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fa-ʾidhā qaraʾta l-qurʿāna fa-staʿidh bi-llāhi mina sh-shayṭāni r-rajīmi
When you recite the Quran, seek the protection of Allah against the outcast Satan.
— Ali Quli Qarai
16An-NaḥlالنحلVerse 98 of 128
The Bee16. An-Naḥlالنحل
Al Naḥl
The Bee
MeccanVerse 98 of 128
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 98
98. “So when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from (the vices of) the Satan, the accursed.”
This noble verse explains the ways for making use of the Glorious Qur’an and that how it ought to be recited, for the fact that the Qur’an has got a rich content is not adequate by itself; the obstacles must also be removed from our entire existence, as well as form the thought and environment of our thought and entity, if we are to discover the true meaning of that rich content. Therefore, at first it says:
“So when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from (the vices of) the Satan, the accursed.”
Certainly, the aim is not merely to recite the sentence “I refuge with Allah from (the vices of) the Satan, the accursed”, but one must turn the term ‘mentioning’ into ‘thinking’ so that this thinking becomes a pre-requisite for the realization of that state in the self and soul within which man turns to Allah and distances himself from the whims and violent passions which hinder man’s correct understanding, thus seeking refuge with Allah at the time of reciting every single verse.
This makes it possible for us to be kept away from the satanical temptations which stand between us and Allah’s enlivening words. Unless such a state of mind is not achieved, one cannot have a true understanding of the facts of the Holy Qur’an. A Persian poem says:
The beauty of our sweetheart is not veiled and covered all over; dust off yourself so as you may be able to see it. Unless one’s self-hood is not kept intact from all of what is forbidden; one’s heart will not be turned into a mirror for reflecting the Divine rays of light.
Explanations
Every good deed might also be accompanied by certain defects, as is the case with ‘glory’ the counter-acting agent of which might be ‘pride’; and ‘serving people’ the counter-acting of which might be indebtedness. The reciting of the Qur’an may also have certain counter-acting factors attached to it, such as exposing of oneself and exhibitionism, the acquisition of wealth, negative competitions, deceiving people, wrong understanding, and interpreting it according to one’s own criterion which serves one’s own purpose against all of which one must safe-guard himself by seeking refuge with Allah.
Imam Sadiq (as) has remarked:
“The recitation of the Qur’an requires three pre-conditions to be fulfilled: a humble heart, a void body, a vacant situation, which refers to a state of mind in which there is no prejudice involved.” 6
Were the Qur’an to be accompanied by an interpretation, the views of the Immaculate Imams (as), and were it to be presented to the tender minds, it would serve as a means of guidance and one’s development, and increasing of one’s faith and knowledge. As the Qur’an proclaims:
“(O’ Prophet!) And when you recite the Qur’an, We place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a hidden barrier.” 7
The Islamic quotations indicate that the blessed Prophet (S) at time of reciting the Qur’an, used to recite the sentence: “I seek refuge with Allah from (the vices of) the Satan, the accursed.” 8 At the end, seeking refuge with Allah implies that a lower-ranking person seeks refuge with a person of higher echelon to refuge him and to defend him against the enemy. In the meantime, this process is coupled with expression of humbleness, that is, one must seek refuge with Allah while reciting the Qur’an from the satanic temptations so that one can remain immune from all errors.
The process of seeking refuge in Allah is a recommended act while one is reciting the Qur’an, whether be it at the prayer times or at other times.
Footnotes