—“who whispers within the breasts of mankind, from among the jinn and from among men.” It is as though the meaning—Allah knows best—is that there are whisperers from both the jinn and from human beings who approach people and cast doubts into their hearts. Just as the jinn have devils who whisper, so too mankind has devils who whisper; hence you seek refuge in Allah from the evil of both groups.

For this reason the Prophet ﷺ said, “No one who seeks refuge has ever sought refuge with anything equal to them,” meaning these two surahs. A Muslim should therefore recite them after the prescribed prayers, repeat them often, and recite them at bedtime along with Ayat al-Kursi and Surah al-Ikhlas.

He is to recite Ayat al-Kursi, Surah al-Ikhlas, and the two refuge surahs after every prayer, repeating them three times after Maghrib and after Fajr. He should also recite them before sleeping so that Satan keeps his distance and does not disturb his sleep with troubling dreams.

The takeaway from these two surahs is that Allah has commanded us to seek refuge in Him alone, which shows that seeking refuge in anyone else—whether jinn, humans, or any created being—is impermissible, for such seeking is a form of worship.