Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of gold)

36. And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious [Allah], We appoint for him a devil to be a companion to him.

37. And verily, they [devils] hinder them from the Path [of Allah], but they think that they are guided.

The preceding Verses made mention of disbelievers sinking in worldly possessions but the Verses in question make a reference to one of the tokens of such sinking in gold and adornments.

It is to be noted that the

“companion”

may imply bad company, spouse, children, or partner. It is for the same reason that the indefinite for of Devil (Shaytanan) in ad hoc employed to include devils of all kind.

According to the preceding Verses, a devil will be appointed by God Almighty to be the companion of the one who turns away from reflection on Qur’anic Verses and turns to mundane preoccupations.

The two blessed Verses in question say that one who does not remember God and the Attributes of his Glory and does not reflect on Qur’anic Verses and Their secrets and delicacies so that the Truth of the Islamic faith becomes manifest to him will undoubtedly be occupied with falsehood and entertains satanic thought in his heart.

Such thought hinders the path of Truth and the passage of angels to his heart; as a consequence of which his heart turns into the camp of devils and man will have no other alternative to hinder the path of devils but to remember God and reflect on Divine Attributes and Creation and through Divine Aid may be able to hinder the path of devils.

It is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S)¹ that had it not been for the devils surrounding man’s heart, he would have taken a glance at the dominions of the heavens and the earth.

The Prophetic tradition indicates that any man is worthy of attainting to such station; however, when he is enslaved by his concupiscence, devils will take control of him surrounding his heart and blinding the eyes of his heart through which he is supposed to take a glance at the dominions of the heavens and the earth and discover spiritual truths.

It is to be noted that when one is entangled with the blindness and darkness of one’s concupiscence, he will falsely imagine that he is on the right path whereas he is in error.