In some hadiths, the following is stated: "When the month of Ramadan comes, the rebellious devils (marada ash-shayatin) are chained." What does marada ash-shayatin mean? What are the manifestations of devils' being chained?

In some hadiths, the following is stated: "When the month of Ramadan comes, the rebellious devils (marada ash-shayatin) are chained." What does marada ash-shayatin mean? What are the manifestations of devils' being chained?

Dear Brother / Sister,

There are various kinds of devils like humans. There are very harmful devils and there are private devils given to every human being.

Allah, who has endless wisdom, wants man, whom He equipped with wide coordinates and valuable devices with endless potentials and superior talents, to develop constantly and to elevate materially and spiritually by using his nature and talents properly; that is why, He makes devils bother man.

If we take into consideration that diamond can be obtained only by keeping graphite under 100 thousand atmospheric pressure and 3 thousand degrees C, we can realize how necessary devils are to reveal the ores in human nature that are more valuable than diamond.

However, the devils that are chained in the month of Ramadan are not private devils; they are more harmful and evil devils. Everybody's private devil is always together with him/her. If devil leaves man, his development will stop. However, the effects and harms of those devils can be lessened in Ramadan since the atmosphere becomes more luminous and spiritual, the hearts become affected by the light of belief and the Quran, and everybody's soul leaves their body, stepping into a spiritual life.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the (Hell) Fire are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained." (Bukhari, Sawm, 5) The word "marada"mentioned in the hadith means stubborn, rebellious and aggressive. With this expression, the wildest and fiercest devils are meant. Yes, in this holy month, "rebellious devils" are chained.

The holy month of Ramadan is like an afterlife market; it is the most productive field of the otherworldly crops; it is like April showers for the deeds to flourish; the reward for reading one letter of the Quran is ten at other times but it can increase up to ten thousand in Ramadan. The great profit obtained by the believers who make good use of this month is a disaster for Satan.

In that case, the devil will go mad and try to use all of his tricks to tempt man to commit sins; from this point of view, that the devils are chained is great mercy for man; this is what our Lord, who has endless mercy, does.

Questions on Islam