Question:
Dear Sidi Gibril,
Assalamu alaikum. I pray you are well.
Sidi, regarding the hadith about Shaytan rising from Najd, I’ve seen it translated as “the side of the head of Shaytan” and the “two horns of shaytan”. What do both phrases mean?
Jazakallah khair.
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
The Arabic word qarn, dual qarnan and qarnayn, plural qurun, can mean horn, side, and epoch among other meanings. An example of the latter is the hadith, “The best of people are my qarn, then those after them.” The hadith of Najd can be understood in light of
the preceding and of the hadith, “Every day the sun rises with a shaytan between its two horns.” I.e. Its east and west, meaning generalization of evil and wrongdoing both spatially and temporally.
See also my discussion of the hadith in my 40 Hadiths on Shaam.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
