what sense would there be in seeking refuge only from the whispering of the jinn, when the whispering of one’s own soul and of human devils is also harmful, and may be more harmful than that of the jinn?

As for al-Farrā’s statement that “from the evil of the whisperer who whispers into the hearts of people” refers to both groups—jinn and humankind—and that Allah called the jinn “people” just as He called them “men” and “a company,” this is a weak interpretation. The word “people” is too familiar, clear, and well known to require subdivision into jinn and humankind. Allah Most High has used the word “people” in numerous passages.

Moreover, describing him as whispering into the hearts of both groups would serve to clarify and explain. Yet people do not know that the jinn are subject to whispering; this can only be known through a transmitted report, and there is no such report here. Furthermore, He says:

“From among jinn and people.”

How, then, can the word “people” encompass both jinn and people? How can one of two contrasting categories also be a subdivision of the other? This interpretation makes people a category contrasted with the jinn, while making the jinn a kind of people. This is like saying, “The noblest Arabs, from among non-Arabs and Arabs.” Would anyone say such a thing?

Allah Most High’s calling them “men” does not prove that they are called “people.” Even supposing one could say, “Some people from among the jinn came,” that would be a qualified expression, just as one says, “a human being made of clay and spurting fluid.” It does not follow that they fall within the unqualified term “people.” Allah Most High has said:

“O people, fear your Lord, who created you from a soul