Sinning: Due to Nafs or Shaytan?
How do we know if it is our nafs or Shaytan trying to make us sin?
If we desire to do a sin, but we suppress and control it over and over again that is a sign that the nafs is trying to make us sin. Our nafs is like a child who is stubborn and insistent to touch something. On the other hand, if we have a desire to do a sin, but we suppress it, then we get a desire to do a ‘different’ type of sin, but we suppress it and control it, and then again, we get yet a different desire to do a sin, this is ShayTaan trying to influence us. ShayTaan doesn’t care which since we commit; he’s not stubborn like we are. He tempts and moves on to a new temptation. Ultimately, if ShayTaan cannot get us to sin, he will try to keep us from doing something that is good.
Repeating sins over and over increases its severity and also reduces our feelings of embarrassment. We lose all shame, and so it becomes easier to sin and increases severity. This causes our hearts to become hardened and blackened.
