiting our optimism bias, appealing to our deepest desires, and distorting our perception so that we believe our harmful actions are actually harmless or beneficial. Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله offers practical strategies to safeguard oneself from Shayṭān’s assaults, take responsibility for the soul without being neglectful or extreme, and address one's own inclinations toward transgressive and harmful behaviour.
Favourite Quote From The Book
Thoughts and ideas come from three sources: Allah, The Most Merciful, Satan and the soul. No matter how far a person has reached in his devotion and worship still his Satan and his soul are with him; they do not part him till his death, and the evil one runs in him like blood in the veins.
Only the Messengers, Allah’s blessing and peace be upon them are protected from him because they are the emissaries of Allah to His servants to pass His commands and prohibitions to them; all other people are subject to making mistakes.
Summary Of Key Ideas
Your Heart Has Two Enemies
The spiritual heart serves as the command centre of the body—guiding the limbs toward obedience or disobedience. It is, in essence, the cornerstone of our ability to remain firm in obeying Allah. But even though mankind was created to worship Allah, there are two enemies that constantly try to pull the heart away from being upright.
Shayṭān who plants whispers and stirs desires to direct you towards misguidance.
The soul which in its natural state is ignorant and rebellious, thus making you more inclined to disobedience and love of the worldly life.
Therefore, because of your enemies, you will find that much of the tests you face throughout your life revolve around suspicions and desires.
Understanding Suspicions and Desires
Suspicions stem from ignorance about what is truly right and wrong, and ignorance of correct Islamic knowledge. On the other hand, desires stem from indulging in worldly materials and engaging in idle talks.
More often than not, you won’t notice the damage caused by suspicions and desires on the wellbeing of your heart, however the consequences are severe in the Hereafter.
Your Choice Matters
According to Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله, when you accept and follow a temptation from Shayṭān or the soul, you will face two major dangers:
Distorted perception of right and wrong:
Following temptations clouds the heart’s perception of right and wrong. Over time, the person may lose the ability to distinguish between Truth and falsehood—seeing good as evil and evil as good, the Sunnah as innovation and innovation as Sunnah.Desires take control:
This choice also leads the individual to prioritise their desires over reason, and acting according to what they want (or personal opinion) rather than adhering to the teachings of the Messenger ﷺ.
This means that the more you fall into temptations, the worse your suspicions and desires will be. And the worse they are, the sicker your heart will become to the point that it can become completely dead.
If your heart is left untreated, you could even become a disbeliever, a hypocrite, a People of Bid’ah, or a People of Desires. Therefore, it is important for you to take this seriously and act urgently.