سورة الفلق

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The reason for the revelation of the Mu'awwidhatan (the two suras of seeking refuge) was that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) fell ill, whereupon Jibra'il revealed these two suras to him and used them as a means of seeking refuge (ta'widh) for him.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was suffering from a severe illness and intense pain, when Jibra'il (peace be upon him) and Mika'il (peace be upon him) came. Jibra'il (peace be upon him) sat at the head of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and Mika'il (peace be upon him) beside his feet. Then Jibra'il gave him ta'widh (protective recitation) with قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak] and Mika'il with قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jibra'il came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) while he was ill, and he recited over him for protection with the Mu'awwidhatayn (the two suras of refuge) and قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ [Say: He is Allah, the One], and said: 'In the name of Allah, I recite over you as protection, and Allah will heal you from every illness that harms you; take it, may it be blessed for you.'

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Jibra'il and Mika'il came to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) while he was ill. One of them sat on his right side and the other on his left side, and then Jibra'il (peace be upon him) said to Mika'il: 'Who has cast a spell on him?' He said: 'Labid ibn A'sam the Jew.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Labid ibn A'sam the Jew and Umm Abdullah the Jewess made a spell against the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) in eleven knots, and placed it inside the husk of a date-palm spathe, and deposited it in a well in one of the valleys of Madinah, under a stone which was the step of the well. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was left unable to eat, drink, hear, run, or approach his wives. Then Jibra'il (peace be upon him) came and brought the Surahs of Mu'awwidhatayn (the two suras of refuge) and said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), what has befallen you?' He said: 'I do not know, my condition is as you see.' He said: 'Umm Abdullah and Labid ibn A'sam have cast a spell on you,' and he informed him of it and showed him its location. Then Jibra'il recited: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیمِ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ [In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak]. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited it and one knot came undone; and he continued reciting and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) recited, and a knot came undone, until he recited eleven verses and eleven knots came undone, and the Prophet rose and sat up. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) came, and he told him what Jibra'il had said and said: 'Go and bring the spell.' He brought it, and the Prophet broke it and spat upon it, and summoned Labid and Umm Abdullah and said: 'Why did you do this?' And he cursed Labid, saying: 'May Allah not take you out of the world with a sound body.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about the Mu'awwidhatayn (the two suras of seeking refuge), whether they are part of the Quran. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Yes, they are part of the Quran." The man [who was asking] said: "In Ibn Mas'ud's recitation and in his written copy they are not part of the Quran." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Ibn Mas'ud made a mistake — or he said: Ibn Mas'ud lied. Those two suras are part of the Quran." That man said: "So may I recite them in the prescribed [prayer]?" He said: "Yes! Do you know the meaning of the Mu'awwidhatayn and do you know concerning what they were revealed? Labid ibn A'sam the Jew cast a spell on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)." Abu Basir said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "His magic nearly took effect!" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Yes! The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) would see himself having intercourse when in reality he was not having intercourse. And he would want [to reach] the door but would not see it until he touched it with his hand." Magic is real. And magic gains power only over the eye and the private part. So Jibra'il (peace be upon him) came to him and informed him of this matter. Then he called Ali (peace be upon him) and sent him to bring out that spell from the well [of Dharwan] Azwan.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Verses have been revealed to me the like of which have not been revealed: those verses are the Mu'awwidhatan.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Anas narrated: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) would very often seek refuge for Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) by means of these two suras.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Whoever, in the days of his youth, commits himself every night to reciting each of قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak] and قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind] three times, and قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَد [Say: He, Allah, is One] one hundred times — and if he cannot, then fifty times — without doubt Allah the Mighty and Majestic will keep away from him disorder of the senses, and every other affliction of the young, and dryness of the throat, and stomach ailments; and as long as he keeps to this practice, he will pass his days in good health until his old age comes. So if he has bound himself to this practice, or others have bound him to it, he will remain in safety until the day Allah the Mighty and Majestic takes his soul.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever recites قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak] and قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ [Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind], it is as though he has recited all the books that Allah revealed to the prophets (peace be upon them).

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "O Uqbah! Would you like me to teach you two surahs that are the best surahs of the Quran?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" Then he taught me the Mu'awwidhatayn (the two surahs of seeking refuge), and then he recited these two surahs in the Fajr prayer and said: "Recite these two surahs when you wake up and when you go to sleep."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever recites Surah al-Falaq every night at the time of sleep, Allah writes for him a reward like the reward of one who has performed Hajj and Umrah and fasted. This surah is a beneficial ta'widh (protective invocation) and a hirz (shield) against every evil-looking eye.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Whoever recites this surah at the time of sleep, there is a great reward for him, and it is a hirz (shield) from every harm, and it is a beneficial ta'widh (protective invocation) and a hirz against every evil-looking eye.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever recites this surah on every night of the nights of the month of Ramadan, in a recommended or obligatory prayer, is like one who has fasted in Makkah, and by the permission of Allah the Exalted, he has the reward of one who has performed Hajj and Umrah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): One whom another person wishes to harm, and he wishes that Allah place a barrier between him and the other, should say when he sees him: "I take refuge in the might and power of Allah from the might and power of His creation, and أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ مِنْ شَرِّ ما خَلَقَ [I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak from the evil of what He has created]." Then he should say what Allah the Mighty and Majestic said to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِیَ اللَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَیْهِ تَوَکَّلْتُ وَ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِیمِ [If they turn away [from the truth], [do not worry]! Say: "Allah is sufficient for me; there is no god but Him; upon Him I have relied; and He is the Lord of the Great Throne."]. Allah will turn away from him the trickery of every trickster, the plotting of every plotter, and the envy of every envier. And let him not say these words except in his presence, for indeed Allah will suffice him by His might.