(Revealed after Hijrah)
This Surah, the second of the Mu‘awwidhatan, constitutes an extension of the subject-matter of the preceding one and is, in a way, complementary to it, in that in Surah Al-Falaq the believers were enjoined to seek protection from God against the hardships and privations of the physical life, in the present Surah protection is sought from trials and tribulations that hamper man’s spiritual development, and the protection is to be invoked not only by verbal solicitation but by deeds and actions that may draw God’s grace. This is the real significance of the commandment conveyed by the word Qul (say). The Surah is quite fittingly entitled An-Nas, since protection has been solicited from the Lord, King and God of mankind (An-Nas) against the mischief of whisperers from among jinn and men (An-Nas), who whisper evil thoughts into the hearts of men (An-Nas). The Surah, having been revealed at the same time as Surah Al-Falaq, constitutes, along with it, appropriate end of the Qur’an.