On Seeking Protection

 

 

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

My Dear Readers,

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See Note below)

On seeking protection when reading the Qur'an

 

as a heuristic tool for students of exegesis. We will present the Arabic text first, and then its translation:

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ

 

Al-Quran Surat, An-Nahl (16) ayat 98  

 

Now whenever you happen to read this Qur'an, seek refuge with God from Satan, the accursed

 

The wisdom behind it: 

ٱلْمُعِيذُ ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ لَنَا، ٱلْمَعَاذُ وَٱلْمَلْجَأُ، قَدْ عَوَّذَنَا بِٱلْعَوَاذِي، وَعَلَّمَنَا ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ بِٱلْعُوذَاتِ، وَفَتَحَ لَنَا أَبْوَابَ ٱلْعِيَاذِ وَٱلْمَعَاذَةِ، وَنَعُوذُ  بِهِ مُعْتَصِمِينَ، وَنَتَعَوَّذَ بِهِ مُسْتَمِيتِينَ، وَنَتَثَبَّتَ فِي مُعَوِّذَاتِهِ، وَنَلْزَمَ مُعَوَّذَهُ، فَيُعِيذَنَا مِمَّا نَسْتَعِيذُ مِنْهُ، وَيُعَاذِينَا مِمَّا نَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْهُ، حَتَّى نَكُونَ فِي مَعَاذٍ لَا يُخْرِجُنَا، وَعِيَاذٍ لَا يَفْنَى، وَمُعَاذَةٍ أَبَدِيَّةٍ فِي حَيَاةٍ لَا زَوَالَ لَهَا.

Explanation:

ٱلْمُعِيذُ، ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ لِعِبَادِهِ، ٱلْمَعَاذُ لِكُلِّ مُسْتَعِيذٍ
 

The Grantor of refuge—the One who offers sanctuary to His servants, the safe haven for all who seek protection

• ٱلْمُعِيذُ: Active participle from أَعَاذَ — the One who grants refuge, protects from harm, and delivers from peril.

• ٱلْمُعَوِّذُ: An intensified form—He not only gives protection but teaches and repeats the act of refuge; the one through whom refuge becomes habitual, recited, lived.

• ٱلْمَعَاذُ: The very essence of protection—the source, place, and time of divine shelter. A verbal noun used to express a reality greater than a location: an eternal sanctuary.

 

يُعَوِّذُنَا بِٱلْمُعَوِّذَاتِ، وَيُعَلِّمُنَا ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ فِي ٱلْعُوذَاتِ
 

He grants us protection through the protecting words, and teaches us to seek it through revealed supplications

• يُعَوِّذُنَا: He continually shelters us—places us under layers of divine protection, like a parent shielding a child.

• ٱلْمُعَوِّذَاتِ: The two sūrahs of protection (al-Falaq and al-Nās), but also all means—verses, invocations, or practices—through which one is shielded.

• ٱلتَّعَوُّذَ: The act of actively seeking protection—performing the turning to God as a conscious retreat.

• ٱلْعُوذَاتِ: Plural of ʿūdha—spiritual charms or protective utterances, but more deeply, expressions of clinging to God against the invisible.

 

لِنَكُونَ عُوَّذًا فِي مَعَاذٍ، وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ  فِي عِيَاذٍ لَا يَبِيدُ

So we may become those sheltered in His refuge, clinging to Him in a protection that never ends

• عُوَّذًا: A hyperbolic plural—those who have sought protection and become identified by it. The soul becomes marked by its nearness to refuge.

• فِي مَعَاذٍ: Within an eternal sanctuary—not just a place, but a state of divine nearness. 

• وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ:  an intimate, trusting clinging to divine nearness, a devotional attachment in times of vulnerability and seeking refuge

• فِي عِيَاذٍ: In a sheltering that is both intimate and complete—ʿiyādh implies proximity and immediacy in the act of seeking protection.

• لَا يَبِيدُ: Never perishing—eternal, unbreakable protection that extends into the life that knows no end.

Allah’s Names closely related in meaning (but not from the same triliteral root):

Though no standard Name of Allah among the 99 commonly listed names is derived from ع–و–ذ several names are functionally or semantically related to the meanings of refuge, protection, and safety:

Name	Arabic	Meaning
Al-Ḥafīẓ	ٱلْحَفِيظ	The Preserver, the One who guards and protects all things
Al-Māniʿ	ٱلْمَانِع	The Withholder, the Preventer of harm
Al-Wakīl	ٱلْوَكِيل	The Trustee, the One who is relied upon for protection and management
Al-Walī	ٱلْوَلِيّ	The Protective Friend, the One who lovingly supports and shields His own
Al-Muʿīn	ٱلْمُعِين	The Helper—the One who aids, protects, and strengthens
Al-Ghaffār / Al-Ghafūr	ٱلْغَفَّار / ٱلْغَفُور	The Forgiving—often paired with refuge-seeking in the Qur’anic language

Not among Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā:

Words like al-Muʿīdh (ٱلْمُعِيذ), al-Maʿādh (ٱلْمَعَاذ), or al-ʿĀʾiḏ (ٱلْعَائِذ) are grammatically possible divine names or descriptors, and they do appear in classical duʿāʾ and ḥadīth literature, but they are not canonically counted among the 99 Names of Allah as per the major compilations (like those of al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Ḥibbān, or al-Ghazālī).

For example:

• The Prophet ﷺ said to the woman who sought refuge with Allah from him:
  "قدْ عُذْتِ بمَعاذٍ" — “You have sought refuge in One who grants refuge.”
   

  Thus "Maʿādh" (مَعَاذ) is clearly a divine reference, though not a formal Divine Name.

Wisdom behind it as taken from the verb form and the etymology:

 

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْغَضْبَانُ ٱلْخَسْرَانُ، يُضِلُّ ٱلْإِنسَانَ، وَيَصُدُّهُ عَنِ ٱلْقُرْآنِ بِسَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ وَنُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ، لِكَيْ لَا يَصِلَ إِلَى ٱلْغُفْرَانِ، وَلَا يَرْجُو ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ، وَلَا يَدْخُلَ جَنَّاتِ ٱلْجَنَّانِ 

 

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْغَضْبَانُ ٱلْخَسْرَانُ 

The Shayṭān—burning in rage, immersed in loss

• غَضْبَان: Fiery, inflamed

• خَسْرَان: Totally ruined, lost—spiritually bankrupt.

يُضِلُّ ٱلْإِنسَانَ، وَيَصُدُّهُ عَنِ ٱلْقُرْآنِ

He misleads the human and blocks him from the Qur’an

• Evokes the Qur’anic verb يَصُدُّ: to bar or divert

بِسَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ وَنُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ

By cutting off the path of Iḥsān and the light of Īmān

• سَبِيلِ ٱلْإِحْسَانِ The experiential, soulful relationship with the Qur’an.

• نُورِ ٱلْإِيمَانِ: The internal light of faith necessary for understanding and transformation.

لِكَيْ لَا يَصِلَ إِلَى ٱلْغُفْرَانِ

So that he does not reach Divine forgiveness

وَلَا يَرْجُو ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ

Nor place his hope in the Most Merciful

وَلَا يَدْخُلَ جَنَّاتِ ٱلْجَنَّان

Nor enter the gardens of Paradise and Divine Presence

 

 In Hebrew, ha-ssatan  הַשָּׂטָן. The satan (ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ)and sometimes as satans/devils 

 Allah explains:

إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا۟ حِزْبَهُۥ لِيَكُونُوا۟ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Al-Fatir 6

Behold, Satan is an enemy (shades of opposing, preventing, hindering, transgressing) unto you: so treat him as an enemy. He but calls on his followers to the end that they might find themselves among such as are des­tined for the blazing flame

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ طَبْعًا، ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ خُلُقًا، يُشْطَنُ شَطْنًا إِلَى مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ، وَيَشُطُّنُنَا فِي بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ مُعْوَجَّةٍ، وَيَشُدُّنَا بِشَطَنَيْنِ مِنَ ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ، حَتَّى نَشْطُنَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّهِ، فَنُشْطَنُ مُشْطَنِين، وَيُشَيِّطِنُنَا وَيُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ، فَنُصْبِحُ شُطْرًا مَذْمُومِينَ.

ٱلشَّيْطَانُ، ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ طَبْعًا، ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ خُلُقًا

The shayṭān—formed of shayṭanic essence, inflamed in disposition

• ٱلشَّيْطَانُ: The devil, as known in Qur'anic usage.

• ٱلْمُشَيَّطُ: A passive participle meaning made into a devil. This indicates his very nature is twisted or marked by شَيْطَنَة.

• ٱلْمُسْتَشِيطُ: From شَاطَ يَشِيطُ, meaning to blaze or burn (especially in anger). This gives the sense that he is inflamed in character, not merely “created from fire” but raging with inner combustion—an embodiment of destructiveness.

 يُشْطَنُ شَطْنًا إِلَى مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ

He is cast far away to a remote place

• يُشْطَنُ: Passive form—he is distanced, cast off (from the core meaning of شَطَنَ).

• شَطْنًا: Verbal noun, emphasizing the intensity and deliberateness of that casting

• مَكَانٍ شَطُونٍ: A remote, twisted, and unreachable place—“shatūn” is a descriptor for something distant and deformed (like crooked wells or arduous journeys)

وَيَشُطُّنُنَا فِي بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ مُعْوَجَّةٍ

And he drags us into a deep, crooked well

• يَشُطُّنُنَا: He causes us to be far-off—he alienates us

• بِئْرٍ شَطُونٍ: A deep, difficult, and twisted well—used metaphorically for spiritual or moral descen

• مُعْوَجَّةٍ: Crooked, aligning with the imagery of a warped, misguiding path

 

وَيَشُدُّنَا بِشَطَنَيْنِ مِنَ ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ

He binds us with two ropes: denial and despair

• يَشُدُّنَا: He ties us—recalling the image of the rebellious horse tied with two ropes.

• بِشَطَنَيْنِ: With two strong, twisted ropes (شَطَن being a thick rope).

• ٱلْجُحُودِ وَٱلْيَأْسِ: Rejection and hopelessness—two key tools of the shayṭān to cut the human soul off from God. (You initially said "denial and arrogance/hopelessness"; here, I selected denial and despair—since both imply distance and spiritual paralysis.

 

حَتَّى نَشْطُنَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّه

Until we become distant from ourselves and from Allah

• نَشْطُنَ: We become distanced or removed—same root as شَطَنَ

• عَنْ أَنْفُسِنَا وَعَنِ ٱللَّهِ: We lose touch with both our essential self and our connection to God—this is the ultimate effect of shayṭanic influence.

فَنُشْطَنُ مُشْطَنِين

So we are cast away, made to be of the cast-off ones

• نُشْطَنُ: We are actively cast off

• مُشْطَنِين: Describing our state—we become those who have been distanced, cut off, expelled.

فَيُشَيِّطِنُنَا وَيُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ

So he devils (makes us like that) us and devils (makes our state like that state) our state, just as he was appointed in that state

• يُشَيِّطِنُنَا: He turns us into shayāṭīn—i.e., makes us act as he does.

• يُشَيَّطِنُ مَقَامَنَا: He corrupts and distorts our moral and spiritual standing.

• كَمَا شُيِّطِنَ هُوَ: Just as he himself was made into a devil—invoking the transformation of Iblīs through his pride and rebellion.

فَنُصْبِحُ شُطْرًا مَذْمُومِينَ

And we become cast-offs, reviled

• شُطْرًا: Playing on the word شَطَرَ—to cut off or separate; here meaning detached from the source, or reduced to an outcast fragment.

• مَذْمُومِينَ: Reviled, despised—just as the Qur’an describes shayṭān’s own final state (e.g., {وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ لَعْنَتِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ}).

May Allah guide us, and help us be on the right path.

 والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)

Note:

This post starts with the well known opening lines of at least one of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ sermon. Al-Nisaa’i (May Allah have mercy on him) reported in his Sunan al-Nisaa’i: Kitaab al-Jumu’ah (Click Here) that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammadﷺ taught us the Khutbah Haajah .

 

On meanings and knowledge that the Qur'an contains

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

My Dear Readers,

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See Note below)

On meanings and knowledge(sciences) Al-Qur'an contains

In his book,  كتاب التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل The Book Which makes the Sciences of Revelation Easy,    Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (  ابن جزي الكلبي الغرناطي), summarizes seven kinds of meaning/knowledge found in the Qur'an. And this can serve as a heuristic tool for students of exegesis.  We will present the Arabic text first, and then its translation:

 فاعلم أن معاني القرآن سبعة وهي: علم الربوبية، والنبوة، والمعاد، والأحكام، والوعد، والوعيد، والقصص

Know that there are seven (range of) meanings in Qur’an, which are:  knowledge of
Lordship, of Prophethood, of the Hereafter, of Rulings, of Promise [of rewards], of Warnings [of punishments], and of Stories.

فأما علم الربوبية فمنه إثبات وجود الباري جلّ جلاله، والاستدلال عليه بمخلوقاته، فكل ما جاء في القرآن من التنبيه على المخلوقات، والاعتبار في خلقة الأرض والسموات والحيوان والنبات والريح والأمطار والشمس والقمر والليل والنهار وغير ذلك من الموجودات، فهو دليل على خالقه، ومنه إثبات الوحدانية، والرد على المشركين، والتعريف بصفات الله من الحياة والعلم والقدرة والإرادة والسمع والبصر وغير ذلك من أسمائه وصفاته، والتنزيه عما لا يليق به،

As for knowledge of Lordship (علم الربوبية ), it includes establishing the existence of the Maker (جلّ جلاله majestic is His majesty), and seeking to prove using His creations (as proof), and everything in the Qur'an that draws attention to the creations, talking about creation of the earth, the heavens, animals, plants, the wind and rains, the sun and moon, the night and the day, and other creations, each one of them is a proof of its Creator. 

There is affirmation of the Oneness, and refutation of the people of polytheism, and identification of the attributes of Allah: life, knowledge, will, power, hearing, seeing and His other names and attributes. 

Additionally, there are ayat that help cleanse (the concept of the Divine) from anything not befitting Him. 

 وأما النبوة فإثبات نبوة الأنبياء عليهم السلام على العموم، ونبوة محمد صلّى الله عليه وسلّم على الخصوص، وإثبات الكتب التي أنزلها الله عليهم، ووجود الملائكة الذين كان منهم وسائط بين الله وبينهم، والرد على من كفر بشيء من ذلك، وينخرط في سلك هذا ما ورد في القرآن من تأنيس النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم وكرامته والثناء عليه وسائر الانبياء صلى الله عليه وعليهم أجمعين

As for Prophet-hood (النبوة), then there is the affirmation of the prophet-hood of the Prophets, peace be upon them and particularly that of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

There is affirmation of the Books which Allah revealed (to the prophets), the existence of the angels among whom there are those who are mediums between Allah and them, and there is refutation of whoever disbelieved anything from that. 

Also this category includes those ayat of the Qur’an that are consoling the Prophet ﷺ honouring him and praising him, together with the rest of the prophets, may Allah bless him and them all and grant them peace.

 وأما المعاد فإثبات الحشر، وإقامة البراهين، والرد على من خالف فيه وذكر ما في الدار الآخرة من الجنة والنار والحساب والميزان وصحائف الأعمال وكثرة الأهوال ونحو ذلك.

As for the Hereafter, then there is affirmation of the Gathering (الحشر), establishment of the proofs, and refutation of whoever disagrees with the idea, and a mention of that which is in the abode of the next-life , such as the Garden and the Fire, the Reckoning (الحساب) and the Weighing (الميزان), the book of deeds, the awe of the event, and the like.

وأما الأحكام فهي الأوامر والنواهي، وتنقسم خمسة أنواع: واجب ومندوب وحرام ومكروه ومباح، ومنها ما يتعلق بالأبدان كالصلاة والصيام وما يتعلق بالأموال كالزكاة، وما يتعلق بالقلوب كالإخلاص والخوف والرجاء وغير ذلك

As for Rulings( الأحكام), they are commands and prohibitions, which are divided into five
types: obligatory (واجب), recommended (مندوب ), forbidden (حرام ), disliked(مكروه) and permitted (مباح). Of them there  are those which is connected to the body such as the prayers (لصلاة) and the fast; that which is connected to property such as the poor-due (الزكاة); and that which is connected to matters of the hearts such as sincerity, fear and hope, etc.

 وأما الوعد فمنه وعد بخير الدنيا من النصر والظهور وغير ذلك، ومنه وعد بخير الآخرة وهو الأكثر كأوصاف الجنة ونعيمها

As for the Promise (الوعد), of it there is the promise [to the believers] of the best of this world such as Divine help and victory and the like. And of it there is the promise of the best of the life to come,
and  that is more oft-mentioned (in the Qur’an as compared to that in this world), such as the description of the Garden and its bliss.

 وأما الوعيد فمنه تخويف بالعقاب في الدنيا، ومنه تخويف بالعقاب في الآخرة، وهو الأكثر كأوصاف جهنم وعذابها وأوصاف القيامة وأهوالها، وتأمل القرآن تجد الوعد مقروناً بالوعيد قد ذكر أحدهما على أثر ذكر الآخر؛ ليجمع بين الترغيب والترهيب، وليتبين أحدهما بالآخر كما قيل «بضدها تتبين الأشياء».

As for the Warning (الوعيد), of it there is the creation of awareness about punishment in the world and of the next-life,  that is more oft-mentioned (in the Qur’an as compared to that in this world), such as the descriptions of hell and its torment, and the descriptions of the Resurrection. In the Qur’an you would often find promise paired with a warning, mentioned immediately after the other, in order to unite the awakening of longing with the awakening of fear, and so that one will become distinct from the other, as it is said, “By their opposites, things become clear.”

وأما القصص فهو ذكر أخبار الأنبياء المتقدمين وغيرهم كقصة أصحاب الكهف وذي القرنين، فإن قيل: ما الحكمة في تكرار قصص الأنبياء في القرآن؟ فالجواب من ثلاثة أوجه: الأول: أنه ربما ذكر في سورة من أخبار الأنبياء ما لم يذكره في سورة أخرى، ففي كل واحدة منهما فائدة زائدة على الأخرى، الثاني: أنه ذكرت أخبار الأنبياء في مواضع على طريقة الإطناب وفي مواضع على طريقة الإيجاز؛ لتظهر فصاحة القرآن في الطريقتين، الثالث: أن أخبار الأنبياء قصد بذكرها مقاصد فيتعدد ذكرها بتعدد تلك المقاصد، فمن المقاصد بها: إثبات نبوة الأنبياء المتقدمين بذكر ما جرى على أيديهم من المعجزات، وذكر إهلاك من كذبهم بأنواع من المهالك، ومنها إثبات النبوة لمحمد صلّى الله عليه وسلّم لإخباره بتلك الأخبار من غير تعلم من أحد وإلى ذلك الإشارة بقوله تعالى: {مَا كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهَا أَنْتَ وَلاَ قَوْمُكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَذَا} [هود: 49]، ومنها: إثبات الوحدانية  ألا ترى أنه لما ذكر إهلاك الأمم الكافرة قال: {فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ آلِهَتُهُمُ الَّتِي يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ} [هود: 101]، ومنها: الاعتبار في قدرة الله وشدة عقابه لمن كفر، ومنها تسلية النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم عن تكذيب قومه له بالتأسي بمن تقدم من الأنبياء كقوله: {وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ} [الأنعام: 34]، ومنها: تسليته عليه السلام ووعده بالنصر كما نصر الأنبياء الذين من قبله، ومنها: تخويف الكفار بأن يعاقبوا كما عوقب الكفار الذين من قبلهم، إلى غير ذلك مما احتوت عليه أخبار الأنبياء من العجائب والمواعظ واحتجاج الأنبياء وردهم على الكفار وغير ذلك، فلما كانت أخبار الأنبياء تفيد فوائد كثيرة ذكرت في مواضع كثيرة ولكل مقام مقال       

As for the Stories (القصص), they consist of knowledge about the previous prophets and of others, such as the story of the Companions of the Cave (Surah al-Kahf ayat 9-28) and Dhu’l-Qarnayn (Surah al-Kahf ayat 84-99). If it is said, “What is the wisdom in the repetition of the stories of the prophets in the Qur’an?” Then the answer could be three reasons:

1. First, that He probably mentions information on the prophets in a surah which He does not mention in another surah; 
2. Second , sometimes the prophets are mentioned in some places in the way of lengthy description and in other places briefly, as part of the eloquence of the Qur’an; 
3. Third, that He intends mention of the prophets for a multitude of reasons and purposes such as mentioned below:

• As proof of the prophethood of the previous prophets by mentioning the miracles they brought about, and mentioning the destruction by various means of whoever denied them. 
• As proof of the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, “Neither you nor your people knew it before this”(Surah Hud, ayah 49, referring to the story of the Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him, which is narrated in Surah Hud.). 
• As affirmation of oneness; do you not see that when He mentioned the destruction of the disbelieving nations, “He said, ‘Their gods did not enrich them, those which they called on apart from Allah, in any way.’”(Surah Hud, ayah 101) 
• As reflection on the power of Allah, and the severity of His punishment for whoever disbelieved. 
• For comforting of the Prophet ﷺ , when his people called him a liar, by finding consolation in whomever of the prophets had preceded him, such as His words, “And certainly messengers were called liars before you.” and his being promised help as the prophets before him had been helped. 
• For creating awe in the disbelievers in that they will be punished as the disbelievers before them were punished, and so on, of that which the stories of the prophets contain of astonishing things, exhortations and the arguments of the prophets, and their refutation of the disbelievers, etc. 

Since the news of the prophets show many different types of benefit, they are mentioned in many different places, and for every mention there is a teaching.

May Allah guide us, and help us be on the right path.

 والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)

Note:

This post starts with the well known opening lines of at least one of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ sermon. Al-Nisaa’i (May Allah have mercy on him) reported in his Sunan al-Nisaa’i: Kitaab al-Jumu’ah (Click Here) that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammadﷺ taught us the Khutbah Haajah .