Qareens: A companion Satan - devil with us

Abu Hannah

Slave of Allah
Qareens (, also spelled Kareen or Qarin) according to Islamic literature are evil spirits, analogous to a personal demon, intent on tricking people into acts of sin. Qareens are unique to each individual, according to sorcery books, they can be summoned by psychics after a person's death, such as in a seance, for the soul goes to God and the unruly qareen would remain on earth. The qareen conforming to his malevolent nature, impersonating the deceased whose character he's familiar with.

From a purely Qur'anic view Qareens have been mentioned in the following:

And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious (Allâh) (i.e. this Qur’ân and worship of Allâh), We appoint for him Shaitan (Satan - devil) to be a Qarîn (a companion) to him. Sura Az-Zukhruf:36 (47:36)
So as explained above a Qareen is a devil appointed as a companion. The Qareen should not be asked to be brought out or revealed, they are dangerous.

The Warning about Shaytaan and an Explanation of his Plans

Know that your enemy, the Shaytaan and his troops will not stop at trying to bring about the cause of the destruction of your actions and seducing you into riyaa'. Look at the warning about the plan of Shaytaan which has come in the Book and the Sunnah as it is the best healing for the worst disease.

Allaah the Exalted said:

Indeed Shaytaan is to you an enemy, so take him as an enemy.[1]

He the Sublime also said:

Shaytaan threatens you with poverty and commands you with evil and obscene deeds.[2]

The Sublime also said:

Indeed, Shaytaan is an open and manifest enemy to mankind.[3]

The Exalted also said:

If any does follow the footsteps of Shaytaan he will but command the evil and obscene.[4]

The Exalted also said:

Shaytaan has made their actions alluring to them and has prevented them from the path.[5]

The Messenger of Allaah said: "Shaytaan is present with one of you in all of his affairs until he is present with him while he takes his food. When one of you drops a morsel let him pick it up, remove whatever remains on it and then eat it. Let him not leave it for the Shaytaan and when he he departs (from his food) let him lick his fingers as he does not know in which part of his food the blessing lies."[6]

In this is evidence that Shaytaan is present with you in all of your affairs. He is present in order to corrupt the intention, speech or action. If your intention is good he will direct you to an action which has not been legislated so that you engage upon it with this good intention. If your action is good he will spoil and ruin your intention. If your intention is good he will corrupt the way you speak with others so that enmity and hatred develops between you and them. He will try to achieve that with whatever ability he has over it.

The Messenger (sas) said: "There is none amongst you except that there has been appointed to him a qareen (companion) from among the Jinn and a qareen from the Angels." They said: And you also? He said: "And me also except that Allaah has aided me against him and so he has submitted. He does not command me except with good." [7]

He (sas) also said: "There is none amongst you except that with him is a shaytaan." They said: And you also O Messenger? He said: Yes, except that Allaah has aided me against him so he has submitted."[8]

He (sas) also said: "Iblees has placed his throne above the water (sea) and then he sends his detachments. The closest of them to him are those who cause the greatest trial. One of them comes back to him and says: I did such and such. Shaytaan replies: You have not done anything. Then another comes to him and says: I did not leave him alone until I caused division between him and his wife." He (sas) said: So Shaytaan brings him closer to himself and says: You did well."[9]

He (sas) also said: "Indeed Shaytaan flows in the son of Aadam like the blood."[10]

Be cautious, therefore, of this despised and accursed enemy and know that he does not take a rest as the Messenger (sas) has said: "Take a nap / siesta as Shaytaan does not take a rest." [11]

Shaytaan is not able to get to you if you seek help from Allaah against him and carefully observe Allaah in all your actions whether small or large.

Good companionship, choosing and having good companions is extremely important for many reasons and from many aspects.

Mankind cannot live alone; every individual must live and interact with others.

Those people who you sit with and make your friends are inevitably going to fall into one of two categories. Either they are going to be good individuals - who guide and encourage you towards what is good, and help you to accomplish that which Allah has ordered, or they are going to be bad - encouraging you to do what is pleasing to Shaytaan, that which misleads you and leads you to the Hell-Fire.

When the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was sent with the Da'wah to establish the Deen of al-Islaam, he did not do it on his own. Rather, Allah chose for him companions who accompanied him and who carried the Message until it was complete. These three aspects show the importance of having good companions, companions who are Saalih (righteous). Such a companion will help you to do what is good and remind you of Allah, he will enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. They also show the importance of avoiding keeping bad companions. Such companions who have a bad effect upon you, they help you to do those deeds which are displeasing to Allah and which lead to the Hell-Fire - and we seek Allah's refuge from that.

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) explained the matter of good companionship, so that no room is left for doubt or confusion, when he (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
"A person is upon the Deen of his khaleel (close friend), so look to whom you befriend." [Abu Dawud & Tirmidhee]

This means that a person is upon the same minhajj (methodology) as his friend, the same tareeq (path) as his friend, the same nature, manner and behaviour as his friend. So we must be careful about whom we befriend.

There is an Arabic expression - 'Your companion is what pulls you to something'. So if your companion is good, he will pull to towards that which is good. But if your companion is bad, he will only pull you towards that which is evil. We must choose our friends and companions carefully so that we take friends who are sincere, and who will order us with what is good and forbid us from what is evil. If he observes us committing sins he would warn us, if he becomes aware of our shortcomings he would advise us, and if he finds a fault in us he would cover it. About this the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He neither betrays him nor tells him a lie, nor humiliates him." [At-Tirmidhee] So should you see a fault in your brother, you should wish to remove that fault from him and not expose it to the people. This is what is required by brotherhood and again stresses the importance of choosing friends who are upon the correct way, who are loyal, and who hide your faults whilst ordering you with good and forbidding you from evil, who stand beside you and support you, and co-operate with you upon all that is good.

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) also explained this great principle further in another narration, wherein he (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) stated,
"Do not keep company except with a believer, and do not feed except a person who has taqwaa (fear of Allah)." [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhee]

This principle is important from the standpoint of how the Deen is to be established, and from the standpoint of what brotherhood is and what it does. Indeed, the reason that one takes a companion is to help him establish his Islaam, and to help him worship Allah. We find a good example in the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)- the one who Allah chose and who He spoke to - Musa (as). When Allah sent him to Fir'awn, he said, "And appoint for me a helper from my family, Haaroon - my brother; increase my strength with him, and let him share my task (of conveying Allah's Message and Prophet hood), that we may glorify You much and remember You much." [20:29-34]

Musa wanted his brother to support him and help him, protect him and accompany him. And this is what the believers do for one another. For the thing that binds the believers together and makes them brothers is eemaan (Islamic belief). The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
"There are three characteristics; whoever has them will find the sweetness of eemaan: That Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else, that he loves a person and does not love him except for Allah, and that he would hat to revert to unbelief just as he would hate to be thrown into the Fire." [Bukhari & Muslim]

Thus the connection between the believers is based upon eemaan and sincere brotherhood.

Be warned against taking any companion if such companionship is based upon other than this, for if you were to do that you would then bite your hands in grief. Just as the unjust ones will bite their hands in grief on the Last Day. Saying, "Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (the Qur'aan) after it had come to me." [25:27]

Allah says, "And whosoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allah), We appoint for him Shaytaan to be a Qareen (intimate companion) to him." [43:36]

So all of the physical togetherness that you see around you, which is based upon other than eemaan, will be wiped away on that Day, and will be a source of misery and torture for them. Allah says that those who love one another for other than the sake of Allah will be "...foes one to another..." on the Last Day. [43:67]

It is only the brotherhood which is based upon eemaan and taqwaa that is the true and lasting brotherhood. All of those who come together for materialistic reasons; because of complexion, because of nationality, or for whatever other reason, will be enemies one to another "...except al-Muttaqoon." Those who have taqwaa, and love a brother only because he is upon the Path of Allah and has the same eemaan that they have; he has taken the path of the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Salafus-Saalih (righteous predecessors). So be careful, before you slip and find yourself exposed to a fitnah, which you never imagined, all because you were not careful about whom you took as a companion.

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "The case of the good companion and the bad companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blower of the bellows (iron-smith). As for the seller of musk, he will either give you some of the musk, or you will purchase some from him, or at least you will come away having experienced its good smell. Whereas the blower of the bellows will either burn your clothing, or at least you will come away having experienced its repugnant smell." [Bukhari & Muslim]

The good companion has been given this similitude because he is righteous and will help you to remember Allah. If he sees you make a mistake he will advise you and support you, whereas the bad companion would forsake you; leaving you at the time when you are most in need of him. "And remember the Day when the Zaalim (wrong-doer, oppressor, polytheist etc.) will bite at his hands, he will say, 'Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur'aan) after it had come to me. And Shaytaan is ever a deserter to man in the hour of need'." [25:27-29]

The bad companion is the Shaytaan from amongst mankind, and the Shayaateen are both men and jinns. Sometimes the harm, which comes from the Shayaateen amongst men, is greater than the harm, which comes from the Shayaateen of the jinn. As a matter of fact the Shayaateen amongst mankind could probably teach the Shayaateen from the jinn a few things they didn't know!

So in this hadeeth, where the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said that the good companion is like the seller of musk - which is a particular type of perfume, one of the best - it is said that either you will take some from him or you will get some of its fragrance on you. It can be seen that from the good companion you will either pick up good actions and statements from his example - obeying Allah because he does so and because he supports you in that, ordering what is good and forbidding what is evil, acquiring good characteristics and qualities and beneficial knowledge - or if he sees you becoming weak in your eemaan he will advise you and help you.

A good example of this can be found in the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), who was ma'soom (free from making sins). When he was making the hijrah (migration) from Makkah to Madinah he would not leave until he had chosen a companion to accompany him on his way. Abu Bakr offered to go with him and make the hijrah also, but the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered him to wait until Allah allowed him to do so. This implies that the fact that Abu Bakr was to be the Prophet's companion on this hijrah was a choice from Allah, and so great a choice and such a blessing that Allah mentioned it in the Qur'aan:

"Allah did indeed help him (Muhammad [sallallahu alaihi wa sallam]) when the disbelievers drove him out. The second of the two, when they (Muhammad [sallallahu alaihi wa sallam] and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, and he (s) said to his companion, 'Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us'." [9:40]

He (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, 'surely Allah is with us', not 'with me', since Abu Bakr had supported the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in the establishing of the Deen of Allah, he had thus earned the right to be supported by Allah also.

Abu Bakr - a good friend and companion, one who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of Allah and to the service of His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam); his blood, his wealth, his sweat, his tears and everything that he owned he gave for Allah's sake. Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, radhi Allahu anhu, the first Khalifah after the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and his great companion, the best of this Ummah after the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), sets for us this great example of the good companion who is like the perfume merchant.
 
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