praise be to Allah Who reduced his plotting to whispering
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: جاءَ رجُلُ إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: يا رسولَ اللهِ، إن أحدنا يجدُ في نفسِهِ -يُعرِّضُ بالشَّيءِ- لأَن يكونَ حُمَمَةً أحَبُّ إليه من أن يتكلَّم بِهِ، فقال: «اللهُ أكبرُ، اللهُ أكبرُ، الحمدُ لله الذي ردَّ كيدَه إلى الوسوسَةِ».
Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, one of us may have such thoughts - referring to it indirectly - that he would prefer to turn into charcoal rather than speak about them." Thereupon, he said: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest; praise be to Allah Who reduced his plotting to whispering."
Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and An-Nasā’i in Al-Kubra · hadeethenc:65012
Grading: Authentic (as published by the source; the grader is not named)
Explanation from the source
- The Hadīth demonstrates that Satan lies in wait for the believers, whispering to them in an attempt to turn them from belief to disbelief.
- It highlights the weakness of Satan towards the believers, as he is unable to do anything but whisper.
- A believer should turn away from the whisperings of Satan and repel them.
- It is legitimate to proclaim Allah's greatness upon experiencing something pleasant, amazing, or the like.
- It is legitimate for a Muslim to ask a scholar about all that he finds confusing.
Topics: Belief in the Angels
Source: HadeethEnc.com, published by HadeethEnc.com. Version API snapshot retrieved 2026-10-11 (the source publishes no version number) (retrieved 2026-10-11). Published by HadeethEnc.com. Shown unmodified; not reviewed by a scholar.