The precious selected from the deception of Iblis

Forward son of Al-Jawzi Pen Al-Hassan Ali Abdul Hamid Part of the introduction: Indeed, all praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from the bad of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no misleader for him; and whom He misleads, there is no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. As for what follows: Indeed, Allah says in His decisive Book, narrating about Iblis: "Say, 'Do you see if Allah should make for you the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you light? Then will you not hear?' Say, 'Is it then other than Allah I should seek as a judge while He is the Lord of all things?' And He sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs according to their measure, and the flood bears the foam that bubbles up to the surface of the water, and from what they heat in the fire, seeking to make ornaments or tools, there is a foam like it. Likewise, Allah makes falsehood to vanish and truth to appear, and He is the Knower of the unseen." [Al-A'raf: 14-17] This noble verse clarifies the features of a fierce war between Satan and his soldiers on one side, and the friends of Allah and His worshipers on the other. And this fierce war has no protector for the believer except his seeking help from his Lord, the Most High, and arming himself with beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds, so that Satan and his army do not find any openings through which they can enter, and through which they can infiltrate. The first spark of this destructive war was when Allah, glorified be He, created His Prophet Adam: Satan whispered to him, saying, "O Adam, shall I guide you to the tree of eternity and a kingdom that will not decay?" [Taha: 120] From that day, the war has been ongoing between Satan and his followers, and the friends of Allah and His worshipers. Sometimes the victory is for the side of evil, and often the triumph is for the side of good. The scholars of the nation and the elite of the Imams have been aware of this intense conflict, and they have written many works warning the sincere worshipers and pious Muslims, warning them of the evil of Iblis, and forbidding them from his temptations and deceptions. Imam Ibn Abi Dunya, who died in 281 AH, wrote his book "Makaiid al-Shaytan" (Satan’s Schemes). Sheikh Abu Hamed Al-Ghazali, who died in 505 AH, wrote his book "Talbis Iblis" (Iblis’s Deception). And our Imam, the noble Ibn al-Jawzi, authored his book "Talbis Iblis" as well. Later, Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, who died in 751 AH, wrote "Ighathat al-Lahfan min Masayid al-Shaytan" (Relief for the Distressed from Satan’s Traps). Thus, in a series of beneficial scholarly writings, their authors — may Allah have mercy on them — aimed to uncover Satan’s traps, reveal his deceptions, and clarify his misleading tricks. And since this is the case, I saw it my duty to contribute some effort to continue this bright and good path. But... I read in the biographies of noble figures, in the history of Islam, by the historian Al-Hafiz Shams al-Din Al-Dhahabi, in the biography of Imam Al-Muqri’ Ibn Mujahid, the following: "Imam Ibn Abi Hisham said: A man asked Ibn Mujahid: Why don’t you choose a letter for yourself?" He said: "We are until we work on ourselves to preserve what has passed, then we are more in need of choosing." His words touched my heart, so I searched for a book through which I could add a new weapon in the hands of Allah’s servants, the monotheists, against the cursed Satan, in their war with him until he submits! So, the choice was made for the book "Talbis Iblis" by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi — may Allah have mercy on him — for the following reasons: First: Its good treatment of the important topics it discusses in the book, which benefit the readers. Second: Its similarity to the reality we are experiencing today. Third: The great fame the book has gained among all levels of people, both specific and general. Fourth: The lack of a verified copy with scholarly verification that reassures the usual Muslim and the seeker of knowledge. And other reasons not hidden upon reflection. So, I compiled this book, which is in your hands, dear reader, in the way you see fit, asking Allah the Most High to benefit from it the reader and the viewer, and to reward its author for his effort and choice. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Responding. And our last supplication is praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Written by Abu al-Harith Al-Halabi Al-Athari