KHUTAB III - 6. COMMENTARY OF THE QUR’ĀN (4)

6. COMMENTARY OF THE QUR’ĀN (4)

Sūrat al-Nās (Chapter 114)

سُوْرَةُ النّاس

The majority of Muslim scholars say that this sūrah was revealed in Makkah, but some say it was revealed in Medinah. Ibn Mardawayh reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that it was revealed in Makkah, while he reported from Ibn al-Zubayr that it was revealed in Medinah.

This sūrah together with Sūrat al-Falaq (calledالْمَعُوّْذَتَانِ  “the two protectors” against black magic) was revealed to protect the Prophet s.a.w. from black magic. According to mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān) a Jewish boy serving the Prophet was persuaded by the Jews to take the Prophet’s hair gathered in his comb and some teeth of the comb. He did and gave them to the Jews. Among them was Lubayd (Labīd) ibn al-A‘s.am  who made magic through the comb against the Prophet, then put the comb in a well called Dharwān belonging to the Banī Zurayq tribe. The effect of the black magic was narrated by ‘Ā’ishah (the Prophet’s wife) as follows:

Magic was worked on the Prophet so that he began to fancy that he was doing a thing which he was not actually doing. One day he invoked (Allah) for a long period and then said, “I feel that Allah has inspired me as how to cure myself. Two persons [i.e., angels] came to me (in my dream) and sat, one by my head and the other by my feet. One of them asked the other, ‘What is the ailment of this man?’ The other replied, ‘He has been bewitched.’ The first asked, ‘Who has bewitched him?’ The other replied, ‘Labyd bin al-A‘s.am.’ The first one asked, ‘'What material has he used?’. The other replied, ‘A comb, the hair gathered on it, and the outer skin of the pollen of the male date-palm.’ The first asked, ‘Where is that?’ The other replied, ‘It is in the well of Dharwān.’  So, the Prophet went out towards the well and then returned and said to me on his return, “Its date-palms (the date-palms near the well) are like the heads of the devils.” I asked, “Did you take out those things with which the magic was worked?” He said, “No, for I have been cured by Allah and I am afraid that this action may spread evil amongst the people.” Later on the well was filled up with earth.  

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, and others).   

               In another hadīth narrated by ‘Ā’ishah, as follows:

A man called Labīd bin al-A‘s.am from the tribe of Banī Zurayq worked magic on Allah's Messenger till Allah's Messenger started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done. One day or one night he was with us, he invoked Allah and invoked for a long period, and then said, “O ‘Ā’ishah! Do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I have asked him about? Two men came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them said to his companion, ‘What is the disease of this man?’ The other replied, ‘He is under the effect of magic.’ The first one asked, ‘Who has worked the magic on him?’ The other replied, ‘Labīd bin al-A‘sam.’ The first one asked, ‘What material did he use?’ The other replied, ‘A comb and the hairs stuck to it and the skin of pollen of a male date palm.’ The first one asked, ‘Where is that?’ The other replied, ‘(That is) in the well of Dharwan.’  So Allah's Apostle along with some of his companions went there and came back saying, “O ‘Ā’ishah, the colour of its water is like the infusion of Henna leaves. The tops of the date-palm trees near it are like the heads of the devils.” I asked. “O Allah's Apostle? Why did you not show it (to the people)?” He said, “Since Allah cured me, I disliked to let evil spread among the people.”  Then he ordered that the well be filled up with earth.

 (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)  

          Then the Prophet sent ‘Ali, Zubayr, and ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir to go and dry the well, then took the comb and the hair from the well. To cure him from the black magic Allah taught to recite sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās.

The Text and Commentary

  قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

(1) Asad: “Say: ‘I seek refuge with the Sustainer of men”

     Pickthall: “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind”

     A.Y. Ali: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind”

The reading “Qul a‘ūdhu” was also read “qula‘ūdhu”. Al-Kisā’ī read النَّاسِ with imālah, whereas the jumhūr (the masses) did not.  Allah calls Himself the Lord (Rabb), as He is the One Who cherishes and takes care of people.

Why is mankind singled out in this verse, while Allah is the Lord of all of His creatures and of everything?  There are two answers:

1.    It is to indicate the high position of human kind.

2.    When Allah ordered men to ask His protection from their wickedness, He told them that He was their Lord Who could protect them from their evilness.

مَلِكِ النَّاسِ

(2) Asad: “The Sovereign of men”

     Pickthall: “The King of mankind”

     A.Y. Ali: “The King (or Ruler) of Mankind”

Since some men are kings Allah wants to tell them that He is not like any ordinary king, but He is the real and most powerful Lord-King.  

إِلَهِ النَّاسِ  

(3) Asad: “The God of men”

     Pickthall: “The God of mankind”

     A.Y. Ali: “The Allah (or Judge) of Mankind”

Since some people worship other than Allah, He says that He is the only One to be worshiped, for He is the God of men. A king could be a god or not. Here Allah says that He is the God-King or King-God of men, and He is the only One to be worshiped.

 مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ

(4)  Asad: “from the evil of the whispering, elusive tempter”

Pickthall: “From the evil of the sneaking whisperer”

A.Y. Ali: “From the mischief of the Whisperer (of evil)”

 According to al-Zajjāj the reading  الْوَسْوَاسِ   means “the whisperer”. This is also the view of al-Farrā’ who says that the reading  الْوَسْوَاسِ  (al-waswās) means “the whisperer”, whereasالْوِسْوَاسِ  (al-wiswās) means “whisper” (الْوَسْوَسَة). It is like the word الزِّلْزَال   (al-zilzāl) meaning الزَّلْزَلَة (al-zalzalah, earthquake).  Some others say that the الْوَسْوَاس  (al-waswās) means “the whisper” itself which means the act of “talking to oneself in one’s heart”. But the whisperer in this verse is Satan himself according to al-Zajjāj. The word الْخَنَّاس    literally means “the one who is often late”. Mujāhid among the tābi‘in (generation following that of the sahābah, companions of the Prophet) says that the whisperer sneaks away when Allah is mentioned or remembered, and comes again when Allah is not mentioned or forgotten.

 الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ

(5)       Asad: “who whispers in the hearts of men”

       Pickthall: “Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind”

       A.Y. Ali: “(The same) who whispers into the heart of mankind”

All of the translations mentioned above indicate that the above verse is the explanation of the “whisperer” in the previous verse.  However, it can also be read as the beginning of the sentence, so that it means: “The one who whispers on the hearts of men is among the jinn and men as mentioned in the following verse.

 مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ

(6)  Asad: “from all temptation to evil by invisible forces as well as men.’”

Pickthall: “Of the jinn and of mankind”

A.Y. Ali: “Among Jinns and among Man.”

Here Allah explains that there are two kinds of whisperer: jinn and human kind. The satan among jinn whispers in the hearts of men.  It is, according to Muqātil, by persuading men to obey him with words reaching their hearts without hearing any voice. The satan among men is the one who tempts them to do something bad but looks good to them. Those whisperers are called by Allah in the Qur’ān   شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ  (الأنعام : ١١٢)  (الأنعام : ١١٢) “evil ones among men and jinns” (Q. 6:112, Ali).

Another interpretation says that the word النَّاسِ  is originally النَّاسِيْ   (with the drop of ي), meaning “the person who is forgetful”.  It is like the word الدَّاعِيْ  in the verse يَوْمَ يَدْعُوْ الدَّاعِ  (القمر : ٦) .

It is also possible that this verse is the explanation of the word النَّاس   meaning “people”, namely, “people among jinn and human beings”. Satan (Iblīs) whispers in the hearts of men and of jinn alike.

The whole chapter could mean: “I ask Allah’s protection from both Satan the whisperer (who whispers in the heart of men), and from (the evilness of) all jinn and men.”

The existence of an evil force which keeps accompanying man as long as they live is mentioned in a h.adīth as follow:

مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا وَقَدْ وُكِّلَ بِهِ قَرِينُهُ مِنْ الْجِنِّ قَالُوا وَإِيَّاكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ

قَالَ وَإِيَّايَ إِلَّا أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَانَنِي عَلَيْهِ فَأَسْلَمَ فَلَا يَأْمُرُنِي إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ(رواه مسلم)

   “To everyone of you (an evil spirit as) a companion

 has been put in charge of him” They asked: “Even you, O

 Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Yes, except that Allah has

 assisted me so that he converted to Islam, and does not

whisper to me except with good things.”

(Reported by Muslim)

This kind of evil spirit (jinn) is called qarīn, “companion”.

It is reported by Anas ibn Mālik that while the Prophet was doing i‘tikāf  in the mosque, S.afiyyah bint H.uyay came and visited him. When he came out of the mosque with her at night, two of the ans.ār saw them and hurried away. The Prophet called them and told them to walk slowly saying that it was his wife S.afiyyah bint H.uyay whom he was accompanying.  They said, “Glory to Allah”. Then the Prophet said that Satan to man is like his blood (running in his whole body), and the Prophet feared that Satan might throw something (or evilness) in their hearts, namely, suspicion and doubt of his good behaviour.

If we notice the end of every verse we find the it ends with  نَاس . They are rhyming together like poetry. Scholars say that the structure of the Qur’ān is between prose and poetry, neither prose nor poetry.

This sūrah together with sūrat al-Falaq and sūrat al-Ikhlās are recommended to read very often, especially before going to sleep, as  supplication for protection.  (ANUMA, 17August, 01)

Bibliography :

Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Holy Qur’ān

Asad, Muhammad. The Message of the Qur’ān

Pickthall, Muhammad Marmaduke.  The Glorious Koran

المراجع:

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حوى، سعيد. الأساس في التفسير. د.م.: دار السلام, د.ت.

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 الواحدي ،  ابو الحسن علي (ت.  ٦٧٨  هـ). أسباب ا لنزول. د.م.:دار الفكر، د.ت.