How Satan Impacts Workplace Productivity
What do arrogance, envy, and anger in the workplace have in common? According to Islamic psychology, these are all diseases of the heart that are inspired by whispers of Satan.
As Muslims, we believe that as we enter our places of work – whether an office building, a home office, a clinic, or any other area of work – we don’t enter it alone. We believe that Satan is with us, constantly trying to whisper evil and negative thoughts to influence us and steer us away from the path of faith and goodness.
Allah SWT says in the Quran:
إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا۟ حِزْبَهُۥ لِيَكُونُوا۟ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ
Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.
The challenge in our modern lives is that we’ve either forgotten about Satan entirely and act as if he doesn’t exist, or we turned him into a boogeyman whom we’re too afraid to talk about since we have cultural misconceptions about his influence and impact on our lives.
This is especially true for workplaces – where even the mention of Satan as a form of negative influence in the workplace will bring laughter and mockery from colleagues that you believe in such ‘backward’ concepts. Somehow we forgot the eternal promise that Satan made to Allah SWT when he said:
قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَٰطَكَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
ثُمَّ لَـَٔاتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَـٰكِرِينَ
[Satan] said, “Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path. I will come at them- from their front, and their back, from their right and their left- and You will find that most of them are ungrateful.’ 7:16-17
It is important to note that when we talk about the influence of Satan at work – we are not absolving ourselves from personal responsibility or blaming Satan for all our negative behavior. Instead, we want to recognize Satan’s role in human psychology and how it impacts our performance. Moreover, being aware of Satan’s influence will encourage us to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and our organizations moving forward.
In this article, I’ll share ten ways Satan influences us at work with evidence from the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I’ll then share ten practical antidotes that we can adopt as professionals and five antidotes we can adopt as companies/organizations to reduce the influence of Satan in our workplaces, insha’Allah (God-willing).
1. SCARCITY MINDSET
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. 2:268
A scarcity mindset is a fear of not having enough of something valuable, and when left unchecked, it can have detrimental effects on professionals and organizations.
For example, the professional who believes that they cannot earn enough income through a halal (lawful) job, and Satan encourages them to take a job or side-gig that may not be halal out of fear of poverty. Or the employee who doesn’t want to share their knowledge or ideas out of fear that other people will take their job or steal their ideas.
Or the non-profit organization fundraiser that thinks that there are not enough donations to go around. Therefore, they avoid collaborating with other non-profits because they don’t want to “share the pie”.
In his podcast episode “How Satan Tricks Us Into Having a Scarcity Mindset,” my friend Omar Usman dives deeper into this topic, and how that impacts people and organizations.
Having a scarcity mindset will impede growth, creativity, and collaboration because you’ll always be worried about what you can lose instead of exploring what you can gain if you adopt a more abundant mindset.
2. PARALYZING FEAR
إِنَّمَا ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.
Have you ever found yourself paralyzed with making a decision – even though it was the right one – because of fear of the unknown?
Perhaps it is a big move in your life and career – but you’re too afraid to make that brave step. Or you need to make an important decision for your organization, but the fear of all the things that can go wrong stops you from moving forward and even experimenting with the new strategy. Satan whispers in you that “you’re not good enough” as a way to make you hold yourself from making a more meaningful contribution.
While some fear is natural and part of the human experience, having paralyzing fear that stops you from making meaningful progress in your personal and professional life is usually influenced by Satan.
In the Islamic tradition, we’re taught to tie our camel and trust in God and not be held back by illogical “nightmare” scenarios Satan plays in our minds. This is especially true if you want to move forward with something that contributes to a more meaningful and purposeful life.
Another way Satan stokes fear in the workplace is having paralyzing fear of people you work with. Perhaps you have a paralyzing fear of your boss, or the CEO, or the Board. Instead of seeing these individuals as human beings with flaws, Satan turns them into larger-than-life authority figures and makes us believe that they control our sustenance and destiny and therefore we should obey them no matter what – even if it goes against personal and organizational values.
3. LAZINESS AND PROCRASTINATION
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ يَعْقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى قَافِيَةِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا هُوَ نَامَ ثَلاَثَ عُقَدٍ، يَضْرِبُ كُلَّ عُقْدَةٍ عَلَيْكَ لَيْلٌ طَوِيلٌ فَارْقُدْ، فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ صَلَّى انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ فَأَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ، وَإِلاَّ أَصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلاَنَ ”.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot, he reads and exhales the following words, ‘The night is long, so stay asleep.’ When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays, the third knot is undone, and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart.”
Laziness is an emotion, and it occurs when we don’t feel like doing something that we should be doing. Although not all laziness is from Satan, sometimes Satan can inspire laziness and plays a hand in slowing us down, especially when we’re doing something important or meaningful in life.
Perhaps you’re writing your next book or working on life-altering research, but you find yourself extremely lazy and yawning uncontrollably when you start working on your project. Once you switch your attention to something else, you find a significant amount of energy. That feeling of lethargy and laziness when working on something significant/meaningful…could be Satan.
Another form of laziness is procrastination – where you keep delaying things and distracting yourself with everything but what you’re supposed to do.
We all know of Satan’s classic trick of making us procrastinate on our five daily prayers until the last minute. But even procrastinating on our work and watching YouTube and/or browsing the internet instead of fulfilling our responsibility at work is procrastination that Satan inspires.
For organizations, laziness and procrastination drain an enormous amount of resources and productive hours. Companies try to curb laziness and procrastination through deadlines and constant monitoring of their employees, however, the issue at hand is a human psychological state that needs to be addressed from within.
Both laziness and procrastination stem from Satan trying to convince you that you have a long time to live, making you forget that you will die one day and that you’ll meet your Lord and be answerable for how you spent your time on this earth.
4. SEXUAL TEMPTATION
وَعَنْ عُمَرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأَةٍ إِلَّا كَانَ ثالثهما الشَّيْطَان» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ
‘Umar reported the Prophet as saying, “Whenever a man is alone with a woman, the devil makes a third.”
One of the classic ways Satan impacts us in the workplace is to distract us with sexual thoughts when dealing with colleagues from the opposite gender.
In the last few years, we’ve seen a number of high-profile cases of sexual abuse and assault that take place at work. Many people were shocked and surprised by these cases because we’ve been tricked into thinking that as we enter a professional space, we somehow enter a holy sanctuary where sexual urges are subdued. Unfortunately, knowing our psyche more than ourselves, Satan exploits the “professional” facade and flames our sexual urges, especially when alone with the opposite gender late at night or in a private closed space.
In a 2017 article in the New York Times, Americans were polled about being alone with the opposite gender, and the results were clear:
“Many men and women are wary of a range of one-on-one situations, the poll found. Around a quarter think private work meetings with colleagues of the opposite sex are inappropriate. Nearly two-thirds say people should take extra caution around members of the opposite sex at work.”
Miller, C. C. (2017, July 02). Americans Are Wary of Being Alone With the Opposite Sex.
When you spend 8-10 hours per day with the same people at work, Satan tries to plant the seeds of infatuation in your heart with the opposite gender – and if you don’t check yourself, it may lead to the haraam in a moment of weakness. Even if you’re somebody who can ‘control themselves’ – just the daily battle of trying to purify your gaze and not be aroused by temptations around you impacts your productivity and focus.
For many organizations – especially faith-based organizations – this has been a challenging aspect to manage. On one hand, we want organizations to provide fair and just career opportunities to both genders. On the other hand, organizations need to address basic human instincts and not foster an environment where Satan can play his tricks and lead to inappropriate thoughts or behavior.
5. ENMITY
وَقُل لِّعِبَادِى يَقُولُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا
And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.
Nothing impacts you more at work than a toxic work environment fueled by office politics and enmity.
In an article in HBR, “The Price of Incivility,” researchers found that when workers experience rudeness, incivility, and enmity at work, here’s what happens to them:
- 48% intentionally decreased their work effort.
- 47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.
- 38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.
- 80% lost work time worrying about the incident.
- 63% lost work time avoiding the offender.
- 66% said that their performance declined.
- 78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.
- 12% said that they left their job because of the uncivil treatment.
- 25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers.
We all know the feeling of going to work dreading the office drama and people we can’t stand. However, have you ever wondered where those negative thoughts about people come from? That could be Satan making you misjudge people by taking someone’s comments in the wrong way, or fueling your bad opinion about people.
If you’re a professional walking around with all these negative thoughts about your colleagues – how can you effectively collaborate with them?
And, as an organization, when you let Satan run loose, creating enmity between people – how can you expect workplace productivity to soar?
Again, I’m not blaming Satan for all the incivility that takes place at work, but we can’t deny his influence.
6. ARROGANCE AND ENVY
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ
[Allah] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth].”
I once talked to the Ombudsman of a large Bank, and he said, “The biggest challenge we have in this Bank is Envy.”
Workplaces are rife with ego-centric individuals that let arrogance and envy destroy careers and implode an organization.
We’ve seen how arrogance led to the downfall of many powerful personalities throughout history and even entire corporations. Satan can inspire arrogance at the individual level but like a disease it can spread quickly and you have an entire workforce that feels arrogant about who they are as a company and what they offer. This arrogance can blind an organization from being humble and admitting mistakes, learning from others, or exploring new ways of doing things.
Attached to arrogance, is usually envy, e.g. – when you have two or more people for a role, and one of them is chosen – that’s a breeding ground for envy.
Moreover, our current generation, raised on a sense of entitlement (“I deserve this because I’m better and worked harder”), finds it hard to accept that somebody else might be a better fit for the job.
Arrogance and Envy are Satan’s original sin and what got him removed from Allah’s Mercy. He wants to poison our hearts with that same disease of the heart so that we forget to be humble and grateful for what we have and where we are in life.
Moreover, it’s one thing to feel arrogant and envious of your colleagues. It’s another when that arrogance and envy leads you to sabotage their projects and careers. For example, if someone asks you for a reference about someone you envy, you might lie about their track record or give the impression that something is wrong with the person without giving any evidence.
For organizations, if they don’t deal with arrogance and envy, they might have to deal with a toxic work environment of individuals and teams that try to tear each other apart because each person thinks they are better than the other.
7. DISTRACTION AND HEEDLESSNESS
ٱسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ ذِكْرَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
Satan has overcome them and made them forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the party of Satan. Unquestionably, the party of Satan – will be the losers.
One of the most significant workplace spiritual challenges is that it’s tough to remember Allah (SWT) in the middle of your busy workday.
We get into work, and it’s as if we’re entering a different space dimension and completely forget our ultimate purpose in life: to worship Allah (SWT).
If it wasn’t for Dhuhur (Noon) and Asr (afternoon) prayers, we could probably go through the entire day and not remember Allah (SWT) even once.
The problem with this spiritual distraction and heedlessness from remembering God is that Satan occupies your mind and heart and tries to lead you to all sorts of inappropriate thoughts, actions, and behaviors. That’s why we sometimes find ourselves doing things and saying things at work, which we would be embarrassed to do or say in front of our families or at the mosque.
Simply put, when your heart is empty of remembrance of God for 8-10 hours per day, your heart becomes weaker and more susceptible to Satan’s whispers.
8. ANGER
حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَدِيُّ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ صُرَدٍ، رَجُلاً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ اسْتَبَّ رَجُلاَنِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَغَضِبَ أَحَدُهُمَا، فَاشْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ حَتَّى انْتَفَخَ وَجْهُهُ وَتَغَيَّرَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ إِنِّي لأَعْلَمُ كَلِمَةً لَوْ قَالَهَا لَذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الَّذِي يَجِدُ ”. فَانْطَلَقَ إِلَيْهِ الرَّجُلُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَالَ تَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ. فَقَالَ أَتُرَى بِي بَأْسٌ أَمَجْنُونٌ أَنَا اذْهَبْ.
Narrated Sulaiman bin Surat: A man from the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet (ﷺ), and one of them became angry, and his anger became so intense that his face became swollen and changed. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “I know a word the saying of which will cause him to relax if he does say it.” Then a man went to him and informed him of the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “Seek refuge with Allah from Satan.” On that, the angry man said, ‘Do you find anything wrong with me? Am I insane? Go away!”
When I was a young professional, I remember having a meeting with my boss. Suddenly, a senior professional barged into the office screaming angrily because he recently got demoted and was asked to move to a smaller office.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced ‘office rage’ and how somebody who may look perfectly normal can become this angry human being that you hardly recognize.
Now, some anger is justified (and perhaps needed), especially if directed in situations that require courage and standing up to authority when they cross ethical boundaries. However, anger over petty matters or those that are driven by enmity and envy, are those inspired by Satan.
One trick of Satan is to convince us that we need to have anger in order to get what we want and move ahead in our career. We see examples of CEOs and famous personalities who used anger to drive their employees and get results. Unfortunately, even though it may seem to work in the short-term, in the long run, if you’re unable to control your anger, it can destroy your career and tarnish your brand.
To succeed in life (and our afterlife), we need to manage strong emotions such as anger and not let them run wild.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ ”.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.”
9. WASTEFULNESS
إِنَّ ٱلْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوٓا۟ إِخْوَٰنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِرَبِّهِۦ كَفُورًا
Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful. 17:27
I’ve been to so many corporate and non-profit events where there was so much waste – whether it’s lavish gala dinners or extravagant decorations of the CEO office—or simply wasting paper because the office is paying for it.
This wastefulness is all inspired by Satan and makes us poor vicegerents of Allah (SWT) on earth.
In a world that’s becoming more conscious of the environment, we need to ensure that Satan doesn’t trick us into wasting precious resources for the next generation.
If organizations don’t show leadership in how all stakeholders can be less wasteful, employees and team members will cue that being wasteful is okay.
10. HASTE
وَعَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ -رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -{ اَلْعَجَلَةُ مِنَ اَلشَّيْطَانِ } أَخْرَجَهُ اَلتِّرْمِذِيُّ
Sahl bin Sa’d (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Haste comes from Satan.” Related by At-Tirmidhi
Hustle Culture rewards speed and efficiency so much so that we consider it as a badge of honor that we’re busy and rushing from one meeting to the next.
The phrase “move fast and break things” is revered in Hustle Culture, even though there’s no evidence that being hasty leads to success.
When we rush as professionals, we lose our mindfulness and become raptured in our heedless state. Moreover, we are less likely to do our work with Ihsaan (spiritual excellence) and more likely to make mistakes that in some cases can be fatal.
Satan likes to see us always in a state of haste because then we’ll be heedless and distracted from remembering God.
Moreover, we’ve seen companies that make it a deliberate practice to rush their staff from one task to another and not give them enough breaks that they end up having to urinate in bottles on their way to the next task. Such debasing of human value and human dignity can only be inspired by Satan.
As a professional and an organization – how should you deal with all the above negative influences of Satan? For example, how do you tackle arrogance and envy as an organization? Or manage your anger as a professional? How do you set up your workplaces so that men and women can work together respectfully and without fear of inappropriate sexual behavior?
These questions and more are complex and require a whole industry of Islamic psychologists trained in organizational and professional development that can offer both spiritual and practical solutions to some of these challenges.
Below I share ten antidotes that professionals can practice to reduce the influence of Satan on their lives and five additional antidotes that organizations can adopt as well. As you read them, pick one or two to focus on in the next week, and come back to this list often to practice the rest as build your immunity against Satan’s influence.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and I hope you can share more antidotes you’ve tried in the past in the comments below.
1. Awareness
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” — Charles Baudelaire
When you raise your awareness and recognize that there’s a force of evil that can influence you and your colleagues, that by itself will help put your guard up and be aware of some of the negative influences around you.
2. Personal Spiritual Protection
We take out insurance for our homes and cars to protect them against fire and theft. We take our medicine and multivitamins to protect us against disease and bad health. Similarly, we need to arm ourselves with spiritual protection against Satan through morning and evening remembrances that give us specific spiritual prescriptions against the influence of Satan. Other spiritual protections include:
- Making the dua for leaving the house.
- Praying Fajr/Isha in a congregation.
- Reciting Surat Al-Baqarah often (yes, even at work).
3. Being in a State of Wudhu (Ablution)
Constantly being in a state of Wudhu will help reduce the influence of Satan upon you. So make it a habit to be in a state of Wudhu, and renew your Wudhu whenever you lose it. This can be very helpful if you’re entering an emotional discussion with colleagues and don’t want Satan to create enmity between you and your colleagues. I encourage my team members to attend our meetings in a state of wudhu, if possible.
4. Avoid being alone with the opposite gender
Make it a personal policy that you’ll never be alone with someone from the opposite gender. Keep your door open if you have a private office. If you need to have a one-to-one conversation, hold it in a meeting room with glass doors or in a public area, e.g., coffee shop or cafeteria. Be respectful and professional in all your engagements with them and build a ‘personal brand’ that you’re somebody who does not tolerate inappropriate behavior with the opposite gender.
5. Say Bismillah Consciously
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ، بَكْرُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ “ إِذَا دَخَلَ الرَّجُلُ بَيْتَهُ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ وَعِنْدَ طَعَامِهِ قَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لاَ مَبِيتَ لَكُمْ وَلاَ عَشَاءَ . وَإِذَا دَخَلَ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ قَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ أَدْرَكْتُمُ الْمَبِيتَ . فَإِذَا لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ طَعَامِهِ قَالَ أَدْرَكْتُمُ الْمَبِيتَ وَالْعَشَاءَ ” .
It was narrated from Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: “When a man enters his house, and remembers Allah when he enters and when he eats, Satan says: ‘You have no place to stay and no supper.’ If he enters his house and does not remember Allah upon entering, Satan says: ‘You have found a place to stay.’ And if he does not remember Allah when he eats, (Satan) says: ‘You have found a place to stay and supper.’”
In addition to saying Bismillah when you enter your home and eat, say Bismillah consciously when you enter the workplace and start a meeting or open your laptop. Making it a habit to say Bismillah before action will reduce the influence of Satan upon you for that act.
6. Fast at least once a week
If you want to heavily reduce the influence of Satan upon you, especially at work, make it a habit to fast once or twice a week (Mondays and/or Thursdays). Fasting can help ‘reset’ your spiritual capacity to deal with the negative influences of Satan. Also, fasting at the beginning and end of a workweek can be a great way to start and end your week on a solid spiritual high note.
7. Follow the Sunnah when you get Angry
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حَرْبِ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لَنَا “ إِذَا غَضِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ فَلْيَجْلِسْ فَإِنْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْغَضَبُ وَإِلاَّ فَلْيَضْطَجِعْ ” .
Narrated Abu Dharr: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise, he should lie down.
Change your position when you get angry and seek refuge with Allah (SWT) from Satan. If you can, remove yourself from that meeting or phone call that’s making you angry, make Wudhu, and come back with a renewed intention to deal with what’s triggering you but without anger.
8. Get 3 important things done per day
As Satan tries to distract you and make you procrastinate, make it a habit that no matter what you do all day, even if you find yourself on YouTube half the time, you won’t leave work until you complete at least three important things that day. Ideally, try to get these done early in the morning before meetings and distractions pile up, and you can use the Pomodoro technique to help you stick with the task even when every ounce of you craves distraction.
9. Make constant dua against laziness/procrastination
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to often make this dua:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ
‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.’
We call this the “Productive Muslim Dua” because it seeks refuge from all the factors that destroy productivity and are usually influenced by Satan.
10. Don’t be wasteful
Don’t be a wasteful employee at work (or otherwise!). Recycle your paper, use a mug instead of a paper cup, and don’t waste food. If you have management power, make this a priority for organizing events or decorating your office.
If you’re a CEO or in HR of a predominantly Muslim workforce, you can adopt the following practices to help reduce the influence of Satan in the workplace:
1. Openly discuss the role of Satan in the workplace
We need to break the taboo of talking about Satan in the workplace. Show awareness of Satan and his influence and discuss how you will not let Satan affect your team culture. Perhaps add it as an agenda-item in your weekly/monthly check-in so it becomes an item to be discussed by the team instead of an ignored fact of life.
2. Encourage using the phrase “I don’t want Satan to play games”
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ صَفِيَّةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّهَا جَاءَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَزُورُهُ فِي اعْتِكَافِهِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ، فَتَحَدَّثَتْ عِنْدَهُ سَاعَةً، ثُمَّ قَامَتْ تَنْقَلِبُ، فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَعَهَا يَقْلِبُهَا، حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتْ باب الْمَسْجِدِ عِنْدَ باب أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ مَرَّ رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ، فَسَلَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لَهُمَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” عَلَى رِسْلِكُمَا إِنَّمَا هِيَ صَفِيَّةُ بِنْتُ حُيَىٍّ ”. فَقَالاَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. وَكَبُرَ عَلَيْهِمَا. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَبْلُغُ مِنَ الإِنْسَانِ مَبْلَغَ الدَّمِ، وَإِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَقْذِفَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمَا شَيْئًا ”.
Narrated `Ali bin Al-Husain: Safiya, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) told me that she went to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) to visit him in the mosque while he was in I’tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. She had a talk with him for a while, then she got up in order to return home. The Prophet (ﷺ) accompanied her. When they reached the gate of the mosque, opposite the door of Um-Salama, two Ansari men were passing by and they greeted Allah’s Apostle . He told them: Do not run away! And said, “She is (my wife) Safiya bint Huyai.” Both of them said, “Subhan Allah, (How dare we think of any evil) O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)!” And they felt it. The Prophet said (to them), “Satan reaches everywhere in the human body as blood reaches in it, (everywhere in one’s body). I was afraid lest Satan might insert an evil thought in your minds.”
Encourage your employees and team members to clarify situations before ‘Satan plays games.’ For example, if a team member comments in a meeting that may be misunderstood or a situation arose between two members of the opposite gender that may be perceived as inappropriate, give the team members the power to ‘clarify’ and not let Satan play games.
3. Encourage remembrance of God in the workplace
You want to encourage remembrance of God in the workplace by having the athan played in loudspeakers, play the morning and evening athkar as people enter and leave the building, having a prayer room and a place where people can renew their spirituality in the hustle and bustle of work.
Try to encourage team members to pray together in the congregation. I know a CEO of a large Malaysian conglomerate who used to lead dhuhr prayers at his company every day, and after prayer, he’d give a short spiritual reminder to his staff. Another CEO of a large Islamic Bank led tahajjud prayers during Ramadan at the Bank’s headquarters, which many of his team attended.
4. Hire a “Chief Murabbi Officer”
This can be a novel idea that’s worth exploring. A chief murabbi officer is someone whose responsibility is the spiritual development of staff members. Their role includes connecting with staff spiritually, holding regular talks and events to remind people about the importance of spirituality, and warning people against the influence of Satan.
5. Setup physical spaces & policies to protect against inappropriate sexual behavior
Think of your workplace environment and how it can be set up to protect against sexual abuse. This can be as simple as installing glass doors on all offices and meeting rooms, having many public collaborative spaces, and implementing policies for late-night working in an office building, or inviting team members for lunch/dinner.
6. Have zero tolerance against backbiting and gossip
Don’t let Satan thrive in the workplace by allowing gossip and backbiting, which may lead to enmity and envy. If a situation that’s causing much gossip arises, make it a point to publicly clarify the situation. Don’t let Satan run loose at your company!
I hope that you found this article and the tips above valuable and beneficial. Again, I want to be clear that Satan’s role is to whisper/suggest and make false promises to us, but, in the end, it is us who decide whether to act on these influences or not.
I hope that many professionals and organizations will take this article and share it with their colleagues to discuss and come up with even better ideas for tackling Satan’s influence at work.
We can’t simply continue working as if he doesn’t exist – let’s commit to doing something about it.
Our workplaces are not heavenly sanctuaries where Satan does not influence us because “we are all professionals”. If anything, they can be the perfect breeding ground for Satan to thrive, creating havoc in our spiritual selves and our workplaces.
Remember that Satan’s power over us is relative to how much we feed him. If we listen to him, ignore guidance from the Quran and Sunnah in terms of litanies and rituals to protect ourselves, and allow him to influence our daily decisions and lifestyle, we might find ourselves chained to Satan and following every conceivable demonic practice vs. fulfilling our true purpose in life of being true slaves of Allah SWT.
Audhu-billahi min ash-shaytaan-ir-rajeem
