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Could it be that the answering of prayers in many matters is a gradual enticement (istidraj) from Satan to make a person feel secure about their piety, and does Satan have the ability to facilitate matters to deceive a human being?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The believer thinks well of his Lord and poorly of himself. Whatever harm befalls him is due to his sins, and whatever good comes to him is due to his Lord's grace. Supplication (Du'a) is of two types: Du'a 'Ibadah (supplication as worship, i.e., obedience to Allah), and Du'a Mas'alah (supplication as a request, i.e., asking Allah to bring benefit and ward off harm). The answering of Du'a Mas'alah does not necessarily signify Allah's love and pleasure with the supplicant. It could be a form of istidraj (gradual enticement towards ruin), or an acceleration of good in this world, or a manifestation of His mercy, or a response to an oppressed person, or due to the supplicant's righteousness. Giving and withholding are solely in Allah's hands; neither Satan nor anyone else possesses any power over planning or disposal. Istidraj is an act of Allah, the Exalted, towards whomever He wills among His servants. It involves bestowing blessings upon a servant repeatedly while that servant persists in disobedience, without realizing that he is heading towards ill. One of its signs is that Allah gives the servant what he desires from this world despite his sins. The believer balances gratitude for blessings with fear of Allah's cunning (makr), and in his journey towards Him, he combines awe (rahbah) with longing (raghbah).

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

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