قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
SAY: "I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the rising dawn, (1)
مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
"from the evil of aught that He has created, (2)
وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
"and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends, (3)
وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ
"and from the evil of all human beings bent on occult endeavours. (4)
وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
"and from the evil of the envious when he envies." (5)
- "and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends,2
- 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.
- From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads;6304
- 6304 The darkness of the night, physical darkness, is a good type of physical dangers and difficulties. Many people are afraid of physical darkness, and all are afraid of physical injuries, accidents, and calamities. We should not fear, but having taken reason able precautions, trust in Allah.
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From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads;
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
From the evil of the darkness when it is intense,
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And from the evil of the utterly dark night when it comes,
— M. Habib Shakir -
"And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And from the evil of the darken when it cometh,
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
from the evil of the darkness when it gathers
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
and from the evil of darkness when it gathers,
— Ayub Khan -
And from the evil of darkness when it overspreads,
— Sher Ali -
"and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends,
— Muhammad Asad -
from the evil of darkness when it gathers,
— Arthur Arberry -
from the evil of night's darkness when it spreads around;{{5}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi