from benefiting from him. Thus he persists in setting the champions of falsehood among the devils of humankind and jinn against him, never flagging or relenting. At that point, the believer puts on his battle armour and does not take it off until death. Whenever he takes it off, he is captured or wounded. He therefore continues his struggle until he meets Allah.

Reflect on this section, consider its significance and immense benefit, and make it your scale for weighing people and deeds. It will reveal to you the realities of existence and the ranks of creation. Allah is the One whose help we seek, and upon Him we rely.

Even if this commentary contained nothing but this section, it would benefit anyone who reflected upon it and grasped its meaning.

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Consider the subtle wisdom in Allah’s words, “who whispers into the breasts of mankind.” He did not say, “into their hearts.” The breast is the heart’s courtyard and dwelling. Incoming impressions pass through it to reach the heart: they gather in the breast and then enter the heart. It is thus like the heart’s entrance hall. Commands and intentions issue from the heart into the breast and are then distributed among its troops. Whoever understands this will understand Allah’s words:

3:154 “So that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purify what is in your hearts.”

Satan enters the heart’s courtyard and dwelling and casts towards the heart whatever he wishes to cast into it. Thus, he whispers in the breast, and his whispering reaches the heart. This is why Allah says:

20:120 “Then Satan whispered to him.”

He did not say “within him,” because the meaning is that Satan cast that suggestion towards him and conveyed it to him, so that it entered his heart.

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Regarding Allah’s words, “from among the jinn and mankind,” the Quran commentators differed over the grammatical connection of this prepositional phrase: what does it relate to?