Surah falaq, meaning and message

This slide program explains meaning and message of Surah Falaq.

1. UNDERSTANING SURAH FALAQ Its meaning and message

2. SURAH FALAQ 1.  Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak 2.  "From the evil of what He has created” 3.  "And from the evil of The darkening as it comes with its darkness, 4.  "And from the evil of those who practice witchcraft when they blow in the knots, 5.  "And from the evil of the envier when he envies.

3. Mu'awwidhatayn   (Two Surahs wherein we seek Allah’s protection)   Surah Falaq and Surah An- Nas are two Surahs in the  Quran under separate names. Their contents resemble so closely that they have been designated by a common name  Mu'awwidhatayn  Imam Baihaqi in  Dala'il an- Nubuwwat  has written that these Surahs were revealed together They discuss and deal with just the same matters and topics.

4. Period of revelation: 2 views: A- Makkan Subject matter of these Surahs is explicit that these were sent down at Makkah when opposition to the Holy Prophet there had grown very intense. When at Madinah storms of opposition were raised by the hypocrites, Jews and polytheists, the Holy Prophet was instructed to recite these very Surahs. When magic was worked on him, and his illness grew intense, Gabriel came and instructed him by Allah's command to recite these very Surahs. These are not connected exclusively with the incident of magic. Only verse no 4 is related to magic. The remaining verses of Surah al Falaq and the whole of Surah An- Nas have nothing to do with it directly.

5. Period of Revelation B- Madani ' Uqbah bin 'Amir (RA) says that the Holy Prophet (SAW) one day said to him: "Do you know what kind of verses have been revealed to me tonight? These matchless verses are  A'udhu bi- Rabbil - falaq  and  A'udhu bi- Rabbin - nas . This  Hadith  is used as an argument for these Surahs to be Madani because ' Uqbah bin 'Amir(RA) had become a Muslim in Madinah after the  hijrah , as related by Abu Da'ud and Nasa'i on the basis of his own statement.  ImamBaghawi , Imam Nasafi , Imam Baihaqi , Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Hafiz Badr-uddin ' Ayni , 'Abd bin Humaid and others wrote that these Surahs were revealed when the Jews had worked magic on the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in Madinah and he had fallen ill under its effect. Ibn Sa'd has related on the authority of Waqidi that this happened in A.H. 7.

6. Story of the magic spell being placed upon the Holy Prophet (SAW) Aisha (RA) narrated that when the Prophet(SAW) was bewitched under a magic spell, he thought that he came to his wives while he had not done so. Once Prophet (SAW) said to me,  "I asked my Lord and He showed me. Two persons came and one sat near my head and the other near my legs. The man sitting near my head asked the other, 'What has happened to this man.' He said, 'He is under a spell.’ He asked, 'Who bewitched him?' He answered, ' Labid ibn A'sim from the Bani Zurayq tribe. They are allies of the Jews. ' The man asked, 'What has charmed?' The other answered, 'The comb and the hair.' He asked, 'Where are those things?' 'In the well of Dharwan , under a rock.’ “   The Prophet sent 'Ali to the well and had the things dug out. I (' A'ishah ) suggested that the magician should be punished. The Prophet said,  "Praise is for Allah. He healed me. Now I do not like to incite people for me.” (Bukhari)

7. Effect of magic upon the Prophet (SAW) The spell took one whole year to have effect upon the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace). In the latter half of the year the Holy Prophet started feeling as unwell The last forty days became hard on him, of which the last three days were even harder. But its maximum effect on him was that he way melting away from within. He thought he had done a thing whereas, in fact, he had not done it: He thought he had visited his wives whereas he had not visited them Sometimes he would doubt having seen something whereas, in fact, he had not seen it. All these effects were confined to his own person; so much so that the other people could not notice what state he was passing through. As for his being a Prophet, no change occurred in the performance of his duties.

8. Prophet (SAW) healed by a dua A  Hadith  says that Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, "O Muhammad! Are you sick?" When the Prophet said yes, he said, "Invoke the Name of Allah against every disease that pains you, against the evil of every envier and against any evil eye. May Allah heal you." The disease referred to in this  Hadith  was probably a magic spell. Allah healed His Messenger and repelled that magic.

9. Witchcraft, Magic & Sorcery Magic- (Trickery) in the popular sense (like seen on TV shows) is the art of imitation and trickery for the sake of entertainment. Real Magic ( Magick or Magik ) is the working of ‘so called’ psychic power, which pulls on ‘natural energy(?) from the universe’ and through some rituals performed against the subject.  Witchcraft is the practice of  magical  skills and abilities. It is the art of using ‘supernatural forces’ to gain desired results. It is usually, not always, associated with good intentions. In most traditional cultures, the term is commonly associated with those who use ‘metaphysical means’ to cause harm to the innocent. In the modern era, primarily in western popular culture, the word may more commonly refer to neutral practices of  modern paganism The female practitioner is known as the  witch  while the male practitioner is known as a  wizard . Sorcery is also said to be the art of using ‘supernatural forces’ to gain desired results. Usually, sorcery is associated with bad intentions. The female practitioner is known as a  sorceress  while the male practitioner is known as a  sorcerer . Sorcerers find peace and power in worshipping evil spirits. Some groups even worship the  devil .

10. Reality of evil magic Evil magic spell , in fact, is a psychological phenomenon which can affect the body through the mind just as physical things affect the mind through the body. Fear, for instance, is a psychological phenomenon, but it affects the body: the hair stand on end and the body shudders. Magic does not; in fact, change the reality, but under its influence man's mind and senses start feeling as if reality had changed.

11. Mention of Magic in Quran The staffs and the cords that the magicians had thrown towards the Prophet Moses, had not actually become snakes, but the eyes of the multitude of people were so bewitched that everybody felt they were snakes; even the senses of the Prophet Moses could not remain unaffected by the magic spell. (20:58-74) Likewise, in Al-Baqarah: 102, it has been said that in Babylon people learned such magic from Harut and Marut as could cause division between husband and wife. This too was a psychological phenomenon. If the people did not find it effective they could not become its customers. No doubt, it is correct that just like the bullet of the rifle and the bomb from the aircraft, magic too cannot have effect without Allah's permission,

12. Honor of these Surahs أَلَمْ تَرَ آيَاتٍ أُنْزِلَتِ اللَّيْلَةَ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ قَطٌّ: قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ. Uqbah bin ‘Amir(RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Do you know what kind of verses have been revealed to me tonight? These matchless verses are  A'udhu bi- Rabbil - falaq  and  A'udhu bi- Rabbin - nas ” (Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhi , Nasai ) يَا ابْنَ عَابِسٍ: أَلَا أَدُلُّكَ أَوْ – أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُ – بِأَفْضَلِ مَا يَتَعَوَّذُ بِهِ الْمُتَعَوِّذُوْنَ ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ، قَالَ: قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ هَاتَيْنِ السُّوْرَتَيْ Abdullah bin Abbas reported that the Prophet (SAW) told him, “ O Ibn-Abbas! Should I tell you about two better (Surahs) with which people seek protection.” He replied.”Yes O, Prophet of Allah!”. Then the Prophet (SAW) recited Surah Falaq and Surah Naas.”

13. Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) at bed-time عَنْ عَائِشَةَ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ (ص) كَانَ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ، ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيْهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فِيْهِمَا: قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ وَ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ، يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَ وَجْهِه، وَ مَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ، يَفْعَلُ ذلِكَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ Aisha (RA) reported about Prophet (SAW) that when he would come to his bed (to sleep) every night, he would hold his hands together. Then he would blow on his hands after reciting Surahs Ikhlas , Falaq and Naas. Then he would rub his hands all over his body where he could reach. He would do this three times. Bukhari.

14. Need for this Surah When Prophet (SAW) started his mission of ‘Dawah to Allah’s obedience and worship, he faced fierce opposition. His opponents included pagans of Makkah, hypocrites, Jews, atheist alike. They persecuted him and his companions Prophet (SAW) and his companions were guide and protected by Allah (SWT) Allah sent down this Surah to be recited in these difficult times to seek refuge and protection of Allah (SWT)

15. قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ - 113:1 Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn Verse No-1 The act of seeking refuge necessarily consists of three parts: (1)The act of seeking refuge itself; (2) The seeker of refuge (3) He whose refuge is sought.

16. 3 components of seeking refuge 1-Seeking refuge implies feeling fear of something and seeking protection of another, or taking cover of it, or clinging to it, or going under its shelter for safety. 2-The seeker of refuge in any case is the person, who feels that he cannot by himself resist and fight the thing that he fears. He stands in need of refuge with another for protection. 3-Then the one whose refuge is sought must necessarily be a person or being about whom the seeker of refuge believes that he or it alone can protect him from the calamity.

17. 2 Types of refuge 1- Refuge obtained according to natural laws in the physical world from a perceptible material object or person or power. Its example is taking refuge in the shade of a tree or building for protection from the sun. 2- Refuge from Allah, who is ruler of the universe and is capable to provide refuge beyond physical means from every kind of danger and every kind of material, moral or spiritual harm and injury. When Qur'an and the Hadith mention seeking refuge with Allah, it implies this kind of refuge. It is a part of Tauhid that this kind of refuge must be sought only from Allah. The polytheists sought this kind of protection, and seek even today, from other beings than Allah, e.g. the jinn, or false deities. The materialists turn for this also to material means and resources, for they do not believe in any supernatural power.

18. Polytheist used to seek refuge from Jinns & false diety وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِّنَ الْإِنسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجَالٍ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ فَزَادُوهُمْ رَهَقًا – 72:6 And there were men from mankind who sought refuge in men from the jinn, so they [only] increased them in burden. Abdullah bin 'Abbas’s reported that when the polytheistic Arabs had to pass a night in an uninhabited valley, they would call out, saying: We seek refuge of the lord of this valley (i.e. of the jinn who is ruler and master of this valley).

19. True believers only seek refuge of Allah Abu Hurairah has reported that the Prophet(SAW) used to pray: 'O God, I seek Your refuge from hunger, for it is a most evil thing with which one may have to pass a night, and I seek Your refuge from dishonesty, for it is sheer evil-mindedness." (Abu Da'ud ). ' A'ishah has reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) 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 1 have incurred, or from that I should do what I should not do)." (Muslim) Anas(RA) has reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) used to pray: "O God, I seek Your refuge from leprosy and madness and all evil diseases." (Abu Da'ud )

20. Rabbul- Falaq Falaq actually means to split and to pierce through. A great majority of the commentators have taken it to mean bringing out the light of dawn by splitting the darkness of night In the Qur'an also the words : Faliq -ul- isbah (He Who causes the dawn to appear by splitting the darkness of night) have been used for Allah. (Al- An'am : 96). Another meaning of falaq also is to create, to bring into being, for everything created in the world appears by splitting something. All vegetation sprouts by splitting open the seed and the soil; all animals come out either from the womb of mother or by breaking open the egg, or some other obstruction.

21. مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ - 113:2 From the evil of that which He created Creation of creatures has been attributed to Allah and evil referred to the creatures His work is for the sake of good and a special purpose. From the qualities that He has created in the creatures to fulfill the purpose of their creation, sometimes evil appears from some kinds of creatures in most cases. We seek Allah's refuge from the evil of everything created by Allah This contains the prayer for refuge not only from the evils of the world but also from every evil of the Hereafter. Sharr (evil) is used for loss, injury, trouble and affliction as well as for the means which cause losses and injuries and afflictions; We pray to God to protect from the evil that has already taken place; second, we pray to God to protect us from the evil that has not yet taken place. 

22. وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ - 113:3 And from the evil of darkness when it settles The word ghasiq in the verse literally means dark. Waqab means to enter or to overspread Most of the crimes and acts of wickedness are committed at night, harmful animals also come out at night, and the night is a very dreadful thing in the days when chaos prevails Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said: "When the sun has set, devils scatter on every side. Therefore, gather your children together in the house and keep your animals tied down until the darkness of night disappears.”

23. وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ - 113:4 And from the evil of the blowers in knots Uqad is plural of ' uqdah , which means a knot that is tied on a string or piece of thread. Nafath means to blow. Blowing upon knots, according to all commentators implies magic, for the magicians usually tie knots on a string or thread and blow upon them Verse means: "I seek refuge with the Lord of rising dawn from the evil of magicians, male and female.” When magic was worked on the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace), Gabriel (peace be on him) had come and taught hint to recite the Muawwidhatayn

24. Magic or jadoo is KUFR and major sin In magic sometimes help is sought of the satans and evil spirits or stars to influence the other person , it is called kufr (unbelief) in the Qur'an: "Solomon was not involved in kufr but the satans who taught tragic to the people." (AI-Baqarah: 102). But even if it does not contain any word of kufr, or any polytheistic element, it is forbidden and unlawful Prophet (SAW) has counted it among the seven heinous sins which ruin the Hereafter of man. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: "Avoid seven deadly sins: associating another with Allah, magic, killing a soul, which Allah has forbidden unjustly, devouring interest, eating the orphan's property, fleeing from the enemy in the battlefield, and slandering simple and chaste Muslim women with un-chastity.” (Agreed)

25. Meaning of Uqad It is plural of ' uqdah , which means a knot that is tied on a string or piece of thread. Nafath means to blow. Naftathat is plural of naffathah , which may mean the men who blow much, and if taken as a feminine gender, women who blow much. It may as well relate to nufus (human beings) or to jama ats (groups of men), for both nafas and jama 'at are grammatically feminine. Blowing upon knots, according to most, rather all, commentators implies magic, for the magicians usually tie knots on a string or thread and blow upon them as they do so.

26. Witchcrafts when they blow in the “knots" It refers to sorceresses. Mujahid says that such incantations are nearest to polytheism as are made to blow on a snake bite or magic stricken man. A  Hadith  says that Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, "O Muhammad! Are you sick?" When the Prophet said yes, he said, "Invoke the Name of Allah against every disease that pains you, against the evil of every envier and against any evil eye. May Allah heal you." The disease referred to in this  Hadith  was probably a magic spell. Allah healed His Messenger and repelled that magic.

27. وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ - 113:5 And from the evil of an envier when he envies. Hasad means that a person should feel unhappy at the better fortune, superiority or good quality that Allah has granted to another He wishes that it should be taken away from the other person and given to him, He wishes at least the other one should be deprived of it. Here, Allah's refuge has been sought from the evil of the jealous one when he feels jealous and takes a practical step with word or deed to satisfy his heart.

28. How a believer responds to Hasad or jealousy 1- Trust in Allah and the faith that unless Allah so wills no one can harm him in any way. 2- Patience over what the jealous person says and does and should not start behaving impatiently so as to be degraded morally to the level of the jealous person. 3- Maintain dignity and practice piety even if the jealous person behaves frivolously, being fearless of God and shameless of the people. 4- Disregard jealous person altogether, for making him a subject of one's thought is a prelude to being influenced by him. 5- Treat the jealous person good as and when one can, not to speak of treating him evilly, no matter whether this good behavior mitigates his jealousy 6-Remain steadfast to the doctrine of Tawhid for the heart which enshrines Tawhid, cannot be affected by anyone else's fear except the fear of Allah.