Tafsir of Al-Nas 114:4

Some have investigated this with a degree of ambiguity, due to shortcomings in fulfilling the rights of the station—for the evil of the whisperer affects bodies just as it affects souls, and there is something in this that we shall, God willing, point to. A researcher chose in this regard that since the seeking of refuge in the previous chapter was from the evil of everything, the Lord was ascribed to everything—that is, based on the generality of Al-Falaq (The Daybreak). Here, however, since it is "from the evil of the whisperer," it was not ascribed to "everything." While the focus on the previous chapter might necessitate an ascription to the "whisperer," it was not so ascribed, in order to lower his rank relative to the ascription of the Lord to him, directing the ascription instead to the one seeking refuge. In this degradation, there is an allusion to the promise of protection—and this is what the one who mentioned it failed to account for in fulfilling the right of the station.

It may be said that the ascription of the Lord to "mankind" in the last chapter of His Book serves as a reminder of the first command which they knew in the world of the Dhar (the primordial particles of Adam’s progeny), and the covenant taken from them to acknowledge it thereafter, as alluded to in the Almighty’s saying: "And when your Lord took from the children of Adam—from their loins—their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes...'" (Al-A'raf: 172). Thus, there is an incitement to seek refuge from the evil of the whisperer, lest the matter of that covenant be defiled. Within this is also an allusion to the noble promise of protection.

The Judge (Al-Qadi) stated that the majestic arrangement provides an indication of the stages of the observer who turns toward knowing his Creator; for he knows first, by the apparent and hidden blessings he sees upon him, that he has a Lord. Then he penetrates deeper into reflection until he realizes that He, the Exalted, is independent of all, that the essence of everything belongs to Him, and that the outcomes of its affairs come from Him—so He is the True King. Then, he infers from this that He is the One to be sought for worship, and none other. This is categorized under the conventional forms of seeking refuge, treating the difference in attributes as a proxy for the difference in entities. For the custom of one whom a concern befalls is to raise his matter to his master and provider, such as his father; if he cannot raise it to him, he goes to his king and ruler; if his grievance is not removed, he complains to the King of Kings, the One to whom complaint is made and the One who is the refuge. In this, there is an indication of the magnitude of the affliction from which refuge is sought. Ibn Sina has words here from which pens recoil, as is not hidden from one who has delved into it and possesses the slightest acquaintance with the purified Sharia.

The repetition of the one to whom the ascription is made is for the sake of greater clarity, confirmation, and honor through the ascription. It is said that there is no repetition, for it is permissible that the general term is intended to denote some of its individuals: the first "mankind" refers to embryos and infants needing upbringing; the second, to the middle-aged and youth, as they are the ones who need someone to guide them; the third, to the elderly worshippers who are turned toward God Almighty. This, despite its merits, is weakened by the rule that "the return of a thing is the knowledge of it," even if this is the prevalent view.

Al-Waswas (the whisperer), according to Al-Zamakhshari, is an infinitive noun meaning "whispering" (waswasa). The infinitive with a kasra (on the first letter) denotes the sound of jewelry and faint whispering. It was then used for evil thoughts, and here it is intended to mean The Devil, named by his action for the sake of hyperbole, as if he were the whispering itself, or the speech implies a deleted noun—that is, "the possessor of the whisper." Some masters of Arabic say that fa'lal patterns are of two types: sound, like dahraja (to roll), and doubled-biliteral, like salsala (to ring). Both have two regular infinitives: fa'lala and fa'lal (with a kasra), the latter being more analogical, while the fatha (on the first letter) is irregular, though it became frequent in the doubled-biliteral, like tamtama (stammering) and fa'fa'a (stuttering). It serves as hyperbole, like fa'al in the triliteral, as they say tatwat (weak) and tharthar (garrulous). The truth is that it is an adjective, so what is in the noble verse should be applied to it without the need for metaphor or the deletion of a noun.

What pertains to this discussion has already preceded in Surah Al-Zalzalah, so recall it, for there is precedence in the covenant. It is apparent that the intention is seeking refuge from the evil of the whisperer in his capacity as a whisperer, the conclusion of which is seeking refuge from the evil of his whispering. It is said the intention is seeking refuge from all of his evils; that is why it is said "from the evil of the whisperer" and not "from the evil of the whisperer’s whispering." It is said that based on this, the statement that his evil affects the body just as it affects the soul is more manifest than it is under the apparent reading. Among the things counted as his evil—as found in the Sahih al-Bukhari—is that he ties three knots on the nape of the head of one of you when he sleeps, intending thereby to prevent him from waking. In this promise of bodily evil, there is hiddenness. Some count among his evils the takhabbut (affliction/possessing) if it reaches the person; according to the People of the Sunnah, this may be from his touch, as was discussed in its place.

His saying, the Almighty: Al-Khannas (The Retreating/Withdrawing), is a hyperbolic form, or a relative one—meaning the one whose habit is to retreat and hold back when a human remembers his Lord, the Almighty and Majestic. Al-Diya in Al-Mukhtara, Al-Hakim (who authenticated it), Ibn al-Mundhir, and others narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: "There is no newborn who is born but that the Waswas is upon his heart. When he reaches the age of reason and remembers God Almighty, he retreats; when he becomes heedless, he whispers." He has—according to what Qatada narrated—a snout like the snout of a dog, and it is said that his head is like the head of a snake. Ibn Shahin narrated from Anas that he said: I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, saying: "The Waswas has a proboscis like the proboscis of a bird; when the son of Adam becomes heedless, he places that beak into the ear of the heart and whispers. If he remembers God Almighty, he turns away and retreats." That is why he was called Al-Waswas Al-Khannas.