CHAPTER 113: AL-FALAQ (THE DAYBREAK

This and the following surah were revealed in Mecca. It consists of five verses. It takes its name from the word "falaq" mentioned within it. This surah and the one following it are together called "al-Mu'awwidhatayn" (the two surahs of seeking refuge). It expresses seeking refuge in Allah. (S. KUTUB, 10/611)

Hadith: Bukhari—through his own chain—narrates the following state of the Prophet from Aisha (ra): "Whenever the Prophet (pbuh) went to bed every night, he would cup his palms together, blow into them, and recite the surahs Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas into his palms, then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he could reach. He would start with his head and face, then rub the front of his body, and he would repeat this three times." The authors of the Sunan (Abu Dawud, Adab 107) also narrated this hadith in this manner. (S. KUTUB, 10/611)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

113/1-5 I SEEK REFUGE IN THE LORD OF THE DAYBREAK

Translation

1- 5- [O my Prophet!] Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak [who causes the dawn to break], from the evil of whatever He has created, from the evil of the night when its darkness covers [everything and what is committed within it], from the evil of those [sorcerers] who blow on knots, and from the evil of the envier when he [begins to] envy.”

Commentary

Say: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord who splits the darkness and brings forth the morning.’

(1). "Falaq" literally means "to split and bring forth." According to the majority view, it means "the morning time that emerges with the splitting of the darkness of the night." Indeed, Almighty Allah uses the attribute "faliku’l-isbah" (The One who splits the darkness of the night and brings forth the morning) for Himself (An’am 6/96). Accordingly, it means "Lord of the morning," and it commands seeking refuge in Allah the Almighty, the Creator of light, in order to emerge from darkness into light and to reach relief from difficult situations. (O. CELIK, 5/664)

However, when its connection with the following verse is considered, it is necessary to accept that the word (falaq) contains a more general meaning that we can summarize as "creatures that are split and emerged from non-existence." Accordingly, the word "falaq" expresses the first occurrence and creation of the universe from the realm of non-existence, perhaps with an explosion. Within this context, all creatures that are separated and emerged from an origin or a source by the power of Allah, such as springs gushing from the earth, rains pouring from the clouds, plants sprouting from seeds, and offspring coming out of wombs, fall under the scope of the word "falaq." (QUR’AN WAY 5/719)

The devil, who is an enemy to humans, causes harm. One's carnal desires cause harm, evil people cause harm, and illnesses, calamities, and troubles cause harm. A person cannot always escape these with their own means; therefore, they need Allah's help. Just as it is necessary to be cautious not to get sick, to be treated when ill, and to take all kinds of precautions against harm and evil; one must also seek refuge in Allah against all kinds of harm and dangers, from visible and invisible accidents, calamities, disasters, misfortunes, and the evil of people. The command "I seek refuge in the Lord of the morning" in the first verse is directed to all believers in the person of our Prophet. "Seek refuge in Allah immediately" (40/56). With this verse, seeking refuge in Him is commanded. (I. KARAGOZ,8/677)

(2). ‘From the evil of all He created,’

First of all, a very general expression is used. (...) But to draw attention to the magnitude of their harms, after this general expression, three things are mentioned specifically, and the importance of seeking refuge in Allah especially from their evil is emphasized. The first of the three things mentioned is this: (O. CELIK, 5/665)

(3). ‘(a) from the evil of the night when the darkness settles,’

(Accordingly) one must seek refuge in Allah from the evil of cold when it settles, of the Pleiades star or the sun when they set, of the moon when it is eclipsed, of the snake when it bites, and of everything that causes harm. However, here too, the majority of commentators (...) have preferred the meaning of "night." For people, especially under the conditions of the times when these verses were revealed, the darkness of the night is often scary and chilling; besides its benefits, it also has some difficulties. Because in the darkness of night, human activities become difficult; some of the work done during the day cannot be done at night, and sometimes even becomes impossible; the traveler loses his way, and it becomes difficult to protect oneself against the enemy. Razi says: "Since predatory animals come out of their dens, insects from their places, thieves and robbers launch attacks, fires occur, and the possibility of help decreases at night, seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of the night has been commanded." (QUR’AN WAY 5/720, 721)

(4). ‘(b) from the evil of the sorcerers who blow on knots,’

These are people who perform magic and sorcery. They can be male or female. But since women perform these tasks more often, the word "naffasât" is used in the sense of "blowing women." Nevertheless, it is also possible to understand this as "blowing souls, individuals, groups." Magic is performed by tying knots in ropes and blowing on these knots. The magic performed affects the person, disturbs their psychology, has an effect that disrupts the relations between spouses, and can even lead to the separation of spouses (cf. Baqarah 2/102). For this reason, the religion of Islam has forbidden practicing magic and commanded seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of these harmful people and what they do. (O. CELIK, 5/665, 666)

Practicing magic is a great sin. Our Prophet (pbuh) reported that practicing magic is one of the great sins that ruin a person (Muslim, Iman 145). Believing that one can know the hidden and the future through magic and believing in its influence is unbelief (inkar); practicing or having magic practiced without such a belief is a great sin. (Bukhari, Wasaya 23; Muslim, Iman 144; Abu Dawud, Wasaya 10; I. KARAGOZ,8/678, 679)

(5). ‘(c) and from the evil of the envier when he envies’

Envy (hasad) is to wish for a blessing to vanish from the person who deserves it. It does not change anything whether the blessing is religious or worldly. Indeed, it has been said: "The believer feels emulous (ghibta), while the disbeliever envies" (from Fudayl b. Iyad). Our Master (pbuh) said: "Envy consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood" (Ibn Majah, Zuhd 22; Abu Dawud, Adab 52). The first sin in the heavens was Iblis envying Adam (as). Thereupon, Allah the Almighty removed him from Paradise and expelled him. Thus, he became the accursed devil (shaitan-i rajim). The first sin on earth was Cain envying Abel and killing him. (I. H. BURSEVI 23/700)