One of the most abstruse deceits of Satan is that he causes his followers to deny his existence
Tenth indication
One of the most abstruse deceits of Satan is that he causes his followers to deny his existence. Since those whose minds have been confused by materialistic philosophy in particular hesitate in this evident matter, I will say some things concerning this trick of Satan. They are as follows:
In the same way that there are corporeal evil spirits who function like Satan among human beings, it is also certain that there are incorporeal evil spirits among the jinn. If the latter were clothed in physical bodies, they would be the same as these evil human beings. If, on the other hand, these devils in human form were able to remove their physicality, they would be the same as the jinn-satans. It is because of this extremely close relationship that one false school assumed, “The excessively evil spirits in human form become devils after they die.”
As is known, when something of high quality is corrupted, it becomes more corrupt than something of less quality. For example, when milk and yoghurt go bad, they can still be eaten, but when butter goes bad, it can no longer be eaten; it even sometimes becomes like poison. Similarly, if human beings, the noblest, possibly the highest, of creatures, are corrupted, they become more corrupt than any other corrupted creature. Like vermin that receive pleasure from the stink of putrefied flesh and snakes that take pleasure at biting and poisoning, they enjoy and are proud of the evil they commit and their corrupt morals in the marsh of misguidance, as well as the harm and injustices they inflict in the darkness of wrongdoing. It can be said that they take on the nature of Satan. In short, a decisive proof for the existence of jinn-satans is the existence of human-satans.
Secondly, the numerous decisive proofs presented in the Twenty Ninth Word for the existence of angels or other spiritual beings is also proof of the existence of jinn-satans. We refer this point to that Word.
Thirdly, religions are agreed upon the existence of angels, who represent and supervise the laws that are in effect in good deeds and issues. Likewise, wisdom and reality require that there should be evil spirits or satans (devils) to represent the laws that are effective in evil acts and who have some part in them. It may even be said that the existence of conscious veils before evil is more necessary. For as explained at the beginning of the Twenty-Second Word, everyone cannot see the essential good in everything. So, in order not to object to the All-Majestic Creator because of apparent evils and defects and not to accuse His Mercy and criticize His Wisdom or complain of Him, there must be a screen between God and apparently evil deeds. Any objection, criticism, or complaint should be directed at the screen, and not turned to the All-Munificent Creator and the absolutely All-Wise. Just as He has made illnesses a veil to save the angel of death, Azra’il, from the resentment of those who die, so too has He made Azra’il, upon him be peace, a veil before His taking souls at death, so that complaints arising from death and similar events, which some may suppose to be mercilessness, should not be directed at God Almighty. Just so, and even more certainly, the wisdom of God as the Lord demands the existence of Satan in order that the objections and criticisms that arise from evil should not be directed to the All-Majestic Creator.
Fourthly, as the human is a micro-universe (a microcosm), so too the universe is a macro-human being. This micro-universe is an index and summarized form of that macro-human. So the macro-originals of models among human beings will necessarily exist in the macro-human. For example, the existence of human memory is a decisive proof of the existence of the Supreme Preserved Tablet. Likewise, everyone experiences that there is a center in one corner of the heart which functions as an instrument for evil suggestions, and a tongue which speaks under the influence of the power of groundless fear and fancy, and that when corrupted, the power of groundless fear and fancy may become like a small Satan, acting contrary to its owner’s will and desires. All these are a certain proof of the monstrous satans in the world. Functioning as an ear and tongue respectively, the satanic center in our heart and the power of groundless fear and fancy suggest the existence in the outer world of an evil being that blows in the former and makes the latter speak.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi