Surah Al-Falaq is a Makki (Meccan) Surah with five verses. Its background and revelation is the same as Surah An-Naas which has been explained earlier (in Surah An-Naas). Falaq means The Daybreak.
The Surah contains some divine commands to Prophet pbuh in particular, and to all Muslims, in general, to seek refuge with Allah from every kind of ill arising from outer nature, dark and evil plotting and envy on the part of others. In this Surah, the evils described are from outwards and are not in our control. The main 4 evils mentioned are:
Allah commands us to say that we seek refuge in Him. By doing so, we actually announce our weakness and thereby Allah teaches us the act of humility. We admit that we have no power and Allah is Powerful. Being independent concept is crushed down because we hand over ourselves to Allah.
The word الْفَلَقِ means to rip open something, to tear that something comes out. It is used for morning also because darkness tears out and light comes out – The Daybreak. So here it says the Lord of Falaq/Daybreak!
The word أَعُوذُ means to cling to someone for protection. So we seek such a protection from Allah from the harms and evils of everything that He has created. Everything created by Allah in this universe has both positive and negative sides, for example Sun, if we get benefits from Sun, at same time it has harms also if the heat is over produced we wont survive. So we seek refuge in Allah for evil of everything He has created. We ask Allah to save us from harmful potential elements of everything.
After seeking Allah’s refuge generally from the evil of the creatures, now here it is being taught for seeking refuge from the evil of some special creatures in particular. Out of which is darkness when night spreads. The word غَاسِقٍ means darkness, Allah is referring to that part of night when it is complete and absolute dark.
Most of the crimes and acts of wickedness are committed at night, harmful animals also come out at night, and the night was considered a dreadful thing in Arabia when these verses were revealed. Raiders came out in the dark of night and plundered and destroyed settlements. The people who were thinking of putting the Prophet pbuh to death, also made their secret plans at night, so that the murder could not be detected. Therefore, command was given to seek Allah’s refuge from the evils and calamities which descend at night.
Also the Shaitaan and his army including Jinn are also active in night, as narrated in a Hadith that the Prophet pbuh is 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.”
Now we seek Allah’s refuge from those who blow on knots means the one who does magic. This verse means: “I seek refuge with the Lord of rising dawn from the evil of magicians, male and female.” The magicians usually tie knots on a string or thread and blow upon them as they do so.
About magic one should know that in it since help is sought of the satans and evil spirits or stars to influence the other person evilly, it has been called kufr (disbelief) in the Quran. And one of the worst crime in sight of Allah.
It has been narrated by Abu Hurairah r.a, that the Prophet pbuh 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.”
(Bukahri & Muslim)
In the last verse we seek refuge of Allah from the envy of a envious person. Jealousy or Hasad means that a person should feel unhappy at the better fortune, superiority or good quality that Allah has granted to another, and should wish that it should be taken away from the other person and given to him, or at least the other one should be deprived of it.
However, hasad does not mean that a person should wish that he too should be blessed with the bounty that the other one has been blessed with. 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. For until he takes a practical step, his being unhappy may by itself be bad but it is not an evil for the other person so that he may seek refuge from it. When such an evil appears from a jealous person the best thing would be to seek Allah’s refuge from it.
Hasad is allowed in 2 cases only…
The Prophet pbuh said, “Do not wish to be like anyone, except in two cases:
03*********
03*********
