Dr Bassam Saeh speaks about how Surah al-Nas, though it is a very short surah with just 20 words, introduced 33 new and unique features to the Arabic language.

It completely changed how Arabic was used, just like Surah al-Fatiha did. Almost every word or phrase in it was used in a new way the Arabs had never heard before. This created a powerful effect when it was first heard, shocking the listeners and showing that this speech was not like poetry or normal human language.

The surah includes two new words found nowhere else in the Quran: Al-waswas (the whisperer) and al-khannas (the one who hides then returns). It also has five unique expressions, like Rabb An-nas, Malik An-nas, and Ilah An-nas, which are not found together in any other surah.

Even simple verbs like “qul” (say) and “aʿudhu” (I seek protection) are used in completely new ways. For example, “qul” was never used like this in pre-Islamic poetry, and “aʿudhu” barely existed in poetry before Islam. The Quran gave these old words new uses, meanings, and structure.

The surah’s phrases are built differently from anything the Arabs were used to. Instead of full sentences with clear verbs and subjects, the Quran used short, rhythmic phrases like building blocks that worked together in a new, more powerful way. The structure of the whole surah is also unique—all verses end with the same word “al-nas” and follow a pattern never seen before.

It introduced new imagery, like the devil whispering in the chests of people—not in their ears or minds, as the Arabs would have expected. It also joined together new word pairs like al-jinnah wa al-nas (the jinn and people) in ways that had never been done before.

Because of all this, Surah al-Nas is not only a prayer for protection, but also a clear example of how the Quran brought a new kind of language. Its short verses are still repeated by Muslims every day in worship and daily life.

Surah An-Nas

“Say: I seek protection with the Lord of people, the King of people, the God of people, from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, the one who whispers in the hearts of people, from among the jinn and the people.”

We are now with Surah number 114, the last in the order of the chapters of the Noble Book. We will move to discover the facts of linguistic inimitability in its new language following the same steps we took with Surah al-Fatiha. We begin by looking at its words and new expressions. Then we examine what is new in its linguistic forms and relationships in grammar and rhetoric that connect these words. After that, we try to discover what is new in its unique language structure, in the way its meanings open up and expand in different directions. Finally, we look at what is new in its comprehensive and concise expressions.

When we know that the number of words in this surah is only 20, we can understand how important it is that there are 33 new features that the Arabic language had not known before the revelation.

And once again, we must remember that each of these features of the renewal in the language of the Quran will not truly impact us if we look at it in isolation from the others. If we imagined each one like a small electric charge between 5 to 10 volts, we might feel only a light touch or maybe nothing at all. But when dozens of them are gathered together in a short chapter like this, they turn into a powerful shock that shakes anyone who hears it for the first time, as it truly did with the first Arab listeners.

The linguistic personality of the surah stands out in its use of two new words that are unique to it: al-waswas and al-khannas. It also includes five expressions that are not repeated in any other surah: Rabb al-nas, Malik al-nas, Ilah al-nas, yuwaswisu fi, and yuwaswisu fi sudur al-nas. Added to this is the fact that the surah is independent in its unique topic which is not shared by any other surah, which is seeking protection with Allah from the whispers of the devils of humans and jinn.

The words and expressions

Qul (say) is a verb that opens the surah in an unusual way. There is no known speaker or listener, and it carries a new meaning. It is not followed by the preposition lam, and it is a response to a request or a condition that has been dropped along with the connecting letter fa that would usually appear.

It may seem to us that it is a very ordinary verb, as it is commonly used in our everyday and formal language. But in this surah, it is completely unusual. It is different from any qul we know outside the Quran in seven ways:

One, it is one of the most frequent words in the Quran. It appears 332 times, not including its other forms, while it does not appear at all in pre-Islamic poetry, even though the volume of poetry we have from that time is larger than the Quran by more than seven times. This makes its presence in the Quran something extraordinary.

Two, it comes at the beginning of the surah, which is a complete unit of language and meaning. Arabs before and after the Quran were not used to beginning their speeches, whether in poetry or prose, with a command verb in singular form like qul.

Three, to the ear of the Arab who heard it for the first time, it comes from an unknown speaker who is not mentioned in the surah, even though we now know it is Allah, and it is directed to an unknown addressee, even though we now know it is the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

Four, if we try to explain the beginning of the surah in terms of grammar, we are forced to assume that it is a response to an unspoken question like “What should I say?” or a response to a condition like “If you want to seek protection from the evil of the devil, then say…” In this case, even the fa which would link this to the condition has been dropped.

Five, it carries a meaning different from its traditional meaning. Here, it means “recite” or “repeat” or “deliver,” while the Arabs used it to mean “inform” or “say something to someone.”

Six, with this different meaning, it also drops the preposition lam which Arabs usually used after it, as in these lines of poetry:

“Say to Ibn Kulthum who comes to betray us: prepare for war that will choke the old man’s throat.”

“Say to the one you scorn and to the son of Hind: if you seek our glory, then come forward.”

You can see in the above lines that you cannot replace qul with read or recite or deliver. Strangely, in all 332 cases, the verb is followed by lam only 15 times. If we compare this to the fact that in pre-Islamic poetry, the verb only appears with lam, we can understand the new and unique way the Quran uses this verb.

Even when this verb in the Quran means tell them or inform them, it often drops the lam, and also the person being spoken to, as in these verses:

“Say: are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (al-Zumar 9)

“Say: O My servants who have wronged themselves, do not give up hope in the mercy of Allah.” (al-Zumar 53)

“Say: O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship.” (al-Kafirun 1 to 2)

“Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal.” (al-Ikhlas 1 to 2)

This special usage becomes even clearer when we know that the verb does not appear in the hadith except when it is directed to a specific person. Usually, this person is someone asking the Prophet a question, and the Prophet replies. Or it appears as advice given to a named person, like:

“O uncle, say: there is no god but Allah, a word I can defend you with before Allah.”

“Do not say: if only I had done this or that, but say: it was the will of Allah and whatever He wills, He does.”

“Teach me a supplication I can say in my prayer. He said: say, O Allah, I have wronged myself a great wrong and none forgives sins but You…”

Aʿudhu (I seek protection)

The Arabs most likely did not know the verb aʿudhu in this specific supplicating form. Dr Bassam Saeh found it only once in pre-Islamic poetry, and you will likely agree with me in doubting its authenticity. The context of the verses does not belong to that period. In fact, the four lines contain the meanings of at least six Quran verses. The lines are attributed to al-Husayn ibn Hammam al-Fazari, who died around 10 years before the Hijrah:

“I seek protection with my Lord from disgrace, on the Day each self will see its deeds, when the balance will be light for disbelievers, and the earth will be shaken its shaking, and a caller will cry to the people in the graves, so they rise to show their burdens, and the fire will be kindled with its punishment, and chains and shackles will be its bindings.”

One reason to doubt these lines is that the poet is said to have witnessed Islam but did not accept it. Also, the use of this verb suddenly rises in Arabic poetry after the time of revelation, appearing more than 22 times by the end of the Umayyad period. This big jump is hard to explain except by saying the word was new.

Commentators report in their explanation of the verse from Surah al-Jinn: “And there were men from humans who used to seek refuge with men from the jinn, so they only increased them in burden.” (al-Jinn 6)

They give various reports that Arabs would say this when they stopped in a valley, calling for protection from the leader of the jinn of that place. But these reports are not usually supported with strong chains of narration. For example, Ar-Razi says: “One view is that in the time of ignorance, when a man travelled and reached a deserted land, he would say: I seek protection with the master of this valley, or the noble one of this place, from the harm of his foolish ones.”

Others say: if people were suffering from drought, they would send someone to search for a place with water and grass. If he found it, he would return to them and when they arrived at that land, they would say: we seek protection with the lord of this valley from any harm, meaning the jinn.

Even if these reports are true, we should not forget that the commentators were speaking in their Islamic Arabic, not the language of the age of ignorance. So it is only natural that the Quran’s words like aʿudhu would appear on their tongues.

Al-Waswas

The Arabs knew this word before Islam, but without the new metaphorical meaning added by the Quran. For them, it meant only the sound of jewellery or the whisper of a hunter to his dogs. It is as if the Quran compared the sound of the devil whispering secretly in the ear of his victim, out of the hearing of others, to the sound of a bracelet moving gently in a woman’s hand, or to the hunter whispering softly to his dogs so that he does not scare away the prey.

Even though this word appears at least five times in Umayyad and Islamic poetry, we do not find it in pre-Islamic poetry with this meaning. It appears once in a line by Hatim al-Ta’i, but not in the Quranic sense, and not even in the same form:

“When I turn over on the cushion once, the whisper of jewellery sings a soft tune.”

Here, the word means what it originally meant: the soft sound of jewellery. It is not the new meaning used by the Quran. So it is a noun that describes the devil himself, not his whisper.

But if what Abu Hilal al-Askari said in his important book al-Furuq al-Lughawiyyah is correct, that the Quran used a verbal noun and meant by it the noun, and if what ar-Razi and al-Qurtubi said is also correct, that al-waswas with a fatha is a verbal noun like zalzal (earthquake), then the Quran here would have used a source form to name something that is actually a being, not an action. That would be another new point of linguistic uniqueness in the Quran.

In the hadith, the word comes outside any Quran reference with different meanings. It means doubt or obsession with impurity, like in:

“None of you should urinate in the place he bathes in, for most of the whispering comes from that.”

“O Allah, open up my chest and ease my matter, and I seek protection with You from the whispering of the chest, the distraction of the mind, and the trial of the grave.”

Yes, and I admit again that someone may object: must every Arabic word be found in pre-Islamic poetry?

Of course not. Even though we have over twenty thousand lines of poetry from that period, which is more than the size of the Quran, this huge collection acts like a dictionary for the language of that time.

But we must first use our historical, social, linguistic, and critical awareness of that age. That is always what I rely on before going to pre-Islamic poetry to confirm or check my first thoughts.

Even so, the chance of human error is always there in every step of this difficult journey, no matter how small. Yes, we have received enough of pre-Islamic poetry to help us reach almost accurate conclusions, but we must not forget that much more has been lost over time and only a small part has reached us.

Finally, this word is one of the special linguistic features that make Surah al-Nas unique. It is not found in any other surah.

The one who withdraws and hides repeatedly (الخَنَّاس)

This word does not exist at all in pre-Islamic poetry. The way the Quran uses the word al-khannas to describe the devil who retreats, shrinks, and hides to prepare to attack his prey is clearly a new metaphor, unfamiliar to the Arabs. In fact, the very idea of the devil as the Quran describes him was a new concept to the Arab mind. They were familiar with jinn and told many stories about them, even saying that every poet had a jinni or a devil or some force that gave him poetry.

Once again, we can add this word to the unique features of the surah’s language, since you will not find it in any other surah after this one.

He Whispers

What was said earlier about al-waswas applies to its verb too. It is not found in pre-Islamic poetry and was also used in a new way, referring to the sound of the devil. I should also admit that I did not find this verb in Islamic or Umayyad poetry either. As for hadith, it appears on the tongues of the companions, not from the Prophet himself, such as in the narration:

“Some of the companions of the Prophet asked him about the whispers the devil throws into our hearts, and said: one of us would rather fall from the stars than speak of them. The Prophet said: Have you really felt this? That is true faith.”

The jinn (الْجِنَّة)

This is the plural of jinni, or a collective word for jinn. It is a word, as this plural does not appear in pre-Islamic poetry, where the word jinn alone is used.

Structures and Linguistic Relationships

With a deeper and broader look into the renewal and inimitability in the surah’s style, grammar, and rhetorical ties between its words, we can point to the following sixteen features:

Say: I seek refuge (قُلْ أَعُوذُ)

This is a new expression in Arabic and appears only one more time, in Surah al-Falaq. It is important to note that in all six other cases where aʿudhu appears in this form in the Quran, it is always preceded by the verb qala (he said), like:

“He said: I seek protection with Allah from being among the ignorant.” (al-Baqara 67)
“He said: My Lord, I seek protection with You from asking about things I do not know.” (Hud 47)
“She said: I seek protection with the Most Merciful from you, if you fear Him.” (Maryam 18)
“And say: My Lord, I seek protection with You from the whispers of the devils, and I seek protection with You from their presence.” (al-Mu’minun 97–98)
“Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the daybreak.” (al-Falaq 1)

I seek refuge from the evil (أَعُوذُ مِن شَرِّ)

This long gap between the verb of seeking protection and what one is seeking protection from is clearly unusual, not only in pre-Islamic Arabic, but also in Arabic as a whole, including the Quran itself.

In the fifteen places this verb and its forms appear in the Quran, this kind of separation only occurs in this surah. Let’s look at some examples where the gap is very short:

“I have sought protection with my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one.” (Ghafir 27)
“Seek protection with Allah from the devil.” (al-Nahl 98)
“I seek protection with You for her and her offspring from the cursed devil.” (Aal Imran 36)
“Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the daybreak.” (al-Falaq 1)

What makes this surah even more special is that the thing being sought protection from is placed in a separate verse, not in the same verse as the verb of protection. This only happens again in Surah al-Falaq, though even there the separation is shorter.

Lord of mankind (رَبِّ النَّاسِ)

Dr Bassam Saeh says he found this phrase in three poems: one by al-Luqayt ibn Shayban, one by Hatim al-Ta’i, and one by al-Aswad ibn Ya‘far. But I strongly doubt that these lines are genuinely pre-Islamic. It is not just because of their language or the historical reputation of the poets, but also because this surah alone uses this phrase in such a unique way. The word Rabb appears 838 times in the Quran, and al-nas appears 241 times, yet they never come together except here. So this expression is one of the features that gives the surah its unique language.

Master of mankind (مَلِكِ النَّاسِ)

People were used to hearing the word malik (king) by itself, or followed by the name of a land or people, like “king of Persia” or “king of Rome” or “king of kings.” But they never said “king of people.” Not in poetry, not in prose. That makes this Quran’s expression something very new and special.

It becomes even more unique when we realise that the word malik appears 13 times in the Quran and is never attached to al-nas except here.

Master of mankind, God of mankind (مَلِكِ النَّاسِ، إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ)

Both these verses begin with a word that is either a description or a replacement for Rabb from the first verse. Arabs of the pre-Islamic period were not used to starting a complete language unit with words like this.

Let us remember the few rhymed sayings that have been passed down from people like Quss ibn Sa‘idah, who said:

“O people, listen and understand. Whoever lives will die, and whoever dies is gone, and everything coming will come.”

These phrases begin in a traditional way. The word clouds here is a subject, with its description following. Same with the word stars. They form complete sentences with subject and predicate. But the two verses in our surah do not form full sentences. They are just descriptions or substitutes for the word Rabb in the first verse, so they cannot be full sentences on their own.

Imagine the surprise of the first Arab listener when he heard this new form of speech, which challenges the basic structure of the sentence that he had grown up with. The Quran reshaped the basic unit of the Arabic language.

Lord… Master… God… (رَبِّ… مَلِكِ… إِلَٰهِ…)

Do you notice the rising order of these words? Not only do they appear in the same position in the three verses, with al-nas following each one, but the Quran is guiding the listener step by step through the meanings of these names.

It raises them from Rabb al-nas (the one who owns or nurtures), to Malik al-nas (the king, who owns and rules), to Ilah al-nas (the God, whose control and greatness have no limit). This rise in meaning is another example of the unusual and deep style of the Quran.

God of mankind (إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ)

Just like Malik al-nas, the phrase Ilah al-nas is never found in pre-Islamic poetry. And yet it suddenly appears in post-Quran poetry at least six times by the end of the Umayyad era.

The uniqueness of this phrase becomes clearer when we know that Ilah appears 111 times in the Quran and al-nas appears 241 times, but they only come together here. So this phrase is another special feature of this surah.

The one who whispers (الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ)

Unlike usual Arabic sentences, this verse begins with a relative pronoun alladhi which refers back to al-waswas in the previous verse. Arabs were not used to starting a new sentence with such a connection to the one before it.

He whispers into (يُوَسْوِسُ فِي)

What is strange about this verb is that in the Quran, it appears four times and takes different prepositions each time. Here it is used with fi (in). Elsewhere:

“With li (to): “Then the devil whispered to them to expose what had been hidden from them.” (al-A‘raf 20)
With ila (towards): “Then the devil whispered to him and said: Shall I guide you to the tree of eternity?” (Taha 120)
With no preposition: “We created man and know what his being whispers to him.” (Qaf 16)

So this phrase is another unique expression found only in this surah, and its meaning is new to the Arabic language.

He whispers into the chests of (يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ)

If the verb yuwaswisu is already strange and new to the first Arab listener, it becomes even stranger when linked to chests.

The devil, called al-waswas al-khannas in a new metaphor, now whispers not in the ears, nor in the heads or minds, but in the chests. That was surprising.

If the verse had said “whispers in people” it would be vague. If it said “in their heads” or “minds” or even “ears,” that would make more immediate sense. But it says chests, which gives the phrase a new metaphorical meaning not seen before.

The chests of mankind (صُدُورِ النَّاسِ)

This too is a new phrase in the Quran. Adding chests to people was not something the Arabs were used to hearing.

The word sudur appears 35 times in the Quran, but it is never added to al-nas except here. So this is another special feature of the surah.

In pre-Islamic poetry, the word appears at least 15 times, always added to other things like camels, horses, sandals, spears, men, meaning the front or surface of something. But never do we find the phrase sudur al-nas, where chests means minds or hearts or inner beings.

This proves how new this phrase is. It remained outside the poetic vocabulary for centuries and brought a new meaning to the word sudur.

The jinn and mankind (الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ)

Arabic has many word pairs that people were used to: good and evil, night and day, truth and falsehood, male and female. But never before had people heard the words al-jinnah and al-nas used together like this.

In the Quran, these two words appear together three times. When one of the words is changed, the pair also changes. For example, when al-jinnah becomes al-jinn, the other word becomes al-ins. This structure appears 12 times. But we never find the Quran saying al-jinnah wa al-ins or al-jinn wa al-nas.

This shows how new and unique this pair of words was to the ears of the early Arabs.

The subject of the surah

If someone like Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah, a master of eloquence, returned to his people after hearing thirteen verses from Surah Fussilat and said that all he understood was the word lightning, what would he have understood if he heard this surah, with its new subject, its unfamiliar references to the devil and jinn in an Islamic sense, and its strange call to seek protection with Allah from the devils of humans and jinn?

The Quran’s expressions

Even though this surah is short, we can identify five unique expressions in it that do not resemble any known Arabic constructions before or after the Quran.

Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind (قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ)

This is a special phrase. It begins with a command verb addressed to an unknown person (qul), followed by a present verb (aʿudhu) spoken by a single speaker, then a preposition phrase (bi-Rabb) added to a general noun (al-nas).

This phrase is made up of four words, and despite the fact that qul appears 332 times in the Quran, this structure only appears one other time, at the beginning of Surah al-Falaq:

“Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the daybreak.”

Compare this structure with other expressions that start with qul, like:

“Say: Why then do you kill the prophets of Allah?” (al-Baqara 91)
“Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful.” (al-Baqara 111)
“Say: Are you more knowledgeable or is Allah?” (al-Baqara 140)
“Say: In both of them is great sin and benefit for people.” (al-Baqara 219)

It is clear that the grammar and style of these verses are completely different from the structure used in this surah.

Lord of mankind, Master of mankind, God of mankind (رَبِّ النَّاسِ، مَلِكِ النَّاسِ، إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ)

This is another unique structure. It consists of three pairs, each formed from two words: the first is a noun and the second is its complement. The noun changes in each pair, while the second word remains the same in all three: al-nas (people).

I have not found this special construction repeated anywhere else in the Quran, nor outside it. This is another feature that makes the surah stand out.

This is another unique construction in the surah. It begins with a prepositional phrase (min sharri), followed by the noun al-waswas, which is then described with another word that matches its sound and rhythm: al-khannas. Then follows a relative clause that adds a second description using a verb (yuwaswisu) taken from the root of the original noun al-waswas. I do not know of any similar structure in the Quran or outside of it. It is another unique expression that belongs only to this surah.

We can examine this Quran’s structure using the method suggested earlier in this book. That is, we measure its structure using the verb ʿamila (to do), not faʿala, which was used by al-Khalil ibn Ahmad to build poetic meters, so that we do not confuse the Quran with poetry. If we applied this method to the current expression, its structural pattern would be like: min ʿamila al-ʿamila al-ʿummal.

Into the chests of mankind, from among jinn and mankind (فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ)

This is also a new construction, unique to the Quran. It consists of a prepositional phrase (fi sudur al-nas), followed by another phrase (min al-jinnah) that is linked to an implied state of the noun al-waswas, meaning: the whisperer who is from among the jinn and people. Both parts end with the same word: al-nas.

The entire surah

Finally, it is clear that this surah is completely unique among the chapters of the Quran in terms of its linguistic structure. All its short verses end with the same four letters (nun, alif, sin) forming the word nas. This kind of consistent linguistic ending does not exist in Arabic literature, poetry or prose, until al-Maʿarri introduced his collection al-Luzumiyyat in the fourth Islamic century.

Expanding meanings

Qul

This word carries a strong double effect. As explained earlier, it is a command issued by a speaker who is not mentioned in the surah (although the Arab will later understand that the command is from Allah). Also, the one being addressed is not named (even though we now know it is the Prophet). This opens up multiple meanings for the person reciting the surah. It makes the listener feel that the command say is directed to them personally, especially in moments of fear, worry, or seeking protection. That makes the surah feel more intimate and emotionally effective.

The sneaky whisperer who retreats (الوَسْوَاس الخَنَّاس)

This is an expression full of suggestive meanings. The two words are both unfamiliar and rich with metaphor. Together, they create a strong and layered image about the type of whispering and its source. The one doing the whispering becomes mysterious, unsettling, and hidden in form and behaviour.

Short and powerful expressions

Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind (قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ)

This verse became the name of the surah itself and is often used instead of its full title. Sometimes, it is used on its own as a quick invocation. A Muslim might repeat it when suddenly frightened, disturbed, or angered.

The whisperer who withdraws (الوَسْوَاس الخَنَّاس)

This expression spread on people’s tongues after the surah was revealed. It became a known term for the devil, mentioned wherever he is described.

He whispers into the chests (يُوَسْوِسُ فِي الصُّدُورِ)

This expression is now used to describe any evil thought that comes to a person in a moment of weakness or surrender to desire. It also describes how the devil acts inside the human being.

The whole surah

The surah itself became a protective prayer, recited by Muslims together with its twin, Surah al-Falaq. They became part of worship and daily life. Their importance is confirmed in several hadiths:

It was reported from Uqbah ibn Amir that the Prophet said: “Verses have been revealed to me the like of which have never been seen before: ‘Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the people’ until the end of the surah, and ‘Say: I seek protection with the Lord of daybreak’ until the end of the surah.”

It was reported from Maʿadh ibn Abd Allah ibn Habib, from his father, that he said: “I was with the Messenger of Allah on the road to Mecca, and I had some time alone with him, so I drew near and he said: Say. I said: What should I say? He said: ‘Say: I seek protection with the Lord of daybreak’ and he recited it to the end. Then he said: ‘Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the people’ and he recited it to the end. Then he said: No one seeks protection with anything better than these two.”

And Aʿishah reported that the Prophet, when he went to bed every night, would gather his hands, blow into them, and recite: “Say: He is Allah, the One”, “Say: I seek protection with the Lord of daybreak”, and “Say: I seek protection with the Lord of the people”, then he would wipe them over as much of his body as he could, starting with his head and face and the front of his body. He did this three times.

To conclude, there are thirty three features of renewal and inimitability in the Quran, all gathered in a surah of only twenty words. It is a miniature example of the power and uniqueness that the Quran brought to the Arabs, shaking their understanding of language and thought. In this study, we try to touch on some of its secrets, though we do not and should not claim to have uncovered all of them.