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What are the four incidents mentioned in the Qur’an whose cause was the human self, not Satan?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Sins and acts of disobedience have causes, including the self (nafs) and Satan. There are no texts that deny Satan's influence and limit it to the self. Quranic texts have proven the self's influence in disobedience, as in the story of Cain: "So his soul (nafs) enticed him to kill his brother," and the statement of the wife of Al-Aziz: "And I do not acquit my soul (nafs). Indeed, the soul (nafs) is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except for what my Lord bestows mercy upon." Al-Sa'di interprets the self that persistently enjoins evil as the vehicle of Satan and his entry point into man.

It is also stated in the Quran that disbelievers and disobedient people wronged themselves, as in His saying about Saba: "and they wronged themselves," and Musa's saying to his people: "Indeed, you wronged yourselves by your taking of the calf."

Scholars have discussed the occurrence of sins in Ramadan despite the chaining of devils, mentioning that this could be due to wicked souls, bad habits, and human devils, and that the chaining of devils reduces evils but does not completely prevent them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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