Iblis (Satan) organized an international conference, which was attended by his followers from all over the world. In his opening address, he said:
“Oh my friends and helpers, we cannot stop righteous, pious people – believers in Allah, from going to the mosques. We cannot stop them from reading their Holy Book and familiarizing themselves with the Truth. We cannot stop them from establishing a deep and meaningful relationship with Allah. But remember, if they are successful in establishing this relationship with their Rubb, we will lose our hold on them. Remember, Allah has told me about them:“Indeed, over My (believing) servants there is for you no authority.”
“So let them go to their place of worship and let them continue with their normal routine. But snatch one thing away from them – their time. Then they will not be able to establish the required connection with their Creator. This is what I want you to do. O my followers, make them inattentive and careless in achieving that closeness, that important relationship with Allah, which is the purpose of their existence. Without bonding with Him, their lives will become meaningless.”
The delegates loved every word he said. This mission gave meaning to their lives. They sat up and asked: “How shall we do it, O Master?” “It’s not difficult,” said Iblis. “Just keep them preoccupied and contented with the unimportant, unnecessary things in their lives. Be creative. Invent numerous ways to keep them busy, busy, busy.”
“Incite them to spend extravagantly and then go around borrowing for their needs. Encourage the wives to spend and spend. Plant ambition in the husbands – they must be ahead in the race for money, status, power. Let them work and work 18-20 hours a day, 7 days a week, to compete in fulfilling the demands of their material self. Deprive them of time to spend with their children. As the family gradually becomes dysfunctional and falls apart, their homes will cease to be a source of peace. With the increasing pressure of work, reluctant to go home, they will look for that peace outside. Make their minds so occupied, they will not be able to hear that small voice crying out to them that something is not right.”
“Encourage them to turn on their radios, CDs and cassettes when they are driving. At home, make sure their PCs , TVs , VCRs, DVD Players and radios are operating round the clock. Let their mobile phones ring incessantly. Their minds, numbed by all the activity, will have no time to think of Allah or their duty to worship Him, at least in the way they should. This way their connection with Allah will be weakened.”
“Fill up their tables with magazines and newspapers. Assault them with a barrage of news, so that their minds are constantly occupied. On the road, let them be distracted by massive billboards and ads, tempting them to buy things they don’t need. Flood their mail-boxes with letters and junk mail. Whatever little time they have left, will be taken up by this.”
“In their recreational activities, let them be excessive. When they return home, they will be so tired and irritable, they will remain so the whole of next week. And don’t let them go near nature, in case they ponder and reflect on Allah’s signs in the universe; instead send them to concerts, cinemas, and stadiums. Keep them busy, busy, busy.”
“Convince them that religion is ‘personal’, the inherited beliefs of their ancestors are best and that ‘majority is authority’. Even when they attend assemblies of Allah’s remembrance, keep their minds preoccupied with worldly thoughts. Or let the arguments between religious scholars where each one claims that he is the only one on the right path, make them so disturbed that they will not go to such assemblies again. And make them waste their goods deeds by gossiping and backbiting.”
“March forward my commandos. Busy them in winning each others hearts and flood their lives with so many good aims, they will have no time to ask Allah for help in achieving them. Very soon they will exhaust themselves, sacrificing their health and their family life for these ‘lofty’ goals. This will be good, this will be super, this will be great!”
What a convention it was! Such a roaring success! What a thunderous applause! With great zealousness and enthusiasm, all the delegates – Satan’s forces went their respective ways and got cracking with their assigned tasks.
So Iblis succeeded in his mission and the believers were seen running around here and there, busy, busy, busy.