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Commentary
of Chapter 113 (Al-Falaq - The Dawn) of the Holy Quran:
by Dr.
Basharat Ahmad
Translated by Imam Kalamazad Muhammad
Links Present on
this Page:
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1.
Introduction
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2.
The
Meaning of the Word
'Al-Falaq'
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3.
The
True Meaning of the Expression 'Blowing Over a
Knot' ||
4.
A
Baseless Story Attributed to the Holy Prophet
[pbuh]
|| 5.
Seeking
Protection From the 'Evil of that Which Allah has
Created' ||
6.
Seeking
Protection From the 'Evils of
Darkness' ||
7.
Seeking
Protection From Those Who 'Cast Evil Suggestions in Firm
Resolutions'
|| 8.
Seeking
Protection From the 'Evil of an Envier When He
Envies' ||
9.
Summary
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1.
Introduction:
"In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord
of the dawn,
2. From the evil of that which He
has created,
3. And from the evil of intense
darkness, when it comes,
4. And from the evil of those who
cast (evil suggestions) in firm resolutions,
5. And from the evil of the envier
when he envies.
Surah al-Falaq is one of
the last two chapters of the Holy Quran called
al-mu’awwazatain, as these start with the
word ‘a-‘oo-zu, which means I seek
refuge. In this chapter, Allah’s protection
or refuge has been sought against all sorts of evils which
instigate others to cause injury to us, whereas in
surah
an-Nas,
protection has been sought against all such evil
inclinations through which we cause harm or injury to
others. Thus, these two chapters are so comprehensive that
no evil or evil inclination has been left out from which
refuge has not been sought in Allah. It is written in the
Hadith that on the revelation of these two chapters, the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) became very happy and he
forsook other prayers seeking Allah’s protection and
adopted these instead.
2. The
Meaning of the Word 'Al-Falaq':
The word fa-laq,
in the first verse of the chapter, means cleaving or
splitting. This word has been used at two other
places in the Quran. In 6:96, the words are Faa-li-qul
hab-bi wan na-waah (One who causes the grain and
date-stone to split or germinate). Then in verse 97 of
the same surah, the words are Faa-li-qul aspbaah
(the Cleaver of the daybreak). Here Allah’s
attribute, Faa-liq, has been mentioned in the
beginning. This word carries two meanings:
firstly, the Being Who brings out the dawn from the
darkness of night; and secondly, the One Who splits
the hard date-stone and brings out the young shoot. In other
words, it refers to the all-pervasive power of Allah which
extends from the tiny creation of the young shoot to the
manoeuvring of the huge planets, such as the sun and the
moon, in the universe. By using His divine attribute
al-Falaq, the idea is to impress upon the mind of the
believer that it is Allah alone Who can protect one from
evils.
3. The True
Meaning of the Expression 'Blowing Over a Knot':
The other word which needs
explaining is na-fa-sa which means to
blow. To blow into one’s heart means to put
a thing or an idea into one’s heart. Similarly, to
blow over a knot, as is mentioned in verse 4
(naf-faa-saa-ti fil u-qad) means to insinuate evil
suggestions into the resolution of men or into the
management of their affairs. And it does happen that when a
person undertakes some good work, there are people who
themselves do nothing, but would always discourage him by
dissuading him or by weakening his determination by
over-emphasising unfounded fears.
4. A
Baseless Story Attributed to the Holy Prophet
[pbuh]:
Unfortunately, some of the
commentators of the Holy Quran, by confining themselves
to taking into account the literal meaning of the
words blowing into the knots have been led to the
baseless story that some Jewish woman wove a magic spell
over the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), with the effect that
he became forgetful. The Holy Quran rejects all such stories
and narration.
The fact is that it was the
disbelievers who accused the Holy Prophet of being a
magician, as we find in the Quran: Qaa-lal kaa-fi-roo-na
in-naa haa-zaa la-saa-hi-rum mu-been (The disbelievers say:
This is surely a manifest enchanter – 10:2).
As has already been mentioned, these two chapters cover all
sorts of evils, and that is why most devout Muslims, before
going to bed, recite them to seek Allah’s
protection.
5. Seeking
Protection From the 'Evil of that Which Allah has
Created':
Now we come to the second
verse, from the evil of that which Allah has
created. We should bear in mind that man, by and
large, depends on the environment for the maintenance of his
very existence. It is our common experience that a human
being faces two kinds of dangers while living on this
earth. Firstly, dangers which are obvious and
known such as beasts, snakes, robbers, etc. Secondly,
things which although essential and beneficial for the
maintenance of human life, yet at times take a dangerous
turn, such as air, water, fire, food, etc. For instance,
fire is the primary source of energy and heat for human
beings, but at times it blazes uncontrollably, thus
destroying property and killing people. Similarly, water is
the main source of life and vegetation, but at times it
turns into devastating floods causing widespread havoc and
destruction. Then come man’s own creations, such as the
motor-car, the aeroplane and other means of transport. These
have made man’s travelling faster and more comfortable,
but at times when an accident occurs, it causes injury and
death. Again, one eats delicious food for enjoyment, but at
times it causes serious illness and food-poisoning. So in
this verse, protection is sought in Allah from evils which
are known, and from the evil consequences of things which
Allah has created for the maintenance and benefit of human
beings, but which at times due to accidents or mishandling
by human beings themselves, become harmful and dangerous.
6. Seeking
Protection From the 'Evils of Darkness':
In the third verse,
protection is sought against the evils of darkness,
whether it is the darkness of night or the darkness of
ignorance. We find that mugging, theft, robbery, murder
and other crimes are committed mostly in the darkness of the
night. Similarly, social evils such as drinking,
dance-parties and all sorts of licentious and promiscuous
activities are carried out during the night. Sometimes even
useful things become dangerous in the dark when one cannot
see them and can get oneself injured, such as a staircase or
any other thing which one may come across in
darkness.
So, darkness in many ways becomes a
source of danger or injury, and even useful things can cause
harm in darkness when one cannot see them properly.
Similarly, lack of knowledge or correct information
may lead one to failure or loss, such as in business, etc.
In other words, lack of knowledge not only keeps one away
from the right way, but also wastes one’s capabilities
and may land one into harmful and dangerous
situations.
7. Seeking
Protection From Those Who 'Cast Evil Suggestions in Firm
Resolutions':
The fourth verse emphasises
the need for one’s determination to carry on some work
to its successful end. It is at this stage that some
people try to dissuade one from some good work by making
evil suggestions or by over-emphasising the dangers and
consequences which may accrue in case one fails to
accomplish the undertaking.
8. Seeking
Protection From the 'Evil of an Envier When He Envies':
The last verse teaches a very
important prayer to save one from the evil of the
envier when he envies. It is at this stage the
jealous people become more active to strike the final blow
and destroy the work which they could not stop otherwise by
insinuation or evil suggestions. So one really needs
Allah’s help and protection at this final stage,
because one is desperate to complete the work as any
obstacle or hindrance at this stage would certainly upset
one very much.
9.
Summary:
So in this chapter, as
explained before, a prayer has been taught to seek
protection in Allah against all such evils which come in the
way of a believer in his struggle in life.
The first verse of the chapter also
emphasises a subtle truth about Allah’s protection
for human struggle in life. The Divine attribute
Faa-liq denotes that as Allah cleaves the daybreak
out of the darkness of the night and brings young shoots out
of the hard date-stone, so, too, will He bring a believer
out of the darkness of indecision, confusion and
difficulties and definitely guide and help him to final
success.
A Muslim believes Allah to be
the All-powerful and Over-all Controller of things, and so
to Him alone we should address our supplications. That is
why the Holy Quran starts with the prayer:
ee-yaa-ka na’-bu-du wa ee-yaa-ka nas-ta-‘een
(Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help). Thus
the start made by seeking Allah’s blessings and help
has been beautifully ended with a prayer, seeking
Allah’s protection for all we do in our struggle
through the arduous journey of life.
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