NAME: الناس, An-Nas.
Name taken from Verse 1-3 where there is a mention of the word ”Nas”. These last two Surahs “Falaq’ and “Nas” are also called Muawwidhatayn because in both these Surahs we are seeking refuge in God.
١ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
1 Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
٢ مَلِكِ النَّاسِ
2 The Sovereign of mankind.
٣ إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ
3 The God of mankind,
ENGLISH NAME: Mankind.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 114
SURAH NAS TOTAL VERSES: 6
SURAH NAS TOTAL WORDS: 20
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 16
TOTAL LETTERS: 80
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 610 – 618 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Mankind, Evil, Jinn.
SURAH NAS MAIN TOPICS:
Seek Refuge In God From Evil Of Conspiracies Of All Creation.
SURAH NAS KEY VERSES:
٤ مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
4 From the evil of the retreating whisperer –
٥ الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ
5 Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind –
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-3(Allah Asks Muhammad/Believers to Seek Refuge In The Lord, King And God of Mankind), 4-6(From Evil of the Sneaky Whisperer of Human & Jinn Origin, Who Whispers Evil Suggestions In Hearts)
SURAH NAS BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACKGROUND
This Surah has 6 verses. It takes its name from verse 1: “قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ” (By time) where the word “الناس” meaning “Mankind” appears. This Surah was revealed in Mecca most probably during the early days of Muhammad’s proclamation of his Prophethood. There is a difference of opinion as some commentators of the Quran say that this Surah was revealed in Madina. However, as stated earlier in previous Surah summaries, God kept reminding different previously revealed Surahs to Prophet whenever some event or incident required their repetition.
This Surah and Surah Falaq, are also called المعوذتان “Muawwidhatayn,” an Arabic term meaning “the two in which refuge with God has been sought”. Referring to these which are two connected short Surahs beginning with the verse “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of…”. These Surahs are so strongly related with their contents closely resembling each other’s that they have been designated by the common name المعوذتان. Traditions also state that these Surahs were revealed together, and hence their combined name of المعوذتان.
Surah Falaq tells of seeking God’s Refuge From Evil Of All Creation. And Surah Nas tells to Seek God’s Refuge From Evil Of Conspiracies Of All Creation.
Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from Uqbah bin Amir that he said, “While I was leading Prophet of God PBUH along one of these paths he said, O Uqbah! Will you not ride, I was afraid that this might be considered an act of disobedience. So Prophet of God PBUH got down, and I rode for a while. Then he rode. Then he said, O Uqbah! Should I not teach you two Surahs that are of the best two Surahs that the people recite? I said, Of course, So he taught me to recite Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Falaq. And Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind. Then the call was given to begin the prayer and Prophet of God PBUH went forward (to lead the people), and he recited them in the prayer. Afterward, he passed by me and said, What do you think, O Uqayb! “Recite these two Surahs whenever you go to sleep and whenever you get up.
Bukhari Narrated from Aisha: “Whenever the Prophet of God PBUH went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ, قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ , and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face, and front of his body. He used to do that three times.
Now from the above Hadith a new topic of “Blowing to Cure” And/OR “Getting Compensation for it” also emerges. I reserve my right to comment on all this and soon will do a separate Program on it, but a few traditions available on this topic are presented below:
Abdullah bin Masud narrated that Prophet of God PBUH disapproved of ten things, one of which was a recitation of spells and charms except by means of the المعوذتان.
Mughirah bin Shubah narrated Prophet of God PBUH said: “He who got himself treated by branding, or enchanting, became independent of trust in God.”
Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet of God PBUH said: “The people of my Ummah to enter Paradise without reckoning will be those who neither turn to treatment by branding, nor to enchanting, nor take omens, but have trust in their Lord.”
Aaisha narrated that The Prophet of God PBUH granted permission to a family of the Ansar for blowing to cure the evils effects of biting by every poisonous creature.”
Umair, freed slave of Abi al Laham narrated: “In the pre-Islamic days I had a formula with which I used to blow over the people. I recited it before the Holy Prophet, whereupon he told me to drop out such and such words from it, and permitted me to blow with the rest of it.”
These traditions show that the Prophet of God PBUH had completely forbidden blowing, and recitation of Mantras and only allowed it on the status that it should not have in it any form of polytheism. The person should entirely rely on God’s will to make it beneficial. Should recite and blow from the Quran or the names of God. The most important thing is that in any case words should be understandable, and there should be nothing sinful in it.
Something on the Magic that affected Prophet
There are also some traditions that state that these two Surahs were revealed by God when Prophet was sick because of some magic done by his opponents with the conspiracy of Jews in Madina. I am not commenting anything here just mentioning the Hadith as such. I reserve my right to comment on all this and soon will do a separate Program on it to give a detailed analysis of this Hadith and the nature of Magic. And that can a Prophet of God whom all his opponents blame that he is either mad or bewitched and in whole Quran God kept defending that Muhammad is neither mad nor bewitched, at the end of his life in Madina actually struck by Magic!
Book: Medicine – كتاب الطب
Global Id: 5617 (27)
English reference: Vol. 7, Book 71, Hadith 658
Arabic reference: Book 76, Hadith 5822
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ سَحَرَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ لَبِيدُ بْنُ الأَعْصَمِ، حَتَّى كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ يَفْعَلُ الشَّىْءَ وَمَا فَعَلَهُ، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ أَوْ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَهْوَ عِنْدِي لَكِنَّهُ دَعَا وَدَعَا ثُمَّ قَالَ ” يَا عَائِشَةُ، أَشَعَرْتِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَفْتَانِي فِيمَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ، أَتَانِي رَجُلاَنِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي، وَالآخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَىَّ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ مَا وَجَعُ الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ مَطْبُوبٌ. قَالَ مَنْ طَبَّهُ قَالَ لَبِيدُ بْنُ الأَعْصَمِ. قَالَ فِي أَىِّ شَىْءٍ قَالَ فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاطَةٍ، وَجُفِّ طَلْعِ نَخْلَةٍ ذَكَرٍ. قَالَ وَأَيْنَ هُوَ قَالَ فِي بِئْرِ ذَرْوَانَ ”. فَأَتَاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي نَاسٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَجَاءَ فَقَالَ ” يَا عَائِشَةُ كَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الْحِنَّاءِ، أَوْ كَأَنَّ رُءُوسَ نَخْلِهَا رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ .” قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ أَسْتَخْرِجُهُ قَالَ ” قَدْ عَافَانِي اللَّهُ، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُثَوِّرَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِيهِ شَرًّا ”. فَأَمَرَ بِهَا فَدُفِنَتْ. تَابَعَهُ أَبُو أُسَامَةَ وَأَبُو ضَمْرَةَ وَابْنُ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ هِشَامٍ. وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ هِشَامٍ فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاقَةٍ. يُقَالُ الْمُشَاطَةُ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الشَّعَرِ إِذَا مُشِطَ، وَالْمُشَاقَةُ مِنْ مُشَاقَةِ الْكَتَّانِ.
Narrated Aisha:
A man called Labid bin al-Asam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked Magic on Prophet of God PBUH till he started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done. One day or one night he was with us, he invoked God and invoked for an extended period, and then said, “O Aisha! Do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I have asked him about? Two men came to me, and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them said to his companion, “What is the disease of this man?” The other replied, “He is under the effect of magic.’ The first one asked, ‘Who has worked the magic on him?’ The other replied, “Labid bin Al-Asam.’ The first one asked, ‘What material did he use?’ The other replied, ‘A comb and the hairs stuck to it and the skin of pollen of a male date palm.’ The first one asked, ‘Where is that?’ The other replied, ‘(That is) in the well of Dharwan;’ ” So Prophet of God PBUH along with some of his companions went there and came back saying, “O Aisha, the color of its water is like the infusion of Henna leaves. The tops of the date-palm trees near it are like the heads of the devils.” I asked. “O Allah’s Apostle? Why did you not show it (to the people)?” He said, “Since Allah cured me, I disliked to let evil spread among the people.” Then he ordered that the well be filled up with soil.
