Authored by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
Is the whisper that causes sorrow to the believers from Shayṭān?
The answer to this question lies in the saying of Allah ﷻ:
إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَىٰ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّـهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
[Al-Mujādilah: 10]
“Secret counsel is only from Shayṭān, so that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.”
“Whoever feels suspicion due to such whispering, it is incumbent upon him to seek refuge with Allah and place his trust in Him. Then, by the permission of Allah, this whispering will not harm him in any way.”
It is narrated from Sayyidunā Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما that indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا كان ثلاثة فلا يتناجي اثنان دو واحد
“When there are three people, two of them should not engage in secret conversation excluding the third.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth No. 5930; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2183]
❖ Question:
Is the whisper that causes sorrow to the believers from Shayṭān?
❖ Answer:
The answer to this question lies in the saying of Allah ﷻ:
إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَىٰ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّـهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
[Al-Mujādilah: 10]
“Secret counsel is only from Shayṭān, so that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.”
❖ Explanation:
- النَّجْوَىٰ refers to secret counsel or whispering, which can lead a believer to suspicion or distress.
- مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ means that such whispering originates from Shayṭān, i.e., he beautifies and adorns it to make it appealing or convincing.
- لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا indicates that his objective is to cause grief and sadness among the believers.
- The phrase وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ implies that Shayṭān cannot harm them in any way except by Allah's permission.
Here, Allah’s permission is understood either as His will (mashīʾah) or, according to another view, as His knowledge (ʿilm).
❖ Statement of Imām Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله:
“Whoever feels suspicion due to such whispering, it is incumbent upon him to seek refuge with Allah and place his trust in Him. Then, by the permission of Allah, this whispering will not harm him in any way.”
❖ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
It is narrated from Sayyidunā Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما that indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا كان ثلاثة فلا يتناجي اثنان دو واحد
“When there are three people, two of them should not engage in secret conversation excluding the third.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth No. 5930; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2183]
