Tafsir of Al-Falaq 113:1

Classification: Meccan, though some say Medinan. It contains 5 verses and was revealed after [the Surah of] al-Fil.

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

1. Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,"

2. "From the evil of that which He created,"

3. "And from the evil of darkness when it settles,"

4. "And from the evil of the blowers in knots,"

5. "And from the evil of an envier when he envies."

The Daybreak (al-falaq) and the Splitting (al-farq): Both mean the morning, because the night is split and separated from it. It is a verbal noun used in the sense of a passive participle. It is said in the proverb: "It is clearer than the splitting of the morning." From this is the saying: "The furqan (dawn) has shone," meaning the break of day.

It is also said: It is everything that God splits, such as the earth for plants, mountains for springs, clouds for rain, wombs for offspring, and seeds and pits.

Others say: It is a valley in Hell, a place for the wicked, derived from the word falaq used for low-lying land. A Companion once traveled to Syria and saw the comfortable lives of the non-Muslim subjects (dhimmis). He said, "I do not care; is there not the Falaq behind them?" When asked what the Falaq was, he replied, "A house in Hell; when it is opened, all the inhabitants of the Fire scream from the intensity of its heat."

{From the evil of that which He created}: From the evil of His creation. Their evil includes:

1. The sins and transgressions committed by accountable beings, such as oppression, murder, and abuse.
2. The harm caused by non-accountable beings, such as the biting and stinging of beasts and insects.
3. The inherent dangers God placed in inanimate objects, such as the burning of fire or the toxicity of poison.

The Ghasiq (Darkness): The night when its darkness intensifies. From the verse: "Establish prayer at the decline of the sun" (ghasaq). It is said: "The eye ghasaqat," meaning it filled with tears; "The wound ghasaqat," meaning it filled with blood.

Its Waqb (Overwhelming): The entry of its darkness into everything. It is said: "The sun waqabat," meaning it set. In the Hadith: "When he saw the sun had set (waqabat), he said: 'This is the time for its prayer,'" meaning Maghrib.

Others say: It is the moon when it is full. Aisha (may God be pleased with her) narrated: "The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) took my hand, pointed to the moon, and said: 'Seek refuge from the evil of this, for it is the Ghasiq when it waqaba (enters into eclipse and darkens).'"

It is also possible that Ghasiq refers to the black snake, and waqb refers to its striking and piercing. Waqb means a hole or puncture. Seeking refuge from the evil of the night is because harm is more frequent and harder to guard against within it. Hence the saying: "The night hides the evil."

{The Blowers in Knots}: Women, souls, or groups of sorceresses who tie knots in threads, blow upon them, and recite incantations. The naft (blowing) is a puff of air with saliva. This has no inherent effect, unless accompanied by the administration of something harmful, or direct contact with the bewitched. However, God may allow an effect to occur as a trial to distinguish the steadfast in truth from the ignorant masses. The ignorant attribute power to the sorceresses, while the steadfast pay no heed to it.

If you ask: What is the meaning of seeking refuge from their evil? I say: There are three aspects:

1. Seeking refuge from their act of sorcery and the sin thereof.
2. Seeking refuge from their temptation of people through their deception.
3. Seeking refuge from the harm God permits to occur at the time of their blowing.

It may also refer to scheming women, as in: "Indeed, your scheme is great," comparing their schemes to sorcery, or those who tempt men with their beauty, as if they bewitch them.

{When he envies}: When his envy manifests and he acts upon it by plotting harm against the envied. If it does not manifest, no harm returns to the envied; rather, the envier harms only himself through his distress at another's joy. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz said: "I have seen no oppressor more like the oppressed than the envier."

If you ask: "From the evil of that which He created" is a generalization; why seek refuge specifically from the Ghasiq, the Naffathat, and the Hasid? I say: Their evil is singled out because it is hidden and strikes a person from where they do not know, like an ambush.

If you ask: Why is some of what is sought refuge from definite and some indefinite? I say: The Naffathat are definite because every sorceress is evil. The Ghasiq is indefinite because not every night contains evil, and the Hasid is indefinite because not every envy is harmful. There is "praiseworthy envy," which is envy in good deeds. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is no envy except in two cases."

From the Messenger of God (peace be upon him): "Whoever recites the two Mu'awwidhatayn (the last two Surahs), it is as if he has recited all the books that God Almighty has revealed."