Al- Falaq means “the Daybreak” or “Dawn” in English. Chapter
113 is the penultimate chapter in Quran and is the first in a pair of chapters
(113 & 114) that were revealed in Mecca at the same time. Their subject matter
and themes are similar and they are known together as the 'Two Refuges' or “Al-Muawwidhatayn”,
they form a natural pair. These two chapters are of immense benefit and every
servant is in need of them, and this need is indispensable and essential. This
Surah contains some divine teaching commands to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) in particular, and to all Muslims, in general, to seek refuge with
Allah from every kind of ill arising from outer nature, darkness, evil plotting
and envy on the part of others. It remains a powerful call towards Allah, in
which we can both, reaffirm our faith and seek protection at the same time.
Transliteration of Surah Al-Falaq
Bismi l-lāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm
Qul
a’oodhu birabbil falaq
Min sharri maa khalaq
Wa min sharri ghaasiqin
idha waqab
Wa min sharrin naffathaati fil ‘uqad
Wa min sharri haasidin
idha hasad
Translation of Surah Al-Falaq
Say, “I seek refuge in
the Lord of daybreak
From the evil of that which He created
And from
the evil of darkness when it settles
And from the evil of the blowers in
knots
And from the evil of an envier when he envies.
Surah Al-
Falaq, as the Daybreak, refers to the removal of darkness and the manifestation
of light. In Allah's created world, there are all kinds of forces and counter
forces, especially those put in motion by beings who have been endowed with some
sort of will. The forces of good may be compared to light, and those of evil to
darkness. Allah can cleave the depths of darkness and produce light.
Therefore, we should throw away fear and seek refuge and the most successful
form of refuge for all of these is possible in the light of knowledge for,
without faith and certainty, intellect and wisdom, it is not possible to secure
the refuge of God by escaping every kind of evil and to protect oneself
therefrom. The source of all true light is Allah, and if we seek Him, we are
free from ignorance, superstition, fear, and every kind of evil. Our trust in
Allah is the refuge from every kind of fear, superstition, every kind of danger
and evil.
Three special kinds of mischief are specified in the next
three verses, against which our best guard is our trust in Allah, the Light of
the heavens and the earth.
We are advised to seek refuge from the
mischief of Darkness as it overspreads. Many people are afraid of physical
darkness, and all are afraid of physical injuries, accidents, criminals and the
perpetrators of wickedness, wild animals, and calamities. God commands us to
seek refuge with Him from the evils and calamities which descend in darkness. We
seek refuge with the Lord of the breaking dawn from the evils of the darkness.
We are also advised to seek refuge from the mischief of those who practise
secret arts. It includes all forms of witchcraft and sorcery whereby they are
deceived into acting or thinking in an unnatural way. There are many forms of
witchcraft throughout the world and it almost always includes a belief that some
people can influence others by certain rites, formulas or actions. The verse
particularly refers to a form of witchcraft carried out by the women of Arabia
at the time, tying knots in cords and blowing on them to cast spells. God is the
ultimate Protector. Such secret arts cause psychological terror. They may be
what is so called magic, or secret plottings, or the display of false and
seductive charms (3:14) The one committing those evils i.e., so called magic,
envy etc. would be sinful.
And we are advised to seek refuge from the
mischief of the envious one as he practices envy. Malignant envy, translated
into action, seeks to destroy the happiness or the material or spiritual good
enjoyed by other people. The best guard against it is trust in Allah with purity
of heart.
As for the attitude and conduct of the God-worshippers the
Quran says that they seek Allah’s refuge for protection against the evil of
everything that they fear, whether it is material or moral or spiritual. Thus,
about Hadrat Maryum (May Allah be pleased with her) it has been said that when
God’s angel appeared before her suddenly in human guise (when she did not know
that he was an angel), she cried out: I seek the merciful God’s refuge from you,
if you are a pious man.
“She said: "I seek refuge from thee to
((Allah)) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah." Surah Maryam”
19:18
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
“O Ibn Aabis, shall
I tell you about the best protection used
by those who seek it. He said:
Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He(sws) said: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the
daybreak.” and ‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.’ “It is included in
these two surahs.” (Abu Dawood)
Hadrat Aishah has reported that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray in these words:
“O God, I seek
Your refuge from the mischief of the fire and from the evil of affluence and
poverty”. (Tirmidhi, Abu Daud).
Hadrat Aishah has reported that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, saying:
“O God, I seek Your
refuge from the evil of the works which I did and from the evil of the works
which I did not do.” (i.e., if I have done a wrong, I seek refuge from its evil
results, and if I have not done a work which I should have done, I seek refuge
from the loss that I have incurred, or from that I should do what I should not
do). (Muslim).
There are evils which are harmful to mankind. God
protects from the harm of evils. We should not fear, but having taken reason
able precautions, we should trust in Allah. He is the world’s supreme and
Al-Mighty nurturer and no doubt the best Protector and excellent Planner for us.