47/3. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2988 — Shaitan and Angelic Prompting
Regarding Surat Al-Baqarah
Hadith About Shaitan's Whisper and the Angel's Prompting
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2988
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2988
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ، عَنْ مُرَّةَ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ لِلشَّيْطَانِ لَمَّةً بِابْنِ آدَمَ وَلِلْمَلَكِ لَمَّةً فَأَمَّا لَمَّةُ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِيعَادٌ بِالشَّرِّ وَتَكْذِيبٌ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَمَّا لَمَّةُ الْمَلَكِ فَإِيعَادٌ بِالْخَيْرِ وَتَصْدِيقٌ بِالْحَقِّ فَمَنْ وَجَدَ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ وَجَدَ الأُخْرَى فَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ثُمَّ قَرَأ : (الشََّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ) " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ وَهُوَ حَدِيثُ أَبِي الأَحْوَصِ لاَ نَعْلَمُهُ مَرْفُوعًا إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي الأَحْوَصِ .
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud Narrated from:
The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Said: "Indeed The Shaitan Has An Effect On The Son Of Adam, And The Angel Also Has En Effect. As For The Shaitan, It Is By Threatening Evil Repercussions And Rejecting The Truth. As For The Effect Of The Angel, It Is By His Promise Of A Good End And Believing In The Truth. Whoever Finds That, Let Him Know That It Is From Allah, And Let Him Praise Allah For It. Whoever Finds The Other Then Let Him Seek Refuge With Allah From The Shaitan (The Outcast) Then Recite:Shaitan Threatens You With Poverty And Orders You To Commit Fahisha (2:268)."
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2988In-book reference : Book 47, Hadith 40English translation : Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 2988
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2988
This hadith about shaitan's whisper describes two different effects on the son of Adam. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that shaitan has an effect and the angel also has an effect. Shaitan's effect is described as threatening evil results and rejecting the truth. The angel's effect is described as a promise of good and believing in the truth. When a person finds the good prompting, he should know it is from Allah and praise Allah. When he finds the other, he should seek refuge with Allah from the outcast shaitan. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then recited the verse that shaitan threatens poverty and orders fahisha. The hadith gives a simple way to recognize and respond to these two directions.
What we learn from this hadith
- A push toward truth and good should lead a person to praise Allah.
- A push toward evil fear and denial of truth should lead a person to seek refuge in Allah.
- The hadith names shaitan's method as fear of bad outcomes and rejection of truth.
- The believer should not treat every inner prompting the same way.
