Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/597)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Nas was revealed in Madinah. (1)

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

“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer—who whispers in the breasts of mankind—from among the jinn and mankind.’”

“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer’”: that is, Satan. The term may be used both as a verbal noun and as a noun.

Al-Zajjaj said: It means Satan, the one who whispers and retreats. Satan crouches upon the human heart: when Allah is remembered, he withdraws; and when He is neglected, he whispers.

Qatadah said: The retreating whisperer has a snout like that of a dog within a person’s breast; when the servant remembers his Lord, he withdraws. It is also said that his head is like the head of a snake, resting upon the heart’s core, filling him with vain hopes and speaking to him. When Allah is remembered, he withdraws; but when Allah is not remembered, he returns and lays down his head. This is meant by: “who whispers in the breasts of mankind,” through concealed speech whose meaning reaches the heart without being heard.

“From among the jinn and mankind”: that is, he enters the jinn just as he enters human beings, and he whispers to the jinn just as he whispers to human beings. This was stated by al-Kalbi.

(1) Ibn Mardawayh narrated from Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, that Surah al-Nas (Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind) was revealed in Medina. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:693.

سُورَةُ النَّاسِ مَدَنِيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوَذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (١) مَلِكِ النَّاسِ (٢) إِلَهِ النَّاسِ (٣) مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ (٤) الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ (٥) مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ (٦) ﴾ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوَذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ مَلِكِ النَّاسِ إِلَهِ النَّاسِ مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ﴾ يَعْنِي الشَّيْطَانَ، يَكُونُ مَصْدَرًا وَاسْمًا. قَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: يَعْنِي: الشَّيْطَانَ ذَا الْوَسْوَاسِ "الْخَنَّاسِ" الرَّجَّاعِ، وَهُوَ الشَّيْطَانُ جَاثِمٌ عَلَى قَلْبِ الْإِنْسَانِ، فَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ خَنَسَ وَإِذَا غُفِلَ وَسْوَسَ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: الْخَنَّاسُ لَهُ خُرْطُومٌ كَخُرْطُومِ الْكَلْبِ فِي صَدْرِ الْإِنْسَانِ فَإِذَا ذَكَرَ الْعَبْدُ رَبَّهُ خَنَسَ. وَيُقَالُ: رَأْسُهُ كَرَأْسِ الْحَيَّةِ وَاضِعٌ رَأْسَهُ عَلَى ثَمَرَةِ الْقَلْبِ يُمَنِّيهِ وَيُحَدِّثُهُ، فَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ خَنَسَ وَإِذَا لَمْ يُذْكَرْ رَجَعَ فَوَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ، فَذَلِكَ: ﴿الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ﴾ بِالْكَلَامِ الْخَفِيِّ الَّذِي يَصِلُ مَفْهُومُهُ إِلَى الْقَلْبِ مِنْ غَيْرِ سَمَاعٍ. ﴿مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ﴾ يَعْنِي يَدْخُلُ فِي الْجِنِّيِّ كَمَا يَدْخُلُ فِي الْإِنْسِيِّ، وَيُوَسْوِسُ لِلْجِنِّيِّ كَمَا يُوَسْوِسُ لِلْإِنْسِيِّ، قَالَهُ الْكَلْبِيُّ.

(١) أخرج ابن مردويه عن عبد الله بن الزبير ﵁ قال: أنزل بالمدينة (قل أعوذ برب الناس) . انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٦٩٣.