Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn, From the mischief
of created things;
By
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Al Falaq
Introduction and Summary
This early Makkan Surah provides the antidote to superstition
and fear by teaching us to seek refuge in Allah from every kind
of ill arising from outer nature and from dark and evil plottings
and envy on the part of others.
C.293 (The running Commentary, in Rhythmic Prose)
It is Allah Who brings forth light from darkness,
life and activity from death, spiritual
1
Enlightenment from ignorance and superstition
Banish fear, and trust His Providence
No danger, then, from the outer world,
No secret plottings from perverted wills,
No disturbance of your happiness or good
Can affect the fortress of your inmost soul.
١
ِ ََُْْ َأُ ُذ ِ َب ا
1. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn,
Dawn
C6301. In Allah's created world, there are all kinds of
forces and counter-forces, especially those put in motion
by beings who have been endowed with some sort of
will.
The forces of good may be compared to light, and those
of evil to darkness.
Allah can cleave the depths of darkness and produce
light (6:96), and therefore we should cast off fear and
take refuge in divine guidance and goodness.
C6302. Falaq is the Dawn or Daybreak, the cleaving of
darkness and the manifestation of light.
This may be understood in various senses:
1. literally, when the darkness of the night is at its
worst, rays of light pierce through and produce the
dawn;
2. when the darkness of ignorance is at its worst, the
light of Allah pierces through the soul and gives it
enlightenment: (24:35);
3. non-existence is darkness, and life and activity may
be typified by light.
2
٢
َ ََ َ َ ِ
2. From the mischief of created things;
C6303. See n. 6301 above.
Our trust in Allah is the refuge from every kind of fear
and superstition, every kind of danger and evil.
Three special kinds of mischief are specified in the next
three verses, against which our best guard is our trust in
Allah, the Light of the heavens and the earth. They are:
1. physical dangers, typified by darkness.
2. physical dangers within us, typified by Secret Arts,
and
3. physical dangers from without us, resulting from a
perverted will, which seeks to destroy any good that
we enjoy.
٣
َ َ ِإذَا َو
ٍ ِ"َ# َ َِو
3. From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads;
C6304. The darkness of the night, physical darkness, is
a good type of physical dangers and difficulties. Many
people are afraid of physical darkness, and all are afraid
of physical injuries, accidents, and calamities.
We should not fear, but having taken reasonable
precautions, trust in Allah.
٤ %ِ َ&ُ'ْت )ِ( ا
ِ َ+,,-َوِ َ ا
4. From the mischief of those who practice Secret Arts;
C6305. Those (feminine) who blow on knots', this
having been a favourite form of witchcraft practised by
perverted women. Such secret arts cause psychological
terror.
They may be what is called magic, or secret plottings, or
the display of false and seductive charms (3:14), or the
spreading of false and secret rumours or slanders to
frighten men or deter them from right action.
3
There is fraud in such things, but men are swayed by it.
They should cast off fear and do their duty.
٥ %َ َ/َ0 ِإذَا%ٍ ِ"َ0 َ َِو
5. And from the mischief of the envious one as he practices envy.
C6306. Malignant envy, translated into action, seeks to
destroy the happiness or the material or spiritual good
enjoyed by other people.
The best guard against it is trust in Allah with purity of
heart.
© Copy Rights:
Zahid Javed Rana, Abid Javed Rana
Lahore, Pakistan
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