Question:

Is it true that Satan urinates in the ear of the one who does not get up for prayer?

Answer:
Muhammad Ibn Muslim reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “The servant (of God) wakes up three times in the night. But if he then does not get up (for prayer), Satan comes to him and urinates in his ear.” I asked him about the verse: “They used to sleep little of the night.” (51:17) He said: “They used to only miss a few nights,where they did not get up (for prayer).” [Al-Kafi of Al-Kulaini, Volume 3 Page 255 Hadith 18]

علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن أبي أيوب الخزاز، عن محمد بن مسلم قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: إن العبد يوقظ ثلاث مرات من الليل فإن لم يقم أتاه الشيطان فبال في اذنه، قال: وسألته عن قول الله عز وجل: كانوا قليلا من الليل ما يهجعون قال كانوا أقل الليالي تفوتهم لا يقومون فيها

Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi writes: “Good (Hasan), regarding the statement of the Imam (a.): “He urinates in his ear.” So this report is also told by the masses and interpreted by them according to some aspects. They say that this means: “He corrupts him.” The Arabs say: “He urinated in this one!” If he corrupted him, and they say: “He humiliated him and exalted himself above him.” You say to the person who corrupts a person: “He urinates in this one.” The reason for this may be that in some countries the tiger humiliates the lion by doing this to him, or it may be a vicarious expression for his whispering and beautifying the sleep for him and his grip on his ear so that he does not hear the call of the angel in the last third of the night: “Is there a beggar?” His talk of it is like the urine in his ear, for he is unclean and filthy. They also say: “He makes a fool of him and mocks him.”As a vicarious expression of his being lost in sleep and the ear is emphasized as in the verse: “And We smote their ears in the cave.” (18:11) For the sleeping man is usually awakened by hearing. It is also said: “It is a vicarious expression for the control and guidance over him or the devil who covers his ear while he is of bad temper, as if he had urinated in it. It is not unreasonable to interpret it according to its external wording. As for the verse: “They used to sleep little of the night.” (51:17) Thus the slumber is the flight from sleep, or what is added or what is receding or what is connected. It is common among the commentators (of the Qur’an) that it is meant: “They slept only a little of the night.” The Imam (a.) explained it in such a way that, due to an excuse or overwhelming sleep, they slept only on a few nights when they did not get up (for prayer).” [Mir’at-ul-Uqul, Volume 15 Page 407]

قال شيخ الإسلام المجلسي رحمه الله: حسن قوله عليه السلام فبال في أذنه هذا الخبر مروي في طرق العامة أيضا وأولوه بوجوه فقيل معناه أفسده تقول العرب بال في كذا إذ أفسده، وقيل: استحقره واستعلى عليه يقال لمن استخف بإنسان بال في أذنه، وأصل ذلك أن النمر تتهاون في بعض البلاد بالأسد فيفعل ذلك به أو كناية عن وسوسته وتزيينه النوم له وأخذه بإذنه لئلا يسمع نداء الملك في ثلث الليل هل من داع وتحديثه به كالبول فيها لأنه نجس خبيث، وقيل: يسخر به ويستهزئ كناية عن استغراقه في النوم وخص الأذن كقوله تعالى فضربنا على آذانهم في الكهف لأن النائم أكثر ما ينبه بالسماع، وقيل: كناية عن التحكم به وانقياده له أو عن أن الشيطان يتخذ أذنه مخبأ له وهو خبيث فكأنه بال فيه ولا يبعد حمله على ظاهره قوله تعالى ما يهجعون الهجوع الفرار من النوم و ما زائدة أو مصدرية أو موصولة، والمشهور بين المفسرين أن معناه أنهم لا ينامون في أجزاء الليل إلا قليلا وفسره عليه السلام بأن المعنى لا ينامون في الليالي بحيث لا يقومون إلى الصلاة إلا في قليل من الليالي لعذر أو غلبة نوم