This is the 113th Surat of the Glorious Qur’an
which contains some divine teachings commands to the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.), in particular, and to all Muslims in general, to seek refuge with
Allah from every kind of ill arising from the cleaving of the darkness or evil
effects of any witch craft or sorcery and envy on the part of the envious.
About the recitation of this Surat, the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) said, “Some verses have been revealed to me, the like of which have
not been revealed before; Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nas. He further said
’recite them whenever you get and whenever you go to bed” The infallible Imam
Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) said, “He who recites Surat al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and
al-Nas, in his Watr prayer will be told, “O servant of Allah, be happy that
Allah accepted your Watr prayer.”
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent,
the All-merciful
Say,
‘I seek the protection of the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil what He has
created,
and
from the evil of the dark night when it settles,
and from the evil of the
witches who blow on knots,
and from the evil of the envious one when he envies.
Why did Allah used ‘Qul’ here and in other three Surahs? It
may be to deflate the sense of perfection in men and make admit then submit to
the Divine Protector. We all need some sort of protection in our life against
dangers.
The word “Falaq” means ‘to split’ or ‘torn’ as at the time of
dawn the black curtain of night break opens. It includes the creation of other
living things like plant, animal etc. A seed tears open the soil to grow. Surat
al-An’am Ayah 95, “Indeed Allah is the splitter of the grain and the pit. He
brings forth the living from the dead and He brings forth the dead from the
living. That is Allah.” (Pit is the single, central kernel or stone of
certain fruits, such as date, peach, or cherry.)
The Ayah, “from the evil He has created” does not mean Allah
has created evil. Allah has created goodness only as stated in Surat
al-Sajdah Ayah 7, “He who has made everything which He has created Most good.”
It is the evil possessed by His creation-visible to human eyes and invisible -creatures
on earth, below it or above it -known to man or unknown to him-physical or
spiritual -or even the psychological disturbances.
Regarding the Ayah, “the evil of the dark night”, the evil men
generally go out at night to commit sins or crimes. Similarly, the harmful
animals come out in the camouflage of darkness and may attack humans. We are
seeking Allah’s protection from some of his creation who may be planning to
harm us which is not known to us. Those who practice magical arts of blowing on
knots-the favorite witchcraft generally practiced by perverted woman which
creates psychological disturbances, although prohibited in Islam. They may
practice it out of jealousy and envy. According to most Muslim scholars, the
Jewish women performed magic on the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) although, Tabari and others rejected this
notion. Such traditions were fabricated to reduce his (s.a.w.a.s.) sublime
position. The Shi’i’ scholars discounted this claim as the integrity of his
mission will be in danger. It is reported that the Surat al-Falaq and Surat
al-Nas was recited for Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn when they were young. This was
done for our guidance and practice. Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq said that a momin may
have “Ghibta” -envy in positive sense and not “Hasad” – envy in negative sense.
Ghibta means a momin is pleased with the success of other momin as he knows
that Allah will give him as He has provided the other. A person having envy in
negative sense (Hasad) wish that the other person may lose the bounty given by
Allah.
Sources: The Holy Qur’an – English translation by S.V. Mir
Ahmed Ali & Ayatullah Agha H.M.M. Pooya (r.a.)
Tafsir -e- Namouna by Ayatullah Nasir Makarem
Shirazi
An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of
the Holy Qur’an
Dr.
Ammar Naqshwani
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