Surah 113. Al-Falaq

SAY: "I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the rising dawn,¹

  - Mohammad Asad

The term al-falaq ("the light of dawn" or "the rising dawn") is often used tropically to describe "the emergence of the truth after [a period of] uncertainty" (Taj al-'Arus): hence, the appellation "Sustainer of the rising dawn" implies that God is the source of all cognition of truth, and that one's "seeking refuge" with Him is synonymous with striving after truth.

Say: I seek refuge with the Rabb of the dawn

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of Daybreak

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn ^{6301 6302}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 (vi. 96), and therefore we should cast off fear and take refuge in divine guidance and goodness.

Falaq is the Dawn or Daybreak, the cleaving of darkness and the manifestation of light. This may be understood in various senses: (1) literally, when the darkness of the night is at its worst, rays of light pierce through and produce the dawn; (2) when the darkness of ignorance is at its worst, the light of Allah pierces through the soul and gives it enlightenment: xxiv. 35; (3) non-existence is darkness, and life and activity may be typified by light. The author and source of all true light is Allah, and if we seek Him, we are free from ignorance, superstition, fear, and every kind of evil.

"from the evil of aught that He has created,

  - Mohammad Asad

from the mischief of all that He has created;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

from the evil of whatever He has created,

  - Mustafa Khattab

From the evil of that which He created;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

From the mischief of created things; ⁶³⁰³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 6301 above. Our trust in Allah is the refuge from every kind of fear and 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. They are: (1) physical dangers, typified by darkness. (2) physical dangers within us, typified by Secret Arts, and (3) physical dangers from without us, resulting from a perverted will, which seeks to destroy any good that we enjoy.

"and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends,²

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the darkness of despair, or of approaching death. In all these four verses ({2-5}), the term "evil" (sharr) has not only an objective but also a subjective connotation - namely, fear of evil.

and from the mischief of darkness when it overspreads;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and from the evil of the night when it grows dark,

  - Mustafa Khattab

From the evil of the darkness when it is intense,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; ⁶³⁰⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The darkness of the night, physical darkness, is a good type of physical dangers and difficulties. Many people are afraid of physical darkness, and all are afraid of physical injuries, accidents, and calamities. We should not fear, but having taken reasonable precautions, trust in Allah.

"and from the evil of all human beings bent on occult endeavours.³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "of those that blow (an-naffathat) upon knots": an idiomatic phrase current in pre-Islamic Arabia and, hence, employed in classical Arabic to designate all supposedly occult endeavours; it was probably derived from the practice of "witches" and "sorcerers" who used to tie a string into a number of knots while blowing upon them and murmuring magic incantations. The feminine gender of naffathat does not, as Zamakhshari and Razi point out, necessarily indicate "women", but may well relate to "human beings" (anfus, sing. nafs, a noun that is grammatically feminine). In his explanation of the above verse, Zamakhshari categorically rejects all belief in the reality and effectiveness of such practices, as well as of the concept of "magic" as such. Similar views have been expressed - albeit in a much more elaborate manner, on the basis of established psychological findings - by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida' (see Manar I, 398 ff.). The reason why the believer is enjoined to "seek refuge with God" from such practices despite their palpable irrationality is - according to Zamakhshari - to be found in the inherent sinfulness of such endeavours (see surah {2}, note [84]), and in the mental danger in which they may involve their author.

from the mischief of those who blow on knots (black magic);

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and from the evil of those 'witches casting spells by' blowing onto knots,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And from the evil of malignant witchcraft,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

From the mischief of those who practice Secret Arts; ⁶³⁰⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Those (feminine) who blow on knots', this having been a favourite form of witchcraft practised by perverted women. Such secret arts cause psychological terror. They may be what is called magic, or secret plottings, or the display of false and seductive charms (iii. 14), or the spreading of false and secret rumours or slanders to frighten men or deter them from right action. There is fraud in such things, but men are swayed by it. They should cast off fear and do their duty.

"and from the evil of the envious when he envies."⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., from the effects - moral and social - which another person's envy may have on one's life, as well as from succumbing oneself to the evil of envy. In this connection, Zamakhshari quotes a saying of the Caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (called "the Second 'Umar" on account of his piety and integrity): "I cannot think of any wrongdoer (zalim) who is more likely to be the wronged one (mazlum) than he who envies another."

and from the mischief of the envier when he envies.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and from the evil of an envier when they envy.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And from the evil of the envier when he envieth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And from the mischief of the envious one as he practices envy. ⁶³⁰⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.