Suurat An-Naass (Chapter 114)

Suurat An-Naass (Chapter 114)

A word to teachers and parents

Let us remember:

- to design a program with clear, specific objectives.

- that teaching and learning need organized efforts, time and finance.

- not to neglect our responsibilities towards those in our trust; we make sure they do well at school; why can’t we do the same with the Book of Allah and its language?

- to reinforce learning via the recycling of content and regular revising and testing.

- to establish a workable pattern of rewarding.

- to make good use of teaching and learning aids, mobiles and the Internet.

- to help learners think and weigh things by themselves.

- to link the Qur’an to practical life situations.

- to practice what we preach.

- to be good examples to our kids.

- to make learning the Qur’an a happy experience.

- to aim for establishing good attitudes towards the Qur’an.

- to aim for establishing good habits of reading and understanding the Qur’an.

- to develop the habit of consulting the Qur’an in practical problems, by showing what Allah likes us to do and not to do in daily situations at home.

- that children enjoy playing; let us make use of their love of playing; for example, the learner could whisper to you evil things, and you respond to the whispers by saying a prayer; you could also play the part of Satan and respond to the prayer by running away, making noises.

About Suurat An-Naass

It is suurah number 114. It contains six Aayahs (verses). It starts with a command. Allah commands Prophet Mohammad, and hence the Muslims, to say a prayer. The prayer asks for His protection from the evil of whisperers, from among the jinn and humans.

Suurat An-Naass is used for ruqya treatment. The ruqya involves reciting Qur’anic verses and praying to Allah. The recitations and the prayers are for overcoming psychological troubles and for protection from the evil whispering of Satan and humans. Mind you, the ruqya does not negate medical treatment. It reinforces healing and gains rewards from Allah. Since the ruqya is an act of worship, let each of us do ruqya by oneself unto oneself and unto family members. There is no need to hire professional raaqis (faith healers). However, it is perfectly all right to ask people whom you trust to pray for you.

In what follows, we shall present Suurat An-Naass, then, provide some exercises to help learners understand. The exercises are varied to suit varied levels. The teacher can select what suits the learner and related conditions. The exercises include practical applications in real life.

It is recommended that the teaching and learning of the suurah start with listening to Arabic recitation coupled with English translation of the meanings of verses. Priority should be given to accurate and correct articulation and understanding. It should not be given to learning by heart without understanding.

Text and Exercises

Translation of meanings and the Arabic text

English transliteration and the Arabic text

Match the transliteration and the translation of meanings.

Read the suurah, then answer the questions.

[1] Questions on verse (1):

1- The suurah starts with a command. Who is giving the command?

.......................................................................................................

2- To whom is the command?

.....................................................................................................

3- What is the command about?

.......................................................................................................

4- Is the command to say a prayer? [Yes – No]

5- Can the command be to all Muslims? [Yes – No]

6- Should you obey or disobey the command? (Choose the appropriate answer.)

a- I should disobey it.

b- I should obey it.

7- What is the prayer for? It is for ……………………………………………. .

a- wealth b. protection

8- Who is the prayer to?

a- To Allah. b- To Prophet Mohammad. c- To both Allah and His Prophet.

9- Whose help is the prayer seeking?

.......................................................................................................

10- What does rabbinnaass mean in English?

.......................................................................................................

11- What do you expect rabbinnaass to do for people? (Circle the letters of the appropriate acts.)

a- To guide them?

b- To care for them?

c- To deprive them of enjoying things?

d- To run their business for them?

e- To make them miserable?

f- To be there for them when in need?

g- To show them what is bad and what is good?

h- To provide for them?

i- To force them to trust Him?

j- To frustrate them?

k-To tell them how to behave properly.

l- To encourage them to be good to each other.

12- Who, do you think, deserves to be rabbinnaass?

.......................................................................................................

[2] Questions on verse (2):

1- What does malikinnaass mean? (Choose the right answer.)

a- Their sovereign / king. b– Their servant.

2- What do you expect malikinnaas to do?

a- To be aware of His kingdom’s affairs? [Yes – No]

b- To reward criminals? [Yes – No]

c- To guarantee His subjects freedom? [Yes – No]

d- To have power over all of His kingdom? [Yes – No]

e- To hold wrongdoers to account? [Yes – No]

f- To care for the good of His subjects? [Yes – No]

g- To protect His subjects? [Yes – No]

h- To neglect His subjects? [Yes – No]

i- To call for peace and justice? [Yes – No]

j- To set rules for good conduct? [Yes – No]

k- To receive complaints? [Yes – No]

l- To ignore complaints? [Yes – No]

m- To send messengers to teach people? [Yes – No]

n- To encourage virtue and combat vice? [Yes – No]

3- Who deserves to be malikkinnaass?

.......................................................................................................

4- How is the Muslim to behave towards malikkinnaass (Sovereign / King of mankind)?

a- [Yes – No] Ignore His teachings?

b- [Yes – No] Obey His commands?

c- [Yes – No] Follow His code of conduct?

d- [Yes – No] Turn people against His teachings?

e- [Yes – No] To shun angering Him?

f- [Yes – No] Respect His envoys / messengers?

g- [Yes – No] Insult His envoys / messengers?

h- [Yes – No] Recognize His sovereignty?

i- [Yes – No] Challenge His authority?

j- [Yes – No] Spread good among His subjects?

k- [Yes – No] Promote crime and evil in His kingdom?

[3] Questions on verse (3):

1- What does ilaahinnaass mean in English? The .......................................................................................................

2- What do you expect from ilaahinnaass?

a- [Yes – No] To be worshipped as He prescribes.

b- [Yes – No] To care for His worshippers.

c- [Yes – No] To keep His promises.

d- [Yes – No] To possess the greatest Attributes.

e- [Yes – No] To reward the righteous and punish wrongdoers.

f- [Yes – No] To forgive and grant mercy to the repentant.

g- [Yes – No] To be able to do as He wills.

h- [Yes – No] To be the only One that answers prayers.

i- [Yes – No] To have no partners or equivalents.

j- [Yes – No] To be completely Independent.

k- [Yes – No] To be All-Aware of everything.

l- [Yes – No] To appreciate and reward praising and thanking Him.

m- [Yes – No] To be able to create, give life, take life and resurrect the dead.

n- [Yes – No] To question people, but not to be questioned.

o- [Yes – No] To love good manners and hate bad manners.

3- Who, do you believe, deserves the title ilaahinnaass? .......................................................................................................

4- How should people behave towardsilaahinnaass?

a- [Yes – No] Deny Him?

b- [Yes – No] Have faith in Him?

c- [Yes – No] Believe He has partners?

d- [Yes – No] Believe He is one with various forms?

e- [Yes – No] Worship Him alone the way He wants?

f- [Yes – No] Pray to Him and to His associates for guidance and success?

g- [Yes – No] Believe He has sent messengers, the seal of whom is Mohammad?

h- [Yes – No] Believe in the Qur’an and follow its teachings.

i- [Yes – No] Take from the Qur’an what they like and leave what they do not like?

j- [Yes – No] Believe He will resurrect mankind for the Judgment Day?

[4] Questions on verse (4):

1- What does the Arabic word sharr mean? The Arabic word sharr means .......................................................................................................

2- What does the Arabic word al-wasswaass mean? It means .......................................................................................................

3- Does the whispering seek good or evil? It seeks

.......................................................................................................

4- Should the Muslim dismiss or follow such whispers? .......................................................................................................

5- What does the Arabic word al-khannaass mean? (Circle the right answer.)

a- One that goes away when the believer remembers Allah?

b- One that retreats when the believer asks Allah for help?

c- One that bounces back when the believer forgets Allah?

d- One that does all the above (a, b and c)?

6- Guess what makes the whisperer stop. (Circle the right answers.)

a- Remembering Allah?

b- Praying to Allah for help?

c- Obeying the whisperer?

7- How do you know that a whisper is evil? (Circle the right answers.)

a- If the Qur’an says it is evil.

b- If it will make you famous?

c- If it harms the innocent?

d- If your playmates say it is evil?

8- The prayer seeks protection from ................................... (Choose the right answer.)

a- infectious diseases?

b- bad thoughts?

9- Can you guess who al-wasswaass is?

.......................................................................................................

10- Does al-wasswaass al-khannaass return to whispering? [Yes – No]

11- Do you know when the whisperer comes back? (Circle the right answers.)

a- When one neglects remembrance of Allah.

b- When one becomes arrogant.

c- When one seeks to please Allah.

d- When one sleeps?

[5] Questions on verse (5) and verse (6):

1- What does the wasswaass do? The wasswaass ................................................................

2- Whom does the wasswaass target?

a- Believers.

b- Disbelievers

c- Non-believers.

d- All the above (a, b and c).

3- What does thewasswaass want? (Circle the right answers.)

a- To distract believers from their duties.

b- To raise doubts in people’s minds and hearts about Allah.

c- To sugarcoat sins for believers.

d- To lead people to the truth.

e- To prevent people from believing.

f- To make up for disobeying Allah.

g- To go to Heaven.

4- Does the wasswaass ever whisper to you to play and ignore salaah? [Yes – No]

5- How often does that happen? (Choose one answer.)

a- always b- usually c- sometimes d- rarely e- never

6- Have you ever missed salaah because of following whispers? [Yes – No]

7- What is the right thing to do when salaah time comes? (Circle the right answer.)

a- Go for salaah?

b- Continue gaming?

8- Does the wasswaass whisper to you during salaah? [Yes – No]

9- How can one dismiss it? (Circle the right answers.)

a- Ask Allah for help?

b- Cut the salaah short?

c- Concentrate on what one is saying?

10- What is the English for the Arabic word al-jinnah?

.......................................................................................................

11- What is the English for the Arabic word al-jannah?

.......................................................................................................

12-How many kinds of wasswaass does the suurah mention? [One – Two]

13- Is the second kind of wasswaass jinn or human? It is

.......................................................................................................

14- What is the Arabic name of the first kind of wasswaass? (Circle the right answers.)

a- Malak?

b- Ibleece?

c- Allaat?

d- Ashshaytaan?

15- Don’t you think the human wasswaass is a follower of Ibleece? [Yes – No]

16- Which wasswaass can we see and hear? The .....................wasswaass.

17- Which wasswaass can we not see or hear? .......................................................................................................

18- Which of the following are examples of the wasswaass you can see and hear?

a- [Yes – No] A classmate that mocks pupils and teachers for fun?

b- [Yes – No] A playmate that urges others to stop for salaah on time?

c- [Yes – No] A writer that insults Prophet Mohammad?

d- [Yes – No] A companion that wants you to smoke and drink?

e- [Yes – No] A workmate that discourages cheating?

f- [Yes – No] A friend that asks you to tease a handicapped neighbour?

g- [Yes – No] One that invites you to volunteer for charity work?

h- [Yes – No] A fellow that tells you to disrespect non-Muslims?

i- [Yes – No] A celebrity that boasts of sinning?

j- [Yes – No] A newspaper that publishes false news?

k- [Yes – No] A Facebook friend that praises wrongdoers?

l- [Yes – No] An Internet site that shows indecent pictures and videos?

19- How can we guard against the human wasswaass? (Choose the appropriate answers.)

a- By praying to Allah for help? [Yes – No]

b- By choosing to do what Allah likes? [Yes – No]

c- By avoiding what Allah does not like? [Yes – No]

d- By choosing righteous friends and companions? [Yes – No]

e- By learning what Allah likes and what He dislikes? [Yes – No]

f- By following the example of Prophet Mohammad? [Yes – No]

20- What do you expect al-wasswaass to do?

a- [Yes - No] To raise no doubts about Allah?

b- [Yes - No] To raise doubts about Resurrection?

c- [Yes - No] To lure people into all sorts of sin?

d- [Yes - No] To make evil look bad in our eyes?

e- [Yes - No] To spoil our intentions?

f- [Yes - No] To make faith look attractive?

g- [Yes - No] To spread hatred among people?

h- [Yes - No] To persuade people to drink and gamble?

i- [Yes - No] To keep people busy with useful things?

j- [Yes - No] To boost racism among people?

21- Guess which is from the Shaytaan / Satan, and which is from Allah?

Write [A] for Allah, and [S] for Satan.

a- [ ] It is enough to pray on Fridays.

b- [ ] The Sunnah is not important.

c- [ ] Follow the example of Prophet Mohammad.

d- [ ] White people are superior to non-whites.

e- [ ] Have a laugh at a fat classmate.

f- [ ] Feed the poor and the needy.

g- [ ] Do not spy on others.

h- [ ] Just eat. No need to say “Bissmillaah” or”Alhamdulillaah”.

i- [ ] If you follow Islamic teachings, you’ll have no fun.

j- [ ] It is okay to cheat and steal from non-Muslims.

k- [ ] Prophet Mohammad was a good man, but not a prophet of God.

l- [ ] God puts disbelievers in the Hellfire. So, He cannot be merciful.

m- [ ] Millions have died, but none has come back. So, there is no life after death.

n- [ ] There is only one God. He accepts all religions.

o- [ ] There is no harm if you sometimes use foul language.

p- [ ] Control your tongue. Say what is good, otherwise be quiet.

q- [ ] Keep Islam away from life problems. Keep it in mosques.

r- [ ] Give due respect and gratitude to mama and papa.

s- [ ] Don’t help with the housework or tidy up your room. It is mom’s work.

[6] Further questions for reflection:

(A) Do you know the story of Ibleece/ Ashshaytaan (Satan) in the Qur’an?

1- When Allah commanded the angels and Satan to bow down to Adam, did Satan obey or disobey? Satan ................................

2- How was Satan’s punishment for disobedience?

- Allah dismissed him from Al-Jannah? [Yes – No]

- Allah will put him in the Hellfire on the Judgment Day? [Yes – No]

3- What reason did Satan give for not prostrating to Adam?

- Satan believed he was superior to Adam. [Yes – No]

- Satan said he was created from fire, but Adam from clay. [Yes – No]

4- How would you describe Satan’s responses?

- Envious? [Yes – No]

- Arrogant? [Yes – No]

- Courageous? [Yes – No]

5- What did Satan vow to do with Adam’s descendants?

- To misguide them. [Yes – No]

- To distract them from the Straight Path. [Yes – No]

6- Can Satan force people to follow him? [Yes – No]

7- Does Satan deceive them by whispering? [Yes – No]

8- To whom did Satan whisper first? (Choose the right answer.)

a- Adam and Hawwaa’(Eve)?

b- Qaabeel (Cain) and Haabeel (Able)?

9- What did Satan whisper to them?

a- If you eat from the forbidden tree, you will be angels. [Yes – No]

b- If you eat from the forbidden tree, you will live for ever. [Yes – No]

10- Who commanded them not to eat from the tree?

.......................................................................................................

11- Did the two obey the command? [Yes – No]

12- Were the two punished as a result? [Yes – No]

13- What was their punishment?

a- They were beaten up.

b- They were removed from al-jannah.

c- They were sent down to earth.

d- They were deprived of food.

14- Did they repent? [Yes – No]

15- Did Allah forgive them? [Yes – No]

16- Did Allah warn them against Satan? [Yes – No]

17- What did Allah tell them?

a- Satan is your enemy. [Yes – No]

b- Beware of Satan. [Yes – No]

c- Do not follow in Satan’s footsteps. [Yes – No]

18- Do we have to heed that warning? [Yes – No]

19- Were all Allah’s messengers told to heed the warning, too? [Yes – No]

20- Can you give 3 examples of the warning from the Qur’an?

a- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

b- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

c- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

(B) Can you name 3 Ayahs (verses) that speak about Ibleese / Ashshaytaan?

1- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

2- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

3- Verse No. ..................., Suurah No. ...................,.

(C) Can you write 2 Hadiths about Ibleese / Ashshaytaan?

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........................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................

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(D) Do you think the following measures can help guard against Satan?

1- [Yes – No] Read the Qur’an with understanding.

2- [Yes – No] Say prayers for protection.

3- [Yes – No] Choose good companions.

4- [Yes – No] Stay away from bad company.

5- [Yes – No] Test whispers in the light of the Qur’an.

6- [Yes – No] Test what you hear and read in the light of the Qur’an.

7- [Yes – No] Belittle no sin however slight it might look.

8- [Yes – No] Take Satan as an enemy.

9- [Yes – No] Learn about your enemy.

10- [Yes – No] Read the Suunah in order to know the Prophet’s example to follow.

11- [Yes – No] Learn what is haraam (prohibited) to shun it.

12- [Yes – No] Ask trustworthy scholars when you do not know.

13- [Yes – No] Purify intentions to please Allah alone.

14- [Yes – No] Perform salaah properly and on time.

15- [Yes – No] Fill in your time with things pleasing to Allah.

16- [Yes – No] Stay away from obscene sites.

17- [Yes – No] To start an activity, mention the name of Allah first.