Abdullah, son of Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, said: “There is none among you with whom is not an attache from among the jinn (devil).” They (the Companions) said: Allah’s Messenger, with you too? Thereupon, he said: “Yes, but Allah helps me against him and so I am safe from his hand and he does not command me but for good.”
So, the Prophet was protected from all the evils of the Shaytan and his companions from the Jinn. They could not give him wrong advice or whisper ills in his years, as they do in the case of other human beings. Shaytan had been debarred from all access of influence to the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ has described the attempts made by the Shaytan to disturb him and the strength provided by Allah to withstand all those. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said that Shaytan appeared before him in the form of a cat and attacked him while he was saying his prayer. However, Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ power over the Shaytan and thwarted its ill design.
Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, also reported a similar tradition of the Prophet. Shaytan came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was saying prayers, brandishing fire in his face, but failed to do any harm.
When the Shaytan failed in its several direct attacks on the Prophet ﷺ, he tried to help the enemies of Islam in their battle against Muslims. He appeared in the form of Suraqa, son of Malik, an old and influential man from Najd, to the leaders of the Quraysh at the time when they were planning an attack on the Muslims in Madinah. This was just when the army of the disbelieving enemies was about to march from Makkah to the Badar. He instigated them, saying that they would win the battle. He was with them until he saw angels arriving in Badar to help the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. He then fled away. Allah has described this misadventure of the Shaytan in the Qur’an, “And [remember] when Shaytan made their deeds pleasing to them and said, ‘No one can overcome you today from among the people, and indeed, I am your protector.’ But when the two armies sighted each other, he turned on his heels and said, ‘Indeed, I am dissociated from you. Indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed, I fear Allah.’ And Allah is severe in penalty.” (The Qur’an 8:48)
One needs to understand the verses of the Qur’an where any action is assigned to the Shaytan, including the following:
The Qur’an described the story of Prophet Ayyub, may Allah bestow peace on him, and said, “And remember Our servant Ayyub, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, Shaytan has touched me with hardship and torment.” (The Qur’an 38:41)
This verse did not imply that Shaytan had any power, superseding Allah, that he could harm the Prophet. It was a case of trial of the Prophet by Allah that he had to undergo so many trials and tribulations. It was a test from Allah, and Prophet Ayyub, may Allah bestow peace on him, passed it with flying colours, much to the inconvenience of the Shaytan.
When the servant accompanying Musa, may Allah bestow peace on him, forgot to mention the miraculous departure of the fish, he apologised, saying, “Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Shaytan.” (The Qur’an 18:63)
Prophet Yusuf, may Allah bestow peace on him, told one of his companions in prison to mention him to the king after he was set free, but he forgot to do so for a long time. The Qur’an says, “But Shaytan made him forget the mention [to] his master.” (The Qur’an 12:42)
As regards the above-mentioned two verses, it may be noted that these are in accordance with the linguistic preference of the Arabs, who assign ugly things to the deeds of Shaytan. This form of speech is also used in the case of human beings. We may cite the example of the anger of the Prophet ﷺ towards someone who passes in front of a person saying prayers. He said, “Fight him because he is a Shaytan.”