Basic
Worship & Dhikr
Surah: An-Nas (4)
Say I Seek Refuge With the Lord of People King of People God of People — Three Divine Attributes in Three Verses
مِن شَرِّ ٱلۡوَسۡوَاسِ ٱلۡخَنَّاسِ
— الناس الآية 4
Verse: "Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of people, King of people, God of people — from the evil of the whispering retreater." (114:1-4) — Three divine attributes matched with three dimensions of His relationship with people: Lord (Creator-nurturer), King (absolute sovereign), God (worthy of worship). Then the evil sought refuge from: "the whispering retreater (khannas)" — Satan whispers in breasts then retreats (yankhanas) when Allah is mentioned. The remedy: immediate dhikr of Allah at any whisper. Lesson: whispers are evidence of the soundness of your faith — Satan doesn't whisper to those he doesn't feel threatened by.
Source: Ibn Kathir (8/479); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
Why is Satan called "al-khannas" (the retreater)?
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