114
Muhammad Asad
AN-NAS (MEN)
THE
HUNDRED-FOURTEENTH SURAH
Total Verses: 6
Introduction
SEE introductory note
to the preceding surah , with which this one is closely connected.
IN THE NAME OF
GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
(1) SAY: "I seek refuge with the Sustainer of men, -
(2) "the Sovereign of men,
(3) "the God of men,
(4) "from the evil of the
whispering, elusive tempter
(5) "who whispers in the hearts of men 1-
(6) "from all [temptation to evil by] invisible forces
as well as men," 2
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1 I.e., "Satan" in the
widest meaning of this designation, as pointed out by Razi
(quoted in surah 14, note 31).
2 The above is perhaps the oldest Qur'anic mention of the term and concept of al-jinnah (synonymous with al-jinn), which has been
tentatively explained in Appendix III. In the above context, the term probably
denotes the intangible, mysterious forces of nature to which man's psyche is
exposed, and which sometimes make it difficult for us to discern between right
and wrong, However, in the light of this last verse of the last surah of the Qur'an it is also
possible to conclude that the "invisible forces" from which we are
told to seek refuge with God are the temptations to evil emanating from the
blindness of our own hearts, from our gross appetites, and from the erroneous
notions and false values that may have been handed down to us by our
predecessors.