Al-Falaq is one of the two protecting surahs of which the Prophet ﷺ said: “Have you not seen the verses revealed tonight, the like of which has never been seen?” No one asks or seeks refuge with anything like them. The Prophet ﷺ recited them in prayer, advised reading them on going to sleep and on rising, used them for protection from jinn and the evil eye, and Gabriel brought them when he was bewitched.
The Prophet ﷺ said that verses like Al-Falaq and An-Nas had never been seen, and that no one has ever asked or sought refuge with anything like them: no other surah of the Qur’an is, in all its verses, a formula of protection.
Authentic (sahih)Muslim (814) and At-Tirmidhi (2902) Good (hasan)An-Nasa’i (As-Sunan al-Kubra, 8063) and Ad-Darimi (3440)
The Prophet ﷺ taught them to Uqbah ibn Amir, saying: “Shall I not teach you two of the best surahs people recite?”, and told him about Al-Falaq: “You will not stand in prayer with anything like it.”
Authentic (sahih)Ahmad (4/144), Abu Dawud (1462) and Ibn Khuzaymah (534) Good (hasan)Ahmad (4/149) and An-Nasa’i (As-Sunan al-Kubra, 7842)
The Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge from the jinn and the evil eye of humans; when the two protecting surahs were revealed, he took them and left everything else.
When a man from the Jews bewitched the Prophet ﷺ, Gabriel came down with the two protecting surahs; Ali was told to untie the knots while reciting, and the Prophet ﷺ rose as if released from a fetter.
Authentic (sahih)Ahmad (4/367), An-Nasa’i (7/112) and Abd ibn Humayd (271)
The Prophet ﷺ recited them in prayer, told Uqbah to read them whenever he went to sleep and got up, and said to one of his Companions: “When you pray, recite them.”
Authentic (sahih)Ahmad (4/144), Abu Dawud (1462) and Ibn Khuzaymah (534) Authentic (sahih)Ahmad (5/24) and Ibn ad-Durays (334)
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
ألم تر آيات أنزلت الليلة لم يُر مثلهن قط؟ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ﴾
Have you not seen the verses revealed tonight, the like of which has never been seen? “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak” and “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind”.
يا عقيب! ألا أعلمك سورتين من خير سورتين قرأ بهما الناس؟ قال: قلت: بلى يا رسول الله، فأقرأني ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ﴾ ثم أقيمت الصلاة فتقدم رسول الله ﷺ فقرأ بهما، ثم مر بي، قال: كيف رأيت يا عقيب؟ اقرأ بهما كلما نمت، وكما قمت
“O little Uqbah, shall I not teach you two surahs that are among the best two surahs people recite?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he taught me “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak” and “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind”. Then the prayer was called; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stepped forward and recited them. Then he passed by me and said: “What do you think, little Uqbah? Recite them whenever you go to sleep and whenever you get up.”
… فقال: ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ﴾ فقرأتها حتى أتيت على آخرها، ثم قال: قل، قلت: ماذا أقول يا رسول الله؟ قال: ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ﴾ فقرأتها حتى أتيت على آخرها، ثم قال رسول الله ﷺ عند ذلك: ما سأل سائل بمثلهما، ولا استعاذ مستعيذ بمثلهما
… He said: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak”, and I recited it to the end. Then he said: “Say.” I asked: “What shall I say, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind”, and I recited it to the end. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “No one has ever asked with anything like these two, and no one has sought refuge with anything like them.”
أقرأ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الفَلَقِ﴾ فأعادها عليه حتى قرأها، فعرف أني لم أفرح بها جدًّا فقال: لعلك تهاونت بها؟ فما قمت تصلي بشيء مثلها
“Recite: Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak.” He repeated it to him until he recited it. Seeing that I was not very pleased with it, he said: “Perhaps you think little of it? You will not stand in prayer with anything like it.”
كان رسول الله ﷺ يتعوذ من الجان، وعين الإنس؛ حتى نزلت المعوذتان، فلما نزلتا أخذ بهما وترك ما سواهما.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge from the jinn and from the evil eye of humans until the two protecting surahs (al-mu’awwidhatan) were revealed; when they were revealed, he took them and left everything else.
سحر النبي ﷺ رجل من اليهود. قال: فاشتكى، فأتاه جبريل فنزل عليه بالمعوذتين وقال: إن رجلًا من اليهود سحرك والسحر في بئر فلان. قال: فأرسل عليًّا فجاء به. قال: فأمره أن يحل العقد ويقرأ آية، فجعل يقرأ ويحل حتى قام النبي ﷺ كأنما أنشط من عقال.
A man from the Jews bewitched the Prophet ﷺ, and he fell ill. Gabriel came to him, bringing down the two protecting surahs, and said: “A man from the Jews has bewitched you, and the spell is in the well of so-and-so.” He sent Ali, who brought it, and told him to untie the knots while reciting a verse; he began reciting and untying until the Prophet ﷺ rose as if released from a fetter.
فضرب منكبي فقال: قل: أعوذ برب الفلق، فقلت: أعوذ برب الفلق فقرأها رسول الله ﷺ وقرأتها معه، ثم قال: قل: أعوذ برب الناس، فقرأها رسول الله ﷺ وقرأتها معه قال: إذا أنت صليت فاقرأ بهما.
He tapped my shoulder and said: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak.” I said it, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited it and I recited it with him. Then he said: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind”, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited it and I recited it with him. He said: “When you pray, recite them.”
أتحب يا جبير إذا خرجت سفرًا أن تكون من أمثل أصحابك هيئة وأكثرهم زادًا؟ … فاقرأ هذه السور الخمس: ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ ﴿إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ و ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ﴾ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ﴾ وافتتح كل سورة ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، واختتم قراءتك ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
“Would you like, Jubayr, when you set out on a journey, to be the best-looking of your companions and the best provided? … Then recite these five surahs: Al-Kafirun, An-Nasr, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas; begin each surah with ‘Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim’ and end your recitation with ‘Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim’.”
Main purpose: To urge people to hold fast to Allah against all evils.
Surah Al-Falaq, also called “Qul a’udhu bi-rabbi l-falaq”, forms with the next surah the “two protecting surahs” (al-mu’awwidhatan), revealed in the order in which they appear in the Qur’an. As-Suyuti held both to be Meccan, Al-Falaq having been revealed after Al-Fil and before An-Nas. It has five verses. Ibn Hajar cites a report from Aishah, whose chain he deems authentic, that Al-Falaq was revealed when the Prophet ﷺ was bewitched.
Tafsir of Surah Al-Falaq Listen to Al-Falaq by other reciters
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
