Surah An-Naas (114) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ If {مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ: ’’ الْوَسْوَاسِ ‘‘} is with a kasrah on the waw, then it is the verbal noun of {’’وَسْوَسَ يُوَسْوِسُ‘‘}, meaning to whisper, just as {’’زِلْزَالٌ‘‘} (with a kasrah on the zā’) means to shake violently. (Zamakhshari) Here, {’’ الْوَسْوَاسِ ‘‘} is with a fatḥah on the waw; this is not a verbal noun but an adjective, which is in the meaning of an active participle, one who whispers much, just as {’’ثَرْثَارٌ‘‘} (one who talks a lot) and {’’دَحْدَاحٌ‘‘} (one who is very short in stature), etc. (Tafsir Ibn Qayyim)
➋ { ’’ الْوَسْوَاسِ ‘‘} is a doubled quadriliteral verb, and its meaning includes repetition (to whisper again and again), just as the meaning of {’’زَلْزَلَ‘‘} includes shaking repeatedly and {’’ثَرْثَرَ‘‘} includes speaking continuously. The meaning of {’’ الْوَسْوَاسِ ‘‘} is one who whispers a lot, who whispers repeatedly.
➌ The original meaning of { ’’وَسْوَسَةٌ‘‘} is that light or subdued movement or sound which is generally not perceived. It also refers to something said in a very low voice into someone’s ear so that only he hears it, and also to that which is placed in someone’s heart without a sound, as Satan whispers into the heart of a person.
➍ {’’ الْخَنَّاسِ ‘‘ ’’خَنَسَ يَخْنِسُ‘‘} (indicating the verb's conjugation patterns) means to withdraw, to move away. In Surah Takwir, the stars are described as {’’اَلْخُنَّسُ‘‘}, because they set in the west daily, then withdraw and reappear from the east. {’’ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ‘‘} is an intensive form, meaning one who withdraws a lot. From this, it is automatically understood that he does not withdraw after whispering just once, but he whispers repeatedly, withdraws repeatedly, and then returns again and again to whisper. Satan is called {’’الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ‘‘} because he puts evil thoughts into a person’s heart; when the person remembers Allah, he withdraws, and when the person becomes heedless of remembrance, he returns and starts whispering again. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِذَا نُوْدِيَ لِلصَّلاَةِ أَدْبَرَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَلَهُ ضُرَاطٌ، حَتّٰی لاَ يَسْمَعَ التَّأْذِيْنَ ، فَإِذَا قُضِيَ النِّدَاءُ أَقْبَلَ، حَتّٰی إِذَا ثُوِّبَ بِالصَّلاَةِ أَدْبَرَ ، حَتّٰی إِذَا قُضِيَ التَّثْوِيْبُ أَقْبَلَ حَتّٰی يَخْطُرَ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَنَفْسِهِ ، يَقُوْلُ اذْكُرْ كَذَا ، اذْكُرْ كَذَا، لِمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ يَذْكُرُ ، حَتّٰی يَظَلَّ الرَّجُلُ لاَ يَدْرِيْ كَمْ صَلّٰی ] [ بخاري، الأذان، باب فضل التأذین : ۶۰۸ ] “When the call to prayer is given, Satan turns his back and flees, passing wind, so that he does not hear the call. When the call is finished, he returns; then when the iqamah for prayer is pronounced, he turns away again. When the iqamah is finished, he comes back and starts putting thoughts between a man and his heart, saying, ‘Remember such and such, remember such and such,’ things which he did not remember before, until a person does not know how much he has prayed.” It is clear that if a person is not present with his heart in prayer, Satan continues his work. He only withdraws from that remembrance in which the heart participates along with the tongue.