Closing folios from a Mamluk Qur'an (CBL Is 1628)

Al-Nās or Mankind ( ar, الناس, ''an-nās'') is the 114th and last chapter (''

sūrah A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...

'') of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

. It is a short six- verse

invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. * Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms ...

. : ۝ Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, :۝ The Sovereign of mankind. :۝ The God of mankind, :۝ From the evil of the retreating whisperer – :۝ Who whispers

vil VIL and similar can refer to: * Vertically integrated liquid, an estimate of the mass of precipitation within a cloud * Flanders Institute for Logistics (VIL), a non-profit organization by the Flemish government * The IATA code for Dakhla Airport ...

into the breasts of mankind – :۝ From among the

jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...

and mankind."

Sahih International The Saheeh International translation is an English-language translation of the Quran that has been used by Islam's most conservative adherents. Published by the Publishing House (dar), ''dar Abul Qasim'', Saudi Arabia, it is one of the world's mos ...

translation
Quran 114
/ref> The chapter takes its name from the word "men", "people" or "mankind" (''al-nās''), which recurs throughout the chapter. This and the preceding chapter,

Al-Falaq Al-Falaq or The Daybreak ( ar, اَلْفَلَق, ''al-falaq'') is the 113th chapter ('' sūrah'') of the Qur'an. It is a brief five ayat (verse) surah, asking God for protection from the evil: : ۝ Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybrea ...

("Daybreak"), are known as "the Refuges" ('' Al-Mu'awwidhatayn''): dealing with roughly the same theme, they form a natural pair. Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

(''

asbāb al-nuzūl Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...

''), it is an earlier "

Meccan surah The Meccan surat are, according to the timing and contextual background of supposed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), the chronologically earlier chapters (''suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronological order attribu ...

", which indicates a revelation in Mecca rather than Medina. Early Muslims were

persecuted Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms ...

in Mecca where Muhammed was not a leader, and not persecuted in Medina, where he was a protected leader. There is a

Sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...

tradition of reading this chapter for the sick or before sleeping.

Text and meaning

Text and transliteration

* Hafs from Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud

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Warsh Abu Sa'id Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qutbi, better known as Warsh (110-197AH), was a significant figure in the history of Quranic recitation (''qira'at''), the canonical methods of reciting the Qur'an. Alongside Qalun, he was one of the two primary ...

from Nafi‘ al-Madani

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²

³

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Meanings

Say: "I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind,
"The King of mankind,
"The Ilah (God) of mankind,
"From the evil of the whisperer (devil who whispers evil in the hearts of men) who withdraws (from his whispering in one's heart after one remembers Allah),
"Who whispers in the breasts of mankind,
"Of

s and men."

Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
The Sovereign of mankind,
The God of mankind,
From the evil of the retreating whisperer –
Who whispers

into the breasts of mankind –
From among the jinn and mankind."

Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind,
The King (or Ruler) of Mankind,
The god (or judge) of Mankind,-
From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who withdraws (after his whisper),-
(The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind,-
Among Jinns and among men.

Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
The King of mankind,
The god of mankind,
From the evil of the sneaking whisperer,
Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind,
Of the jinn and of mankind.

Impacts of the sūrah on a Muslim's life

According to 14thC exegesis of

Ibn Kathir Abū al-Fiḍā’ ‘Imād ad-Dīn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī al-Damishqī (Arabic: إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي أبو الفداء عماد; – 1373), known as Ibn Kathīr (, was ...

(''

tafsir Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...

''), it has been reported from Abu Sa'id that:

Prophet Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

used to seek protection from the evil eyes of the jinn and mankind. But when the

Muawwidhatayn Verses of Refuge (Arabic: المعوذتان) (romanized: Al-Mu'awwidhatayn), sometimes translated as " Verses of Refuge", is an Arabic term referring to the last two suras (chapters) of the Qur'an, viz. Daybreak (ch. 113), and Mankind (ch. 114), ...

were revealed, he used them (for protection) and abandoned all else besides them.

Al-Tirmidhi Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā as-Sulamī aḍ-Ḍarīr al-Būghī at-Tirmidhī ( ar, أبو عيسى محمد بن عيسى السلمي الضرير البوغي الترمذي; fa, , ''Termezī''; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209 - 2 ...

An-Nisai Al-Nasāʾī (214 – 303 AH; 829 – 915 CE), full name Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb ibn ʿAlī ibn Sīnān al-Nasāʾī, (variant: Abu Abdel-rahman Ahmed ibn Shua'ib ibn Ali ibn Sinan ibn Bahr ibn Dinar Al-Khurasani ...

and

ibn Majah Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rabʿī al-Qazwīnī ( ar, ابو عبد الله محمد بن يزيد بن ماجه الربعي القزويني; (b. 209/824, d. 273/887) commonly known as Ibn Mājah, was a medieval sch ...

recorded this.

Relations to other chapters

Being the last chapter of the Quran, it is a kind of final response to the invocation that the reader of the Quran is implored to make to God in Quran 1 (Al-Fatihah). The response is that even though God has provided detailed guidance, the seeker of guidance must also pray to God that he remains free from the 'whisper' (''waswāsa'') of the

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

Relation to topics discussed in previous chapter

The root problem is mentioned in Quran 113 (''al-falaq'') but more specific information is mentioned in this chapter as to the problem of the shaytan himself who puts waswāsa (whisperings) into the hearts of the people. In Quran 113 (Q:113), God protects from the outward harms of evils, whereas in Quran 114 (Q:114) God protects from evils which affect inside; i.e. whisperings which can weaken belief, introduce doubts, or entice mankind towards evil. In Q:113, there were evils which are harmful to mankind, but outside of people's control. The one committing those evils (i.e. magic, envy etc.) would be sinful. In Q:114, there are evils which are whispered to people. If people act upon these whisperings, which call towards evil actions, people will be the ones who are sinful. Therefore, this is more of a desperate situation for people's beliefs, thus this is the greater danger for mankind. Q:114 has more emphasis on seeking protection with God, in comparison to the previous chapter which had more emphasis on seeking protection against evil, so there is a reciprocity between these two chapters; ''al-Falaq'' mentions Lord once, and many evils, whereas ''al-Nas'' mentions one Evil (waswāsa/whisperings from shaytan), and mentions God many times.

Hadith

Hadith mentioning the benefits of the Surah

Quran 113 & Quran 114 are together called Al-Mu'awwidhatayn.
Authentic or "Sahi" means the information is very reliable.
Argumentative means there is a difference of opinion about these Hadith. Some believe they are correct. Others believe they are from weak sources.
Unauthentic or weak or fabricated means the Hadith are not from trustworthy sources (but there can still be similar stories from a trustworthy source).
Uncategorized is the Hadith which the editors have not yet decided are authentic or weak.

In Popular Culture

In Videogames

*A 2021 psychological horror game called "iBLiS" (developed by FND Games) has included the last verse of the chapter being recited at the end of the game's intro. **The intro begins with an introduction to a real life Turkish urban legend about a late bride from Yakapinar Village in Ankara, who apparently had died in a car accident, causing her spirit to later haunt at the player along the gameplay. The intro ends with the final verse of the chapter being recited, foreshadowing the bride's possible connection with a ''jinn'' at some point before her death.

Notes and references

External links

Quran 114

Clear Quran translation Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in ...

Surah Al-Naas importance
*
Surah Nas Recitation Mp3 By Abdul Rahman Al Sudais
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Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...