Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/188)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in full, he said:

“O Abū Dharr, seek refuge in Allah from the devils among humankind and jinn.”

Abū Dharr asked, “O Messenger of Allah, are there devils among humankind too?”

He replied, “Yes, and they are worse than the devils among the jinn.” (1)

Allah Most High has also said:

“When they meet those who believe, they say, ‘We believe.’ But when they withdraw to their devils, they say, ‘Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking.’”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 14]

What has been transmitted from the general body of commentators is that the intended meaning is the devils among humankind. I know of no one who said that they were devils among the jinn (2). Ibn Masūd, Ibn Abbās, al-Hasan, and al-Suddī held that they were their leaders (3) in disbelief. Abū al-Āliyah and Mujāhid held that they were their brethren among the polytheists. Al-Dahhāk and Ibn al-Sā'ib held that they were their soothsayers (4).

The verse encompasses all of this and more, and its wording indicates that the intended meaning is the devils among humankind, for He said:

“When they meet those who believe, they say, ‘We believe.’ But when they withdraw to their devils, they say, ‘Indeed, we are with you.’”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 14]

It is well known that the devil (5) among the jinn was with them when they met those who believed, so they had no need to withdraw privately with him (6); and the devil among the jinn is

(1) The hadith of Abū Dharr—may Allah be pleased with him—is found in *Sunan al-Nasā’ī*, 8:242, Book of Seeking Refuge, chapter “Seeking Refuge from the Evil of the Devils among Humankind.” It is also narrated from him in *al-Musnad*, al-Halabī ed., 5:178–79, 265. It begins: “O Abū Dharr, have you prayed?” I replied, “No.” He said, “Rise and pray.” Abū Dharr continued: “So I rose and prayed, then sat down. He said, ‘O Abū Dharr, seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the devils among humankind…’” The hadith continues. (2) “They are devils among the jinn”: this is the reading in A and B. All other manuscripts read: “They are among the jinn.” (3) H and B read: “their leaders.” (4) See Ibn Kathīr’s *Tafsīr*, al-Shab ed., 1:76–77, on this verse; and Ibn al-Jawzī’s *Zād al-Masīr*, 1:34–35. (5) W alone has the singular “devil”; all other manuscripts have the plural “devils.” (6) N, M, H, and B read: “that he withdraw privately with him”; W reads: *an yakhlūnahu*.

بِطُولِهِ قَالَ: " «يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ تَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَيَاطِينِ الْإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ " . فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَوَ لِلْإِنْسِ شَيَاطِينُ؟ قَالَ: " نَعَمْ، شَرٌّ مِنْ شَيَاطِينِ الْجِنِّ» " (١) . وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٤] . وَالْمَنْقُولُ عَنْ عَامَّةِ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ شَيَاطِينُ الْإِنْسِ، وَمَا عَلِمْتُ أَحَدًا قَالَ: إِنَّهُمْ شَيَاطِينُ الْجِنِّ (٢) . فَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْحَسَنِ وَالسُّدِّيِّ: أَنَّهُمْ رُءُوسُهُمْ (٣) فِي الْكُفْرِ. وَعَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ وَمُجَاهِدٍ: إِخْوَانُهُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ. وَعَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ وَابْنِ السَّائِبِ: كَهَنَتُهُمْ (٤) . وَالْآيَةُ تَتَنَاوَلُ هَذَا كُلَّهُ وَغَيْرَهُ، وَلَفْظُهَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ شَيَاطِينُ الْإِنْسِ، لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ: {وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٤] . وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ شَيْطَانَ (٥) الْجِنِّ مَعَهُمْ لَمَّا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يَخْلُوا بِهِ (٦) ، وَشَيْطَانُ الْجِنِّ هُوَ

(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ ٨/٢٤٢ كِتَابُ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ، بَابُ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ مِنْ شَرِّ شَيَاطِينِ الْإِنْسِ وَهُوَ عَنْهُ فِي: الْمُسْنَدِ ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ ٥/١٧٨، ١٧٩، ٢٦٥ وَأَوَّلُهُ: يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ، هَلْ صَلَّيْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: قُمْ فَصَلِّ. قَالَ: فَقُمْتُ فَصَلَّيْتُ ثُمَّ جَلَسْتُ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ، تَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّ شَيَاطِينِ الْإِنْسِ. . . الْحَدِيثَ. (٢) إِنَّهُمْ شَيَاطِينُ الْجِنِّ: كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ (٣) ح، ب: رُؤَسَاؤُهُمْ. (٤) انْظُرْ تَفْسِيرَ ابْنِ كَثِيرٍ ط. الشَّعْبِ لِلْآيَةِ ١/٧٦ - ٧٧ زَادَ الْمَسِيرِ لِابْنِ الْجَوْزِيِّ ١/٣٤ - ٣٥. (٥) شَيْطَانَ، كَذَا فِي (و) فَقَطْ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: شَيَاطِينَ. (٦) ن، م، ح، ب: أَنْ يَخْلُوَ بِهِ، و: أَنْ يَخْلُونَهُ.