Surah Al - Naas

This blog is part of series of blogs based on my research and compilation about Surahs of Quran, in an effort to understand these surrah, in an easy way. Today's effort is on Surah Al- Naas Chapter (114), hope going through it will be a learning journey for all of you. May Allah forgive any mistake, omission or error on mine in its compilation (Aameen Summa Aameen)

Introduction:

Surah An-Naas was revealed in Mecca, ordered 114 in the Quran, it has 6 verses. The Surah title means "Mankind" in English.

History:

Surah Naas was revealed because of increasing opposition and magic against prophet Muhammad at Makkah from the disbelieving Quraysh who wanted to kill him to prevent spreading his message between people. Later, at Madinah when storms of opposition were raised by Jews and polytheists, Prophet Muhammad was instructed Surah al Naas.

Why was surah Naas revealed?

They began to hold secret consultations to kill him quietly in the darkness of the night so that the Bani Hashim could not discover the murderer and take revenge; magic and charms were being worked on him to cause his death, make him fall ill, or become mad; Satan from the men and jinn spread everywhere to whisper one or another evil into the hearts of the people against him and the Qur’an he brought, to incite suspicion and cause him to flee.

The fact that a man from a different family or clan should succeed and gain notoriety incited a great deal of jealously among the populace.

Thus, it was given to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to declare to the people, "I seek refuge with the Rabb of the dawn, from the evil of everything that He has created, and from the evil of the darkness of night and the evil of magicians, men, and women, and the evil of the envious," as well as, "I seek refuge with the Rabb of mankind, the King of mankind, and the Deity of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer, who returns repeatedly and whispers (evil) into the hearts of men, whether he be from among the jinn or mankind."

When to recite surah al Naas?

Ø  The Prophet urged Muslims to recite this Surah as often as possible.

Ø  Prophet Muhammad recites al Naas surah in different situations:

Ø  Prophet Muhammad recites surah Naas every day before laying down for sleep.

Ø  Aisha reported: When the Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, would lie down for sleep, he would blow into his hands, recite the two chapters of Refuge, al-Falaq, and al-Naas, and would wipe his hands over his body.  “Sahih al-Bukhari”

Ø  Prophet Muhammad recite surah Nass and Surah Falaq at the end of every prayer

Ø  ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, commanded me to recite the two chapters of refuge, al-Falaq, and al-Naas, at the end of every prayer. Sunan al-Tirmidhi.

Ø  Prophet Muhammad Surah al Naas recitation when he became ill.

Ø  Aisha (RA) narrated that whenever Allah’s Apostle became sick, he would recite Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Naas and then blow his breath over his body. When he became seriously ill, I used to recite (these two Surahs) and rub his hands over his body for its blessings. “Saheeh Al-Bukhari”

It’s Importance:

The whisper of evil can reach into our most private space (our hearts), and that is terrifying. But thank God we have been granted a refuge from this evil with the Lord, Master, and God of mankind. How blessed we are to have this refuge. Alhamdulillah! it is narrated that Prophet Muhammad would recite Surah An-Naas (as well as Surah Al-Falaq) as part of seeking protection and blessings, especially during times of illness or distress. The Surah should be read three times in the morning & evening, three times after Maghrib and once after every other Fardh prayer. The Prophet – SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam – also taught us to read them at night before going to bed.

The difference between Surah Falaq and Surah Naas:

So surah al-Falaq includes seeking protection from the evil of external calamities, while surah al-Naas includes seeking protection from the evil of one's own shortcomings, and the source of all those shortcomings is the whispering of the shaytan.

Surah Naas protect us from:

There are many things that surah Naas protects us from, as Allah and our Prophet Muhammad taught us;

Ø  Surah Naas will protect us from Jinn or Magic and the evil works of Devils. It will protect us from jealousy and hatred.

Ø  When anyone speaks ill about you, when you are feeling sad or unable to concentrate on your Salaah, then you must recite Suratul Naas and suratul Falaq.

Ø  Suratul Naas warns us against the secret whispers of evil inside our hearts and warns us also against the evil that may come from other men or invisible spirits.

Benefits of surah Naas:

Ø  Surah protects us from Shatan’s whispers, Satan’s whispers in the form of negative or evil information, ideas, and feelings that penetrate a person’s heart and mind which may cause you to deviate from the right path and are caused by Satan and outside sources (jinns and humans).

Ø  Protect us from black magic

Ø  Protect from evil eye and evil jinns, Evil eyes and evil may destroy our lives and have more dangerous effects than we imagine. So we should read suratul nas in our daily routine to protect us.

Ø  Protect us from a jealous person. Jealousy may be raised from Satan’s whispers and not only harm the victim but also harm the person who becomes jealous so we should stay away from jealousy.

In Short, Surah Naas focuses on two main topics: the three aspects in which Allah is man’s refuge, i.e. as his Rabb, sovereign, and object of worship; and Satan’s whisperings and how he tempts man. After all, we can learn from Suratul Naas that Allah is our king and Rabb and Allah is the only refuge who protects us from Satan and his devil helper which may be from jinn and mankind.

 

Researched & Compiled by:

Ovais Asad Khan