Cursing Satan

Q: A man heard me cursing Satan one day and criticized me for that. He said it is prohibited to curse Satan, because cursing him makes him haughty. Is this correct? Please, advise. May Allah reward you!

A: When Satan incites a Muslim to sin or whispers (suggests) to him, it is permissible for him to seek refuge and protection in Allah Alone from Satan. Also, it is permissible for the Muslim who fears the harm of Satan's plot, or that of his supporters, to seek the help of Allah to ward off Satan's evil and harm. He should often recite Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah) so that Allah will rebuke him and thwart his plot in a disgraceful manner. And Allah (Exalted be He) states: And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitân (Satan), then seek refuge with Allâh. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower. He (Exalted be He) says: And say: "My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayâtîn (devils). "And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they should come near me." It was authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that: when getting up to pray, he (peace be upon him) used to say: I seek refuge in Allah the All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the accursed Satan , from his Hamz (evil whispers) and his Nafkh (arrogance) and his Nafth (spell and in that Hadith scholars interpreted Nafth as Poetry). It was also compiled by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (Hadith compilation) Vol. 5 p. 59 on the authority of Abu Tamimah Al-Hujaymy that a man who was riding behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: One day as I was riding behind the Prophet on a donkey, it stumbled and I shouted, “Let Satan perish!” The Prophet said, “Do not say ‘let Satan perish,’ for if you say so (Part No. 26; Page No. 69) he will feel important and haughty and he will say, ‘I thwarted him with my power!’ Instead say, ‘In the name of Allah,’ so that he will (feel humiliated and) be smaller than a fly” A similar narration was related by Abu Dawud in his Sunan (Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes). It was mentioned in the book of Al-Samt wa Adab Al-Lisan (Silence and Etiquettes of the Tongue) written by Ibn Abu Al-Dunia p. 205 on the authority of Mujahid (may Allah be merciful to him) saying: "Seldom do people mention Satan but he attends to them; when he hears someone invoking curses on him, he says, 'Indeed, you invoke curses on a cursed being.' There is nothing more breaking to Satan's back than saying 'there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah.'" This is the effective cure for fending off Satan's harm from man, since the evil of the rebellious Jinn (creatures created from fire) cannot be removed except by that.Allah cursed Satan in His Book repeatedly when he became arrogant and refused to carry out the order of Allah to prostrate before Adam in honor and respect. As a result, Allah described Satan as an accursed outcast. He has been expelled from the mercy and Paradise of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. Allah (Exalted be He) states: They (all those who worship others than Allâh) invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allâh), and they invoke nothing but Shaitân (Satan), a persistent rebel! Allâh cursed him. And he [Shaitân (Satan)] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves. (Part No. 26; Page No. 70) He may He be Exalted) stated: (Allâh) said: "Then, get out from here, for verily, you are Rajîm (an outcast or a cursed one)." [Tafsîr At-Tabarî] "And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)." The Messenger (peace be upon him) cursed Satan in his Salah (prayer) when he (the Prophet) resisted him and wanted to harm and destroy him. It was related by Imam Muslim in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith on the authority of Abu Al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) stood up (to pray) and we heard him say:" I seek refuge in Allah from you." Then said: "I curse you with Allah's curse" three times, then he stretched out his hand as though he was taking hold of something. When he finished the prayer, we said: Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something during the prayer which we have not heard you say before, and we saw you stretch out your hand. He replied: Allah's enemy Satan came with a flame of fire to put it in my face, so I said three times: "I seek refuge in Allah from you." Then I said three times: "I curse you with Allah's full curse." But he did not retreat (on any one of these) three occasions. Thereafter, I meant to seize him. I swear by Allah that had it not been for the supplication of my brother Solomon he would have been bound, and made an object of sport for the children of Al-Madinah. Therefore, it is permissible for the Muslim to curse Satan when he comes to harm him or tries to dissuade him from obedience to Allah. Nonetheless, he should not give up seeking refuge in Allah from Satan, always reciting Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah), Bismillah [In the Name of Allah] or other Adhkar (invocations), which are permissible under the Shari`ah (Islamic law). This guarantees protection of the Muslim against the evil of Satan. (Part No. 26; Page No. 71) Based on the Ayah (Qur'anic verse) and Hadiths mentioned above, a Muslim should not take to cursing Satan needlessly as a form of following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.