Reflections on Surat Al-Nas

Written by: Abeeda

“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,

the King of mankind,

the God of mankind,

from the evil of the retreating whisperer

who whispers evil(s) into the hearts of mankind

from among jinn and mankind.”

The essence of this chapter of the Qur’an speaks of the most dangerous evil that we are all exposed to–Shaytan [Satan], and his capacity to wear us down internally.

He traverses through our veins, and listens to our fears, and then whispers in our minds, exaggerating our doubts, emphasizing our fears, and heightening our despair.

This causes us to crumble, but all he did was whisper.

It is in isolation that we are at our weakest, and this is why this surah speaks to mankind.

The word naas (mankind) is derived from the root word “ūns”, which means “to seek consolation”.

It is our human nature to seek comfort in companionship, to be consoled when we fall.

But in reality, all too often, when someone among us falls, judgement and despair is what we reflect upon them, so what we sadly do is support Shaytan in his ongoing war against us. At the time of another’s need, if we fail to console them, we may simply be pushing them closer towards the devil’s destructive ways.

©️Abeeda