Ibnul-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:
“Shaitaan tries to destroy the son of Adam in one of seven phases. Some of them are more intense than others. Shaitaan would not try to destroy him in the next phase until he fails to destroy him in a previous one.
These phases are:
1/ The phase of disbelief in Allaah.
His Deen, His perfect attributes, and in
what Rasulullah [صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم] informed us
about, and the fact that we will be resurrected. If Shaitaan is successful in
misleading the slave in this phase, his enmity towards him would diminish and
he would take rest. If the slave succeeds, and survives in this phase, Shaitaan
would try to destroy him in the next phase.
2/ The phase of Bid’ah (religious innovation)
Whether it pertains to believing in other
than the truth which Rasulullah [صلّى اللَّهُ
عليه وسلّم] was sent with or by worshipping other than Allaah; such as
worshipping idols, and the like. Shaitaan enjoys that one succumbs in this
phase, for Bid’ah conflicts with the nature of the Deen and compels one to
reject it. Furthermore, the one who observes innovated religious practices
would not repent from his actions; rather, he would invite people to his Bid’ah!
Observing innovated religious practices would compel one to forge lies against Allaah
and speak without knowledge; thus it openly clashes with the Sunnah. Observing
minor Bid’ah practices would lead one to observing major Bid’ah practices. In
this manner, a person would eventually exit the folds of Islam. Scholars and
people of knowledge alone know the real dangers of Bid’ah practices. If a
person succeeds and survives in this phase by adhering to the Sunnah, and
understanding its texts as the Pious Predecessors understood them, Shaitaan
would seek to destroy him in the next phase.
3/The phase of major sins
If
he is able to destroy the slave in this phase, he would beautify the deed that
he is doing and probably compel him to say the following: “No sin would harm
the Tawheed (creedal belief) as no good deed would benefit a man who has
committed Shirk (i.e. to associate partners with Allaah)? If the person is
successful and survives this phase, Shaitaan would seek to destroy him in the
next phase.
