Surah al-
al-Falaq (113)
ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻠﻖ
‘The Daybreak’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word falaq, meaning ‘daybreak’. The surah is Madinan,
even though it deals with affairs concerning a person when he runs into something abhorrent (makru>h). As the
surah al-Ikhla>s declared the One God, this surah is a seeking of His protection.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Beginning by the name of Allah, who comprises all the attributes of perfection.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows from His mercy and grace upon the whole creation, right from
the beginning and throughout their lives, and by bringing perfection to their needs and shortcomings.
Say: I shelter with the Lord of the daybreak,
daybreak, (1) ∩⊇∪ È,n=x-ø9$# Éb>t&Î/ èŒθããr& ö≅è%
That is, I seek immunity and protection. Daybreak is given for falaq, whose original meaning is to split, for by the
dawn the darkness is broken up and withdraws.
From the evil of that He created, (2) ∩⊄∪ t,n=y{ $tΒ Îh.Ÿ° ÏΒ
That is, from the evil of everything Allah has created, glory be to Him, in the sense of tribulations, whether they
be human, jinn, animal or inanimate, like floods and storms.
And from the evil of darkness when it falls, (3) ∩⊂∪ |=s%uρ #sŒÎ) @,Å™%yñ Îh.Ÿ° ÏΒuρ
That is, from the evil of the night, for it is at night that many of the evils befall a person, when the eye is sleeping
and darkness reigns.
And from the evil of the bloweresses on knots, (4) ∩⊆∪ ωs)ãèø9$# †Îû ÏM≈sV≈¤-¨Ζ9$# Ìh&x© ÏΒuρ
‘Bloweresses’ is given for naffa>tha>t, which is feminine plural. The evil is that of women who use black magic to
blow on a thing by which their magic is covenanted. Knots (cuqad) are mentioned as the witch knots a cord with
the intention of blocking someone’s good fortune, or to separate someone from his wife; the witch then blow on
these knots as part of her magic and rites. And magic has a real effect, as is shown in psychology (cilm al-nafs),
and reinforced by experience.
And from the evil of an envier when he envies. (5) ∩∈∪ y‰|¡ym #sŒÎ) >‰Å™%tn Ìh&x© ÏΒuρ
For when a person envies another his envy drives him to harm him with his tongue or hand. And perhaps the
meaning of 'when he envies' is when his envy becomes apparent and he acts according to its dictates.
