How Does Satan Become a Companion of Man?
There are references to the rules of creation in the Holy Quran. One of these rules has been mentioned in verse 36 of Surah Az Zukhruf: “To whosoever blinds himself from the Remembrance of the Merciful, We shall assign him a satan so he is his companion.” One who becomes indifferent to God, the source of perfection and goodness, will be put on a path that goes against these traits.
Some interpreters believe that the satan mentioned here are bad friends who tempt individuals to commit sins.
Imam Ali (AS) said in this regard: “They have made Satan the master of their affairs, and he has taken them as partners. He has laid eggs and hatched them in their bosoms. He creeps and crawls in their laps. He sees through their eyes and speaks with their tongues. In this way, he has led them to sinfulness and adorned for them foul things like the action of one whom Satan has made partner in his domain and speaks untruth through his tongue.” (Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 7)
Allameh Mohammad Taqi Jafari further explains this issue in one of his works: “Yesterday there were people who have become satan today. Yesterday there were people who had human characteristics; They used to walk and help others to reach perfection, but over time they lost those characteristics and became an obstacle for people to reach perfection and became deviant. Now they lead to deviation of any person and group that they communicate with. Therefore, there were humans who became devils today. When a person's goals and thoughts have a satanic aspect, he becomes a satan although having a human face.”
- Nahj al-Balagha is a collection of sermons, letters, and sayings by Imam Ali (AS). The book has been compiled by prominent Shia scholar Al-Sharif Al-Radi (970-1015 CE)
- Allameh Mohammad Taqi Jafari (1925-1998) was an Iranian researcher, philosopher, and Islamic scholar. He has written numerous works on history, philosophy, literature, fiqh, mysticism, and metaphysics.
