Surah al-Nas

Classification: Meccan, though some say Medinan. It contains 6 verses and was revealed after al-Falaq.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. Say: "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,"

2. "The King of mankind,"

3. "The God of mankind,"

4. "From the evil of the retreating whisperer,"

5. "Who whispers into the chests of mankind,"

6. "From among the jinn and mankind."

Recitation: It is read as qul a‘ūdhu by eliding the hamza and transferring its vowel to the lām, and similar instances. Take four [examples].

Question: Why is it said "Lord of the people" (Rabb al-nās), specifically attributed to them? Answer: Because the seeking of refuge is from the evil of the one who whispers into the breasts of the people. It is as if it were said: "I seek refuge from the evil of the one who whispers to the people, in their Lord who possesses authority over their affairs, and who is their God and Worshipped One," just as servants seek aid from their master, patron, and ruler when a calamity befalls them.

Question: What are "King of the people" (Malik al-nās) and "God of the people" (Ilāh al-nās) in relation to "Lord of the people"? Answer: They are ‘atf bayān (explicative apposition), like saying: "The conduct of Abu Hafs, Umar the Faruq." It is clarified by "King of the people," then further clarified by "God of the people." This is because others may be called "Lord of the people," as in: "They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah" (al-Tawbah: 31), and one may be called "King of the people." But "God of the people" is exclusive, having no partner, so it was made the ultimate clarification.

Question: Why not suffice with mentioning the attributed noun (al-nās) only once? Answer: Because ‘atf bayān is for clarification, and it is a position that requires explicit mention rather than pronominalization.

"The Whisperer" (al-waswās): A noun meaning "whispering," like zilzāl meaning "shaking." As for the verbal noun, it is waswās (with a kasra), like zilzāl. It refers to the Devil; he is named by the verbal noun as if he were the whispering itself, because it is his craft and the work to which he is devoted. Or, it may mean "the possessor of whispering." Waswasa is a hidden sound, from which comes the waswās (rattling) of jewelry.

"The Withdrawer" (al-khannās): One whose habit is to withdraw (khunūs), which is to retreat, like ‘awāj and batāt. It is reported from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr: "When a person remembers his Lord, the Devil withdraws and turns away; when he is heedless, he whispers to him."

"Who whispers" (alladhī yuwaswisu): Three grammatical cases are permissible for its position: genitive (jarr) as an adjective, and nominative (raf‘) or accusative (nasb) as an expression of dispraise (shatm). It is appropriate for the reciter to pause at al-khannās and begin with alladhī yuwaswisu based on one of these two latter cases.

"From among the jinn and the people" (min al-jinnati wa-l-nās): This is an explanation of "the one who whispers," based on the fact that the Devil is of two types: jinn and human, as in "devils of mankind and jinn." Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to a man: "Have you sought refuge in Allah from the devils of mankind?"

It is also possible that min is connected to yuwaswisu, meaning the starting point of the action: he whispers in their breasts from the direction of the jinn and from the direction of the people.

It is said that "from among the jinn and the people" is an explanation of "the people," implying that the name "people" (nās) applies to the jinn as well. They cite as evidence the words "a group" (nafar) and "men" (rijāl) in Surah al-Jinn. This is weak, because the jinn are called jinn due to their concealment (ijtinnān), and people are called nās due to their visibility, from īnās (seeing), just as they are called bashar (humans). If "people" applied to both groups, and this were established and proven, it would not befit the eloquence of the Qur'an or its distance from artificiality.

A better interpretation is that "the people" (al-nās) refers to the forgetful (al-nāsī), as in: "The day the Caller calls" (al-Qamar: 6), similar to the reading: "From where the people (al-nās) poured forth" (al-Baqarah: 199). Then it is clarified by "the jinn and the people," because the two heavy ones (jinn and mankind) are the two species described by the forgetfulness of the right of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted.

From the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): "Two surahs have been revealed to me, the like of which has not been revealed; and you will not recite two surahs more beloved or more pleasing to Allah than them," meaning the Mu‘awwidhatayn (the two surahs of seeking refuge). The Mu‘awwidhatayn are also called al-Muqashqishatayn (the two that cure/clear of hypocrisy).