121 - The special merit of the last two surahs

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir that he had received new revelations: two surahs that are absolutely unique, particularly in the area of seeking God’s shelter. All the verses in these two surahs seek to protect their reciter against the evil of envy and the work of envious people. There is no similar appeal for God’s refuge anywhere else.

2. These two surahs are entitled The Daybreak and Mankind, respectively. The Prophet refers to them by mentioning the first verse of each, because they are well known by these, and they are often called together al-mu‘awwidhatayn, in reference to their initial words. The first of these two surahs is called in Arabic, al-Falaq, which particularly refers to the daybreak, but linguistically it refers to anything that opens up to usher in something new. This applies to the day as it breaks through the night, and it applies to seeds, date stones and similar things.

Both surahs start with the words qul a‘ūdh, which mean: ‘Say: I seek refuge’. Thus, they encourage turning to God and seeking His protection from the evil and scheming of Satan and his whispers. Reciting these surahs is an appeal to God for protection against all evil. 

Several hadiths recommend the recitation of these two surahs as an appeal for protection and prayer for a cure. One hadith is narrated by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudrī who says: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to appeal for protection from the evil jinn and the envious eye. When he received the revelation of these two surahs, he used them and discarded other formulae’. The Prophet did so because the two surahs cover all that needs to be protected against. As such, they are sufficient. 

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) uses a particular Arabic style expressing wonder, saying: ‘have you not seen’. This formula is frequently used in the Qur’an, as it draws the addressee’s attention to a particular point, theme or phenomenon. It is highly effective and it ensures better response as the message the speaker puts across is quickly understood. It is advisable that scholars, advocates of Islam and educators should use this and similar opening formulae to ensure that their audiences are paying full attention. 

2. The hadith makes clear that these two surahs are the best appeals for protection and recovery a Muslim may use. However, this does not preclude the use of other prayers and glorifications of God mentioned in the Prophet’s hadiths. Nor does it preclude resorting to other measures that protect people from evil. However, these two surahs are the best and most effective. 

3. In the second of these surahs, entitled Mankind, Satan is described as ‘slinking’ which means ‘moving stealthily’. However, the description also connotes that he retreats when a person says God’s name. Therefore, the more a person glorifies God and supplicates to Him the farther away Satan goes. We should remember God, praise and glorify Him at all times, and we should seek God’s protection from Satan whenever some ill thoughts creep into our minds or we are tempted to commit a sin. 

4. We should learn, memorize, understand and teach the Qur’anic surahs God has given special merit to. These should be taught at home, school and study circles.

5. The hadith and the verses of these surahs show that it is not possible to avert harm caused by envious people and those who resort to black magic unless we seek God’s help. He alone can repel harm, as He is the Creator, Lord and Sovereign of all. Nothing happens anywhere in the universe without His permission.