If he notices that your heart is having so much avarice that...

Then with one utterance of the words ‘audhu billahi Satan will run away. The Majority are Entrapped It is narrated that once Satan came to the presence of Hadrat Yahya (a.s.). Prophet Yahya (a.s.) asked him about his treatment of Adam (a.s.)’s progeny. He replied that men are divided into three groups. The first group consists of the revered persons who are always out of his reach. These are the Prophets (a.s.) and the Infallible.

Then Satan said that the second group consists of the people over whom he can have his sway. But with penitence they nullify his maneuvers. The third group of people is of those in whose hearts he, Satan, lives. These form the vast majority of people. O believers! Do such acts that Satan is unable to find an entry into your hearts! Otherwise, mere utterance of the words of Isti’adha will not be of any use.

The Thief on the Look Out For Breaking into the House To prevent Satan from entrenching into your heart you will have to adopt piety. Shun all things that are not liked by Allah (S.w.T.). Shun avarice, immoral acts, bad habits and all such evil traits that take you towards illegitimate acts and illegitimate food. The heart will then be pure and clean. Once the heart is cleansed of these things, then piety will find it’s way into it.

It will now have the fear of Allah (S.w.T.) and the fear of the Day of Reckoning. Now Satan will be rendered absolutely helpless. He does have the extreme desire to enter such hearts and waits for the slightest chance that the person commits a mistake and opens the way for him. Satan is like a thief who does reconnaissance of the fort to find a foothold or the slightest of openings to break in. But when he notices that the keeper of the fort is alert he escapes from the ramparts disappointed.