Surah Ha-Mim as-Sajdah, Footnote 40

Satan becomes deeply troubled when he sees that, in the war between truth and falsehood, baseness is being met with decency and evil with goodness. He wants, if only once, to somehow provoke those fighting for the truth—and especially their prominent figures, and above all their leader—into some mistake, so that it could be said to the common people: “Look, evil is not one-sided; if base acts are being committed on one side, the people on the other side aren’t such lofty individuals either—after all, they too did such-and-such disgraceful thing.” Ordinary people lack the ability to fairly weigh, on one hand, the excesses of the opponents against, on the other, a retaliatory response. As long as they keep seeing that the opponents are committing every kind of vile act while these people do not budge an inch from the path of decency, honor, goodness, and righteousness, they continue to be deeply impressed. But if these people commit even one improper act, or an act beneath their station—even if only in response to some great wrong—then in the eyes of the people, the two sides become equal, and the opponents also get an excuse to answer a single harsh word with a thousand insults. It is on this basis that the instruction was given to be wary of Satan’s deception. He will pose as a deeply sympathetic well-wisher and incite you, saying: “Such-and-such excess should never be tolerated,” “such-and-such remark deserves a crushing reply,” “you must fight back against this attack, or else you will be thought a coward and lose your standing.” Whenever you feel such improper provocation stirring within you, be alert that this is Satan’s instigation, wanting to anger you into some mistake. And having become alert to this, do not fall into the further conceit of thinking, “I have control over my temper; Satan cannot make me err”—for this very pride in one’s own power of judgment and will is Satan’s second and more dangerous deception. Instead, you should seek refuge in God, for it is only through His enabling grace and protection that a person can be saved from mistakes.

The best illustration of this point is an incident that Imam Ahmad recorded in his Musnad from Abu Hurairah. He relates that once, in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him), a man began hurling relentless insults at Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Abu Bakr bore his insults in silence, while the Prophet sat watching and smiling. Eventually Abu Bakr’s patience reached its limit, and he answered the man back with a harsh word of his own. The moment those words left his tongue, a visible displeasure came over the Prophet’s blessed face, and he immediately got up and left. Abu Bakr got up and followed him, and asked along the way what had happened—that the man had kept insulting him while the Prophet sat silently smiling, but as soon as he answered back, the Prophet became displeased. The Prophet said: “As long as you remained silent, an angel was with you, answering on your behalf; but once you spoke, the angel left and Satan took his place. I could not sit together with Satan.”