In a hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ said: When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 3277, Sahih Muslim: 1079
.Based on this hadith, the objection is raised: If the devils are chained during Ramadan, then why do people commit sins in this month?
➊ First Point
Jinn and devils are unseen to us. Just as we believe in their existence based on revelation, similarly, it is necessary to believe in the news given about them in the revelation. This hadith informs us that the devils are chained during Ramadan. Therefore, the requirement of belief in the unseen is to also believe in this matter.
➋ Second Point
The real basis of this objection is the misconception that a person commits all sins because of Satan! However, this is not correct. There are many causes of sin, among which satanic whispering is one cause. Besides this, a person's own self (nafs) also incites to many sins. The Holy Quran states:
وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ
Reference: Yusuf : 53
Translation: And I do not acquit my own self. Indeed, the self is ever inclined to evil.
The extent to which a person's nafs can make him do things is understood from two stories mentioned in the Holy Quran. The first story is of the two sons of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), and the second is of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) (peace be upon him) and his brothers. In the first story, one brother kills the other, while in the second story, all the brothers together throw one brother into a well with the intention of killing him. In both stories, the thing that incites to murder is described as the killer's own nafs. In the first story, it is stated:
فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
Reference: Al-Ma'idah : 30
Translation: So his own self incited him to kill his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.
In another story it is said:
قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًا
Reference: Yusuf : 18
Translation: (Yaqub) said: Rather, your own selves have made the matter pleasing to you.
➌ Third Point
It is extremely important to know two things about the jinn devils who are imprisoned during Ramadan:
❀ The first is that they are "jinn devils," while the other type of devils are "human devils," and they remain free even in Ramadan. In the Holy Quran, along with "jinn devils," "human devils" are also mentioned. It is said:
الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ
Reference: An-Nas : 5 – 6
Translation: Who whispers in the hearts of mankind, among jinn and among men.
In another place it is said:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا
Reference: Al-An'am : 112
Translation: And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy from among mankind and jinn, who inspire to one another decorative speech in delusion.
This proves that the process of instilling the whisperings of sins in hearts continues by devils in human form. Thus, another cause of sins is human devils who are not imprisoned during Ramadan.
❀ The second point is that "jinn devils" are not all imprisoned; rather, they are of two types: one type is separate from the human self, and the other type remains connected to the human self, who are also called "Qareen"
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 2814
. Among the "jinn devils" who are imprisoned during Ramadan, those belong to the first type, while the second type of devils are not imprisoned. The evidence for this is the hadith in which it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ was in I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan when his wife Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) came to meet him. When she was about to leave, the Prophet ﷺ accompanied her to the mosque door. Two Ansari companions were passing by. When they saw the Prophet ﷺ with a woman, they hurried away. The Prophet ﷺ stopped them and said: "This is Safiyyah." They said: "SubhanAllah (we would never even think ill of you)." The Prophet ﷺ then said: "Indeed, Satan runs through the human like blood. I feared that Satan might put something in your hearts"
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 2035, Sahih Muslim: 2175
.➍ Fourth Point
There are many sins that a person commits out of habit. That is, the habit of being involved in sins for eleven months of the year continues even in Ramadan. It has been observed that when something becomes a habit for a person, then there is no need for the one who caused the habit. For example, if one person causes another to develop an addiction to intoxication, even if the first person leaves later, the second person continues to indulge in intoxication. Similarly, Satan first instills the habit of sins, and then even when he is confined during Ramadan, the chain of sins continues.
➎ Fifth Point
From all the above points, it becomes clear that the imprisonment of devils in Ramadan certainly leads to a significant reduction in sins, which we observe well, but the existence of sins in the world does not end, nor is this the purpose of Shariah. Because if sins were to end altogether, then how would people be tested! It is on the basis of this test that people's rewards and ranks differ; otherwise, the reward for everyone's fasting would be the same! The imprisonment of devils in Ramadan is a manifestation of Allah Almighty's mercy on His creation, as the external cause of sins (devils) is imprisoned. Now it depends on the person how much control he has over the internal cause (the self).
