Understand Sūrah An-Nās
In the Name of Allāh Ta‘ālā, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1. "Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind"
2. "The King of mankind"
3. "The God of mankind"
This Sūrah describes three Attributes of Allāh Ta‘ālā, the All-Mighty. He gives sustenance to mankind, He is Sovereign and He is Worthy of worship. All things are created by Him, possessed by Him, and subservient to Him.
4. "From the evil of the whisperer"
Shayṭān entices people to commit sins as he makes evil attractive to men. Only Allāh Ta‘ālā can grant protection from the evil of Shayṭān. According to a Ḥadīth, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "With every one of you there is a devil." The Companions (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anhum) asked, "Is there a devil even with you?" The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "Yes, but Allāh Ta‘ālā has granted me protection against him."
Al-Bukhārī (Raḥimahullāh) and Muslim (Raḥimahullāh) report that once when the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was in seclusion (i‘tikāf) in the masjid, his wife Ṣafiyyah (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anhā) went to see him. When she left, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ accompanied her to his house. On the way he met two Companions from the Anṣār (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anhum) who were passing by. They sped up their pace when they saw him.
He called them and said, "This is my wife Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyayy." They said, "Subḥānallāh! O Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, why are you saying this?" The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "Shayṭān flows inside man like blood. I feared, maybe he put bad thoughts about me in your minds."
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (Raḥimahullāh) reported a Ḥadīth: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was once riding a mule and a Companion (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) was riding behind him on it. The mule stumbled. The Companion spontaneously uttered, "May Shayṭān perish." The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "Do not say that. It encourages Shayṭān," and he said, "I knocked him with my strength. But if you say, 'In the name of Allāh Ta‘ālā,' he is dwarfed and becomes like a fly."
This proves that the remembrance of Allāh Ta‘ālā helps overcome Shayṭān while leaving it augments his power.
Ibn ‘Abbās (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anhumā) says that Shayṭān is lying in wait for man. When he forgets Allāh Ta‘ālā, he starts whispering, and when he begins the remembrance of Allāh Ta‘ālā, he retreats.
5. "Who whispers in the heart of mankind"
6. "Of jinn and men."
The expression "Who whispers in the heart of mankind" may be interpreted in two ways. One interpretation is that Shayṭān whispers in the chests of people belonging to the human race or the race of jinn. The other interpretation is that the devils from among the human race and the jinn whisper in the chests of other people.
At another place Allāh Ta‘ālā says:
"And so We appointed for every Prophet an enemy - devils among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion..." [Al-Qur’ān 6:112]
Therefore, He commands whoever is seeking protection to seek refuge with the One who has these attributes from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws. This (the whisperer) is the devil that is assigned to man. For verily, there is not any of the Children of Ādam (عليه السلام) except that he has a companion that beautifies wicked deeds for him. This devil will go to any lengths to confuse and confound him. The only person who is safe is he whom Allāh Ta‘ālā protects.
Abū Dharr (Raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) reported that once he went to the masjid and sat with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. He asked me, "Did you pray?" When I said no, he said, "Offer two rak‘ah."
When I again sat after finishing the prayer, he said, "Abū Dharr, seek refuge against the devils among men and jinn." I asked, "Are there devils among men also?" He said, "Yes." I asked him, "O Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, which is the greatest verse in the Qur’ān?" He said, "Āyat al-Kursī - (2:255)."
Imran | Sanatayn Student
