سُوْرَةُ الْجِنِّ
Surah Al-Jinn (72) — Ayah 9
وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَـٰعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ ٱلْـَٔانَ يَجِدْ لَهُۥ شِهَابًا رَّصَدًا ﴿9﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
‘And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَأَنَّا
wa-annā
And that we
كُنَّا
kunnā
used to
نَقْعُدُ
naqʿudu
sit
مِنْهَا
min'hā
there in
مَقَـٰعِدَ
maqāʿida
positions
لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ
lilssamʿi
for hearing
فَمَن
faman
but (he) who
يَسْتَمِعِ
yastamiʿi
listens
ٱلْـَٔانَ
l-āna
now
يَجِدْ
yajid
will find
لَهُۥ
lahu
for him
شِهَابًۭا
shihāban
a flaming fire
رَّصَدًۭا
raṣadan
waiting
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.
And that we used to sit in positions to listen in the heavens, but now whoever tries to listen finds a flaming meteor lying in wait for him.
[7]
The Business of Soothsaying in the Days of Ignorance:
In the Prophetic era, the business of soothsaying was quite prevalent. The foundation of this business was that these soothsayers had a connection with the devils. Once, the noble Companions ؓ asked the Prophet ﷺ about soothsayers. He ﷺ replied: Their words are mere nonsense. The Companions ؓ said: Sometimes what they say turns out to be true. He ﷺ replied: That is the information which the soothsayer learns through a devil, and the devil snatches this news from the higher assembly, then the soothsayer mixes a hundred lies with that news. [بخاري۔ باب الكهانة]
After the Prophet ﷺ was sent, the heavens were strictly guarded, so that no devil could even approach the sky. The reason for making this system stricter was that the revelation which was to be sent down and was being sent down to the Last Prophet should not be heard by any devil at all. And another purpose was automatically achieved by this: the news that soothsayers used to receive through the devils was also cut off. The jinn are describing this very situation in their own words.
[7]
The Business of Soothsaying in the Days of Ignorance:
In the Prophetic era, the business of soothsaying was quite prevalent. The foundation of this business was that these soothsayers had a connection with the devils. Once, the noble Companions ؓ asked the Prophet ﷺ about soothsayers. He ﷺ replied: Their words are mere nonsense. The Companions ؓ said: Sometimes what they say turns out to be true. He ﷺ replied: That is the information which the soothsayer learns through a devil, and the devil snatches this news from the higher assembly, then the soothsayer mixes a hundred lies with that news. [بخاري۔ باب الكهانة]
After the Prophet ﷺ was sent, the heavens were strictly guarded, so that no devil could even approach the sky. The reason for making this system stricter was that the revelation which was to be sent down and was being sent down to the Last Prophet should not be heard by any devil at all. And another purpose was automatically achieved by this: the news that soothsayers used to receive through the devils was also cut off. The jinn are describing this very situation in their own words.
