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 all human beings bent on occult endeavours,3
- 3 Lit., "of those that blow (an-naffathat) upon knots": an idiomatic phrase current in pre-Islamic Arabia and, hence, employed in classical Arabic to designate all supposedly occult endeavours; it was probably derived from the practice of "witches" and "sorcerers" who used to tie a string into a number of knots while blowing upon them and murmuring magic incantations. The feminine gender of naffathat does not, as Zamakhshari and Razi point out, necessarily indicate "women", but may well relate to "human beings" (anfus, sing, nafs, a noun that is grammatically feminine). In his explanation of the above verse, Zamakhshari categorically rejects all belief in the reality and effectiveness of such practices, as well as of the concept of "magic" as such. Similar views have been expressed - albeit in a much more elaborate manner, on the basis of established psychological findings - by Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida (see Manar I, 398 ff.). The reason why the believer is enjoined to "seek refuge with God" from such practices despite their palpable irrationality is - according to Zamakhshari - to be found in the inherent sinfulness of such endeavours (see surah 2, note 84), and in the mental danger in which they may involve their author.
- From the mischief of those who practise Secret Arts;6305
- 6305 Those who practise Secret Arts: literally, 'those (feminine) who blow on knots', this having been a favourite form of witchcraft practiced by perverted women. Such secret arts cause psychological terror. They may be what is called magic, or secret plottings, or the display of false and seductive charms (3:14), or the spreading of false and secret rumours or slanders to frighten men or deter them from right action. There is fraud in such things, but men are swayed by it. They should cast off fear and do their duty.
-
From the mischief of those who practise secret arts;
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
And from the evil of malignant witchcraft,
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And from the evil of those who blow on knots,
— M. Habib Shakir -
"And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots,
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And from the evil of the women blowers upon knots,
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
from the evil of the blowers on knots;
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
and from the evil of the women who blow on knots,
— Ayub Khan -
And from the evil of those who blow upon the knots of mutual relationships to undo them,
— Sher Ali -
"and from the evil of all human beings bent on occult endeavours.
— Muhammad Asad -
from the evil of the women who blow on knots,
— Arthur Arberry -
from the evil of the women who blow on knots;{{6}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi