• Meta Title: Complete Tafsir of Surah An-Nas & Surah Al-Falaq | Ibn Kathir

• Meta Description: Read the detailed Tafsir of Surah An-Nas (114) and Surah Al-Falaq (113). Explore their virtues, the position of Ibn Mas’ud, the incident of the Prophet’s bewitchment, and explanations of every verse.

• Primary Keywords: Tafsir of Surah An-Nas, Tafsir of Surah Al-Falaq, Al-Mu’awwidhatayn virtues, Surah 114 Tafsir, Surah 113 Tafsir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir

[Featured Image: Beautiful Quran Calligraphy with Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas]

Table of Contents

1. The Position of Ibn Mas’ud Concerning Al-Mu’awwidhatayn

2. The Virtues of Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas

3. Surah Al-Falaq: Arabic Text, Translation, and Tafsir

4. The Bewitchment of the Prophet (ﷺ)

5. Surah An-Nas: Arabic Text, Translation, and Tafsir

6. Biographies of Notable Islamic Scholars

The Position of Ibn Mas’ud Concerning Al-Mu’awwidhatayn

Imam Ahmad recorded from Zirr bin Hubaysh that Ubayy bin Ka’b told him that Ibn Mas’ud did not record the Mu’awwidhatayn (Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas) in his Mushaf (copy of the Qur’an).

Ubayy bin Ka’b said:

“I testify that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) informed me that Jibril said to him:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”)
So he said it.
And Jibril said to him:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.”)
So he said it.
Therefore, we say what the Prophet (ﷺ) said.”

The Virtues of Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas

Narration 1: Sahih Muslim

In his Sahih, Muslim recorded on the authority of ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

أَلَمْ تَرَ آيَاتٍ أُنْزِلَتْ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ قَطُّ:

“Do you not see that there have been Ayat revealed to me tonight the like of which has not been seen before? They are:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”)
and;
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.”)*”

• Note: This Hadith was also recorded by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i. At-Tirmidhi classified it as Hasan Sahih.

Narration 2: The Journey with ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir

Imam Ahmad recorded from ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir that he said:

“While I was leading the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) along one of these paths, he said:
‘O ‘Uqbah! Will you not ride?’
I was afraid that this might be considered an act of disobedience. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got down and I rode for a while. Then he rode. Then he said:

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

‘O ‘Uqbah! Should I not teach you two Surahs that are of the best two Surahs that the people recite?’
I said: ‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah.’
So he taught me to recite:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”)
and
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.”)

Then the call was given to begin the prayer and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went forward (to lead the people), and he recited them in the prayer. Afterwards he passed by me and said:
‘What do you think, O ‘Uqayb!’

اقْرَأْ بِهِمَا كُلَّمَا نِمْتَ وَكُلَّمَا قُمْتَ

‘Recite these two Surahs whenever you go to sleep and whenever you get up.’“

• Recorded by: An-Nasa’i and Abu Dawud.

Narration 3: The Ultimate Protection

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

إِنَّ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَتَعَوَّذُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَيْنِ:

“Verily, the people do not seek protection with anything like these two:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”)
and;
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (Say: “I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind.”)*”

Narration 4: Beseeching and Seeking Refuge

An-Nasa’i recorded that ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir said:

“I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he said: ‘O ‘Uqbah! Say!’
I replied: ‘What should I say!’
So he was silent and did not respond to me. Then he said: ‘Say!’
I replied: ‘What should I say, O Messenger of Allah!’
He said:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”)
So, I recited it until I reached its end.
Then he said: ‘Say!’
I replied: ‘What should I say O Messenger of Allah!’
He said:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.”)
So, I recited it until I reached its end.
Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

مَا سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِمِثْلِهَا، وَلَا اسْتَعَاذَ مُسْتَعِيذٌ بِمِثْلِهَا

‘No person beseeches with anything like these, and no person seeks refuge with anything like these.’“

Narration 5: The Best Thing for Protection

An-Nasa’i recorded that Ibn Abis Al-Juhani said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him:

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

‘O Ibn Abis! 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 Allah!”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
هَاتَانِ السُّورَتَانِ
‘Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.”‘ and ‘Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.”‘ These two Surahs (are the best protection).“

Narration 6: Reciting over the Sick

Imam Malik recorded from A’ishah (R.A.) that:

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was suffering from an ailment, he would recite the Mu’awwidhatayn over himself and blow (over himself).
Then, if his pain became severe, A’ishah (R.A.) said that she would recite the Mu’awwidhatayn over him, take his hand, and wipe it over himself, seeking the blessing of those Surahs.

• Recorded by: Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah.

Narration 7: Abandoning Other Protections

It has been reported from Abu Sa`id (R.A.) that:

The Messenger of Allah (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.

• Recorded by: At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah. At-Tirmidhi classified it as Hasan Sahih.

[Table: Summary of Key Narrations on Al-Mu’awwidhatayn]
| Source | Key Narrator | Practical Instruction |
| :— | :— | :— |
| Sahih Muslim | ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir | These verses are unparalleled in protection. |
| Abu Dawud / An-Nasa’i | ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir | Recite whenever going to sleep and getting up. |
| Sahih Al-Bukhari | A’ishah (R.A.) | Recite and blow over the body during illness. |
| At-Tirmidhi | Abu Sa`id (R.A.) | Use them for protection against evil eyes of Jinn and men. |

Surah Al-Falaq: Arabic Text, Translation, and Tafsir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Verses of Surah Al-Falaq

Tafsir of the Verses

Verse 1: “Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq”

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Jabir said:

“Al-Falaq is the morning.”

Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn Abbas:

“Al-Falaq is the morning.”

The same has been reported from Mujahid, Said bin Jubayr, Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Muhammad bin Ka’b Al-Qurazi, and Ibn Zayd. Malik also reported a similar statement from Zayd bin Aslam.

Al-Qurazi, Ibn Zayd, and Ibn Jarir all said:

“This is like Allah’s saying: فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ (He is the Cleaver of the daybreak…) (6:96)”

Verse 2: “From the evil of what He has created”

This means from the evil of all created things. Thabit Al-Bunani and Al-Hasan Al-Basri both said:

“Hell, Iblis (Satan) and his progeny, from among that which He (Allah) created.”

Verse 3: “And from the evil of the Ghasiq when Waqab”

• Mujahid’s View:

  “Ghasiq is the night, and ‘when it Waqab’ refers to the setting of the sun.”
  Al-Bukhari mentioned this from him. Ibn Abi Najih also reported a similar narration from him (Mujahid). The same was said by Ibn Abbas, Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, Ad-Dahhak, Khusayf, Al-Hasan, and Qatadah:
  “Verily, it is the night when it advances with its darkness.”

• Az-Zuhri’s View:

  “This means the sun when it sets.”

• Abu Hurayrah’s View:

  “This means the star.”

• Ibn Zayd’s View:

  “The Arabs used to say: ‘Al-Ghasiq 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.'”

• Ibn Jarir’s View (The Moon):
  Others have said that it refers to the moon. The support for this position is a narration that Imam Ahmad recorded from Al-Harith bin Abi Salamah, where A’ishah (R.A.) said:

  “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took me by my hand and showed me the moon when it rose, and he said: ‘Seek refuge with Allah from the evil of this Ghasiq when it becomes dark.’“
  At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i both recorded this Hadith in their Books of Tafsir in their Sunans.

Verse 4: “And from the evil of the blowers in knots”

Mujahid, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Ad-Dahhak all said:

“This means the witches.”

Mujahid explained:

“When they perform their spells and blow into the knots.”

Verse 5: “And from the evil of the envier when he envies”

In another Hadith, it is reported that Jibril came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said:

“Are you suffering from any ailment, O Muhammad?”
The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: ‘Yes.’
So Jibril said:
“In the Name of Allah, I recite prayer (Ruqyah) over you, from every illness that harms you, from the evil of every envious person and evil eye. May Allah cure you.”

[Image: Natural Morning Sunrise Illustrating “Al-Falaq” (The Cleaving of Daybreak)]

The Bewitchment of the Prophet (ﷺ)

In the Book of Medicine of his Sahih, Al-Bukhari recorded that A’ishah (R.A.) said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was bewitched until he thought that he had relations with his wives, but he had not had relations with them.”

Sufyan said:

“This is the worst form of magic when it reaches this stage.”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“O A’ishah! Do you know that Allah 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: ‘Labid bin Asam. 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 Dharwan.’“

A’ishah (R.A.) said:

“So he went to the well to remove it (the comb with the hair). Then he said:

هَذِهِ الْبِئْرُ الَّتِي أُرِيتُهَا، وَكَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الحِنَّاءِ،وَكَأَنَّ نَخْلَهَا رُؤُوسُ الشَّيَاطِين

‘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 from the well.
Then I (A’ishah) said: ‘Will you not make this public?’
He replied:

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

‘Allah has cured me and I hate to spread (the news of) wickedness to any of the people.’“

Surah An-Nas: Arabic Text, Translation, and Tafsir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Biographies of Notable Islamic Scholars

• Hazrat Allama Maulana Hidaayatullah Khan Rampuri Biography

• Hazrat Qutub Mahmood Suharwardi Karantawi Biography

• Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas’ood Biography

• Hazrat Khwaja Abu Ali Shafeeq al-Balkhi Biography

• Hazrat Shaikh Sayyed Sharf-ud-deen Abu Muhamamd Isa Qadri al-Jilani Biography

• Hazrat Qaazi Hameed-ud-deen Mohammad Nagori Biography

Verses of Surah An-Nas

Tafsir of the Verses

Verses 1 – 3: The Three Attributes of Allah

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (1) مَلِكِ النَّاسِ (2) إِلَهِ النَّاسِ (3)

These are three attributes from the attributes of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic:

1. Lordship (Rububiyyah)

2. Sovereignty (Mulk)

3. Divinity (Uluhiyyah)

Thus, He is:

• The Lord of everything,

• The King of everything, and

• The God of everything.

All things are created by Him, owned by Him, and subservient to Him. Therefore, He commands whoever is seeking protection to seek refuge with the One Who has these attributes from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws.

The Assignment of the Companion (Qareen)

The whisperer is the devil (Shaytan) that is assigned to man. For verily, there is not any of the Children of Adam except that he has a companion (Qareen) that beautifies wicked deeds for him. This devil will go to any lengths to confuse and confound him. The only person who is safe is He Whom Allah protects.

It is confirmed in the Sahih that he (the Prophet) said:

مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا قَدْ وُكِّلَ بِهِ قَرِينُهُ

“There is not a single one of you except that his companion (a devil) has been assigned to him.”

They (the Companions) said: “What about you, O Messenger of Allah!”

He replied:

نَعَمْ، إِلَّا أَنَّ اللهَ أَعَانَنِي عَلَيْهِ فَأَسْلَمَ، فَلَا يَأْمُرُنِي إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ

“Yes. However, Allah has helped me against him and he has accepted Islam. Thus, he only commands me to do good.”

The Incident of Safiyyah bint Huyay

It is also confirmed in the Two Sahihs from Anas, who reported the story of Safiyyah when she came to visit the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was performing Itikaf. He went out with her during the night to walk her back to her house. Two men from the Ansar met him on the way.

When they saw the Prophet (ﷺ), they began walking swiftly. So, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

عَلَى رِسْلِكُمَا، إِنَّهَا صَفِيَّةُ بِنْتُ حُيَيَ

“Slow down! This is Safiyyah bint Huyay!”

They said: “Glory be to Allah, O Messenger of Allah!”

He said:

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَجْرِي مِنِ ابْنِ آدَمَ مَجْرَى الدَّم، وَإِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَقْذِفَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمَا شَيْئًا، أَوْ قَالَ: شَرًّا

“Verily, Shaytan runs in the Son of Adam like the running of the blood. And verily, I feared that he might cast something into your hearts — or he said — evil.”

Verse 4: “From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws”

الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاس

Sa`id bin Jubayr reported that Ibn Abbas said concerning this statement:

“The devil who is squatting (perched) upon the heart of the Son of Adam. So when he becomes absentminded and heedless he whispers. Then, when he remembers Allah he withdraws.”
Mujahid and Qatadah also agreed with this explanation.

Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn Abbas:

“He is Shaytan. He whispers and then when he is obeyed, he withdraws.”

Al-Mutamir bin Sulayman reported that his father said:

“It has been mentioned to me that Shaytan is Al-Waswas. He blows into the heart of the Son of Adam when he is sad and when he is happy. But when he (man) remembers Allah, Shaytan withdraws.”

Verse 5: “Who whispers in the breasts of An-Nas”

الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاس

Is this specific to the Children of Adam as is apparent, or is it general, including both mankind and Jinns?

There are two views concerning this. This is because they (the Jinns) are also included in the usage of the word An-Nas (the people) in most cases.

Ibn Jarir said:

“The phrase Rijalun min Al-Jinn (Men from the Jinns) has been used in reference to them, so it is not strange for the word An-Nas to be applied to them also.”

Verse 6: “Of Jinn and An-Nas”

مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاس

Is this explanatory of Allah’s statement: Who whispers in the breasts of An-Nas?
If so, Allah explains this by saying: Of Jinn and An-Nas. This is supportive of the second view.

It has also been said that Allah’s saying, Of Jinn and An-Nas, is an explanation of who it is that whispers into the breasts of mankind, specifically pointing to the devils from among both mankind and Jinns. This is similar to Allah’s saying:

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نِبِىٍّ عَدُوّاً شَيَـطِينَ الإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِى بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُوراً

“And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies — Shayatin (devils) among mankind and Jinn, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion.” (6:112)

Returning the Devil’s Plot as a Whisper

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Abbas said:

“A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said:
‘O Messenger of Allah! Sometimes I say things to myself that I would rather fall from the sky than say (aloud openly).’

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرٌ الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي رَدَّ كَيْدَهُ إِلَى الْوَسْوَسَةِ

‘Allah is Most Great! Allah is Most Great! All praise is due to Allah Who sent his (Shaytan’s) plot back as only a whisper.’“

• Recorded by: Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i.

[Infographic: How to Safeguard Yourself Daily with Al-Mu’awwidhatayn]

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.