سُوْرَةُ النَّاسِ
Surah An-Naas (114) — Ayah 4
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ﴿4﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"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 Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مِن
min
From
شَرِّ
sharri
(the) evil
ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ
l-waswāsi
(of) the whisperer
ٱلْخَنَّاسِ
l-khanāsi
the one who withdraws
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
4. From the evil of the whisperer [2] who withdraws after whispering.
[2]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿خناس﴾:
﴿وَسْوَاس﴾ from a medical point of view is a disease which is also called delusion. This disease, due to the dominance of black bile, renders the mind dysfunctional and a person begins to utter such useless things which were not previously in his mind. The evil that comes to the heart, the useless thought, and from a Shariah perspective, its meaning is the inclination of Satan towards some evil deed and continuously putting evil thoughts into the heart, and its attribution is only towards Satan. One of whose attributes is ﴿خَنَّاس﴾, and ﴿خَنَّاس﴾ is also a descriptive name of Satan. ﴿خَنَّاس﴾ means one who appears and then hides, or comes forward and then retreats. This act of Satan does not happen only once, but repeatedly. In the word ﴿وَسوَس﴾ there is verbal repetition, which also indicates repetition in meaning. Satan puts a whisper once and then hides. Then he attacks again and hides again, until he succeeds in his mission.
[2]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿خناس﴾:
﴿وَسْوَاس﴾ from a medical point of view is a disease which is also called delusion. This disease, due to the dominance of black bile, renders the mind dysfunctional and a person begins to utter such useless things which were not previously in his mind. The evil that comes to the heart, the useless thought, and from a Shariah perspective, its meaning is the inclination of Satan towards some evil deed and continuously putting evil thoughts into the heart, and its attribution is only towards Satan. One of whose attributes is ﴿خَنَّاس﴾, and ﴿خَنَّاس﴾ is also a descriptive name of Satan. ﴿خَنَّاس﴾ means one who appears and then hides, or comes forward and then retreats. This act of Satan does not happen only once, but repeatedly. In the word ﴿وَسوَس﴾ there is verbal repetition, which also indicates repetition in meaning. Satan puts a whisper once and then hides. Then he attacks again and hides again, until he succeeds in his mission.
