Al-FalaqThe Daybreak

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.'

— Ibn 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.

— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

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.

— Ibn 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.

— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān

Al-ghāsiq is the night, and idhā waqab means when it enters and its darkness spreads and deepens; a hadith is reported that the sun is called ghāsiq when it sets, and the Prophet ﷺ pointed to it saying 'this is ghāsiq when it sets,' referring to increased harm at that time.

— Ibn 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.

— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

This refers to those who practise sorcery, tying knots and blowing/spitting upon them while uttering words of harm; it is reported that this was connected to the incident of Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam, though this connection is drawn by later commentators rather than stated in the hadith of the incident itself.

— Ibn 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.

— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

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.

— Ibn 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.

— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān