Why did Iblis mention four directions in his challenge in the verse: "Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them grateful," even though six directions are known? And can Satan come from above the head, as obsessive-compulsive disorder suggests, based on the supplication "O Allah, protect me from before me and from behind me..."?

The interpretation of the verse about Iblis (Satan) saying, "I will surely come upon them from before them..." has two views: The first view holds that the four directions mean the physical directions surrounding a person. Satan did not mention the upward direction because mercy descends from it, and he did not mention the downward direction because it is not possible to come from it. The second view holds that the four directions mean this world and the hereafter, and good deeds and bad deeds.

Satan does not come to a person from the upward direction. Seeking refuge from above and below in supplications means seeking refuge from calamities and being swallowed by the earth, not from Satan.

The plot of Satan is weak, and he has no authority except over those who befriend him. A Muslim should turn to Allah and be humble in their prayers. If Satan whispers to them, they should seek refuge in Allah from him and spit to their left three times.