T. B. Irving, The Qur’an: The First American Version; Translated and Commentary (1985)

114
Mankind

These Meccan verses were revealed after the previous chapter on Dawn 113 and before its preceding one, Sincerity (or [God’s] Oneness) 112. This chapter likewise forms a prayer for times of anxiety, bringing God’s presence to us in our trials.

Note the haunting rhyme in the Arabic, contrasted with the assonance in -a- in the previous chapter; the gossiping sound of the recurring “-ās” rhyme here is not easily reproduced in English.

* say: “I take refuge with the Lord of Mankind,
* the King of Mankind,
* the God of Mankind,
* from the evil of the stealthy Whisperer
** who whispers in the breasts of Mankind,
* whether among sprites or Mankind.