Explanations are simplified from tafsirs by Ibn Kathir, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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1
١
qul aʿūdhu birabbi l-falaqi
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
2
٢
min sharri mā khalaqa
From the evil of that which He created
3
٣
wamin sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqaba
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
4
٤
wamin sharri l-nafāthāti fī l-ʿuqadi
And from the evil of the blowers in knots
5
٥
wamin sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasada
And from the evil of an envier when he envies."
Surah Al-Falaq (The Daybreak) — Full Text
Ayah 1
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
This surah opens with a command: say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak. Why "daybreak" specifically? Because the dawn is that moment when Allah literally splits the darkness and brings light — and that's exactly what He does when you ask Him for protection. Whatever darkness or difficulty is surrounding you, the One who breaks open every single morning is more than capable of breaking you out of it too. It sets the tone for the whole surah: you're about to ask for protection from some real external threats, and you're asking the most powerful Protector there is.
Ayah 2
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
From the evil of that which He created
This is the broadest possible ask — protect me from the evil of everything You've created. That covers every harmful thing in existence, seen and unseen, physical and spiritual. But the surah doesn't stop here — it goes on to name three specific threats, almost like saying "protect me from all evil, and especially these ones." It's a reminder that evil is a real part of this world (it's a test, after all), and the smart move isn't to pretend it doesn't exist but to actively seek shelter from it with the One who created everything in the first place.
Ayah 3
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
The first specific threat: the darkness of night when it fully settles in. There's something about deep, total darkness that makes harmful things come alive — dangerous creatures come out, bad actors make their moves, and even people's anxieties tend to spike when it's dark and quiet. The Prophet himself once pointed at the moon rising and told Aisha to seek refuge from this kind of darkness. It's not that nighttime is evil in itself, but it's when you're most vulnerable and when harmful forces have the most cover to operate.
Ayah 4
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
And from the evil of the blowers in knots1
The second specific threat: those who practice black magic by blowing on knots. This actually ties directly to the story behind this surah — a man named Labid ibn A'sam cast a spell on the Prophet by tying knots with incantations, and these very verses were the cure. Each verse that was recited untied a knot until the spell was completely broken. The deeper lesson here is that there are hidden forces and manipulations in this world that you can't always see or defend against on your own — and that's exactly why you need divine protection.
Ayah 5
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
And from the evil of an envier when he envies."
The final threat: the envious person when they act on their envy. Jealousy is one of the oldest and most destructive forces out there — it was literally the first sin committed both in the heavens (Iblis was jealous of Adam) and on earth (Cain was jealous of Abel). What makes it especially dangerous is that a jealous person will go to real lengths to tear you down, sometimes in ways you'd never expect from people you thought were cool with you. The surah specifies "when he envies" — meaning when jealousy moves from a feeling to an action. That's when it becomes truly harmful, and that's what you're asking Allah to shield you from.