Surah al-Nās

He—may Allah have mercy on him—said:

Section

On “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind,” through to the end of the surah.

Concerning His words:

“From the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of humankind, from among jinn and humankind.”

There are several interpretations. Ibn al-Jawzī mentioned only two, omitting the third, which is the correct one: “from among jinn and humankind” identifies the whisperer. That is, those who whisper into people’s hearts may be either jinn or human beings. Allah Most High has told us that He appointed enemies for every prophet—devils from among humankind and jinn, inspiring one another with embellished speech to deceive. This inspiration of theirs is their whispering. A whisperer need not be hidden from sight; rather, he may be seen. Allah Most High says:

“Then Satan whispered to them to expose to them what had been hidden from them of their nakedness. He said, ‘Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree to prevent you from becoming angels or becoming immortal.’ And he swore to them, ‘I am truly a sincere adviser to you both.’”

This is speech whose speaker is known, not something cast into the heart from an unknown source. Iblīs had been commanded to prostrate before Adam, but he refused and was arrogant. Thus, he was not someone unknown to Adam. He and his offspring see the children of Adam from where they cannot see them; Adam himself, however, did see him.