Surah 113. Al-Falaq

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Verses [Section]: 1-5[1]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-5113. Al-Falaqبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِقُلْSayاَعُوْذُI seek refugeبِرَبِّin (the) Lordالْفَلَقِۙ(of) the dawn مِنْFromشَرِّ(the) evilمَا(of) whatخَلَقَۙHe created وَ مِنْAnd fromشَرِّ(the) evilغَاسِقٍ(of) darknessاِذَاwhenوَقَبَۙit settles وَ مِنْAnd fromشَرِّ(the) evilالنَّفّٰثٰتِ(of) the blowersفِیinالْعُقَدِۙthe knots وَ مِنْAnd fromشَرِّ(the) evilحَاسِدٍ(of) an envierاِذَاwhenحَسَدَ۠he envies

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Translation of Verse 1-5In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(113:1) Say:¹ “I seek refuge² with the Lord of the rising day;³

(113:2) from the evil of all that He created;⁴

(113:3) from the evil of night's darkness when it spreads around;⁵

(113:4) from the evil of the women who blow on knots;⁶

(113:5) and from the evil of the envier when he envies.”⁷

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Commentary

1. Qul (say) indicates the address to the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, as it is revealed to him as part of his assignment as the Messenger, it applies in equal degree to every believer; in "other words, like the Prophet (peace be upon him) every believer should declare the truths contained in this Surah.

2. Seeking refuge has three parties: (i) the invocation, (ii) the seeker, and (iii) the one whose-refuge is sought. Seeking refuge signifies that being afraid of something one wants protection from someone else; one wants their care. The seeker feels strongly that he cannot fight the danger confronting him and, therefore, seeks protection. As to the one whose protection is sought, the seeker looks upon him as strong enough to ward off the danger. Protection may be had with the help of a material object and in accordance with the laws of nature. For example, one may seek protection inside a fort against an enemy or hide himself in a trench in order to escape bullets or take asylum in a country or with a person against a tyrant or take shelter under a tree or a wall from scorching sunlight. Another kind of protection which is sought is with a supernatural power against all types of dangers, material, moral or spiritual losses, and all that is harmful. This invocation springs from the belief that the Supreme Being, having dominion over everything, can protect the seeker in ways beyond one’s perception. In Surahs al-Falaq and al-Nas the latter is sought. Not only in these two Surahs, but in all the instances in the Qur’an, reference is always to this type of protection. It stems from one’s belief in monotheism that such an invocation be made only to Allah. Polytheists, however, seek this type of protection from – beings other than Allah, such as from jinns, gods and goddesses. This is in vogue even today. Materialists rely only on mundane sources. For, they do not believe in any supernatural being. On the contrary, believers turn to Allah for help against every calamity, crisis and threat which they cannot tackle on their own. Regarding polytheists, the Qur’an informs: “Some from among the humans used to seek protection of some among the jinn” (al-Jinn 72: 6). As explained in our note 7 on Surah al-Jinn, this point is illustrated best by Ibn ‘Abbas’s report that while staying at a desolate valley at night, the Arab polytheists invoked the jinn thus: “We seek protection of the lord or master of this valley.” About Pharaoh, however, the Qur’an states that on observing the divine signs presented by the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), he “turned away, showing arrogance on account of his power” (al-Dhariyat 51: 39). In contrast, the believers always seek Allah’s protection on facing a threat, be it physical, moral or spiritual. When an angel suddenly appeared in human form before Mary and she did not recognize that he was an angel, she exclaimed: “I surely take refuge from you with the Most Compassionate Lord, if you are at all God-fearing,” (Maryam 19: 17). When Allah chided the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) for an unreasonable request he had made, he instinctively said: “My Lord! I take refuge with You that I should - ask You for that concerning which I have no knowledge,” (Hud 11: 47). Likewise, in response to the Prophet Moses’s directive to his people to sacrifice a cow and their dismissal of the same, taking it in jest, he exclaimed “I seek refuge with Allah that I should behave in the manner of the ignorant,” (al-Baqarah 2: 67). The same features mark the Prophet's invocation recorded in the Hadith collections. Here are some instances in point:

i. ‘A’ishah reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in his supplications: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against the evil of my actions and the evil of the deeds I did not ~ commit (i.e. the consequences of my misdeeds; harm arising of not doing what I should have done and the evil of having done what I should not have).” (Muslim, Kitab al-Dhikr)

ii. Ibn ‘Umar records one of these supplications of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O Lord! I seek Your protection against the loss of the blessings I have and against the unrest when I lose my present peace and tranquility and against Your sudden wrath and displeasure.” (Muslim, Kitab al-Dhikr)

iii. Zayd ibn Arqam reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against such knowledge which is not beneficial; such heart which is not filled with Your fear; such self that is never satiated and such a supplication which is not granted.” (Muslim, Kitab al-Dhikr)

iv. Abu Hurayrah records that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against hunger being the worst companion ona night and against dishonesty, - the worst cheating.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Adab)

v. Anas recounts this supplication made by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O Lord! I seek Your protection against leprosy, madness and all horrible diseases.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab a-Adab

vi. ‘A’ishah reports these words of the Prophet's supplication: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against the mischief of fire and the evil of both prosperity and adversity.” (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Salat)

vii. Qutbah ibn Malik says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to invoke thus: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against bad manners, evil deeds and base desires.” (Tirmidhi)

viii. In response to Shakal ibn Humayd’s request the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught him this supplication: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against the evil of my hearing, my sight, my tongue, my heart and my sexuality.” (Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Da’wat and Abtu Dawud)

ix. On the authority of Anas ibn Malik, it is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to make this supplication: “O Lord! I seek Your protection against abjectness, sloth, - cowardice, senility, miserliness, and against punishment in the grave and the mischief of life and death.” Muslim’s version contains also the following: “I seek Your protection against the burden of debt and against being subjugated by people.” (Bukhari, Kitab al-Da‘awat and Muslim)

x. Khawlah bint Hukaim says that she heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) making this supplication upon reaching a new destination: “I seek protection of Allah’s unblemished words against the evil of creatures.” With the blessing of this supplication nothing will harm one until one resumes one’s _journey. (Muslim, Kitab al-Da‘awat)

It is readily evident from the above that a believer should seek only Allah's protection against every evil and darger. Far from depending upon his own resources one should repose trust in Him alone.

3. Allah is referred to here as rabb al-falaq (Lord of the rising day). Falaq literally means to tear apart. Accordingly, most Qur’anic scholars take falaq to mean the rising of the day out of the darkness of the night. Falaq al-subh is a fairly common Arabic idiom for dawn. In Verse 96 of al-An’am the Qur‘an uses this expression exactly in the same sense Falaq is construed also in the sense of creation. For all that is born comes out of something, as for example, plants out of soil, humans and other living beings out of wombs or eggs, springs out of rocks and the day raises out of the darkness of night. The same-holds true for rain drops out of clouds. In sum, the phenomenon of rending asunder is fairly common in the universe, as the Qur’an declares: “The heavens and the earth were one solid mass, then Allah tore them apart,” (al-Anbiya’ 21: 30). Thus falaq is applicable to all creatures. This verse is open to the following two meanings: (i) Allah’s refuge is sought, i.e. refuge is sought from Him Who is the Master of the rising day. (ii) His refuge is invoked in His capacity as the Lord of creation. In this verse the attribute Lord is used in preference to Allah in that the former underscores His role as Sustainer and Provider. As He makes the day rise out of the darkness of night, He is invoked to provide the supplicant with peace. Taken in its latter sense, the verse represents the seeker’s invocation for Allah’s protection against the evil of His creatures.

4. Allah’s protection is sought against the evil of all creatures. On this count the following points merit attention: (i) The creation of evil is not imputed in this verse to Allah. Rather, it is ascribed to the creatures themselves’ whereas Allah is spoken of as the - Creator. Protection is not sought against all the evil created by Allah, but against the evil of His creatures. This underscores the truth that Allah has not created anyone for evil. All of His actions aim at good and are part of His grand design. He has, however, invested creatures with such traits as may serve the purpose of their creation. At times, these traits culminate in harm to other creatures. (ii) This statement is complete in itself, even though Allah’s protection is not sought against the evil of particular creatures. For the invocation embraces the evil of all creatures. As to the particularization, it constitutes the invocation for protection — against certain kinds of evil, spelled out in both the Siirahs. (iii) The most effective invocation is to seek the protection of the Creator Who wields total control over them. He is aware of even.those evils of theirs which are not in our knowledge. His protection is: the best defence as against Him no one stands a chance. Thus by invoking His protection we can defend ourselves against all evil, no matter whether it is in our knowledge or not. It includes also the protection against all evil and loss in the Hereafter.

Let us clarify that the word sharr (evil) as used in the verse covers a wide range of things such as loss, harm, suffering and pain and such things as cause the above, as for example, hunger, illness, injury in a war or accident, being buried, a snake or scorpion bite, losing a child, etc. Since these cause pain, they fall within the category of sharr. In another sense, unbelief, polytheism and sins and injustice also belong to the realm of sharr. For these culminate in loss and suffering for man, though not immediately. Rather, committing certain sins gratifies one momentarily. Anyway, the invocation embraces all types of sharr.

The invocation covers the evil already afflicting one and any evil as might touch one in the future.

5. Attention is drawn in this verse to seeking protection against the evil of some specific creatures. Ghasiq literally means “dark”. In the same sense it is employed also in Verse 78 of Bani Isra’il. Waqab stands for.“spreading around”. Refuge is sought, in particular, from -night’s darkness because most of the crimes and acts of injustice and oppression are committed at night. Moreover, most of the dangerous animals also come out of their hiding places and go around at night. In the then lawless Arabia night was particularly dreadful. For in the darkness of the night tribes raided one another and plundered others’ houses. The enemies of the Prophet (peace be upon him) plotted to assassinate him at night, which would have helped the assassin to escape undetected. That is why the evil of the darkness of night is mentioned in particular.

A slight problem, however, arises in the interpretation of this verse in view of the following report by ‘A’ishah: “It was a moon-lit night and while pointing to the moon the Prophet (peace be upon him) directed me to seek Allah’s protection against the darkness of night (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Hakim and Ibn Marduwayh). Some Qur’an scholars take waqab here in the sense of khasf (eclipse). However, no report indicates that it was the night of a lunar eclipse. Arabic idiom also does not permit taking waqab as interchangeable with kiasf. Our interpretation is that it was not very bright even on a moon-lit night. The Prophet's directive to her was to seek protection against the darkness of the night. Crimes are committed even on a moon-lit night. Let us bear in mind this Hadith as well: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: ‘As the sun sets, devils scatter around. So bring back your children at home and keep your cattle tied until dawn.’”

6. Reference here is to blowing on knots. The text is as follows: naffathat fi al-‘uqad. ‘Uqad being the plural of ‘uqdah stands for a knot while naffathat means blowing. It may allude to such men or women or groups who blow on knots. Most Qur’anic scholars take “who blow on knots” to refer to magicians who follow this practice. Thus the verse exhorts the Prophet (peace be upon him) to seek protection against the evil of magicians, both male and female, and from the Lord of the rising day. This interpretation is substantiated by reports which state that Gabriel had directed the Prophet (peace be upon him) to recite Surahs al-Falaq and al- Nas when he had been subjected to a magic spell. (Bukhari, Kitab Fada’il al-Qur’an.) This verse contains the only direct reference in the whole Surah to magic. Abu Muslim al-Isfahani and Zamakhshari construe naffathat fi al-‘uqad as the guile and stratagem of men and women arid their magical effect. For example, a man who falls in love with a woman behaves like someone who has been enchanted. This interpretation, however, does not reflect the consensus view on the subject. Moreover, it does not fit in with the context of the Surah, as elucidated in the Introduction.

Regarding magic, it is worth noting that devils or evil spirits are generally invoked for harming someone. The Qur’an affirms: “Solomon had never disbelieved; it is the evil ones who disbelieved, teaching people magic,” (al-Baqarah 2: 102). Even if no polytheism or unbelief is involved, magic is forbidden in absolute terms. The Prophet (peace be upon him) branded it as one of the seven major sins which ruin one’s prospects in the Hereafter. Abu Hurayrah relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against seven deadly sins. On being requested to list these, he spelled out thus: (i) To associate anyone as a partner with Allah; (ii) To practice magic; (iii) To kill someone unlawfully; (iv) To subsist on usury; (v) To usurp an orphan’s provisions; (vi) To 'flee from Jihad on being faced with the enemy; (vii) To slander unsuspecting, chaste believing women,” (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab al-Iman).

7. Jealousy consists in feeling bad about some excellence or blessing granted by Allah to someone else and to wish that he be deprived of this and the same may accrue to him. If one aspires to get what someone has got, it does not constitute jealousy. Protection is sought in this verse against the evil of jealousy when someone by word or deed betrays his jealousy. As long as one only feels jealous, it does not harm the other person and no protection may be sought against it. However, as one’s jealousy comes out into the open, Allah’s protection should be sought. Other steps may also be helpful: (i) One should have full trust in Allah, believing that no harm can be done to him unless Allah so wills. (ii) One should bear with the misdeeds of the jealous person. One should not be provoked by these into retaliating in the same manner. (iii) One should fear Allah, no matter how demeaning and brazen the misdeeds committed by the jealous person. (iv) One should disregard the jealous person altogether. For getting involved in it harms one. (v) Far from misbehaving with the jealous person, one should do good to him, if the occasion arises. One should not, however, expect an end to his jealousy by his gesture. (vi) One should firmly believe in monotheism. For a God-conscious person cannot fear anyone other than Allah.