سورة الناس

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الخَنَّاسِ [From the evil of the sneaking whisperer] — what is meant is Satan, who sits upon the heart of the son of Adam and has a snout like a pig's snout, and whispers to him so that he turns towards the world and towards what Allah does not love; and when he remembers Allah, he draws back and disappears. Allah has said: الَّذِی یُوَسْوِسُ فِی صُدُورِ النَّاسِ [Who whispers in the breasts of men], and then informed that it includes both the jinn and mankind, and said: مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ [From among the jinn and the men], meaning each one from the jinn and mankind.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الخَنَّاسِ [From the evil of the sneaking whisperer] is the name of a satan who is in the breasts of people, and stirs up whisperings in them, and makes them despair of good, and frightens them with poverty, and drives them to disobedience of Allah and to evil deeds. And this is the word of Allah the Blessed and Exalted, who said: "Satan promises you poverty [at the time of spending] and commands you to indecency [and abominations]." (Baqarah/268)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Every heart has two ears — upon one of them is a guiding angel and upon the other is a slandering satan; one commands him and the other restrains him. Likewise, among people there are satans who drive other people to acts of disobedience to Allah, just as the satans among the jinn do.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Satan places his snout upon the heart of the son of Adam (peace be upon him); when he remembers Allah, he retreats and hides, and when he forgets Allah, he swallows his heart into his mouth — and this is the meaning of: الْوَسْوَاسُ الخَنَّاس [the whispering one who withdraws].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): There is no believer whose heart does not have two ears: into one ear an angel blows, and into the other the whispering withdrawer (al-Waswas al-Khannas) blows, and Allah strengthens the believer by means of that angel, as He has said: "And He has strengthened them with a spirit from Himself." (al-Mujadila/22)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When this verse was revealed: "And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins." (Al-e Imran/135), Iblis climbed a mountain in Mecca called Thawr and with a loud cry gathered all his demons around himself. They said, "O our master, why have you called us?" He said, "This verse has been revealed — who will take it on?" One of the demons stood up and said, "I will take it on, by such-and-such." He said, "You are not the one for it." Another stood up and said the like of that, and he heard the same. The whispering withdrawer (al-Waswas al-Khannas) said, "This is my task." He said, "By what?" He said, "I will make them promises and stir their desires until they commit a sin, and when they commit a sin I will make them forget to seek forgiveness." He said, "You are the one suited for this task," and he appointed him to it until the Day of Resurrection.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): There is a long hadith from the Learned One (peace be upon him) in which the Imam (peace be upon him) explained what Iblis asked of Allah and Allah's answer to him, and in that hadith he said: ... Iblis said, "O Lord, increase [worldly rewards] for me." Allah said, "I have made the breasts of them (the children of Adam) a homeland for you and your progeny." Iblis said, "This is enough for me."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever eats a single seed of a pomegranate makes the satan of whispering ill for forty days.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): O Ali (peace be upon him), three things cause waswasa (obsessive whispering): 1. eating clay, 2. cutting nails with the teeth, 3. chewing the hair of the beard.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Four things are from waswasa (obsessive whispering): eating clay, crumbling clods of clay, cutting nails with the teeth, and biting the beard.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْواسِ [From the evil of the whisperer] — that is, [from the evil of] the hidden whispering Satan; [Satan] whispers into the heart of the son of Adam, and when the son of Adam remembers Allah, he flees from his heart and departs. الَّذِی یُوَسْوِسُ فِی صُدُورِ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ [Who whispers into the breasts of men, from among the jinn and men]; [humans] enter in the form of jinn and whisper into his heart, just as [Satan] whispers into the heart of the son of Adam. And from among the jinn they enter [the heart of man] just as they enter from among humans. These two Surahs were revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) when he was bewitched, and he was commanded to seek refuge through them.