Lesson Six
Fortress of All That’s Coming to Appearance
(Al-Falaq Surah )
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
14. "Say: I proudly seek refuge in the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance (Al-Falaq),"
15. "From the evil of what He creates,"
16. "From the evil of the dusky (devil), when he enters the hole (chest),"
17. "From the evil of the spitters on knots (sorcerers and sorceresses),"
18. "And from the evil of the envier, when he envies."
In this noble Fortress, Almighty God clarifies that resorting to Him saves us and protects us from all kinds of evil.
This Fortress has adopted the same method in its demonstration that is followed by the An-Nas Fortress that came before.
It reminds us of the Might of our Provider, so as to make our spirits submit to Him and turn truthfully towards Him. At the same time, it reveals the benefits we gain from resorting to our Provider and the benefits we get from feeling proud of Him.
The An-Nas (Oblivious Humankind, Oblivious Jinn-kind) Fortress served as a preparatory lesson, informing humanity of our Provider first of all, and revealing that seeking might in the Almighty protects us from the evil that results from the devil’s insinuations and whispers. This Fortress, Al-Falaq, moves humanity to a higher level. It shows us that the Provider in whom we seek refuge is the Provider of the entire universe, and is the One Who sustains all of the life that exists there in. The verse goes on to explain the evil that we can avoid if we are wise enough to turn to our Provider. Therefore, God says: "Say: I proudly seek refuge in the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance (Al-Falaq).
Verse no. 1
19. "Say: I proudly seek refuge in the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance (Al-Falaq),"
This noble verse calls on us to turn to Al’lah so as to benefit from His Might.
"Say: I proudly seek refuge" : that is, tell your spirit to be proud of, and to seek strength and protection alongside the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance (Al-Falaq).
The word Al-Falaq in Arabic is derived from the verb ‘Falaqa’, which means to uncover a thing which had been hidden, and to dispel the darkness that had surrounded it.
A narrower meaning of the word Al-Falaq is ‘daybreak’. However, in this instance, it has a more comprehensive meaning which encompasses everything that the Almighty has brought into existence, and everything that He will bring into existence which previously existed in Al-Azal world on the day that all spirits were created.
Therefore, the things that this word refers to include the earth and the heavens, the sun and the moon, heat and cold, day and night, humanity, plants, and animals. It refers to everything that God has created or will create in this universe, and which He will bring into the world of shapes and bodies.
Thus, Al’lah (glory to Him) is the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance; that is, He is the Provider Who supplies life to everything that exists in the universe.
However, when we take refuge in the Provider of Al-Falaq, from what are we seeking refuge?!
The Almighty clarified this for us when He said: "From the evil of what He creates."
Verse no. 2
20. "From the evil of what He creates."
"The evil" is the wicked desire that arises in a being’s spirit when it is far from God. However, in this verse, it refers to the harm that is generated by this desire, and the damage that results from it when it comes out of the world of spirits and into the world of action.
"Creates" : this action is performed by God, because it is through the Almighty God that creation is accomplished. It is God Who brings what is in the spirit into existence, and supplies it with movement.
A creature desires and makes choices in its spirit. Creation is then accomplished by the Almighty.
Thus, the total meaning of His Saying: "From the evil of what He creates" is: I seek refuge in God from the harm and damage that is issued from the creature that Al’lah creates, according to the desire and choice of this creature.
Verse no. 3
21. "From the evil of the deep-dark (devil), when he enters the hole (chest)."
"The deep-dark" here refers to the devil, because as a result of his turning away from God and his distance from Him, he became a black spirit.
"Enters the hole" : the word ‘hole’ here refers to a person’s chest, because when people turn away from God, the devil comes to them, entering them through the chest. He then begins to deceive the spirit, making it imagine that bad actions are good. His intention is to bring out the wicked desires which have arisen within the spirit, because of its distance from its Provider. This deception and temptation means that the spirit will develop bad intentions, and will become determined on insisting that their desires be realized. If the spirit maintains its distance from God and insists on obtaining that which it desires, then it will come to do the things with which the devil tempted it, and as a result of such bad deeds it will suffer from severe pain and brutal torture.
That torture and pain are caused by the deep-dark devil.
Therefore, if the spirit seeks the Protection of Al’lah, then it will be safe from the torment and misery resulting from the bad deeds, which the devil uses his temptation and cunning to encourage.
This verse is firmly connected with the previous verse. It shows us how the evil which befalls us at the hands of other creatures arises. It results from the malicious deeds we perform at the devil’s prompting, through which we cause harm to the rest of creation. The truth of this is demonstrated by the noble saying of the Prophet (cpth) in which he teaches us to say: "Oh Al’lah of all! I take refuge in You from the evil of myself and from the evil of each creature whose forelock is in Your Grasp. (Indeed, my Provider judges according to a straight path). [ Sahih Muslim.]" The last sentence, inside the brackets, is the Prophet’s message to us.
This invocation illustrates what is mentioned in this Fortress, and reveals to us the evil of our spirits.
It shows us that the damage which we cause to others leads to damage being caused to us by others.
This invocation also makes clear the fact that nothing afflicts us except by God’s Leave and within His Justice.
Thus, if we perform deeds that merit punishment, He will direct our harm back upon us through the hands of His creation; that is, by means of any creature which walks upon the earth.
This is the real meaning of the statement "…of each creature whose forelock is in Your Grasp." mentioned in the noble saying.
Therefore, undoubtedly, there is no evil that befalls us which is not preceded by an evil deed that we perform, through which we make others suffer.
The Almighty says: "And was it so: when a disaster struck you, though you had done equal wrong twice, you said: ‘how is this?’ Say (unto them, Oh Mohammad): ‘it is from yourselves. Al’lah is Omnipotent’." The Holy Qur‟an, Fortress 3, Al "Imran (The Family of "Imran), verse 16
Verse no. 4
22. "From the evil of the spitters on knots."
"Spitters" is derived from the verb ‘to spit’ which means to project something out of one’s mouth. Also, ‘spitting’ means ‘throwing’ and ‘casting’.
For example, when we say that the snake spat out its venom, it means that it threw it out and cast it into the body of its victim, so the snake is a ‘spitter’ in this case.
Thus, "the spitters" are ‘the throwers’ and, in this noble verse, the word "spitters" refers to witches.
As for the word ―knots" , it is the plural of ‘knot’ which refers to that which holds things and binds them. Hence it means everything that can be concluded and firmly connected.
In this verse, the intended meaning of "knots" is social relationships. One example of this is marriage, which binds and firmly fixes the relations between a husband and wife. It can also refer to the relations that connect friends to one another.
Therefore, "the spitters on knots" refers to the vicious spirits who use magic as a mean to help them achieve their malicious purposes.
The witches are spitters, because they throw the malice and cunning that exist in their spirits. With such acts, they sow dissension between people.
Magicians’ throwing, as understood in this verse from the phrase "on knots" , takes two forms:
- In one case, the purpose of their throwing is positive, meaning that they aim to bring two people close together. Consequently their efforts work to make a knot and establish an illicit relationship.
In the other case, their purpose is negative, and by sowing the division, they stir up discord and aversion between two people, just as the devil did between our master Joseph and his brothers. God says on the tongue of His Envoy Joseph (pth): "…after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers…" The Holy Qur‟an, Fortress 12, Yusuf (Joseph), verse 100
In this case, their effort works to destroy the knot and unsettle the established relationship. God says: "...They(people who are far from God, followers of Satan who wish to learn and practise magic)learn from both of them(the devils of humankind and the devils of jinn-kind)that which makes them create discord between husband and wife..." The Holy Qur‟an, Fortress 2, Al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 102
However, how does damage flow from the magician to the person who is bewitched? How can the throwers (the witches) have an effect upon a person?
Outwardly: with their spit, the magician drives the devil towards the person to be bewitched, using it to make the latter imagine whatever the magician wants.
Inwardly: the devil uses the magician’s spirit, by which he reaches the bewitched. Thence the devil can make the bewitched imagine whatever he wants, spurring them to cause harm and inflict damage.
To go into more detail, we say:
When a magician directs themselves towards the bewitched, the ray of their spirit flows towards them. In this moment, the devil seizes the opportunity and penetrates that ray, so he can enter into the bewitched through it. There, he makes them imagine whatever he likes, such as making knots or abrogating them, or dissolving existing relations.
However, the absolute fact is that neither would the magician be given power to drive the devil nor could the devil utilize the magician’s spirit unless the bewitched was already an oppressive person who deserved to be afflicted with this harm by both the devil and the magician.
God says: "...But they (magicians) can harm none with it except by God’s Leave..."
The Holy Qur‟an, Fortress 2, Al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 102
Thus, there are two things that are responsible for revisiting a person’s deeds upo n them and allow these two malignant partners to overpower and bewitch them: firstly, the wicked desire which grows in the spirit of humanity when we are far from God; secondly, the harm which is caused by that desire and which people then inflict on others. By contrast, if a person is near to God, they would neither commit any evil nor be subject to any damage or harm caused by the devil and the magicians.
Resorting to the Provider of all that’s coming to appearance (Al-Falaq) protects us from the evil of those who spit on knots.
Verse no. 5
23. "And from the evil of the envier, when he envies."
An "envier" is a person who shuns Al’lah. When they see grace bestowed upon others, they like it, desire it, and wish that it was bestowed on them instead.
"When he envies" : that is, when a person intends to envy, and that desire and wish for a grace that has been bestowed on others emanates from them. The harm caused by their envy is what is called in spoken language ‘causing damage by the eye’.
You might ask: "how does the envier cause damage to befall the one who is envied?"
I say, when seeing this grace and feeling a great desire for it, the envier’s spirit flows towards the one they envy, so that it touches and comes into contact with it, and its ray overlaps with their ray. Here, the way becomes open for the devil to use the envier’s spirit as a path through which he can pass into the spirit of the envied person, in order to smite them with illness or damage. At that time, the envier’s spirit will be, for the devil, similar to wire for electric energy.
Thus, the devil would not be able to find a way leading to the spirit of the one who is envied without the existence of the envier, any more than he would be able to enter their spirit or hurt and cause damage to them if they had in fact been near to God and resorting to Him.
Entering into God’s Presence surrounds the spirit with His Light on all sides. In this way, the spirit is in an inaccessible place, so that the Godly Light stands as a rampart between it and the devil. In this case, if the devil wanted to break through it, he would burn and perish to do so.
Just as resorting to God keeps you safe from the evil of the envier, so it keeps your spirit removed from theirs, and detached from their inclination.
Consequently, as long as you resort to God, your family, your children, and even your belongings, as well as all your other loved ones will be safe from any damage caused by the eye. That damage is the evil of the envier.
Finally, we conclude our speech, saying:
Drawing nearer to the Provider of Al-Falaq, and permanently resorting to Him, will protect humanity from all kinds of evil, and will drive away everything hateful that may cause illness or damage.