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Sūrat an-Nās (Mankind) is a Makkan sūrah, and the final sūrah in the Quran’s compiled order. Same as the previous sūrah, Sūrat al-Falaq (Daybreak), it is known as a prayer of refuge, though Sūrat an-Nās has a particular focus on asking for protection from external forces.
It can be argued that Sūrat an-Nās forms a parallel structure.
Or summarized:
CONNECTIONS
[A]/[A’] – The first prayer for refuge is with the “Lord of mankind,” which is the smallest scale of three titles Allah ﷻ takes in the opening half. A “rabb (Lord)” can refer to someone in charge of something as relatively small as a household, family, or even an individual. The second half of the sūrah is all about Satan, with his introduction focusing on the individual level. Like the description of Allah ﷻ, this is also the smallest scale Satan will be mentioned in.
[B]/[B’] – The second title of Allah ﷻ is that of the “King of mankind,” which is larger scale than the “Lord” mentioned earlier, but still smaller than what is to come. A king can rule over many households and individuals, but it does not follow that he rules the world. Similarly, the description of Satan now expands from the individual to include his attacks on the larger community of “mankind,” but that still does not include everyone prone to his whisperings.
[C]/[C’] – Finally, both halves culminate on the grandest scale. Allah ﷻ is called the “God of mankind,” and Satan’s minions are opened up to include not just other humans, but jinn as well. Interestingly, both, man and jinn, are inclusive of the only two beings with freewill that will consequently be judged by the “God of mankind.”
And Allah ﷻ knows best.
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