'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' Allah, the Exalted, said: "O you who have believed, when you converse privately, do not converse about sin and aggression and disobedience to the Messenger. But converse about righteousness and piety. And fear Allah, to whom you will be gathered." "Indeed, private conversation is only from Satan, to grieve those who have believed. But he does not harm them at all except by permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely." Allah, the Exalted, advised the believers in this verse not to engage in private conversation about what is disliked. This is general for all people until the Day of Resurrection. He specifically mentioned "sin" for its generality, and "aggression" for its seriousness in itself, as it involves the rights of the servants. Likewise, "disobedience to the Messenger" was mentioned as a criticism of the hypocrites, as their private conversations were in that regard. The majority of people read: "do not converse privately" in the form of "tatafa'aloo". Ibn Muhaisin read: "then converse privately" by omitting one 'ta'. Some reciters read: "do not converse privately" with a doubled 'ta' because it has assimilated the 'ta' into the 'ta'. Al-Amash and the people of Kufa read: "do not produce" in the form of "taftailoo". People are on the pronunciation of the 'ain' in "aggression", while Abu Haywah read it with a kasra where it occurred. Al-Dahhak and others read: "and disobediences of the messengers" in the plural form. Then He commanded private conversation about righteousness and piety, and reminded of the gathering which includes reckoning and entering one of the two abodes. His saying, the Exalted, "Indeed, private conversation" is not for restriction, but rather for the confirmation of the news. There was a difference among people regarding the private conversation which is from Satan mentioned in this verse. A group of the interpreters said: He meant that private conversation about sin, aggression, and disobedience to the Messenger is from Satan. Qatadah and others said: The reference is to the private conversations of the hypocrites and the Jews. Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam said: The reference is to the private conversation of a group of Muslims who intended to converse privately with the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, while they had no need or necessity for that. They only wanted to succeed by that. The Muslims thought that that private conversation was about news of an enemy intending harm and similar matters. These two statements are supported by what comes from the words of the verse, and do not support the first statement. Atiyyah al-Awfi said regarding this verse: It was revealed concerning the private conversation that the believer sees and it grieves him, and in what the sleeper sees as if it is a private conversation he is engaged in. This is a statement foreign to the meaning that preceded it and that which follows it.

Nafi' and the people of Medina read: "liyuḥzinan" with a dammah on the ya and a kasrah on the zay. The action is attributed to the devil. Abu Amr, Al-Hasan, Asim, and others read: "liyahzunan" with a fathah on the ya and a dammah on the zay. You say: "ḥazan tu qalba ar-rajul" if you cause it to have sadness. It is like saying: "kaḥalat al-'ayn," and it is a type of transitive action as if the object is a circumstance. Sibawayh, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned this meaning regarding the transitive nature of actions. Some people read: "liyahzan" with a fathah on the ya and zay, and "alladhina" in this reading is in the nominative case by attributing the action to them. It is said: "ḥazana ar-rajul" with a kasrah on the zay.

Then Allah, the Exalted, informed that the devil and the whispering that is from him do not harm anyone except by the permission of Allah, meaning: by His command and decree. Then He commanded the believers to place their trust in Him, blessed and exalted is He. All of this strengthens the notion that the whispering from the devil is indeed that which causes fear to the believers. Regarding the fear that afflicts the hearts, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Two should not whisper to each other in the presence of a third."