6وَأَنَّهُ كانَ رِجالٌ مِنَ الإِنسِ يَعوذونَ بِرِجالٍ مِنَ الجِنِّ فَزادوهُم رَهَقًاMuhammad AsadYet [it has always happened] that certain kinds of humans would seek refuge with certain kinds of [such] invisible forces:1 but these only increased their confusionLit., "that men (rijal) from among the humans used to (kana) seek refuge with men from among the jinn". Since the reference to "the humans" (al-ins) applies to men and women, the expression rijal is obviously used here - as so often in the Qur'an - in the sense of "some persons" or "certain kinds" of people. "Seeking refuge" is synonymous with seeking help, protection or the satisfaction of physical or spiritual needs: in the context of the above passage, this is evidently an allusion to the hope of "certain kinds of humans" that the occult powers to which they have turned would successfully guide them through life, and thus make it unnecessary for them to look forward to the coming of a new prophet.