A great and successful commander always knows his enemies weakness and strength before he engaged in a battle with them. Now as a Muslim to be able to know and identify our enemies will be of an advantage to us to better fight and overcome them. This is a challenging mission and lets us track our 10 most wanted enemies. Here is the list:

1. Enemy Number One - Shaitan (Lanatullah alihi):

In al-Qur'an, Allah (swt) has mentioned numerous times that shaitan is our true and real enemy. Even our fore-father Nabi Adam a.s. was not spared by shaitan's wicked and cunning ways. Please bear in mind that shaitan is working round the clock, all year round irregardless of seasons, day or night and is most experienced having lived for decades. All Muslims must fight this enemy and be wary of its dubious ploy. Shaitan is with each and every one of us..it is up to us to destroy its influence by being loyal and obedient only to Allah (swt).....Only Allah (swt) is our saviour! But we must learn to recognise the shaitan just listen to his whispering in your heart for that is the place he loves to reside because he knows that man is constantly trying to seek his lord with the eyes which do not perceive him for he is perfect and these eyes are a mere gift for our own benefit. It is the Heart which sees Allah and recognises his love and majesty we must purify our hearts and rid shaitan who by staying in the heart as if though the idols are in the mosque.

2. Enemy Number Two - Our Nafs (inner self):

This is a real tough "guy"...it is difficult to break this nafs as it dwells within us.. When we eat they eat, when we drink they drink but when we are resting they are plotting to destroy us. Those who succumbs to his own nafs is in a great lost and is most unfortunate. In al-Qur'an, Allah (swt) condemns those who follow his/her nafs without any reservation or thought. Our beloved Rasulullah (s.a.w).recommended fasting as one of the ways to curb our nafs. The Nafs is what was bestowed by Allah and is therfor the most important thing we have Allah says in the Quran Every Nafs shall taste death and we have also read in Quran and numerous Hadeeth that it is the nafs which will go to heaven and we know much about the spirituality of the Prophets and the great Awliya and the Vallyallahs. These people stopped and worked on their Nafs which is no easy task by any estimation but non the less the Prophet and the imams have prescribed many remedies for the Diseases of the Nafs its just a matter of man becoming awoken from his Ignorance and realizing he can cure his many problems. Stress, worry,sadness, lonliness, aimlesness, selfpity, depression, and the list goes on these are all problems of the Nafs but people dont realise the cause is sin and not being loyal to Allah hence the heavenly nafs is made to go against its Nature and therfore when something is abused or used in a manner not appropriate for it it just begins to decay or break or seize to function or go berzerk all of this pleases Shaitan, man enjoys it whilst it lasts but.??

3. Enemy Number Three - Our Hearts:

The heart plays the all important role in our well being, be it physically and/or mentally. Our beloved Rasulullah s.a.w. mentioned that there is a piece of meat in our body - if it is good, all will be good but if it is otherwise the rest will suffer and follow suit to destruction. Our heart (intention) is also vital to separate our amal. Is it for Allah (swt) or something else. If what we do (our ibadah, etc) is only for Allah (swt) then that Muslim is most lucky and fortunate - remember what we vow in our Salat, "inna salati wanusuki wamayaya wa mamati lillahi rabbal'alamin". All beside Allah (swt) is immaterial. There are three types of hearts mentioned in al-Qur'an:- The heart is very sacred we have stored many idols in this heart of ours when in reality this was only the place to recognise and communicate with the beloved and feel the pangs of seperation from Allah but we have found many perverse and unfitting uses for it by god if people knew what this Celestial Jewel reallly was.

a) The heart that is alive and well:- this belongs to the Muslims who are steadfast in their ibadah. and are aware of them selves and know exactly what the reaction of each of their actions is. and they recognise the Oneness of Allah and can see his Glory everywhere and pay total homage and allegience to rightly guided and forbid evil and enjoin good.

b) The heart that is sick:- this belongs to the Muslims with a weak Iman..they admitted that Allah (swt) is the one and only but their actions are undesirable and against Allah (swt)'s rules and regulations. They fully Hypocrisy and pay full Allegience to the Devil even if they do not realise. their actions always contradict the laws and guidelines of Allah and use flattery and many other gestures to act as muslims but really they are in the wrong camp.

c) The heart that is dead:- this belongs to the non-believers, they know (or sometime just could not be bothered) that Islam is the true religion but they totally rejected Islam. Also many muslims have dead hearts liek we have said earlier on the diseases of the heart are many (this does not include physical illness cancer etc) these are te hidded mysteries of the Jewel which can be polished so much that you become one with harmony or you rebel so much that you never ever find that peace which you see in every face accepts yours.

4. Enemy Number Four - This World (al-Dunya):

Rasulullah (s) regarded this "world" as an old lady which has limited time and is most horrible. By comparing this world with an old lady Rasulullah (s.a.w). expected us to "shun" from it and be mindful of what this "dunya" has to offer. Do we want a life of "pleasure" in this temporary and deceitful abode or do we rather forgo this "old lady" and wait for a better lady in waiting at jannah. Rasulullah (s.a.w). mentioned that there will be a time when this ummah (us) will love this world too great to the extend that we are afraid of dying, na'uzubillah. We must take what is necessary to sustain our life in order to facilitate our ibadah to Allah (swt) (zuhud al-dunya) and please remember Allah (swt) can take us back anytime, anywhere without a moment notice! The Prophet has (s) said the world is a corpse and the humans are Dogs eating of it. Imam Ali has said this world is a forsaken place its promise is fake and its glamour and glitter is just a temporary thing it deceives and corrupts it is a muddy drinking hole. The true beliver said the Prophet (s) to Abu Dharr is he who in this world feels trapped as if a bird is in acage or a person in a prison the true beliver]wants to be freed from this world and reach the beloved in the next realm.

5. Enemy Number Five - Fellow Humans:

Now this enemy falls into two categories:- the believers and non-believers. The believers are our own brothers and sisters in Islam but unfortunately sometimes the enemy within us is much more dangerous and their "foul play" is much more devastating. Rasulullah (s.a.w). mentioned that good and true friends are like those selling perfumes, if we mixed with them the fragrance will linger thus (effecting) making us smelling good too. However, bad or nasty friends are compared to a blacksmith..we will feel the hotness (heat) and the sparks (fire) if we stand near to them... Now the choice is yours..it is up to us to choose our friends:- to smell nice or be scalded or burnt? Sometimes, we are betrayed and sabotaged by our own Muslim brothers and there are many a time when our jealousy and pride get the better of us and into the way of the success of our Muslims brothers. We feel threatened and envious of their success and happiness and decide once for all to destroy him. Now who is the winner in this game? The non-believers on other hand will always hate Islam, be it because of their ignorance or just blindly motivated by nafs (unless they are given "tawfiq and hidayah" from Allah) they will only be happy if we follow their ways and lifestyles.

6. Enemy Number Six - Your Family:

Our family will be our enemy without we realising it. This is very evident especially if we are the head of the family and responsible for our members of family. We must heed Allah (swt)'s advice to protect ourselves and our family against the fire (hell). This call from Allah (swt) is often ignored by us...sometime to wake our children for Salat fajr we are reluctant we reasoned that they need the rest (sleep) and have to go to school. We are more worried if they will be successful in this world ...but do we ever think about their afterlife? If you really love your family please do them and yourselves this favour to observe Allah (swt) commands and prohibitions, insha'allah. The family also makes many demands which can at times be unlawful man spends his whole time pleasing his family but they are never satisfied with him unless they are beleiving and god fearing people. If that much effort was put into trying to secure the Bounties of the next world than we would all be successful.

7. Enemy Number Seven - Your 'Ibadah:

You might be wondering how can your "ibadah" be your enemy. This is true when your ibadah is not done properly according to its rules. Allah (swt) will throw back your Salat "IN YOUR FACE!" (no..not ESPN style) if you do it hastily without ever considering why you Salat in the first place or without understanding what you are doing or if it is done with the wrong intention. Our ibadah is for Proximity to Allah (swt)..if after this while, you see no improvement in yourselves in terms of your character, behaviour etc..there is a high chance that you are not really concentrating on your ibadah. It is true who are we (human) to judge one's ibadah:- is it acceptable or not by Allah (swt)? However please bear in mind Allah (swt) has set certain guidelines for us to gauge on how best we have performed in our ibadah..we will not see our fellow sisters who observe the Salat not putting on the "hijab" and we will not hear of any power struggle especially in mosques?

8. Enemy Number Eight - Time:

Time is actually not your enemy if you spend it wisely and only to seek Allah (swt)'s blessing. In this world time is of an essence..each second goes without you noticing that you are actually wasting time. Now ask this yourselves "What have I done or achieved in this world that will guarantee or defend me in life hereafter".. Most of the time, we complained and lamented that we do not have enough time on our hands..just stop grumbling and start now..insya'allah if you are sincere and work hard towards seeing an improvement Allah (swt) will help you..Don't blame "time" as your defence..time is also Allah (swt)'s creation and servant.. so work with this limited time to gain full-time happiness in heaven. Time is on nobodies side that is why Allah swears by Time and says surely man is in loss but do we ever take Heed and look at our time which has passed and do we deeply sit and think about our age and how quickly we have become twenty or thirty or fourty and so on how much do we have left if time continues at the pace it has done that means in no Time we will all be dead so your buggered but buggered for ever not just a timely punishment like on earth but ETERNAL fire and or BLISS deppending on how you spent your time.

9. Enemy Number Nine - Ignorant:

In fact, ignorance is one of the greatest enemy. One will be totally lost without proper knowledge especially about Islam. Knowledge is power:- the power to differentiate what is right and wrong. A Muslim who is hardworking in ibadah without the knowledge on what or how an ibadah is to be performed, that ibadah will be rendered null and void. What do you gain from this type of ibadah nothing but tiredness! Rasulullah (s.a.w). encouraged Muslims to seek knowledge from cradle (birth) to the grave (death). Only knowledge will make us a better Muslim and again ignorance will get us nowhere be it in this world much more later in life hereafter. To be Ignorant of the fact that you are ignorant is the worst kind of ignorance because majority of Muslims suffer from this very type of ignorance people generally think that they are o.k. and will be saved some how but unless you fully understand each tenet of Islam and follow it because your intellect demands it because all your searching for truth have been fully satisfied and you have realized the oneness of Allah and are Intoxicated by his Majesty and Beauty which is prevelent everywhere unless this happens you are still one of the Ignorant.

10. Enemy Number Ten - You (Yourself):

"Yes, You! Do not turn around!" We always blame others but do we really take a look at the man in the mirror and put the blame on him. Yes, the above mentioned enemies are true and we must make an effort to avoid (get rid of) them....but if we keep blaming them and we, ourselves do not make the effort to change or improve in that case what is the use of knowing all your enemies and we still keep "inviting" them to us? We must force ourselves to fight these and the first change we have to make is within ourselves....(not just a change of clothes?) but totally from inside-out, when we succeed in this the rest will be easy and nothing...shaitan lanatullah will "wash its hands" on judgement day..we will not be able to turn around or look up and blame them, we will be responsible for our own acts!. The devil cannot make you do anything thats what people say and unfortunetly most people are still in this thinking that shaitan has horns and fire coming out from his nose. This is not the case we all can become Shaitans in an instance because he is the one who" Excites VAIN desire within us" but we then follow out his command which comes in the form of our own personal wish this is how badly we follow him that when ever he wants to lead us Astray his wish is our desire and we always feel as i did this i did that yes its true we commited the action so there for we will suffer in the Grave and on the Promised day whilst Shaitan will be laughing at our faces and saying i only created blocks for you and you fell into them.

Dear brothers and sisters, there is a saying - know your enemy and you will know yourselves. To know yourself is to know your Lord this saying is so true ask those people who sin to tell you who makes them sin. they will either say themselves or they will blame society and culture etc but that is because they are slaves to their own Nafs which is being controlled by shaitan how many people actually reflect on this issue very few thats why Muslim women today see everything as here and now and wish to enjoy their beauty and forsake the Hijab because they dont realize reality and think there is enough time in old age to make up for lost time but it really does not work like this because firstly death can approach at any time secondly if we spent fifty years sinning our nafs and way of thinking will be so polluted and fully under shaitans rule it will be much much harder to come to the straight path. We now know our most deadly enemies now it is up to us to face the challenge and fight them. This task will be easy for some and difficult for others but as long as we make the effort, Allah (swt) will definitely guide us.

I hope and pray for all Muslims to be able to face this 10 MOST WANTED and come out, triumphant. Amin.

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