Surah Maryam — Verse 83

Word Meanings:

• أَلَمْ تَرَ (Have you not seen): This is a rhetorical question meant to draw attention and express wonder at a profound reality.
• أَرْسَلْنَا (We sent/dispatched): Here it means We have empowered and given authority over.
• الشَّيَاطِينَ (the devils): The evil forces among the jinn who are devoted to misguidance.
• تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا (they incite them with incitement): They stir them up, push them, and drive them forcefully toward evil and disobedience.

Explanation of the Verse:

O Messenger of Allah, have you not observed and reflected upon the amazing reality that We have dispatched the devils and given them power over those who reject faith in Allah and His messengers? These devils do not merely whisper or suggest — they aggressively stir the disbelievers, agitating them constantly and driving them with relentless force toward sin, transgression, and turning away from the path of Allah. They provoke them to disobedience the way a fire is fanned into blazing flames, or the way a herdsman drives his camels with urgency.

This is not a random occurrence — it is a divine decree and a form of justice. When people choose disbelief and persist in rejecting the truth, Allah leaves them to their own choice and grants the devils authority over them as a consequence of their stubbornness. The devils become their constant companions, pushing them from one sin to another, from one act of defiance to the next, until they are completely consumed by their own rebellion.

Yet within this verse lies a profound lesson for the believer: the power of the devils over the disbelievers is not absolute — it is only by Allah's permission and within the bounds He has set. The same Allah who sends the devils upon the disbelievers is the One who protects His sincere servants. When a person sincerely turns to Allah, seeks His protection, and clings to His guidance, the devils are rendered powerless over him. Allah says elsewhere: "Indeed, over My servants there is for you no authority" (Al-Hijr: 42).

So let this verse be a reminder of the immense mercy of Allah upon the believers — that He has not left them to the whispers and agitation of the devils, but has given them the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the means of protection through remembrance and obedience. And let it also serve as a warning: no one should take lightly the path of disbelief, for it leads not only to punishment in the Hereafter, but to being abandoned in this life to the very forces that will drag them further into darkness.

O servant of Allah, reflect deeply: if the devils are so eager to push the disbelievers toward evil, how much more should you strive to push yourself toward good? Seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil, hold firmly to your faith, and know that the One who sent the devils upon the disbelievers is the very One who has promised to protect you — if only you remain steadfast upon His path.