The Tafsīr of Al-Mu‘awwidhatayn (Sūrahs Al-Falaq and An-Nās) (Chapters 113-114)

Which were revealed in Al-Madīnah

The Position of Ibn Mas‘ūd concerning Al-Mu‘awwidhatayn Imām Aḥmad recorded from Zirr bin Ḥubaysh that Ubayy bin Ka‘b told him that Ibn Mas‘ūd did not record the Mu‘awwidhatayn in his Muṣḥaf (copy of the Qur'ān). So Ubayy said, "I testify that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ informed me that Jibrīl said to him,

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq."» (113:1) So he said it. And Jibrīl said to him,

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."» (114:1) So he said it. Therefore, we say what the Prophet ﷺ said."^{1Aḥmad 5:129.}

The Virtues of Sūrahs Al-Falaq and An-Nās In his Ṣaḥīḥ, Muslim recorded on the authority of 'Uqbah bin 'Āmir that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, «أَلَمْ تَرَ آيَاتٍ أُنْزِلَتْ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ قَطُّ:

«Do you not see that there have been Āyāt revealed to me tonight the like of which has not been seen before?» They are

«

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

»

«Say: "I seek refuge with, the Lord of Al-Falaq."» (113:1) and;

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."» (114:1)»^{2Muslim 1:558.} This Ḥadīth was recorded by Aḥmad, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasā'ī. At-Tirmidhi said, "Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ."^{3Aḥmad 4:144, Tuḥfat Al-Aḥwadhi 9:303, and An-Nasā'ī 8:254.}

Another Narration Imām Aḥmad recorded from 'Uqbah bin 'Āmir that he said, "While I was leading the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ along one of these paths he said,

Ḥadīthيَا عُقْبَةُ أَلَا تَرْكَبُ؟

«O 'Uqbah! Will you not ride?» I was afraid that this might be considered an act of disobedience. So the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ got down and I rode for a while. Then he rode. Then he ﷺ said,

Ḥadīthيَا عُقْبَةُ، أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ سُورَتَيْنِ مِنْ خَيْرِ سُورَتَيْنِ قَرَأَ بِهِمَا النَّاسُ؟

«O 'Uqbah! Should I not teach you two Sūrahs that are of the best two Sūrahs that the people recite?» I said, 'Of course, O Messenger of Allāh.' So he taught me to recite

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq."» (113:1) and

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."» (114:1) Then the call was given to begin the prayer and the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ went forward (to lead the people), and he recited them in the prayer. Afterwards he passed by me and said,

Ḥadīthكَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ يَا عُقَيْبُ، اقْرَأْ بِهِمَا كُلَّمَا نِمْتَ وَكُلَّمَا قُمْتَ

«What do you think, O 'Uqayb?^{4'Uqayb means, "little 'Uqbah."} Recite these two Sūrahs whenever you go to sleep and whenever you get up."»^{5Aḥmad 4:144.} An-Nasā'ī and Abu Dāwud both recorded this Ḥadīth.^{6Abu Dāwud 2:152 and An-Nasā'ī 8:252, 253.}

Another Narration An-Nasā'ī recorded from 'Uqbah bin 'Āmir that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَتَعَوَّذُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَيْنِ:

«Verily, the people do not seek protection with anything like these two:

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq."»(113:1) and;

«

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

»

«Say: "I seek refuge with (Allāh) the Lord of mankind."»» (114:1)^{7Al-Kunā by Ad-Dūlābi 1:106.}

Another Narration An-Nasā'ī recorded that 'Uqbah bin 'Āmir said, "I was walking with the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ when he said,

Ḥadīthيَا عُقْبَةُ قُلْ

«O 'Uqbah! Say!» I replied, 'What should I say?' So he was silent and did not respond to me. Then he ﷺ said,

«قُلْ»

«Say!» I replied, 'What should I say, O Messenger of Allāh?' He said,

«

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

»

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq."» So, I recited it until I reached its end. Then he said,

«قُلْ» «Say!» I replied, 'What should I say O Messenger of Allāh?' He said,

«

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

»

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."» So, I recited it until I reached its end. Then the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said,

Ḥadīthمَا سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِمِثْلِهَا، وَلَا اسْتَعَاذَ مُسْتَعِيذٌ بِمِثْلِهَا

«No person beseeches with anything like these, and no person seeks refuge with anything like these.»"^{8An-Nasā'ī 8:253.}

Another Ḥadīth An-Nasā'ī recorded that Ibn 'Ābis Al-Juhani said that the Prophet ﷺ said to him,

Ḥadīthيَا ابْنَ عَابِسٍ أَلَا أَدُلُّكَ - أَوْ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ - بِأَفْضَلِ مَا يَتَعَوَّذُ بِهِ الْمُتَعَوِّذُونَ؟

«O Ibn 'Ābis! Shall I guide you to - or inform you - of the best thing that those who seek protection use for protection?» He replied, "Of course, O Messenger of Allāh!" The Prophet ﷺ said,

«

Qur’an 113:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

Qur’an 114:1قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

هَاتَانِ السُّورَتَانِ»

«Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq."» and «Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind."» These two Sūrahs (are the best protection).»^{9An-Nasā'ī 8:251.}

Imām Mālik recorded from 'Ā'ishah that whenever the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was suffering from an ailment, he would recite the Mu‘awwidhatayn over himself and blow (over himself). Then if his pain became severe, 'Ā'ishah said that she would recite the Mu‘awwidhatayn over him and take his hand and wipe it over himself seeking the blessing of those Sūrahs.^{10Muwaṭṭa' 2:942.} Al-Bukhāri, Abu Dāwud, An-Nasā'ī and Ibn Mājah

Arabic quotation as printed; not matched to Tanzil, so not shown as the Qur’anقُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ

all recorded this Ḥadīth.^{11Fatḥ Al-Bāri 8:679, Muslim 4:1723, Abu Dāwud 4:220, An-Nasā'ī in Al-Kubrā 4:867, 368, and Ibn Mājah 2:1166.} It has been reported from Abu Sa'īd that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to seek protection against the evil eyes of the Jinns and mankind. But when the Mu‘awwidhatayn were revealed, he used them (for protection) and abandoned all else besides them. At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasā'ī and Ibn Mājah recorded this. At-Tirmidhi said, "This Ḥadīth is Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ."^{12Tuḥfat Al-Aḥwadhi 6:218, An-Nasā'ī 8:271, and Ibn Mājah 2:1161.}

Qur’anبِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Qur’an 113:1–5قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

«1. Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq,"» «2. "From the evil of what He has created,"» «3. "And from the evil of the Ghāsiq when Waqab,"» «4. "And from the evil of the blowers in knots,"» «5. "And from the evil of the envier when he envies."» Ibn Abi Ḥātim recorded that Jābir said, "Al-Falaq is the morning."^{1Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:700.} Al-'Awfi reported from Ibn 'Abbās, "Al-Falaq is the morning."^{2Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:701.} The same has been reported from Mujāhid, Sa'īd bin Jubayr, 'Abdullāh bin Muḥammad bin 'Aqil, Al-Ḥasan, Qatādah, Muḥammad bin Ka'b Al-Quraẓi and Ibn Zayd. Mālik also reported a similar statement from Zayd bin Aslam.^{3Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:700, 701.} Al-Quraẓi, Ibn Zayd and Ibn Jarīr all said, "This is like Allāh's saying,

Qur’an 6:96فَالِقُ ٱلْإِصْبَاحِ

«He is the Cleaver of the daybreak.»." (6:96)^{4Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:701.} Allāh said,

Qur’an 113:2مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

«From the evil of what He has created,» This means from the evil of all created things. Thābit Al-Bunāni and Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣri both said, "Hell, Iblīs and his progeny, from among that which He (Allāh) created."

Qur’an 113:3وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

«And from the evil of the Ghāsiq when Waqab,» Mujāhid said, "Ghāsiq is the night, and 'when it Waqab' refers to the setting of the sun." Al-Bukhāri mentioned this from him.^{5Fatḥ Al-Bāri 8:613.} Ibn Abi Najīḥ also reported a similar narration from him (Mujāhid). The same was said by Ibn 'Abbās, Muḥammad bin Ka'b Al-Quraẓi, Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk, Khuṣayf, Al-Ḥasan and Qatādah. They said, "Verily, it is the night when it advances with its darkness."^{6Aṭ-Ṭabari 12:748, 749.} Az-Zuhrī said,

Qur’an 113:3وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

«And from the evil of the Ghāsiq when Waqab,» "This means the sun when it sets." Abu Al-Muhazzim reported that Abu Hurayrah said,

Qur’an 113:3وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

«And from the evil of the Ghāsiq when Waqab,» "This means the star."^{7Aṭ-Ṭabari 12:149.} Ibn Zayd said, "The Arabs used to say, 'Al-Ghāsiq is the declination (of the position) of the heavenly body known as Pleiades. The number of those who were ill and stricken with plague would increase whenever it would decline, and their number would lessen whenever it rose.' "^{8Aṭ-Ṭabari 12:149.} Ibn Jarīr said, "Others have said that it is the moon." The support for the people who hold this position (that it means the moon) is a narration that Imām Aḥmad recorded from Al-Ḥārith bin Abi Salamah. He said that 'Ā'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ took me by my hand and showed me the moon when it rose, and he said,

Ḥadīthتَعَوَّذِي بِاللهِ مِنْ شَرِّ هَذَا الْغَاسِقِ إِذَا وَقَبَ

«Seek refuge with Allāh from the evil of this Ghāsiq when it becomes dark.»"^{9Aḥmad 6:61.} At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasā'ī both recorded this Ḥadīth in their Books of Tafsīr in their Sunans.^{10At-Tirmidhi no. 3366.} Allāh said,

Qur’an 113:4وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ

«And from the evil of the blowers in knots,» Mujāhid, 'Ikrimah, Al-Ḥasan, Qatādah and Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk all said, "This means the witches."^{11Aṭ-Ṭabari 12:750, 751.} Mujāhid said, "When they perform their spells and blow into the knots." In another Ḥadīth it has been reported that Jibrīl came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Are you suffering from any ailment, O Muḥammad?" The Prophet ﷺ replied,

«نَعَمْ»

«Yes.» So Jibrīl said, "In the Name of Allāh, I recite prayer (Ruqyah) over you, from every illness that harms you, from the evil of every envious person and evil eye. May Allāh cure you."^{12Muslim no. 2186.}

Discussion of the Bewitchment of the Prophet ﷺ In the Book of Medicine of his Ṣaḥīḥ, Al-Bukhāri recorded that 'Ā'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was bewitched until he thought that he had relations with his wives, but he had not had relations with them." Sufyān said, "This is the worst form of magic when it reaches this stage." So the Prophet ﷺ said,

Ḥadīthيَا عَائِشَةُ، أَعَلِمْتِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَفْتَانِي فِيمَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ؟ أَتَانِي رَجُلَانِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي وَالْآخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيَّ، فَقَالَ الَّذِي عِنْدَ رَأْسِي لِلْآخَرِ: مَا بَالُ الرَّجُلِ؟ قَالَ: مَطْبُوبٌ، قَالَ: وَمَنْ طَبَّهُ، قَالَ: لَبِيدُ بْنُ أَعْصَمَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ حَلِيفٌ لِيَهُودَ، كَانَ مُنَافِقًا، قَالَ: وَفِيمَ؟ قَالَ: فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاطَةٍ، قَالَ: وَأَيْنَ؟ قَالَ: فِي جُفِّ طَلْعَةِ ذَكَرٍ، تَحْتَ رَاعُوفَةٍ فِي بِئْرِ ذَرْوَانَ

«O 'Ā'ishah! Do you know that Allāh has answered me concerning that which I asked Him? Two men came to me and one of them sat by my head while the other sat by my feet. The one who was sitting by my head said to the other one, 'What is wrong with this man?' The other replied, 'He is bewitched.' The first one said, 'Who bewitched him?' The other replied, 'Labīd bin A'ṣam. He is a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq who is an ally of the Jews, and a hypocrite.' The first one asked, 'With what (did he bewitch him)?' The other replied, 'With a comb and hair from the comb.' The first one asked, 'Where (is the comb)?' The other answered, 'In the dried bark of a male date palm under a rock in a well called Dharwān.'»

'Ā'ishah said, "So he went to the well to remove it (the comb with the hair). Then he said,

Ḥadīthهَذِهِ الْبِئْرُ الَّتِي أُرِيتُهَا، وَكَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الْحِنَّاءِ، وَكَأَنَّ نَخْلَهَا رُؤُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ

«This is the well that I saw. It was as if its water had henna soaked in it and its palm trees were like the heads of devils.» So he removed it (of the well). Then I ('Ā'ishah) said, 'Will you not make this public?' He replied,

Ḥadīthأَمَّا اللهُ فَقَدْ شَفَانِي، وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُثِيرَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ شَرًّا

«Allāh has cured me and I hate to spread (the news of) wickedness to any of the people.»"^{13Fatḥ Al-Bāri 10:243.}

Qur’anبِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.