Benefits of the Hadith: (Do not eat with the left hand, for Satan eats with the left hand).
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The Shaykh : And in this hadith, there are benefits:
That Satan eats, and that he is a body that needs food, based on his saying:. And in it is evidence that the impurity of the self extends to the impurity of the action. How is that? Because he eats with his left hand, and this is undoubtedly inferior and impure compared to eating with the right hand. But because the nature of Satan is impurity, he does not eat except with the left hand.
If someone were to ask: What does Satan eat?
We say: Satan eats what is not named. If you eat and do not mention the name of Allah, Satan eats with you. Likewise, the jinn. If we say that Satan encompasses the jinn, the jinn eat the leftovers of the children of Adam. I do not mean the excrement, but what remains of their food. Because they find the bones that humans have thrown away, and they find them as meat, having clothed them with meat for them to eat.
And the excrement becomes fodder for their beasts. And this is a decree of divine destiny, which is clear evidence of the superiority of humans over the jinn. There are many proofs in this, but this is one of them.
And among the benefits of this hadith is the prohibition of imitating Satan. So, did you answer, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, because the Messenger prohibited it and gave the reason that Satan eats with the left hand. And if we are prohibited from imitating the devils in actions, then imitating them in misguidance is even more so.
So the one who is eager to mislead people, may Allah protect us, is similar to the devils. And the one who misleads people from the remembrance of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is similar to the devils. You will find, for example, that some people intend to do something, let us say they intend to pray. Their companion comes and says: Come, let us walk. So he goes with him and wastes his time, while he wanted to pray, had it not been for this one who misled him. So every person who stands between a person and the obedience of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the worship of Allah, has in him a similarity to the Satan who misleads.
Now, and among the benefits of this hadith is the wisdom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in teaching. Where is it taken from?
That when he mentioned the ruling, he mentioned its cause, and he coupled the ruling with the reasoning. Undoubtedly, this is from the excellence of teaching. Because when we hear the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say, or we read in the Book of Allah what He says, we will be convinced of the ruling whether we know the cause or not, if Allah wills. But when the cause comes, the person’s faith and acceptance undoubtedly increase. And the person is a human being, so here is Ibrahim:[Al-Baqarah 2:260].
So when the ruling is coupled with the reasoning, the person’s tranquility increases. And we have mentioned the benefits of coupling the ruling with the reasoning. Who among you can recall them?
Yes, you, Khalid?
The student: First: establishing analogical reasoning, meaning the possibility of analogical reasoning.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Yes, and second: clarifying the nobility of the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : The third?
The student: The third!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Clarifying the nobility of the Shari'ah, the possibility of analogical reasoning, and the tranquility of the one addressed.
The Shaykh : The increase of tranquility, and this is one of the most important things, especially, my brothers, in our present time. People now, unfortunately, have been given argumentation. And I mean many of them, not all people. They have been given argumentation such that if you mention the legal ruling to them, they need it to be supported by the reasoning, which is the rational proof. For this reason, I urge the students to have knowledge of the reasoning, which is the rational proof, in order to convince the arguers.
And do not think that all people are Muslims regarding the legal decree of Allah. I say: regarding the legal decree of Allah. Why?
Because the cosmic decree of Allah, everyone is submissive to it. Submissive, what is submissive, is submissive:[Al-Hajj 22:18]. This is the cosmic prostration. So I say: many people do not submit to the legal decree of Allah, or at least do not feel at ease except with what is supported by rational proof. So I urge the students of knowledge to know the secrets and wisdoms of the Shari'ah so that they may increase in faith in it and convince others with what its evidence requires of legal rulings.
And among the benefits of this hadith is establishing that Satan has a left hand. Correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And a right hand?
Yes, that he has a left hand, based on his saying, and that he has a right hand, because the left hand is opposite the right hand. So he has a right and a left, but he chooses the left because he is impure, so he chose the more impure of the two limbs.
And among the benefits of the hadith is that the devils are bodies, contrary to those who said that the devils are the forces of evil and the angels are the forces of good. And one who claims to belong to Islam said this. He says: There are no angels, the angels are the forces of good, and the devils are the forces of evil. And there are no birds of Ababil sent upon the people of the Elephant. There are none, but rather it was the smallpox that afflicted them, so it is a virus that afflicted them until it destroyed them. Glory be to Allah!
This, may Allah protect us, is a wrong and misguided statement. The One who is able to create everything is able to send the birds of Ababil throwing stones, throwing stones of baked clay, and striking the person from the top of his head until it comes out of his rear, as it came in the reports. And there is no obstacle to that. The mind does not prevent it. The mind may be perplexed by it, but it does not prevent it. And Allah knows best.
That Satan eats, and that he is a body that needs food, based on his saying:
For Satan eats
فإن الشيطان يأكلIf someone were to ask: What does Satan eat?
We say: Satan eats what is not named. If you eat and do not mention the name of Allah, Satan eats with you. Likewise, the jinn. If we say that Satan encompasses the jinn, the jinn eat the leftovers of the children of Adam. I do not mean the excrement, but what remains of their food. Because they find the bones that humans have thrown away, and they find them as meat, having clothed them with meat for them to eat.
And the excrement becomes fodder for their beasts. And this is a decree of divine destiny, which is clear evidence of the superiority of humans over the jinn. There are many proofs in this, but this is one of them.
And among the benefits of this hadith is the prohibition of imitating Satan. So, did you answer, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, because the Messenger prohibited it and gave the reason that Satan eats with the left hand. And if we are prohibited from imitating the devils in actions, then imitating them in misguidance is even more so.
So the one who is eager to mislead people, may Allah protect us, is similar to the devils. And the one who misleads people from the remembrance of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is similar to the devils. You will find, for example, that some people intend to do something, let us say they intend to pray. Their companion comes and says: Come, let us walk. So he goes with him and wastes his time, while he wanted to pray, had it not been for this one who misled him. So every person who stands between a person and the obedience of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the worship of Allah, has in him a similarity to the Satan who misleads.
Now, and among the benefits of this hadith is the wisdom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in teaching. Where is it taken from?
That when he mentioned the ruling, he mentioned its cause, and he coupled the ruling with the reasoning. Undoubtedly, this is from the excellence of teaching. Because when we hear the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say, or we read in the Book of Allah what He says, we will be convinced of the ruling whether we know the cause or not, if Allah wills. But when the cause comes, the person’s faith and acceptance undoubtedly increase. And the person is a human being, so here is Ibrahim:
when Abraham said, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." [Allah] said, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied."
قال رب أرني كيف تحي الموتى قال أولم تؤمن قال بلى ولكن ليطمئن قلبيSo when the ruling is coupled with the reasoning, the person’s tranquility increases. And we have mentioned the benefits of coupling the ruling with the reasoning. Who among you can recall them?
Yes, you, Khalid?
The student: First: establishing analogical reasoning, meaning the possibility of analogical reasoning.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Yes, and second: clarifying the nobility of the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : The third?
The student: The third!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Clarifying the nobility of the Shari'ah, the possibility of analogical reasoning, and the tranquility of the one addressed.
The Shaykh : The increase of tranquility, and this is one of the most important things, especially, my brothers, in our present time. People now, unfortunately, have been given argumentation. And I mean many of them, not all people. They have been given argumentation such that if you mention the legal ruling to them, they need it to be supported by the reasoning, which is the rational proof. For this reason, I urge the students to have knowledge of the reasoning, which is the rational proof, in order to convince the arguers.
And do not think that all people are Muslims regarding the legal decree of Allah. I say: regarding the legal decree of Allah. Why?
Because the cosmic decree of Allah, everyone is submissive to it. Submissive, what is submissive, is submissive:
to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth
ولله يسجد من في السماوات ومن في الأرض طوعا وكرهاAnd among the benefits of this hadith is establishing that Satan has a left hand. Correct?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And a right hand?
Yes, that he has a left hand, based on his saying
Eats with his left hand
يأكل بشمالهAnd among the benefits of the hadith is that the devils are bodies, contrary to those who said that the devils are the forces of evil and the angels are the forces of good. And one who claims to belong to Islam said this. He says: There are no angels, the angels are the forces of good, and the devils are the forces of evil. And there are no birds of Ababil sent upon the people of the Elephant. There are none, but rather it was the smallpox that afflicted them, so it is a virus that afflicted them until it destroyed them. Glory be to Allah!
This, may Allah protect us, is a wrong and misguided statement. The One who is able to create everything is able to send the birds of Ababil throwing stones, throwing stones of baked clay, and striking the person from the top of his head until it comes out of his rear, as it came in the reports. And there is no obstacle to that. The mind does not prevent it. The mind may be perplexed by it, but it does not prevent it. And Allah knows best.