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Satanic Whispers (Waswas)

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Satanic Whispers (Waswas)

وسوسة الشيطان

*Waswas*, or Satanic whispers, refer to the subtle, distracting thoughts and suggestions that Shaytan (Satan) attempts to instill in a person's mind. These whispers are a core concept in Islam, illustrating the constant spiritual struggle believers face. Their purpose is to sow doubt, create anxiety, and tempt individuals away from righteousness, whether in matters of faith, acts of worship, or daily conduct. The Quran recounts the very first instance of such deception, when [Satan whispered to Adam], tempting him towards the forbidden tree. Today, *waswas* can manifest as nagging doubts during prayer, intrusive thoughts that undermine faith, or suggestions to commit sins. Muslims are taught that this is a test and a reminder to remain vigilant. The Quran describes this source of temptation as [the evil of the retreating whisperer], who assails hearts with insidious suggestions. However, believers are not left without recourse. Islamic teachings emphasize seeking refuge in Allah, remembering Him, and focusing on sound knowledge. As the Quran states, [those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember Him] and regain clarity. Understanding *waswas* encourages a Muslim to be mindful of their inner state and to actively strengthen their connection with Allah.

Quran 7 verses

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِسْقٌ وَإِنَّ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَٰدِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ

Wa laa taakuloo mimaa lam yuzkaris mullaahi 'alaihi wa innahoo lafisq; wa innash Shayaateena la yoohoona ilaaa awliyaaa'ihim liyujaadilookum wa in ata'tumoohum innnakum lamushrikoon

And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Him].

اور جس چیز پر خدا کا نام نہ لیا جائے اسے مت کھاؤ کہ اس کا کھانا گناہ ہے اور شیطان (لوگ) اپنے رفیقوں کے دلوں میں یہ بات ڈالتے ہیں کہ تم سے جھگڑا کریں اور اگر تم لوگ ان کے کہے پر چلے تو بےشک تم بھی مشرک ہوئے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Linkage of Verses Earlier (116), by saying: وَ اِن تطِع (And if you obey), following people in error was prohibited absolutely. Onward from there, comes the prohibition of such following in a particular matter as necessitated by an event. That event pertains to the lawfulness of what has been slaugh...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And do not eat from that over which God’s Name has not been invoked where it has died or been sacrificed to other than His Name — otherwise what a Muslim sacrifices and does not invoke God’s Name over whether intentionally or forgetfully is lawful as was stated by Ibn ‘Abbās and this is the opinion ...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Prohibition of what was Slaughtered in other than Allah's Name This Ayah is used to prove that slaughtered animals are not lawful when Allah's Name is not mentioned over them -- even if slaughtered by a Muslim. The Ayah about hunting game, فَكُلُواْ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُواْ اسْم...

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَٰٓئِفٌ مِّنَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ تَذَكَّرُوا۟ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

Innal lazeenat taqaw izaa massahum taaa'ifum minash Shaitaani tazakkaroo fa izaa hum mubsiroon

Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.

جو لوگ پرہیزگار ہیں جب ان کو شیطان کی طرف سے کوئی وسوسہ پیدا ہوتا ہے تو چونک پڑتے ہیں اور (دل کی آنکھیں کھول کر) دیکھنے لگتے ہیں

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: In the second verse, it was said: وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (And if you are stricken with a strike from the Shaitan, seek refuge with Allah - 200). This verse too is really a complement of the subject taken up in the first verse w...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: Truly the God-fearing when a visitation from Satan touches them befalls them tayfun a variant reading has tā’ifun that is when something of the sort overcomes them they remember God’s punishment and His reward and then see clearly distinguishing the truth from what is other than it and so they retur...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Whispering of Shaytan and the People of Taqwa Allah mentions His servants who have Taqwa, obeying His orders, and avoid what He forbade: إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ (when comes to them) an evil thought, or anger, or the whispers of Shaytan cross their mind, or intend to err, or commit an error, تَذَكَّرُواْ...

فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ قَالَ يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ ٱلْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ

Fa waswasa ilaihish Shaitaanu qaala yaaa Aadamu hal adulluka 'alaa shajaratil khuldi wa mulkil laa yablaa

Then Satan whispered to him; he said, "O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?"

تو شیطان نے ان کے دل میں وسوسہ ڈالا۔ (اور) کہا کہ آدم بھلا میں تم کو (ایسا) درخت بتاؤں (جو) ہمیشہ کی زندگی کا (ثمرہ دے) اور (ایسی) بادشاہت کہ کبھی زائل نہ ہو

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَ‌ةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ ﴿120﴾ فَأَكَلَا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَ‌قِ الْجَنَّةِ ۚ وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَ‌بَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ (Then the Shaitan instigated him...And '...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: Then Satan whispered to him saying ‘O Adam shall I guide you to the Tree of Immortality which gives everlasting life to the one who eats thereof and a kingdom that does not waste away?’ that does not perish while he remains immortal.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Story of Adam and Iblis Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Verily, man was named Insan only because he was given a covenant, but he forgot it (Nasiya)." `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported the same from Ibn `Abbas. Mujahid and Al-Hasan said that he forgot means, "He abandoned it." Concerning...

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِىٍّ إِلَّآ إِذَا تَمَنَّىٰٓ أَلْقَى ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ فِىٓ أُمْنِيَّتِهِۦ فَيَنسَخُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِى ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika mir Rasoolinnw wa laa Nabiyyin illaaa izaaa tamannaaa alqash Shaitaanu feee umniy yatihee fa yansakhul laahu maa yulqish Shaitaanu summa yuhkimul laahu aayaatih; wallaahu 'Aleemun Hakeem

And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he spoke [or recited], Satan threw into it [some misunderstanding]. But Allah abolishes that which Satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.

اور ہم نے تم سے پہلے کوئی رسول اور نبی نہیں بھیجا مگر (اس کا یہ حال تھا کہ) جب وہ کوئی آرزو کرتا تھا تو شیطان اس کی آرزو میں (وسوسہ) ڈال دیتا تھا۔ تو جو (وسوسہ) شیطان ڈالتا ہے خدا اس کو دور کردیتا ہے۔ پھر خدا اپنی آیتوں کو مضبوط کردیتا ہے۔ اور خدا علم والا اور حکمت والا ہے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Commentary مِن رَّ‌سُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ (any messenger and any prophet - 22:52) This shows that the words Rasul رَّ‌سُولٍ and Nabi carry different meanings, though there is no consensus as to the precise nature of the difference. For our purpose it is enough to understand that Nabi نَبِيٍّ is a perso...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And We did not send before you any messenger rasūl — this is a prophet who has been commanded to deliver a Message — or prophet nabī — one who has not been commanded to deliver anything — but that when he recited the scripture Satan cast into his recitation what is not from the Qur’ān but which thos...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): How the Shaytan threw some Falsehood into the Words of the Messengers, and how Allah abolished At this point many of the scholars of Tafsir mentioned the story of the Gharaniq and how many of those who had migrated to Ethiopia came back when they thought that the idolators of the Quraysh had become ...

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَٰتِ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينِ

Wa qur Rabbi a'oozu bika min hamazaatish Shayaateen

And say, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils,

اور کہو کہ اے پروردگار! میں شیطانوں کے وسوسوں سے تیری پناہ مانگتا ہو

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: وَقُل رَّ‌بِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ ﴿97﴾ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَ‌بِّ أَن يَحْضُرُ‌ونِ ﴿98﴾ And say, ` 0 my Lord, I seek your refuge from the strokes of the Shaitan, and I seek Your refuge from that they come to me.' (23:97, 98) The word هَمَز (the infinitive of هَمَزَاتِ Hamazat transl...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And say ‘My Lord I seek protection in You from the promptings of devils from their evil suggestions which they whisper.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Command to call on Allah when Calamity strikes, to repel Evil with that which is better, and to seek refuge with Allah Allah commands His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to call on Him with this supplication when calamity strikes: رَّبِّ إِمَّا تُرِيَنِّى مَا يُوعَدُونَ (My Lord! If You would show me that wi...

مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ

Min sharril was waasil khannaas

From the evil of the retreating whisperer -

(شیطان) وسوسہ انداز کی برائی سے جو (خدا کا نام سن کر) پیچھے ہٹ جاتا ہے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Verse [ 114:4] مِن شَرِّ‌ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ (from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws [ when Allah's name is pronounced ].) After invoking three attributes of Allah, the present verse describes the one from whom protection is sought. He is 'the whisperer who withdraws'. The word waswas is...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: from the evil of the slinking whisperer Satan — he is referred to by the name of the action waswasa on account of his repeated engaging in it — who slinks away and recoils from the heart whenever God is mentioned
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. These are three attributes from the attributes of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They are lordship, sovereignty and divinity. Thus, He is the Lord of everything, the Ki...

ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ

Al lazee yuwas wisu fee sudoorin naas

Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind -

جو لوگوں کے دلوں میں وسوسے ڈالتا ہے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Verse [ 114:4] مِن شَرِّ‌ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ (from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws [ when Allah's name is pronounced ].) After invoking three attributes of Allah, the present verse describes the one from whom protection is sought. He is 'the whisperer who withdraws'. The word waswas is...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: who whispers in the breasts of mankind in their hearts — whenever they neglect to remember God
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. These are three attributes from the attributes of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They are lordship, sovereignty and divinity. Thus, He is the Lord of everything, the Ki...

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