Linguistic meaning
قَرِين (Qareen) linguistically refers to the life-long friend or companion that doesn’t leave your side.
Quran 50:23
وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُ هَٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ
“And his Qareen (companion), [the angel], will say: “This [record] is what is with me, prepared””.
Qareen: Linguistic Meaning and Nature
Language points and insights distilled into clear notes.
Intimate knowledge, worst suggestions
Someone’s Qareen knows him like nobody else and he brings the worst suggestions and the worst possible times to bring the worst possible out of you.
Pathway of influence
He speaks to your Nafs which speaks to your heart.
Qareen Nafs Heart
Assigned to every person
Every person has been assigned a Qareen referring to a “Jinn”.
Prophetic statement
Source: Sahih Muslimمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ وُكِّلَ بِهِ قَرِينُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ قَالُوا وَإِيَّاكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " وَإِيَّاىَ إِلاَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَانَنِي عَلَيْهِ فَأَسْلَمَ فَلاَ يَأْمُرُنِي إِلاَّ بِخَيْرٍ
“There is none from among you except that he has a Qareen assigned to him from the Jinn”. They asked: “And even you O Messenger of Allah?” he said: “And even me, except Allah has assisted me over him, so he accepted Islam and does not command be with anything other than good” (Sahih Muslim).
On the Day of Judgement: What is said and implied
“This is the one that has been stuck to me all this time”.
Rather than the Qareen (or Shaytan) being stuck to the person, it was rather the person who was stuck to the Qareen (or Shaytan).
The first claim he makes is that this one was always present and attached to me, implying that he did not push me away but he came to me.
Prepared record هَٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ
Tafsir views regarding “Qareen” in 50:23
How scholars understood who is speaking and what “prepared” refers to.
Angel(s) presenting the record
The Qareen (companion) spoken about here refers to the Angel (or two Angels) assigned by Allah who will present the record of the person’s deeds saying: “This is what I have prepared”.
Misleading Qareen declaring his charge
It refers to his Qareen who misleads him in the worldly life and that the meaning here is: “This is whom I have, whom I have prepared for hellfire”.
Note: This is contrary to the majority view of the scholars of Tafsir which states that the Qareen (companion) spoken about here refers to the Angel (or two Angels) assigned by Allah who will present the record of the person’s deeds saying: “This is what I have prepared”. Al-Aalousiy did provide an alternative interpretation in that it refers to his Qareen who misleads him in the worldly life and that the meaning here is: “This is whom I have, whom I have prepared for hellfire”.