In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.
It is well known that Satan has nothing to do with those who are committed to the true meaning of fasting. Such people are saved from the devil’s influence during the blessed month of Ramadan.
Although devils are chained during Ramadan, it is no wonder to see people committing sins in broad daylight because not all sins are committed as a result of Satanic whispers, but one’s evil soul or nafs may drive one to sin and even commit crimes.
In his response to the question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states the following:
Abu Hurairah, (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained.” (Reported by al-Bukhari)
It is clear from the aforementioned Hadith that putting devils in chains during the month of Ramadan does not mean that they cannot influence people who are not abiding by the laws of Allah.
The statement only means that as far as the believers who are observing the rules of Allah are concerned, Satan’s control over them is diminished. This month, with all of its many blessings and spiritual incentives, puts pressure on Satan, and therefore it acts as a kind of a barrier between them and it.
Moreover, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa committee, adds,
I would like to state that there is no contradiction between the Prophetic Hadith which states that devils are chained during the month of Ramadan and the reality that some fasting Muslims do commit crimes during the blessed month. The commentators of the aforementioned Hadith of Abu Hurairah state that ‘the devils that are put in chains during Ramadan’ are those who can’t approach those who sincerely fast for Allah’s Sake and who commit themselves to the high morals of fasting such as lowering the gaze and refraining from doing any harm to others.
Ibn Khuzaymah also states that ‘putting the devils in chains’ means that their activity during the blessed month is (only) reduced, and that is why some Muslims sin during the month of Ramadan.
Another possible interpretation of the Hadith states that sins that are committed through Satanic whispers are halted, as the devils are chained and they no longer tempt people to sin during Ramadan.
As to the sins that are committed by some Muslims during the blessed month, some commentators state that they are due to the evil souls that tempt some to sin and transgress Allah’s limits. Some also state that the devils that are meant are those from among the Jinn, whereas human devils are not chained.
It has become clear that the Hadith does not contradict the common reality if we tend to understand it with deep profundity. Religious texts are to be understood in a proper and sound way in order to avoid confusion in understanding religion.
There is a famous hadith commonly quoted by Muslims on Ramadan. The hadith goes as follows:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1899)
According to this Hadith, the devils are chained. The devils are what causes evil desires and actions. By this logic: [the Islamic version of] evil is chained.
But is it really?
I lost faith in Islam during Ramadan of 2012 after a long period of doubt and critical examination.
Indonesian Police forces warn their local communities on rising crime rates (such as theft, prostitution and mugging) in Ramadan compared to the rest of the year. (Also try this article.)
Egypt has witnessed rising crime rates in Ramadan
Child trafficking increases in Yemen during Ramadan.
According to a study in Morocco, irritability increases in the month of Ramadan.
Keep in mind I did not even do a complete examination of crime during Ramadan worldwide.
If the popular hadith claims that devils are chained in Ramadan because of its purity how can there be crime and sin in the month of Ramadan? If the sources of evil are chained, there should be no evil corrupting humans. But while the sources of evil are chained, misdeeds [against Islam] still take place.
Zakir Naik attempts to answer this question by saying that the devils are not annihilated during Ramadan but restricted of their abilities. He states how even though the devils are chained, they still have a commanding presence and lasting impact. The devils use the other 11 months to corrupt human hearts and the lasting impact of these 11 months of corruption can affect people in the month of Ramadan. Zakir Naik also says how the Shaytan’s whispers from the chained positions can be powerful and effective at a distance.
If the devils are chained, that means there is no force corrupting humans during Ramadan and they are exposed only to Allah’s light. Is this exposure not powerful enough to dominate mere remnants of the devil’s corruption? If the devils can whisper from their chained positions into human’s hearts, then are they truly jailed? Doesn’t that mean that Allah’s imposed chains on the devils don’t work? That certainly brings into question Allah’s perfection.
Let’s not forget that Allah has the power to annihilate them from existence, and demolish all evil; but doesn’t. But okay, let’s leave this point alone (for now).
Crime rates don’t decrease while maintaining some presence during Ramadan. If they did, then that would support the claims of Shaytan’s limitations. In many cases (like the ones mentioned previously) they spike! If they increase does that mean the devils’ powers are truly “restricted?” It sure seems like a busy and successful season for them.
Contradictions. That’s what they are.
Maybe we can consider the fact that not only are the devils not chained, but they do not exist. Muhammad made a holy claim that is impractical in our reality. Hopefully readers will begin to critically examine the relationship between Islamic metaphysical claims and the logical reality of the world.
On that note, Ramadan Mubarak!
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