Question No. 3239 31 August 2022 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified سطح محتوا: مقدماتی

What Is the Difference Between the Devil’s Whispers and Those of the Heart?

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Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3239

Dear teacher, what is the difference between the devil’s whispers and those of the heart? How can we tell them apart?
For example, during the blessed month of Ramadan, the devil is bound. Does that mean that any whisper we experience during this time comes from the lower self, with the devil playing no part in it?
God says in Surah Qaf: “We created man and know what his soul whispers to him, for We are closer to him than his jugular vein.”

Subject category: Ethics and Spirituality Ethics and Spirituality

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

The devil’s whispers take effect only when a person’s lower self lends them support. If the self pays no heed to the devil and the heart does not open its ear to his calls, the heart remains a sanctuary of the divine. During Ramadan, the devils’ power is weakened, but their mischief does not cease; a person can still protect themselves from their whispers.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

Satan’s whisperings take hold only when the human soul gives them its cooperation. So long as the soul does not betray us, Satan’s whisperings have no effect. They affect us only when the soul turns its attention to Satan. If the soul pays him no heed and closes the ears of the heart to his calls, the human heart becomes a sanctuary of the Divine.

In the blessed month of Ramadan, the devils are chained—that is, their strength and power are diminished, and a person can more easily protect themselves from their whisperings and claims. In other words, the devils do not cease their mischief; it is simply weakened.

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What Is the Difference Between the Devil’s Whispers and Those of the Heart?

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

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