Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) mentioned the following hadeeth in Fazaail-e-Aa’maal together with presenting its explanation. This hadeeth is a solution to most of the problems which the Ummah are facing today. Therefore, it is vitally important for us to read this hadeeth with its commentary to understand whether we are treading on the straight path in our Deen or we are following the path of Shaitaan:

عَنْ اَبِيْ بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ بِلَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَالْاِسْتِغْفَارِ فَاَكْثِرُوْا مِنْهُمَا فَاِنَّ اِبْلِيْسَ قَالَ اَهْلَكْتُ النَّاسَ بِالذُّنُوْبِ وَاَهْلَكُوْنِيْ بِلَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَالْاِسْتِغْفَارِ فَلَمَّا رَاَيْتُ ذٰلِكَ اَهْلَكْتُهُمْ بِالْاَهْوَاءِ وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُوْنَ (اخرجه السيوطي في الجامع الصغير # 8232)

Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Recite laa ilaaha illallaah and istighfaar as frequently as you can, because Shaitaan says, ‘I ruin people by tempting them to commit sins, but they have destroyed me through their recitation of laa ilaaha illallaah and istighfaar. When I had seen that (they are overpowering me with their recitation of laa ilaaha illallaah and istighfaar), I destroyed them by causing them to get involved in following the desires of their nafs (i.e. by them getting involved in bid‘aat  – innovated practices) while they think that they are still on the right path.’”

The main object of Shaitaan is to inject poison into one’s mind. He is successful in doing so only when the heart is not engaged in zikr, otherwise he has to go away in disgrace. In fact, zikr of Allah Ta‘ala purifies the heart. It is narrated in Mishkaat Shareef that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had said, “For everything there is a cleanser and purifier, and the cleanser and purifier of the heart is the zikr of Allah Ta‘ala.”

The effect of istighfaar is similar, as mentioned in many ahaadeeth, that it removes the dirt and rust from the heart. Abu ‘Ali Daqqaaq (rahimahullah) writes that when a person recites laa ilaaha with sincerity, his heart is cleansed of all dirt (just as a mirror is cleansed with a wet cloth), and when he says illallaah, his heart shines with its light. It is quite clear all the effort of Shaitaan is wasted in such a case and all his works are destroyed.

(Fazaail-e-Aa’maal [Urdu] pg. 487-488)

Source: Ihyaauddeen.co.za