Defeating the Zhaitan – when does it happen and how to avoid it?
Sheikhul Islam ibn Taymiyyah said:
“Shaitans take power only over those who do not remember the name of Allah. Just like the one who does not remember the name of Allah when he enters somewhere, the shaitans enter with him. And if he did not remember the name of Allah when he eats, then verily they also eat with him.
Also, when he is stocking up on something, if he did not remember the name of Allah over it, they will find out about it and possibly steal some part from it. Just as it often happens among people.
And as for the one who mentions the name of Allah over his food and over what he chooses for himself, then they have no power over him, and they do not know about it (that is, what they have stocked up with), and cannot take from it.
See An-nubuwwat 2/1022.