from the sleeper until he awakens, from the insane person until he regains his senses, and from the child until he reaches puberty.” (1)

Of the three, the sleeper is the most excusable. Consequently, by scholarly consensus, nothing he might be heard saying (2) in his sleep has any legal effect. If he pronounces a divorce, emancipates a slave, makes a gift, or does anything else while asleep, it is deemed null and void. This differs from the case of a discerning child, whose statements may sometimes be given legal effect—with or without the guardian’s permission—in some cases on the basis of an explicit text and in others by consensus.

Similarly, a whisper within the soul may sometimes come from Satan and at other times from the soul itself. Allah Most High says:

“We certainly created man and know what his soul whispers to him.”

[Surah Qaf: 16]

And He says:

“Then Satan whispered to him.”

[Surah Taha: 120] (3),

And He says:

“But Satan whispered to them both, so as to reveal to them what had been concealed from them of their private parts.”

[Surah al-A‘raf: 20]

The word waswasa belongs to the same class as washwasha, spelled with the dotted letter shīn (4). Another example is the waswasa (5) of jewelry. It denotes speech uttered quietly or a faint sound.