Surah al-Falaq

It is Meccan according to the statements of al-Hasan, ‘Ata’, ‘Ikrimah, and Jabir, and in a narration by Kurayb from Ibn ‘Abbas. It is Medinan according to the statement of Ibn ‘Abbas in a narration by Abu Salih and Qatadah, and this is the correct view. The reason for its revelation was the sorcery performed by the Jews, as will be explained, God willing. They only bewitched him (peace be upon him) in Medina, as recorded in the authentic collections (al-Sahih). Therefore, one should not pay heed to those who assert it is Meccan. The same applies to the discussion regarding Surah al-Nas. It consists of five verses, without disagreement.

When the affairs of Godhead were explained in the preceding surah, this was revealed thereafter to explain what one should seek refuge in God from, specifically the evil present in the levels of the world and its creatures. This surah and the one following it were revealed together, as stated in al-Dala’il by al-Bayhaqi; hence they were paired due to their shared naming as al-Mu‘awwidhatayn (the two surahs of seeking refuge) and their opening with "Say: I seek refuge."

Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, and others recorded from [‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir] that he said: The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said: "There have been revealed to me tonight verses the like of which I have never seen: 'Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn' and 'Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind'."

Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah recorded from ‘A’ishah that the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), when retiring to his bed every night, would cup his hands together, breathe into them, and recite into them: "Say: He is God, the One," "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn," and "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the mankind." Then he would wipe as much of his body as he could reach, beginning with his head, his face, and the front of his body, doing so three times. It has also come in a hadith that whoever recites them along with Surah al-Ikhlas three times in the evening and in the morning, they will suffice him against everything. There are many reports concerning their virtues besides what has been mentioned.

Regarding Ibn Mas‘ud, it is reported that he denied their Quranic status. Imam Ahmad, al-Bazzar, al-Tabarani, and Ibn Mardawayh recorded from authentic chains that he used to erase al-Mu‘awwidhatayn from the codex (mushaf) and say, "Do not mix into the Quran what is not part of it; they are not from the Book of God. The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) was merely commanded to seek refuge through them." And Ibn Mas‘ud would not recite them [in prayer]. Al-Bazzar stated that no one among the Companions followed Ibn Mas‘ud in this. It is authentically established from the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) that he recited them in prayer, and they have been confirmed in the mushaf.

Imam Ahmad, al-Bukhari, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Hibban, and others recorded from Zirr ibn Hubaysh, who said: I came to Medina and met Ubayy ibn Ka‘b and said to him: "O Abu al-Mundhir, I saw that Ibn Mas‘ud does not write al-Mu‘awwidhatayn in his mushaf." He replied: "I swear by the One who sent Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) that he asked me about them, and no one has asked me about them since I asked him, for he said: 'It was said to me, Say, so I said it.' Therefore, we say as the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said."

Due to this disagreement, some heretics have attacked the miraculous nature of the Quran, saying: "If its eloquence reached the limit of inimitability, it would be distinct from non-Quranic speech, and thus there would be no disagreement regarding what constitutes it." You know, however, that consensus has been reached on their Quranic status, and they have said that denying this today is disbelief. Perhaps Ibn Mas‘ud retracted that view.

In Sharh al-Mawaqif, it is stated that the disagreement of the Companions regarding some surahs of the Quran is reported through solitary narrations (ahad) that yield mere probability, whereas the entirety of the Quran is transmitted through mass-transmitted reports (tawatur) that yield certainty, which causes the probability to vanish. Thus, those solitary narrations are not to be given weight. Furthermore, even if we were to concede their disagreement regarding what was mentioned, we would say that they did not differ regarding its revelation upon the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), nor on its reaching the limit of inimitability in eloquence, but merely on whether it is officially part of the mushaf—and that does not harm the matter we are addressing. End quote.

The opposite of this opinion exists regarding the two aforementioned surahs; it is said to apply to the two surahs of al-Khal‘ and al-Hafd. There are narrations regarding their phrasing, including that which the Hanafis rely upon, as it has been reported that they were in the mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, the mushaf of Ibn ‘Abbas, and the mushaf of Ibn Mas‘ud—provided it is authentic that they were the speech of God Almighty whose recitation was abrogated and are not [part of the recited] Quran, as is not hidden.

Al-Falaq: (1) Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak..."

(Say, "I seek refuge"): That is, I take shelter, hold fast, and protect myself.

(In the Lord of the Daybreak [al-Falaq]): Falaq is a verbal noun functioning as a passive participle, similar to qasas (narrative) in the sense of maqsus (narrated), derived from falq—to split and divide. It encompasses all possible existing things, for He, the Exalted, split them with the light of creation. Especially those things that emerge from an origin, such as springs from mountains, rain from clouds, vegetation from the earth, and children from wombs.

Conventionally, it is specified as the dawn. Their application of the word "split" (mafluq) to it—alongside their saying, "Allah the Exalted split the night from the dawn"—is like their application of "skinned" (maslukh) to a sheep, alongside their saying, "I stripped the hide from the sheep."

Interpreting it with the general meaning has been narrated by Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Abbas; the wording being: "Al-Falaq is the creation." Al-Tasti also narrated from him that he interpreted it as the dawn, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) cited the verse of Zuhair: He who dispels worry with his generosity and his armies, Just as the dawn [al-falaq] dispels the gloom of darkness. This is also narrated from Jabir ibn Abdullah, Mujahid, Qatada, Ibn Jubayr, al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Zayd.

According to this view, linking the seeking of refuge with the name "Lord" (al-Rabb), which is annexed to "the dawn" (al-falaq)—which signifies light following darkness, relief after hardship, and opening after closure—is a noble promise of granting the seeker refuge from that which he seeks refuge against, and delivering him from it. It is also a strengthening of his hope by reminding him of some of its counterparts, and an increased encouragement for him to strive and attend to knocking at the door of seeking refuge in Him, the Almighty and Majestic.

It is said that al-falaq is singled out for mention because it is a model of the Day of Resurrection. Houses are like graves, sleep is the brother of death, and those who exit their homes in the morning—some go toward splendor and joy, while others go toward the demands of creditors, into sorrows and evils, and toward other conditions for the servants that are most similar to what they will experience in the Hereafter.

In the Tafsir of the Judge, it is stated that the word "Lord" here is more appropriate than all other names—that is, those which are permissible to be annexed to al-falaq—contrary to what has been said, because seeking refuge from harms is a form of lordship. If taken in the general sense of falaq, it is evident, for it encompasses both the seeker of refuge and the one against whom refuge is sought. If specified as the dawn, it is said because it implies that He, glory be to Him, is capable, the changer of conditions, and the turner of states, thus removing worries and afflictions.

The Chief [Ibn Sina] said, after interpreting al-falaq as the darkness of non-existence split by the light of existence: "In the mention of 'the Lord' lies a subtle secret of the realities of knowledge. That is because the 'lorded over' (marbub) is never independent of the Lord in any of his states, as witnessed in the child as long as he is being reared. Since possible essences are not independent of the addition of the First Principle, the word 'Lord' was inevitably mentioned to point to this."

There is another indication in it from the hidden sciences: that ‘udh and ‘iyadh (seeking refuge) in the language signify turning to another. When He commanded the mere turning to another and expressed it as "the Lord," it indicated that the failure to obtain [what is sought] is not a matter pertaining to the one from whom refuge is sought (who is the effusion of virtues), but rather to a matter pertaining to the recipient. It is established that none of the perfections or other things are withheld from the side of the First Principle, glory be to Him; rather, everything that is obtained is contingent upon the seeker of refuge directing his receptivity toward Him. This is the meaning of the Prophetic indication: "Indeed, your Lord has breezes of mercy during the days of your time; so expose yourselves to them." This shows that the breezes of graces are continuous, and the defect lies only with the seeker.

In a report from Ibn Abbas and a group of the Companions and Successors, it is said that al-falaq is a pit in Hell. Ibn Marduwayh and al-Daylami narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas that he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about the word of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, "Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,'" and he said, "It is a prison in Hell where tyrants and the arrogant are imprisoned, and Hell itself seeks refuge in Allah from it."

Ibn Marduwayh also narrated from Umar ibn Anbasa that he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited "Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,'" then he said, "O son of Anbasa, do you know what al-falaq is?" I said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said, "A well in Hell; when the well is ignited, Hell itself is ignited from it, so that it is harmed by it just as the son of Adam is harmed by Hell."

Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ka'b that he said: "Al-falaq is a house in Hell; when it is opened, the people of the Fire cry out from the intensity of its heat." From al-Kalbi, it is said that it is a valley in Hell. It is also said that it is Hell itself. According to what is in al-Kashshaf, regarding their saying that what is low-lying in the earth is falaq (plural falaqan, like khalq and khalqan), it is singled out for mention because it is the dwelling of the Jews. It is narrated from some Companions that he arrived in the Levant and saw the houses of the people under protection (dhimma) and the ease of life they enjoyed and the worldly prosperity they had been given, and he said, "I do not care; is there not al-falaq behind them?" and he interpreted it as what was narrated earlier from Ka'b. Among them were those who bewitched the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Thus, in linking the seeking of refuge with the Lord, annexed to it, is a noble promise of granting the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) refuge from their evil. It is not hidden that this is something that does not settle the heart, and I believe in the weakness of the preceding reports. My view inclines toward the first meaning of al-falaq.