أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ إِسْحَاق، عَنْ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ، قَالَ: "قَالَ إِبْلِيسُ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ: مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَأْتُونَ بَنِي آدَمَ ؟، فَقَالُوا: مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، قَالَ: فَهَلْ تَأْتُونَهُمْ مِنْ قِبَلِ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ ؟، قَالُوا: هَيْهَاتَ ! ذَاكَ شَيْءٌ قُرِنَ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ، قَالَ: لَأَبُثَّنَّ فِيهِمْ شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ مِنْهُ، قَالَ: فَبَثَّ فِيهِمْ الْأَهْوَاءَ".
Imam Awza’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Iblis said to his companions, “How do you mislead (deceive) mankind?” They replied, “We mislead him in every possible way.” Iblis asked, “Do you gain dominance over them through istighfar (seeking forgiveness)?” (Meaning, by preventing them from seeking forgiveness.) They said, “Alas! Istighfar is connected to tawheed (monotheism); how can we prevent them from it?” Iblis said, “I will introduce such things among them that they will not seek forgiveness for it.” Thus, he spread those things in the form of desires (i.e., by entangling them in carnal desires, he distanced them from istighfar as well).