At a glance
The story
Muslim relates from Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: the strong faithful believer is better and dearer to God than the weak believer, and in all things good; be eager for what benefits you, seek Allah s help and do not be helpless; if something befalls you do not say "if only I had done such and such" but say "Allah decreed and did what He willed" — for "if only" opens the shaytan s work 1 Muslim 2664.
The meaning
In this hadith, regret over what has passed expressed with "if only" is of the kind of whispering the shaytan opens; patience and contentment with Allah s decree are the recourse 1.
Notes
From the qadar hadiths of Sahih Muslim; the Jinn & Devils Browser shows it in the devils section 1.
Connections
People and things also explored
The shaytan at the well of the traveller· The shaytan intends one or two, not three· Muslim 2664 — The strong believer is better than the weak believer· The good dream is from God and the bad dream is from the shaytan· The angel who blows the spirit into the fetus· Were it not for your sins the angels would visit you in your houses· The shaytan lays Bilal down in the Mecca journey· Disheveled hair and beard like a shaytan
Sources
- Sahih Muslim
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Saying "if only" opens the shaytan s work”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/if-only-opens-shaytans-door/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-11.
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