An-Nas

See ayat 6 for tafseer.

See ayat 6 for tafseer.

See ayat 6 for tafseer.

See ayat 6 for tafseer.

See ayat 6 for tafseer.

In this Sūrah — the final Sūrah of the Holy Qur'an — addressing the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny himself as the exemplar and leader for all people, it declares: "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind" "قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ"; "the Sovereign of mankind" "مَلِکِ النَّاسِ"; "the God of mankind" "إِلٰهِ النَّاسِ". What is noteworthy is that three of God's great attributes are mentioned here — rubūbiyyah (lordship), mālikiyyah (sovereignty), and ulūhiyyah (divinity) — all three of which are directly connected to the cultivation of the human being and his deliverance from the grip of the whisperers. Seeking refuge in God does not mean that the human being merely utters this phrase with his tongue — rather, he must place himself under protection through his thought, conviction, and action as well. He must distance himself from Satanic paths, Satanic programs, Satanic thoughts and propaganda, Satanic gatherings and assemblies, and must choose the path of merciful thoughts and guidance. Otherwise, the human being who remains in practice immersed in the storm of these whisperings will gain nothing merely from reciting this Sūrah and uttering these words. In declaring "Rabbi al-nās", he acknowledges the Lord's rubūbiyyah and places himself under His cultivation and nurturing. In declaring "Maliki al-nās", he regards himself as belonging to God's sovereignty and becomes a servant of His command. And in declaring "Ilāhi al-nās", he sets foot on the path of His worship and abstains from the worship of other than Him. There is no doubt that one who believes in these three attributes and brings himself into harmony with all three shall remain in safety from the evil of the whisperers. In reality, these three attributes constitute three important lessons in cultivation, three programs for advancement, and three means of deliverance from the evil of the whisperers — and this Sūrah insures the human being against them. For this reason, the subsequent verse further declares: "from the evil of the whispering retreater" "مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ"; "who whispers into the hearts of mankind" "الَّذِی یُوَسْوِسُ فِی صُدُورِ النَّاسِ"; "from among the jinn and mankind" "مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ". The word waswās — according to al-Rāghib in al-Mufradāt — originally refers to the soft sound produced by the mutual collision of ornamental instruments. It was thereafter applied to every soft sound, and subsequently to every unwelcome and evil thought and idea that arises in the human heart — resembling a soft sound whispered in the ear. Waswās carries a verbal-noun meaning, but is at times also used in the sense of the active agent (the one who whispers), and this is the meaning in the verse under discussion. Khannās is derived from the root khunūs (rhyming with khusūf) and is a hyperbolic form meaning "that which contracts and retreats" — for when God's name is invoked, the Satans draw back. And since this withdrawal is accompanied by concealment, the word also carries the meaning of hiding and disappearing. On this basis, the meaning of the verses becomes: "Say: I seek refuge in God from the evil of the Satan-like whisperer who flees at the name of God and disappears." Fundamentally, the shayāṭīn execute their programs in concealment — and at times they breathe into the ear of a person's heart in such a manner that the person becomes convinced that this thought is his own and arose spontaneously within him. This very thing becomes the cause of his being led astray and going amiss. The work of the Satans is to beautify, to conceal falsehood beneath the veneer of truth, to wrap lies in the shell of sincerity, to present sin in the garb of worship, and to offer misguidance under the covering of guidance. In sum, they themselves are hidden and their programs are concealed — and this is a warning for all those wayfarers on the path of truth who do not expect to see the Satans in their true faces and forms, or to witness their programs in an explicitly deviant guise. It is worth reflecting upon: the whispering retreaters are khannās — their work is concealment, falsehood, deception, hypocrisy, outward display, and the suppression of truth. If they were to appear in their true faces, if they did not mix falsehood with truth, if they spoke openly and plainly — then, in accordance with the saying of 'Alī (peace be upon him): "لَمْ یَخْفَ عَلَى الْمُرْتَادِینَ" — "the matter would not remain hidden from those who walk in God's path." They always take something from "this" and something from "that" and blend them together to gain mastery over people — just as Amīr al-Mu'minīn (peace be upon him), continuing this very discourse, declares: "فَهُنَالِکَ یَسْتَوْلِی الشَّیْطَانُ عَلَى أَوْلِیَائِهِ" (Ref: Nahj al-Balāghah, Khuṭbah 50). The expression "الَّذِی یُوَسْوِسُ فِی صُدُورِ النَّاسِ", the selection of the word waswasah, and the word ṣudūr (hearts/chests) all further emphasize this very meaning. Beyond all of this, the clause "مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ" warns that the whispering retreaters do not appear in only a single group, a single community, a single class, or a single guise — rather, they are spread throughout jinn and humankind and are found in every guise and every community. One must therefore remain vigilant toward all of them and seek refuge in God from the evil of all of them. Unsuitable friends, deviant companions, misguided and oppressive leaders, tyrannical and ṭāghūt-serving agents, corrupt orators and writers, outwardly deceptive atheistic and eclectic schools of thought, and collectively the media instruments of the whisperers — all of these fall within the broad meaning of waswās al-khannās, from whose evil the human being must seek refuge in God.

1. Why do we seek refuge in God? At every moment, the possibility of deviation exists for the human being. And in principle, when God commands His Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny to seek refuge from the evil of the waswās al-khannās (the whispering retreater), this is itself evidence of the possibility of falling into the snare of the deceivers and whisperers. Despite the fact that the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny was, by virtue of Divine grace, unseen assistance, and complete surrender to God, protected from every form of deviation — he nonetheless recited the verses and through them sought refuge from the evil of waswās al-khannās. In such circumstances, the situation of others is self-evident. Yet there is no cause for despair — for against these corrupting whisperers, heavenly assistance comes for the aid of the believers and wayfarers on the path of truth. Indeed, the believer is not alone; the angels descend upon them and assist them: "إِنَّ الَّذِینَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَیْهِمُ الْمَلاَئِکَةُ" (Ḥā' Mīm al-Sajdah: 30). However, one must never become arrogant in any case, and must not regard oneself as needless of admonition, counsel, and Divine assistance. Rather, one must always seek His refuge and always remain alert and vigilant. 2. Why is the word nās repeated in three verses? Regarding why nās is repeated in three verses — some have said that the reason is that it carries a different meaning in each instance. However, the apparent understanding is that this repetition serves to emphasize the universality of these three Divine attributes, and it carries the same meaning in all three instances. 3. The two ears of the heart: In a tradition transmitted from the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny: "مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ إِلاَّ وَلِقَلْبِهِ فِی صَدْرِهِ أُذُنَانِ: أُذُنٌ یَنْفُثُ فِیهَا الْمَلَکُ وَأُذُنٌ یَنْفُثُ فِیهَا الْوَسْوَاسُ الْخَنَّاسُ، فَیُؤَیِّدُ اللهُ الْمُؤْمِنَ بِالْمَلَکِ، فَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: وَأَیَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ" "Every believer has two ears in his heart: into one ear the angel breathes, and into the other ear the waswās al-khannās breathes. God then strengthens the believer through the angel — and this is the meaning of the verse: 'and He strengthened them with a spirit from Him.'" (Ref: Majma' al-Bayān, Vol. 10, p. 71) In a profoundly moving and meaningful tradition transmitted from Imām Ja'far al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him): "When the verse 'Those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and seek forgiveness for their sins' was revealed, Iblīs went to the top of a mountain in Mecca and cried out at the top of his voice, gathering the chiefs of his army. They said: 'O master, what has happened? Why have you summoned us?' He said: 'This verse has been revealed — it has sent a tremor through my spine, for this verse is a means of the salvation of humanity. Who among you can counter it?' One of the great satans said: 'I can do it' and presented his plan. Iblīs rejected it. Another stood up and presented his plan, but it too was not accepted. At this point, waswās al-khannās stood up and said: 'I shall accomplish this task.' Iblīs said: 'How?' He said: 'I shall keep them preoccupied with promises and vain desires until they become steeped in sin. When they have sinned, I shall make them forget to repent.' Iblīs said: 'You can accomplish this task — your plan is most skillful and exalted.' And this task was entrusted to him until the Day of Resurrection." (Ref: al-Mīzān, Vol. 20, p. 557) O Lord! Protect us from the evil of all these whisperers and from all the whisperings of al-khannās. O Lord! The snare of deception is fearsome, the enemy is vigilant, his plans are hidden and concealed, and salvation without Your grace is impossible. O God! We do not know how to present to Your threshold the gratitude befitting this great blessing — that You have bestowed Your favor upon us and granted us this magnificent honor and divine assistance that at this time, after approximately fifteen years, we have completed this commentary. O God! You know that at this moment an indescribable joy and gladness intertwined with gratitude courses through our entire being — a feeling for whose description no words suffice and for whose gratitude we have no capacity — and we raise our hands in supplication at Your threshold. O Creator! It is possible that some lapses have occurred from our side in the interpretation of these verses — forgive them all, and we hope that Your servants too shall forgive us. And in our final words we submit: O God, the All-Compassionate and All-Merciful! Accept from us all this humble service through Your grace and make it a provision for our resurrection and the Day of Recompense. "وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِینَ" "And the conclusion of our supplication is: all praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds."