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Surah 113 · Makkah · 5 āyāt
Phase 02 · Going public — and the persecution(c. 10–8 BH) — view in timelineAl-FalaqThe Daybreak
الفلق
One of the two muʿawwidhatān (surahs of refuge), Al-Falaq teaches the servant to seek refuge in Allah, Lord of the daybreak, from four categories of unseen and seen harm: the evil of what He has created in general, the darkness of night when it settles, those who blow on knots with malicious intent, and the envier when he envies. It is a short, concentrated surah of protection.
Why it was revealed
Its placement is genuinely disputed among the early authorities, and this surah does not have a specific, agreed occasion of revelation the way many other surahs do.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5017; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5763, 3268; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2189; al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq
Ibn ʿAbbās and Qatādah held that al-Falaq and al-Nās are Madinan, whereas al-Ḥasan, ʿAṭāʾ, ʿIkrimah, and Jābir considered them Makkan. The Madinan view is often supported by their association with the sorcery worked against the Prophet ﷺ by Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam, an incident that occurred in Madinah. However, scholars note that there is no single authentic report explicitly establishing this incident as their direct sabab al-nuzūl; the connection made by commentators is thematic inference rather than an explicitly reported cause of revelation.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq; al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Sorcery worked against the Prophet ﷺ by Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها reported that a Jewish man named Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam bewitched the Prophet ﷺ until he imagined he had done a thing he had not done. Allah informed him of it; he was shown in a dream where the knotted item was hidden — in a well called Dharwān — and it was retrieved and undone. Note: this ṣaḥīḥ report describes the sorcery and its removal; it does not state that al-Falaq and al-Nās were revealed because of it — that link is a later inference made by some exegetes, not part of the hadith itself.
Recalled in āyah 1, 4
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
And from the evil of the blowers in knots
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Seeking refuge: naming the One, not the harm
The surah opens with a command to say 'I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak' — refuge is sought in a description of Allah as the One who splits the darkness open with light, before any harm is even named.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
From the tafsīr
Al-falaq is the daybreak, the splitting of the darkness of night by morning light; some early exegetes also said it names a particular valley or pit in Hell, but the majority position, and the more apparent one, is that it means the dawn, as in al-Anʿām 6:96, 'He is the one who splits the daybreak.'
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Choosing 'Lord of the daybreak' as the description sought for refuge points to Allah's power to bring relief out of darkness — a fitting Name to invoke before listing sources of hidden harm.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Refuge in the Qur'an is addressed to Allah by an attribute relevant to the fear being faced.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- The One who splits open the dawn out of night can split open relief out of any difficulty.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- Saying 'aʿūdhu' is itself an act of worship, not a magical formula — it is directed to Allah alone.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Reflect
Which of Allah's names or attributes would you call on for the fear you carry today?
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Question 1 of 2
Why this particular description of Allah in āyah 1?
Question 2 of 2
How do most commentators explain al-falaq in āyah 1?
The evil of what He created
A comprehensive refuge from 'the evil of what He created' — every harm that can come from any created thing, without needing to enumerate it.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
From the evil of that which He created
From the tafsīr
This is general and comprehensive, covering Hellfire, Iblīs and his offspring, and every harmful thing among created beings — since Allah created both good and evil, and this refuge covers all of it.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Man cannot know or guard against every possible harm from creation by his own effort; hence the command is to seek refuge in the Creator of all of it, who alone has full knowledge and power over it.
Cited toAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān
Key takeaways
- One verse covers what could not be listed in a hundred verses — comprehensiveness is a mercy.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- Only the Creator can protect from the harm of all He has created; no creature can shield you from another creature's essential evil.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- This refuge is prayed before the specific fears named later — general protection precedes particular protection.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Reflect
What unnamed, unknown harms might this general refuge be covering for you right now?
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What kind of scope does āyah 2 have?
The night when it settles
Refuge from ghāsiq idhā waqab — the darkness of night when it descends and deepens, a time associated with the increase of harm, fear and the movement of harmful creatures and people.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
From the tafsīr
Al-ghāsiq is the night, and idhā waqab means when it enters and its darkness spreads and deepens; a hadith reported in Ibn Kathīr states that the Prophet ﷺ pointed to the moon, saying that it is al-ghāsiq when it sets.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Night is singled out because it is when predators emerge, thieves move, and the soul is more prone to fear and loneliness — so refuge is sought specifically at its deepest point.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Fear that intensifies at night is acknowledged in the Qur'an, not dismissed.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- The remedy for night's fear is not avoidance but a specific prayer of refuge.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- Darkness 'settling' (waqab) describes a process — a good moment to renew this refuge as night deepens.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Reflect
Do you have a habit of seeking refuge in Allah specifically as night falls?
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What does ghāsiq idhā waqab describe?
Those who blow upon knots
Refuge from an-naffāthāti fī al-ʿuqad — those (commonly understood as sorceresses or sorcerers) who blow upon knots with the intent to work harm through sorcery.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
And from the evil of the blowers in knots
From the tafsīr
This refers to those who practise sorcery, tying knots and blowing or spitting upon them while uttering incantations of harm. Classical mufassirūn, including Ibn Kathīr, cite the incident where the Prophet ﷺ was bewitched by Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam as the reason for the revelation (sabab al-nuzūl) of al-Muʿawwidhatayn.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
The feminine plural an-naffāthāt reflects that this practice was, in that context, commonly associated with women, though the meaning covers anyone who practises sorcery of this kind; seeking refuge here affirms that sorcery has real effect only by Allah's permission, and that its harm is turned back by seeking refuge in Him.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Sorcery is acknowledged in the Qur'an as something with real, permitted effect, not mere superstition — but its power is entirely subject to Allah's will.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- The remedy prescribed is refuge in Allah, not fighting harm with harm.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- Whatever the precise history behind the wording, the prayer itself stands as general and always applicable.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Reflect
Where might you be relying on an intermediate protection instead of turning directly to Allah?
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Question 1 of 2
What is the status of the Labīd connection to this āyah?
Question 2 of 2
What does an-naffāthāti fī al-ʿuqad refer to?
The envier when he envies
The final refuge is from ḥāsidin idhā ḥasad — the envier specifically at the moment his envy is active, whether in his heart, his words, or his actions against the one he envies.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
And from the evil of an envier when he envies."
From the tafsīr
The restriction 'when he envies' (idhā ḥasad) shows that mere feeling is different from acting on it; refuge is sought from the harm that follows when envy moves someone to act — through the evil eye, scheming, or speech.
Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Some commentators link this to al-ʿayn (the evil eye), since envy is its most common root; the Prophet ﷺ affirmed that the evil eye is real, and taught seeking refuge from it.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Envy itself is a temptation everyone may feel; what is condemned and guarded against is acting upon it.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- The surah ends on the most intimate and hardest-to-detect harm — the malice hidden within another heart.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- The evil eye, mentioned prophetically elsewhere, is closely tied to unchecked envy.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Reflect
Have you asked Allah for refuge from your own envy toward someone else, not only from others' envy of you?
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What does the phrase idhā ḥasad add to the meaning of ḥāsid (envier)?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ع و ذ
āyāt 1to seek refuge, to take shelter with someone from harm
- أَعُوذُI seek refuge
- مُعَوِّذَةa surah/verse of protection
- تَعْوِيذan amulet/charm of protection
ف ل ق
āyāt 1to split, cleave open
- فَلَقdaybreak (the splitting of dawn)
- فَلَقَhe split/cleaved
- فِلْقَةa piece split off
خ ل ق
āyāt 2to create, bring into being with due measure
- خَلَقَHe created
- خَلْقcreation
- خَالِقCreator
غ س ق
āyāt 3the darkness and intensity of night
- غَاسِقdarkness, deep night
- غَسَقthe onset of night's darkness
و ق ب
āyāt 3to enter, sink into, penetrate
- وَقَبَit entered/settled
- وَقْبa hollow, cavity
ن ف ث
āyāt 4to blow or spit gently, as in incantation
- نَفَثَhe blew/spat lightly
- نَفَّاثَةone who blows (in sorcery)
- نَفْثa light blowing/spitting
ع ق د
āyāt 4to tie, bind, knot
- عُقْدَةa knot
- عَقَدَhe tied/contracted
- عَقْدa contract, covenant
ح س د
āyāt 5to envy, to wish a blessing removed from another
- حَسَدَhe envied
- حَاسِدan envier
- حَسَدenvy
Carry this with you
- Refuge is sought in Allah's Names and attributes, not in objects or people.
- One comprehensive phrase — 'the evil of what He created' — covers every possible harm.
- Fear that intensifies at night is acknowledged in revelation, with a specific prayer prescribed for it.
- Sorcery has real but entirely Allah-permitted effect; its harm is turned back only by turning to Him.
- Feeling envy is a trial; acting on it is what causes harm and is guarded against here.
- The historical background involving Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam is authentically reported, but its link to this surah's revelation is scholarly inference, not an explicit sabab al-nuzūl.
- The Makkan/Madinan classification of this surah is genuinely disputed among the earliest authorities.
- This surah was part of the Prophet's ﷺ own nightly protection, recited and blown into the hands before sleep.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
Sources behind Sūrah Al-Falaq
Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.
Tafsīr13
- Al-Qurṭubī on 113:1
- al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
- Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
- Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān
- al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq
- Ibn Kathīr on 113:1
- Ibn Kathīr on 113:2
- Ibn Kathīr on 113:3
- Ibn Kathīr on 113:4
- Ibn Kathīr on 113:5
- Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
- Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm (introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq)
- Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, introduction to Sūrat al-Falaq
Seerah & history1
- al-Bayhaqī, Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah
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Al-Falaq · Seeking refuge: naming the One, not the harm
Why is refuge sought specifically in 'the Lord of the daybreak'?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol