There is a very important truth about satan that must not be forgotten. Satan is not a being independent of Allah. Allah created satan and he is under His command. His hostility is against human beings.
Those who think that satan has power independent of Allah are deeply mistaken. Such people suppose that satan has a struggle against Allah (Allah is beyond this). In fact, the only reason of satan not wanting people to live the true religion of Allah is because he knows for sure that this is the only way of destroying them. After all, he too is created by Allah, and continues his work with His Will. When the time allowed for him is up, he will be put into Hell to be punished with the people whom he urged toward committing wickedness.
I will fill up Hell with you and every one of them who follows you.’ (Surah Sâd, 85)
The thing that must not be forgotten is that satan has no coercive power over believers. Satan’s power can only influence human beings whom Allah determined and created especially for Hell.
Satan cannot call a servant whom Allah created as a believer to adopt immoral behavior. He can only lead a believer to make small mistakes as a matter of the test in the life of this world. Satan’s effect of wickedness is only for those who have sickness in their hearts. This is revealed in the Qur’an as follows:
He has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. He only has authority over those who take him as a friend and associate others with Allah. (Surat An-Nahl, 99-100)
In another verse, it is revealed that believers cannot be urged toward wickedness by satan:
But as for My slaves, you will not have any authority over them.’ Your Lord suffices as a guardian. (Surat Al-Isra’, 65)
Since satan is also a Creation of Allah, there is eternal wisdom in his existence as is in everything else.
For example, the fact that a large group of people will be dragged to Hell along with satan, is a factor that will increase believers’ gratitude for Allah in the Judgment Day and their joy for the Garden.
The existence of satan also ensures that hypocrites hiding in the community of believers are exposed. Satan controls these sick people and leads them to work against believers. Thereby hypocrites cannot hide among believers and so uncover themselves. And believers easily identify this group of people who try to harbor among them. Moreover, believers’ faith in and closeness to Allah increase as they realize the works of satan and his influence over hypocrites – since they see the manifestation of a verse in the Qur’an:
So that He can make what satan insinuates a trial for those with sickness in their hearts and for those whose hearts are hard – the wrongdoers are entrenched in hostility – and so that those who have been given knowledge will know it is the truth from their Lord and believe in it and their hearts will be humbled to Him. Allah guides those who believe to a straight path. (Surat Al-Hajj, 53-54)
This means a general cleaning in the believer community. This is also one of the wisdoms why Allah gives time to satan. Allah reveals this in the Qur’an:
Diabolis was correct in his assessment of them and they followed him, except for a group of the believers. He had no authority over them except to enable Us to know those who believe in the Hereafter from those who are in doubt about it. Your Lord is the Preserver of all things. (Surah Saba’, 20-21)
Another point no known by non-believers is that satan has no exercise power. He only invites people. If the person has sickness in his heart, then he listens to this call. Otherwise, satan has a no power to use force over human beings. He knows that those who listen to and worship him are in utter blindness. On one verse, the confession of satan to those who listen to him, in the Judgment Day is revealed as follows:
When the affair is decided satan will say, ‘Allah made you a promise, a promise of truth, and I made you a promise but broke my promise. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. Do not, therefore, blame me but blame yourselves. I cannot come to your aid nor you to mine. I reject the way you associated me with Allah before.’ The wrongdoers will have a painful punishment. (Surah Abraham, 22)
