Shaytan attempts to either make people negligent or exaggerate in the religion

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim writes in al-Wabil as-Sayyib,

“There is nothing that Allah has enjoined except that Shaytan has ways of dealing with it, either by inclining (people) towards falling short and being negligent or being excessive and to exaggerate. He does not care which of these two mistakes a person makes. He may come to a person’s heart and if he finds that he is lazy, negligent and looking for concessions, then he goes along with that. He holds him back and stops him from doing things. He makes him lazy, indifferent and negligent, and encourages him to seek alternative interpretations and hope for forgiveness (from Allah for his shortcomings) etc., until a person may give up doing all things that have been enjoined.”

Ibnul-Qayyim further explained how Shaytan causes one to exaggerate in his religious affairs,

“…if he finds that a person is cautious and serious, and that he is enthusiastic and capable, he despairs of succeeding with him on that front. So he urges him to strive to excess, and makes him think that this is not sufficient and that he has higher ambitions than that, and that he has to do more than others do.

So he tells them do not go to sleep when they go to sleep; do not break your fast when they break their fast and do not tire when they tire. If one of them washes his hands and face three times, Shaytan tells him that he should wash seven times. If he performs Wudhu for every prayer the Shaytan tells him that he should perform ghusl for it, and other kinds of exaggeration and excess. He makes him go to extremes and go beyond the straight path, just like he makes the first person fall short and not come anywhere near it. Shaytan’s aim in both cases is to steer both of them away from the straight path, one by not letting him approach it or come anywhere near it, and the other by making him go too far and overstep the mark.

In this way, most people have been tempted and nothing can save a person from that except deeply rooted knowledge, faith and power to resist him (Shaytan) and adherence to the middle course. And Allah is the One Whose Help we seek.”

[al-Wabil as-Sayyib, p.19.]