Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:98-100

An-Nahl (The Bee): Verses 98–100

When He said before this verse: {And We will surely recompense them their reward according to the best of what they used to do} (An-Nahl: 97), it indicated the action by which one's deeds are saved from whispers. Thus, He said: {So when you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.}

In this verse, there are several issues:

Satan strives to cast whispers into the heart, even concerning the Prophets, as evidenced by the verse: {And We have not sent before you any messenger or prophet except that when he wished, Satan cast [some error] into his wish} (Al-Hajj: 52).

Seeking refuge in Allah prevents Satan from casting whispers, as proven by the verse: {Indeed, those who fear Allah, when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Allah], and thereupon they have insight} (Al-A'raf: 201). For this reason, Allah commanded His Messenger to seek refuge upon recitation so that the recitation remains protected from suggestion.

The statement {When you recite the Qur'an} is addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), but the intent is general. Since the Prophet needed to seek refuge upon recitation, those other than the Prophet are even more deserving of it.

The Fa' (then) in {then seek refuge in Allah} implies immediate succession. The apparent meaning of this verse suggests that seeking refuge occurs after reciting the Qur'an. This view was held by a group of Companions and Successors, including Abu Hurayrah, Malik, and Dawud, according to Al-Wahidi.

Their reasoning is that when one recites the Qur'an, they earn a great reward. If they do not seek refuge, whispers may enter their heart, potentially nullifying the reward of recitation. However, if they seek refuge after recitation, the whispers are repelled, and the reward remains protected from nullification.

However, the majority of the Companions and Successors agreed that seeking refuge precedes recitation. They argued that the meaning of the verse is: "When you intend to recite the Qur'an, seek refuge." It does not mean "seek refuge after recitation."

This is analogous to saying: "When you eat, say Bismillah," or "When you travel, prepare yourself." Similarly, consider the verse: {O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer...} (Al-Ma'idah: 6), meaning, when you intend to rise for prayer, wash.

Furthermore, since it is established that Satan cast whispers during the Prophet's recitation (as per Al-Hajj: 52), and it is apparent that Allah commanded the Prophet to seek refuge upon recitation to repel those whispers, this objective is only achieved by preceding the recitation with the seeking of refuge.

The view of 'Ata' is that seeking refuge is obligatory when reciting the Qur'an, whether inside or outside of prayer. The rest of the jurists agree that this is not the case, because there is no disagreement among them that if one does not seek refuge before reciting in prayer, the prayer is still valid. The same applies to recitation outside of prayer, although the requirement is more emphasized in prayer.

Regarding the term Satan in this verse, some say it refers specifically to Iblis. However, the more likely interpretation is that it refers to the genus (all devils), because all rebellious devils have a share in whispering.

Allah commanded His Messenger to seek refuge from Satan, which might suggest that Satan has the power to act upon people's bodies. Allah removed this misconception by clarifying that Satan has absolutely no power except over whispering: {Indeed, he has no authority over those who believe and rely upon their Lord.}

It is evident from this that seeking refuge is only beneficial when the person holds the belief in their heart that Satan is weak and that they cannot guard themselves against his whispers except through the protection of Allah. For this reason, the scholars stated: There is no turning away from disobedience to Allah except through Allah's protection, and there is no power to obey Allah except through Allah's success. This resulting reliance (Tafwid) is what is meant by {and upon their Lord they rely}.

Then He said: {His authority is only over those who take him as an ally} (i.e., obey him). It is said: Tawallaytuhu means "I obeyed him," and Tawallaytu 'anhu means "I turned away from him."

{and those who are by Him polytheists (mushrikun).}

Regarding the pronoun in {by Him} (bihi), there are two opinions:

1. It refers back to their Lord (Allah).
2. It refers back to Satan. The meaning then is "because of him [Satan]." This is like saying to a man who utters a word leading to disbelief: "You disbelieved by means of this word." Similarly, {and those who are by Him polytheists} means: because of him [Satan] and because he led them to associate partners with Allah, they became polytheists.

{And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse—and Allah knows best what He sends down—they say, "You are but an inventor." Rather, most of them do not know.}

{Say, "The Holy Spirit [Gabriel] has brought it down from your Lord in truth to strengthen those who have believed and as guidance and good tidings for the Muslims."}