Surah 113. Al-Falaq- Asad Translation
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IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF
GRACE: |
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Seek refuge with Allah from all evils
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1 | SAY: "I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the rising dawn,1 | ||
| 2 | "from the evil of aught that He has created, | |||
| 3 | "and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends,2 | |||
| 4 | "and from the evil of all human beings bent on occult endeavours.3 | |||
| 5 | "and from the evil of the envious when he envies."4 |
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Ayah_translation Comments
Note - 1The term al-falaq ("the light of dawn" or "the rising
dawn") is often used tropically to describe "the
emergence of the truth after [a period of] uncertainty"
(Taj al-'Arus): hence, the appellation "Sustainer of the
rising dawn" implies that God is the source of all
cognition of truth, and that one's "seeking refuge" with
Him is synonymous with striving after truth.
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Note - 2I.e., the darkness of despair, or of approaching death.
In all these four verses ({2-5}), the term "evil" (sharr)
has not only an objective but also a subjective
connotation - namely, fear of evil.
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Note - 3Lit., "of those that blow (an-naffathat) upon knots": an
idiomatic phrase current in pre-Islamic Arabia and,
hence, employed in classical Arabic to designate all
supposedly occult endeavours; it was probably derived
from the practice of "witches" and "sorcerers" who used
to tie a string into a number of knots while blowing upon
them and murmuring magic incantations. The feminine
gender of naffathat does not, as Zamakhshari and Razi
point out, necessarily indicate "women", but may well
relate to "human beings" (anfus, sing. nafs, a noun that
is grammatically feminine). In his explanation of the
above verse, Zamakhshari categorically rejects all belief
in the reality and effectiveness of such practices, as
well as of the concept of "magic" as such. Similar views
have been expressed - albeit in a much more elaborate
manner, on the basis of established psychological
findings - by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida' (see Manar
I, 398 ff.). The reason why the believer is enjoined to
"seek refuge with God" from such practices despite their
palpable irrationality is - according to Zamakhshari - to
be found in the inherent sinfulness of such endeavours
(see surah {2}, note [84]), and in the mental danger in
which they may involve their author.
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Note - 4I.e., from the effects - moral and social - which another
person's envy may have on one's life, as well as from
succumbing oneself to the evil of envy. In this
connection, Zamakhshari quotes a saying of the Caliph
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (called "the Second 'Umar" on
account of his piety and integrity): "I cannot think of
any wrongdoer (zalim) who is more likely to be the
wronged one (mazlum) than he who envies another."
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| 1 | The term al-falaq ("the light of dawn" or "the rising
dawn") is often used tropically to describe "the
emergence of the truth after [a period of] uncertainty"
(Taj al-'Arus): hence, the appellation "Sustainer of the
rising dawn" implies that God is the source of all
cognition of truth, and that one's "seeking refuge" with
Him is synonymous with striving after truth. |
| 2 | I.e., the darkness of despair, or of approaching death.
In all these four verses ({2-5}), the term "evil" (sharr)
has not only an objective but also a subjective
connotation - namely, fear of evil. |
| 3 | Lit., "of those that blow (an-naffathat) upon knots": an
idiomatic phrase current in pre-Islamic Arabia and,
hence, employed in classical Arabic to designate all
supposedly occult endeavours; it was probably derived
from the practice of "witches" and "sorcerers" who used
to tie a string into a number of knots while blowing upon
them and murmuring magic incantations. The feminine
gender of naffathat does not, as Zamakhshari and Razi
point out, necessarily indicate "women", but may well
relate to "human beings" (anfus, sing. nafs, a noun that
is grammatically feminine). In his explanation of the
above verse, Zamakhshari categorically rejects all belief
in the reality and effectiveness of such practices, as
well as of the concept of "magic" as such. Similar views
have been expressed - albeit in a much more elaborate
manner, on the basis of established psychological
findings - by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida' (see Manar
I, 398 ff.). The reason why the believer is enjoined to
"seek refuge with God" from such practices despite their
palpable irrationality is - according to Zamakhshari - to
be found in the inherent sinfulness of such endeavours
(see surah {2}, note [84]), and in the mental danger in
which they may involve their author. |
| 4 | I.e., from the effects - moral and social - which another
person's envy may have on one's life, as well as from
succumbing oneself to the evil of envy. In this
connection, Zamakhshari quotes a saying of the Caliph
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (called "the Second 'Umar" on
account of his piety and integrity): "I cannot think of
any wrongdoer (zalim) who is more likely to be the
wronged one (mazlum) than he who envies another." |
