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The Promised Messiah (as) wrote over 80 books in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian. Excerpts of his collected works have been translated into English and organised by topic. The Review of Religions is pleased to present these excerpts as part of a monthly feature. Here, the Promised Messiah (as) describes the difference between satanic and divine revelation.
This is the sixth part of a multi-part series.
Extracts from The Essence of Islam – Vol. II. pp. 81-89
Satanic Revelation is a Reality
Satanic revelation is a reality which is experienced by some imperfect seekers. There is also self-suggestion, which may be described as confused dreams. He who denies this opposes the Holy Qur’an which affirms that satanic revelation is a fact. God Almighty says that so long as a person’s purification of soul is not complete and perfected he can be the recipient of satanic revelation and can fall within the purview of the verse:
تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٖ [1]
But the pure ones are immediately warned of a satanic approach. It is a pity that some Christian ministers have gone so far in their writings as to suggest that when Satan took Jesus (as) to a hillock, this was not an external event which could have been witnessed by others and by the Jews and that three times Jesus (as) received satanic revelation which he did not accept. We tremble at hearing this biblical commentary that Jesus (as) should have been subject to satanic revelation… No satanic thought can take possession of a pure heart. If such a stray thought should ever come across their mind, it is quickly rejected and their heart is not stained thereby.
In the Holy Qur’an such a stray thought is named ta’if. It has very little relation with the heart and is like the shadow of a faraway tree. It is possible that Satan the accursed desired to create in the heart of Jesus (as) some slight doubt of this type and he rejected it immediately through his prophetic power… We can affirm that through his prophetic power, and through the light of truth that he possessed, Jesus (as) did not permit the satanic revelation to approach him and immediately occupied himself with its rejection, and as darkness cannot withstand light, Satan was not able to withstand him and ran away. This is the true meaning of:
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيۡسَ لَكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ سُلۡطَٰنٌ [2]
Satan has authority only on those who accept satanic suggestions and satanic revelation. But those who shoot the arrow of light at Satan and wound him from afar and refute him and do not follow him in whatever he might say, are exempt from his authority. But as God Almighty desires to show them the kingdom of the heaven and earth and Satan is a part of the kingdom of earth, it is necessary that in order to complete their observation of the creation they should see the face of this curious creature and should hear his word.
The garment of their transcendence and innocence is not stained thereby in the least. Satan had, mischievously, according to his ancient way, made a request to Jesus (as) which his pure nature immediately rejected and did not accept. This was not at all derogatory of Jesus (as). Do not the wicked sometimes speak in the presence of kings? In the same way, Satan spiritually injected his word into the heart of Jesus (as), but Jesus (as) did not accept it and rejected it immediately. This was a commendable act and to criticise it would amount to foolishness and ignorance of the spiritual philosophy. It is not for every pious person and Sufi to reject a satanic suggestion and to demonstrate its impurity as did Jesus (as) with the whip of his light.
Sayyed Abd al-Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) has stated that on one occasion he received a satanic revelation. Satan said to him: ‘Abd al-Qadir, thy worship has been accepted and now all that is forbidden to others is permitted to thee and thou art relieved of the obligation of performing salat.’ Abd al-Qadir said to him: ‘Avaunt Satan; how can that be permitted to me which was not permitted to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him?’ Then Satan disappeared from his golden throne. If a man of God and unique individual like Abd al-Qadir received satanic revelation, how can the common people, who have not yet completed their search, escape it? They have not the eyes of light wherewith they can recognise satanic revelation, as did Sayyed Abd al-Qadir and Jesus (as) (peace be on him). Those soothsayers who abounded in Arabia before the advent of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) received plenty of satanic revelation, and sometimes, on the basis of it, they made prophecies, and the wonder is that some of their prophecies were fulfilled. Islamic literature is full of these stories. He who denies the possibility of satanic revelation rejects the teachings of the prophets (peace be on them), and denies the whole system of prophethood. The Bible has recorded that on one occasion, four hundred prophets received a satanic revelation, which was the work of a white jinn, and on the basis of that revelation, they prophesied the victory of a king, but that king was killed in great humiliation in battle and suffered a great defeat. A prophet who had received his revelation from Gabriel (as) had prophesied that the king would be killed and dogs would eat his body and he would suffer a great defeat. This was fulfilled and the falsehood of the prophecy of four hundred prophets was demonstrated.
Naturally, a question arises that if satanic revelation is so common, then all revelation becomes doubtful, especially as an exalted prophet like Jesus (as) also had such experience. Revelation thus becomes a great trial. The answer is that there is no reason to be disheartened. It is part of divine law that everything valuable has attached to it some things that are false. Genuine pearls come out of the ocean, but there are also false pearls which people manufacture themselves. Commerce in genuine pearls cannot be stopped because false pearls are also available. A jeweller upon whom God Almighty bestows insight recognises at once which pearl is real and which is false. The Imam of the age is the jeweller of the jewels of revelation. He who keeps company with him can easily distinguish between the real and the false. O ye Sufis! And O ye victims of alchemy! step warily in here and remember that true re