Tafseer, Interpretation, Commentary Surat Al-Falaq (daybreak)
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Tafseer, Interpretation, Commentary Surat Al-Falaq (daybreak)
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قُلۡ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡفَلَقِ
(1) Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
Say, O Messenger: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the morning and I seek His protection.”
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مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
(2) From the evil of that which He created
“From the evils of the harms of all creation.”
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وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
(3) And from the evil of darkness when it settles
“And I seek refuge in Allah from the evils that appear in the night, i.e. harmful creatures and bandits.”
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وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِي ٱلۡعُقَدِ
(4) And from the evil of the blowers in knots[i.e., those who practice magic]
“And I seek His refuge from the evils of the sorceresses who blow onto knots.”
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وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
(5) And from the evil of an envier when he envies
And I seek His refuge from the evil of the jealous one when he acts out his jealousy.”
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This Surah and the Surah that follows it, Surah An-Naas, were revealed simultaneously, hence the nameالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ Al-Mu’awwidzatain (two protectors). This surah is a Madaniyah surah that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after migrating to the city of Madinah. Some commentators say that the reason for the revelation of this surah was when the Prophet was bewitched by a Jew named Lubid bin Al-A’sham in Madinah. The Prophet was bewitched for some time, and the effect was that he seemed to be doing something that he was not doing. It was even imagined that he came to his wives when he did not.Allah then revealed Al-Mu’awwidzatain (Surah Al Falaq and An Naas). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited them and with Allah’s permission, he recovered[1].
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Some people deny this hadith and say that the Prophet could not have been enchanted, because if he had been enchanted then the Prophet could have been mistaken in conveying the revelation. This is a wrong assumption because the bewitchment that befell the Prophet was not related to the delivery of revelation. Because the Prophet still delivered the revelation as usual. However, the effect of the magic only made the Prophet look like a sick person or fantasized that he had done something even though he had not done it.
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Even before him there was the Prophet Moses who had also been bewitched. Mentioned in the Quran, Allah says:
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قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا ۖ فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىٰ (66) فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَىٰ (67)
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(66) He said, “Rather, you throw.” And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes].
(67) And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses
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Prophet Moses was afraid to see moving snakes, even though there were no snakes there but only sticks and ropes. It was because the Prophet Moses was bewitched by the magicians of Fir’aun. So it is possible that a Prophet is bewitched, but behind it there is wisdom that Allah wills. Moreover, the bewitchment will not affect the narration of the verses of Allah. As for the rejection of this hadeeth by some people, there is no need to listen to them because their arguments are just weak logic.
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Allah says at the beginning of the Surah:
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قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn'”
Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
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There are several opinions about the meaning of ﺪفَلَقُ. The first and strongest opinion is as explained by al-Hafizh Ibn Kathir in his tafseer, which is Fajr. As Allah says:
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فالِقُ الْإِصْباحِ
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“It is Allah who opens the dawn.” (QS Al-An’am: 96)
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So the meaning of the verse becomes “Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn’.” Another opinion says that فَلَقُ means creature. Some say that فَلَقُ is one of the names of hell, while others say that فَلَقُ is the name of a prison in the hell of Jahannam. Others say that فَلَقُ means the valley in Hell. Some say that فَلَقُ means the well in Hellfire. Some say that فَلَقُ means a house in Hellfire. But the strongest opinion is the first opinion which means dawn[2].
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Then Allah said:
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مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
“From the evil of His creatures”
From the evil of that which He created.
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The wordمَا in this verse is مَا الْمَوْصُوْلَةُ so the meaning is to seek refuge from the evil of everything that Allah has created. Allah tells us to seek refuge from all evil because sometimes there are even objects or people closest to us that have evil. Even our wives and children, sometimes they bring bad things while also bringing a lot of good..
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Then Allah says:
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وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
“And from the evil of the night when it becomes pitch black”
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
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Because at night the evil spirits are scattered, as well as the animals (see Tafsir As-Sa’di p. 937). And this is the reality that we often see, many people commit their crimes at night, this is the time when many people are negligent because they are resting, so it is used by criminals. Likewise, at night many people are busy disobeying Allah. Therefore, we are commanded to seek refuge from the evils of the night when it is pitch dark.
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Then Allah said:
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وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ
“And from the wickedness of the sorceresses who blow on the gussets.”
And from the evil of the blowers in knots[i.e., those who practice magic]
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In this verse Allah explains the procedure of the sorceresses in performing their magic. They make gussets and then blow their incantations. Based on this, some scholars have forbidden the use of blowing, because it resembles the witches mentioned by Allah in Surah al-Falaq. But this opinion is refuted by Imam al-Qurthubi in his tafsir, he explains that the Prophet once blew when making ruqyah. (See Tafsir al-Qurthubi 20/258). Therefore, when a person makes ruqyah by reciting the Qur’an, it is permissible for him to blow after reciting the surahs from the Qur’an.
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Allah makes special mention of women in this verse. This is because at that time in the Arabs, it was the women who most often practiced magic. Because the women’s job was to prepare food and clean, so after that they lacked activity, so many of them were caught up in sorcery and the like (see At-Tahriir wa at-Tanwiir 30/628). There are also those who say that when women do witchcraft, they are more powerful than men, because of the ugliness of the soul that is in the witch.
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Or النَّفَّاثَاتِ means النُّفُوْسُ “evil souls” so it includes both men and women (see Tafsir al-Baidhoowi 5/348).
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Then Allah says:
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وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
“And from the evil of the envious when he is envious”
And from the evil of an envier when he envier
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Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) defined hasad,
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البُغْضُ وَالْكَرَاهَةُ لِمَا يَرَاهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ حَالِ الْمَحْسُوْدِ
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“Hasad is (simply) hating and disliking the good in others that one sees.” (Majmu’ Fatawa, juz 10)
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A person does not have to want another person to be poor and sick, but it is enough that there is hatred and dislike for the pleasures that he has. Hence, the disease of envy can easily afflict anyone. Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
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تحَسَدُ مَرْكُوْزٌ فِيْ طِبَاعِ الْبَشَرِ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَفُوْقُهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ جِنْسِهِ فِيْ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْفَضَائِلِ.
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“Hasad(Envy) is engraved in human nature, which means that man does not want to be surpassed in the same thing from the noble things.” (Jami’ul ‘Ulum Wal Hikam)
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Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen is of the opinion that this verse indicates that the person who has envy is of two types: one who simply hates but does not bother the person he envies, and one who bothers the person he envies. (see Tafsir Juz ‘Amma, al-‘Uthaymeen p. 353).
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Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) is of the view that if a person has envy in his heart, then he is bound to do evil to the one he envies. And this evil does not necessarily have to be done by hand or speech, rather it can be done through his soul and eyes to the one he envies (see Badaa’iul Fawaaid 2/227-228), so one must seek refuge from the evil of the one who has envy, especially since we do not know who has envy for us, it could be someone close to us who has envy for us..
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Hasad(Envy) is so dangerous that Allah makes special mention of it in this Surah. Because hasad is disastrous, a person with hasad has the potential to cause harm to the person he envies, so he can do anything.
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Therefore, the first sin committed in the sky was because of hasad(Envy), namely when Iblis had envy for Prophet Adam ‘alaihis salam. Allah commanded Iblis to prostrate to Adam, but he had envy and refused to prostrate and said:
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قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
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(12) [Allāh] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth].”
(Surah Al-A’raf :12)
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Because of Iblis’ envy, he did not want to bow down to Adam. He was willing to be put into the hell of Jahannam as long as he did not bow down to Adam. In fact, because of his envy, instead of thinking about how to get out of Hell Jahannam, he wanted all the descendants of Adam’s children to enter Hell with him. Allah says:
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قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (39) إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ (40).
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(39) [Iblees] said, “My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them [i.e., mankind] on earth, and I will mislead them all
(40) Except, among them, Your chosen servants.”
(Surah al Hijr:39-40)
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Likewise, the first sin that occurred on the face of the earth was because of hasad, namely the envy of Qabil towards his brother Habil.
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وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ الْآخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ
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And recite to them the story of Adam’s two sons, in truth, when they both made an offering [to Allāh], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], “I will surely kill you.” Said [the former], “Indeed, Allāh only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
(Surah al-Maidah:27)
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Hence, Allah makes special mention of hasad(envy) in this verse because of the harm caused by the one who hasad. Hasad causes many disasters, that people are desperate to kill because of hasad. And Allah tells His servants to seek refuge from the evil of those who are resentful because no one can be saved from a resentful person. When someone is given pleasure by Allah, there will definitely be those who have envy for him. In fact, Ibn al-Qoyyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the evil of envy in this verse is general and includes the envy of humans and the envy of the jinn (see Badaai’ul Fawaaid 2/235).
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Footnote
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[1][The story of the bewitching of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by Lubaid ibn al-A’shom al-Jew is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari (3268) and Sahih Muslim (2189) but without mentioning the revelation of the two surahs. As for the reports that mention that the two surahs were revealed because of the Prophet’s bewitchment, they are all weak, as explained by Ibn Kathir in his commentary 8/507 at the end of the commentary on Surah al-Falaq and Ibn Hajar in Fathul Baari 10/225.
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[2] [This is the view preferred by Ibn Jarir At-Thobari (24/745), Ibn Kathir (8/504), and al-Bukhari in his Saheeh (6/181)

TAFSEER/INTERPRETATION/COMMENTARY/ SURAH AL-FALAQ
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113th Surah: 5 Verses
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Al-Falaq, Verses 1-5
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
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قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ. مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ.
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(1) Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
(2) From the evil of that which He created
(3) And from the evil of darkness when it settles
(4) And from the evil of the blowers in knots[i.e., those who practice magic]
(5) And from the evil of an envier when he envies
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GLOBAL MEANING OF THE VERSE
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Allah, the Almighty, commanded His Messenger to rely on the Lord who controls the time of Fajr and to cling to Him, and to seek refuge from the evil of all creatures and from the evil of the night when it becomes dark. Allah also commanded him to seek refuge from the evil of sorcerers if they blow on the stumps, and from the evil of envy if envy becomes an endeavor.
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Hasad is wishing for the loss of enjoyment of the envied person. And this commandment also applies to all his people.
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FAEDAH:
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1. The command to seek refuge in Allah from all kinds of evils, both general and specific.
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2. This Surah indicates that there is such a thing as sorcery, and we fear its evil and seek refuge with Allah from it and from its practitioners.
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3. It warns that envy is one of the worst behaviors and one of the traits whose negative effects are so devastating. Therefore, this Surah concludes with the command to seek refuge with Allah from the evil of envy
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Tafseer Surah al Falaq
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113th Surah
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AL-FALAQ (Dawn Time)
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Makkiyyah – 5 Verses
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
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ALLAH PROTECTOR FROM ALL EVIL.
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قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ.
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1. “Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn”.
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Say O Messenger: “I seek refuge and shelter in the Lord of al-Falaq, which is the time of Fajr.
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مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ.
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2. “From the evil (of the creatures) He created,”
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From the ugliness of all creatures and their disturbances.
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وَ مِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ.
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3. “And from the evil of the night, when it becomes pitch dark,”
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Also from the evil of the very dark night when it comes and spreads, along with the evils and distractions that it brings.
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وَ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ.
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4. “And from the evil of (women) witches who blow on. gussets.”
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Also from the evil of the sorceresses who blow in the knots they weave for the purpose of bewitching.
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وَ مِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ.
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5. “And from the evil of a spiteful person, when he is spiteful.”
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Also from the evil of the one who hates people when he envies them for the favors that Allah has given them, he wants them to disappear from them and wants to cause them harm.”
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Surah al Falaq (Time of Shubuḥ)
113th surah. 5 verses. Madaniyyah
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Verses 1-5: Instruction to the servant to seek Allah’s protection and seek refuge with Him from all evil.
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
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قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ. مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ.
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Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak [1]
From the evil of that which He created[2]
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
And from the evil of the blowers in knots[i.e., those who practice magic][3]
(And from the evil of an envier[4] when he envies[5]
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These three kinds of evil are mentioned even though they are included in the words of Allah, the Almighty: “From the evil He created,” because of their magnitude (the evil of the night when it is dark, the sorceress, and the envious person).
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This concludes the interpretation of Sūrat al-Falaq with Allah’s help, guidance and ease, wal-hamdulillāhi Rabbil ‘ālamīn.
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Footnote
(1) Rabb-ul-falaq can also mean the Lord who divides the grains of vegetation and the seeds of fruits, as well as the one who divides the night with the rising of dawn.
(2). Like the living creatures that are subject to the burden, such as humans and jinn, and the non-living creatures, such as poison, etc.
(3). The sorcerers used to make a gusset out of a rope and then recite incantations by blowing their breath into the gusset. This verse shows that magic has a nature that needs to be aware of its dangers. To overcome it is to seek Allah’s protection from it and from its people.
(4). Hasad means liking or being happy if the favors of another person are taken away from him. However, if one is pleased with the favors of others in the sense that he is happy if he also receives them and there is no desire for the favors of others to be lost, then it is not blameworthy; this is also called ‘ghibthah’.
(5). The one who is jealous is the one who manifests his jealousy and takes the consequences of his jealousy by doing all that he can to make the blessing disappear from him. The one who is jealous is the one who inflicts evil on others through his eyes, because that does not come from anyone but a jealous person whose character is bad and whose soul is bad. Similarly, ‘the jealous’ includes Iblīs and his descendants who were very jealous of the people.
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SURAT AL-FALAQ
MADANIYYAH
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NUMBER OF SENTENCES: 5 VERSES
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
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In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
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Surat al-Falaq: Verses 1-5
قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ. مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ. وَ مِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ.
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(1) Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
(2) From the evil of that which He created
(3) And from the evil of darkness when it settles
(4) And from the evil of the blowers in knots[i.e., those who practice magic]
(5) And from the evil of an envier when he envies
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EXPLANATION OF THE WORD
(أَعُوْذُ) A’ūdzu: I take refuge and ask for help.
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(الْفَلَق) Al-Falaq: That is the time of Shubuḥ.
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(مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ) Min Syarri Mā Khalaq: From (evil) living and non-living things.
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(غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ) Ghāsiqin Idzā Waqab: When the night is dark and the moon has gone.
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(النَّفَّاثَاتِ) An-Naffātsāti: The magicians who blow.
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(فِي الْعُقَدِ) Fil-‘Uqad: On the bonds that they bind.
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(حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ) Ḥāsidin Idzā Ḥasad: When showing and practicing malice.
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GENERAL MEANING OF VERSES 1-5
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His words: “Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn,” (1) when Labīd ibn al-A’shamm (2), a Jew from Madīnah, bewitched Rasūlullāh. So Allah ta’ālā revealed “al-Mu’awwidzatain” (Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nās). Then the angel Jibrīl recited them to Rasūlullāh and Allah ta’ālā cured him. These two surahs were revealed in Madīnah.
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His words: “Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the Shubuḥ (Dawn),” i.e. say, O Our Rasūl: “a’ūdzu”, i.e. I take refuge and seek help from the Lord of the Dawn, Allah. For it is He who brings about the time of Shubuḥ and the sprouting of grains, and no one is able to do this except Allah. For Allah is all-powerful, all-knowing.
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His words: “From the evil (of the creatures) He created” from the evil of all the creatures that Allah has created. This includes living creatures such as humans and non-living creatures such as animals and all inanimate objects. Allah, the Almighty, says: “And from the evil of the night when it becomes pitch dark,” (3) i.e. when the night has come and the moon has set. This is because when the night is pitch dark, snakes, venomous animals, and wild animals may come out. This includes criminals who will commit crimes, thieves, and others who will come out (operate at night).
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His words: “And from the evil of the envious when he is envious.” (5) Seek refuge in Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, from the evil of the envious person when he shows his envy and wishes evil upon you. Because the meaning of the word envy is to wish for the loss of a blessing that someone is enjoying, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It is still a reprehensible act.
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM VERSES 1-5.
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The obligation to seek refuge in Allah from everything that one fears and is unable to fight against. Either because it is invisible or because it has no power to resist.
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The prohibition of blowing on the bond (rope / gusset). Because this is one of the acts of sorcerers. The perpetrator of sorcery is a disbeliever and his neck must be cut with a sword.
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Prohibition of envy and jealousy. Because envy is a very dangerous disease that could lead the son of Ādam to kill his brother (Qābīl killed Hābīl). Or Prophet Yūsuf’s brothers who were willing to commit treason against him.
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“Al-Ghibthah” does not include envy and jealousy as explained in a saḥīḥ hadith: “There is no envy except in two things.” The two things mentioned in this hadeeth are “al-ghibthah” (wishing for the good that someone else has, but not wishing for the loss of that favor from that person).
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Notes:
1). Surah al-Falaq is the first of the “al-Mu’awwidzatain” surahs. The second one is Surah an-Nās. Both of these surahs are preceded by Surah al-Ikhlāsh. Rasūlullāh said: “People should seek refuge in Allah with these surahs.” It is reported in Shaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Muslim from ‘Ā’isyah that when the Prophet complained of pain, he would recite “al-Mu’awwidzatain” and blow on his hands and then rub them over his body. Then when the pain became more severe, I would recite it and rub it on his hands hoping for blessings from them.”
2). The incident of Labīd ibn al-A’shamm, a Jew, who bewitched the Prophet is mentioned in Shaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Muslim and other books. Among the recitations that the angel Jibrīl recited to Rasūlullāh were: “In the name of Allah I quench you from everything that ails you, from the evil of the spiteful and the envious eye, may Allah heal you.”
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3). Imām at-Tirmidhi narrated and authenticated it from ‘Ā’ishah that the Prophet saw the moon and said: “O ‘Ā’ishah, seek refuge with Allah from this evil, it is indeed al-ghāsiq idzā waqab (the night when it is late).”
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4). Imām an-Nasā’ī narrated from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet said: “Whoever ties a knot and then blows on it, has indeed practiced sorcery, and whoever ties a knot, Allah will deliver it to the one on whom it is tied.” Hence, the salaf discouraged the use of blowing when making ruqyah. They said: “It is permissible to make ruqyah, but it is not permissible to blow”. However, the majority of scholars have permitted it.
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5). The attitude of envy and jealousy is haraam. Envy was the first sin that occurred, when Iblīs envied the Prophet Ādam and Qābīl envied Hābīl. The essence of envy and jealousy is to wish for the enjoyment of others to be lost and then transferred to oneself (the envier) or not to wish for it. All of this falls under the category of the worst kind of envy.
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Tafsir of Surah Al-Falaq (Fajr Time)
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Madaniyyah Surah
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113th Surah: 5 Verses
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بِسْمِ اللهَِر الْحَمنِ الَرحِيمِ
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Surah Al-Falaq Verses 1-5
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قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَالَقِ، مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ، وَ مِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَاوَقَ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَـــٰثَـــــٰتِ فِي العُقَدِ، وَ مِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
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“I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, (1) from the evil of His creatures, (2) and from the evil of the night when it is pitch dark, (3) and from the evil of the sorceresses who blow on the stalks, (4) and from the evil of the envious when he is envious.” (5)
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Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Jabir, who said, “ﺪفَلَقُ is the time of dawn.” Al ‘Aufi said from Ibn ‘Abbas , ” تفَلَقُ is the time of dawn.” Mujahid, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Aqil, al-Hasan, Qatadah, Muhammad ibn Ka’ab al-Qurazhi, Ibn Zaid and Malik from Zaid Aslam also interpreted it this way. Al-Qurazhi, Ibn Zaid, and Ibn Jarir said, “The verse is like what Allah ﷻ said
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{ فَالِقُ الاِصْبَاحِ }
“It is He who brings forth the morning.” (QS. Al-An’am: 96) 
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Furthermore, Allah ﷻ says, { مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ } “From the evil He created,” i.e. from the evil of all creatures.
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Tsabit al-Bunani and al-Hasan al-Bashri said, “That is Jahannam, the devil and his offspring from the creatures that He created
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Allah says { وَمِنْ شَرِّغَاسِقٍ إِذَاوَقَبَ } “And from the evil of the night when it becomes pitch dark.” Mujahid said, “That is, the night when it becomes pitch black with the setting of the sun.” This is how al-Bukhari narrated it from him. Ibn Abi Najih also narrated this from him. Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه, Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazhi, adh-Dhahak, Khushaif, al-Hasan and Qatadah interpreted it, “That is the night when it comes with its darkness.” Az-Zuhri interpreted the verse, “And from the evil of the night when it becomes pitch black.” That is, the sun when it sets.”
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Abdul Mahzam said from Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه interpreted the verse, “And from the evil of the night when it becomes pitch dark,” as meaning the stars.” Ibn Zayd said, “In the days of Jahiliyyah, the Arabs used to say, الغَاسِقُ means the fall of the Morning Star. The plague and tha’un spread when the star fell and disappeared when it rose.”
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Ibn Jarir said, “The commentators besides them said, ‘الغَاسِقُ is the moon.” I (Ibn Kathir) said: The basis for this opinion is the hadith narrated by Ahmad from al-Harith ibn Abu Salamah, who said: “‘Aisha رضي الله عنها said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took my hand and showed me the rising moon. And he said:
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تَعَوَّذِي بِا اللهِ مِنْ شَرِّ هَذَا الغَاسِقِ إِذَاوَقَبَ
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“Seek refuge with Allah from this al-ghasiq (moon) when it sets.”
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This hadith was also narrated by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa-I in the book of at-Tafsir from their sunan.
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Furthermore, Allah ﷻ says { وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي العُقَدِ } “And from the evil of (women) sorcerers who blow on the knots of their ropes.” Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and dh-Dhahak said, “Meaning the evil of the witches.” Mujahid said: “That is, when the witches recite incantations and blow on the knots of the ropes.”      
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In another hadith, it is mentioned that Jibril came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked him, “Are you sick, O Muhammad?” He replied, “Yes.” Then Jibril said,
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بِاسْمِ اللهِ أَرْقِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَينِ حَاسِدٍ اللهُ يَشْفِيكَ
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“In the name of Allah, I make a quqyah for you from all the diseases that plague you, and from all the evils of the spiteful and ‘ain. May Allah grant you healing.”
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About the Prophet being bewitched
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Al-Bukhari narrated in the book of ath-Thibb from his Saheeh from ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها who said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was once affected by bewitchment, so that he felt that he was coming to his wives when he was not coming to them.” Sufyan said, “This is the most powerful kind of magic, if this is the case.” Then he said:
يَاعَائِشَةُ أَعَلِمْتِ أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَفْتَانِي فِيهَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ؟ أَتَانِي رَجُلاَنِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي وَالآخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيَ، فَقَالَ الَذِي عِنْدَا رَأْسِي للآخِرِ: مَابَالُ الرَّجُلِ؟قَالَ: مَطْبُوبٌ، قَالَ:وَمَنْ طَبَّهُ؟ قَالَ:لَبِيدُ بْنُ أَعْصَمَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ حَلِيفٌ لِيَهُودَ،كَانَ مُنَافِقَا،قَالَ: وَفِيمَ؟ قَالَ: فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاقَةٍ، قَالَ: وَأَيْنَ؟قَالَ: فِي جُفِّ طَلْعَةٍ ذَكَرٍ، تَحْتَ رَاعُوفَةٍ فِي بِئرِ ذَرْوَانَ
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“O ‘Aisha! Do you know that Allah has given me a fatwa (guidance) in a matter for which I used to ask Him for a fatwa? I was visited by two angels, one of whom sat on the side of my head and the other on the side of my legs. So the one sitting on the side of my head asked the one sitting on the side of my feet, ‘What happened to this man?’ The one sitting on the side of my feet replied, ‘He is affected by sorcery.’ Then the one sitting on the side of my head asked, ‘Who bewitched him?’ The one sitting on the other side of my head replied, ‘Labid bin A’sham a man from Banu Zuraiq, an ally of the Jews and a hypocrite.’ The one sitting on the side of my head asked, ‘What is his magic in?’ The one sitting on the side of my legs replied, ‘In the comb and the hair.’ He asked ‘Where?’ He replied, ‘In the bark of the male date palm at the bottom of the well of Dzarwan.'”
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‘Aisha said, “Then the Prophet ﷺ went to the well and took it out. Then he said:
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هَذِه البِئْرُ الَتِي أُرِيتُهَا، وَكَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الحِنَّاءِ، وَكَأَنَّ نَخْلَهَا رُءُسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ.
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“This is the well that was shown to me, as if its water were the dip of a henna tree and as if its date palms were the heads of shaitans.”
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He (Sufyan) said, “So he ﷺ took it out.” ‘Ā’ishah said, “So I said to the Prophet, “Why did you not distribute it?” He replied:
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أَمَّا اللهُ فَقَدْ شَفَانِي وَأَكْرَهُ أنْ أُثِيرَ عَلى أَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّا سِ شَرًّا.
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“Allah has given me healing, and I do not like to spread evil to anyone.”
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Reprinted from : Sahih Tafsir Ibn Kathir Volume 9, Ninth printing Muharram 1435 AH – November 2013 AH, Ibn Umar Library Jakarta