|
Recitation: Sa'ad Al
Ghamdi
|
Introduction and Summary
This early Makkan Surah is a
pendant to the last, and concludes the Holy Quran with an appeal to us to trust
in Allah, rather than man, as our sure shield and protection. it warns us
specially against the secret whispers of evil within our own hearts.
C.294 - The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose
Insidious Evil lies
in wait
For man, and loves to
whisper and withdraws.
Thus testing his
will. But man can make
Allah his sure
shield: for Allah doth care
For him and cherishes
him: Allah is
The heavenly King Who
gives him laws:
And Allah is the Goal
to which he will
Return and be judged.
Let man but place
Himself in Allah's
hands, and never can Evil
Touch him in his
Essential and inner life.
قُلْ
أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (١)
1.
Say: I seek
refuge
with the Lord and Cherisher of
Mankind,
C6307.
The
previous Surah pointed to the necessity of seeking Allah's protection against
external factors which might affect an individual.
Here the
need of protection from internal factors, mankind being viewed as a whole, is
pointed out. For this reason the threefold relation in which man stands to Allah
is mentioned, as explained in the next note.
C6308. Man's relation to Allah may be viewed in three aspects:
1. Allah
is his Lord, Maker, and Cherisher; Allah sustains him and cares for him; He
provides him with all the means for his growth and development, and for his
protection against evil;
2. Allah
is his king or ruler; more than any earthly king, Allah has authority to guide
man's conduct, and lead him to ways which will make for his welfare; and He has
given him laws; and
3. Allah
is He to Whom mankind must return, to give an account of all their deeds in this
life
(2:156)-, Allah
will be the Judge-, He is the goal of the Hereafter, and the only Being entitled
to man's worship at any time.
From all
these aspects man could and should seek Allah's protection against evil.
مَلِكِ
النَّاسِ
(٢)
2.
The King
(or Ruler)
of Mankind,
إِلَهِ
النَّاسِ (٣)
3.
The Allah
(or Judge)
of Mankind --
مِن شَرِّ
الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
(٤)
4.
From the mischief of the
Whisperer
(of Evil), who withdraws
(after his whisper)
–
C6309.
Evil insinuates itself in all sorts of insidious ways from within so as to sap
man's will, which was given to man by Allah.
This power
of evil may be Satan, or evil men or the evil inclinations within man's own
will: for there are
"evil ones
among men and Jinns, inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of
deception" (6: 112).
They
secretly whisper evil and then withdraw, to make their net the more subtle and
alluring.
الَّذِي
يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ
(٥)
5. (The
same)
who whispers into the hearts of mankind --
مِنَ
الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ
(٦)
6. Among
Jinns and
among Men._
C6310.
This last clause amplifies the description of the sources from which the whisper
of evil may emanate: they may be men whom you may see or invisible spirits of
evil working within. See last note.
So long
as we put ourselves in Allah's protection, and trust in Allah, evil cannot
really touch us in our essential and inner life.
|
