Commentary of Wa min Sharr Ghāsiq idhā Waqab

It has previously been explained in the commentary of قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ * مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ  (Qul A‘ūdhu bi Rabb al-Falaq min Sharr mā Khalaq) that these verses prophesise that the victory of Islam which began in the epoch of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) will indeed come and that God will bestow all manner of blessings upon the Muslims.

Further, Muslims are instructed on the one hand, to pray that this promised victory is granted to them swiftly, and on the other hand, to seek refuge with Allah Almighty from the misfortunes that befall the rulers of nations, and not to indulge themselves in opulence and luxury because of an abundance of wealth, or fight among themselves for the sake of glory and prestige.

Following these verses, Allah Almighty goes on to say وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ  (wa min Sharr Ghāsiq idhā Waqab) That is, ‘I seek refuge from the evil of  غَاسِق  (Ghāsiq) when it overspreads.’ As mentioned in the lexical analysis [see the April 2024 edition], the term Ghāsiq means night and وَقَبَ (Waqaba)signifies the spread of darkness. Similarly, the word Ghāsiq means the sun, while وَقَبَ  implies the disappearance of something. Thus, considering these meanings, it can be inferred from وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ  that ‘I seek refuge from the evil of the time when the sun sets and complete darkness overspreads.’

Allah Almighty states in Sūrah al-Aḥzāb (Chapter 33) of the Holy Qur’ān that:

يَا أَيُّھَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا * وَدَاعِيًا إِلٰى اللّٰهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا

That is, ‘O Prophet! We have sent you as a role model for the people, a bearer of glad-tidings of prosperity for the believers, and a warner of the news of punishment for the disbelievers. Moreover, by the command of Allah Almighty, [you are made] to call people to Him and to be the sun that illuminates the world.’ [1]

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is referred to as the radiant sun in these verses, and it has been foretold that his light will illuminate the entire world. Allah Almighty has indicated to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in the following words of Sūrah al-Falaq:

 قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ * مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ that it has been decreed for the teachings he has brought to spread throughout the world and that the Holy Prophet (sa) will shine brightly like the sun at its zenith, illuminating the entire planet. The Holy Prophet (sa) is then instructed to beseech Allah Almighty’s protection in these words: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ, lest a time come when the Holy Prophet’s (sa) radiant countenance is hidden from the world, thus depriving people of his light, and darkness engulfs it. In a similar vein, every member of the Muslim Ummah is instructed to continue to pray for protection so that Allah Almighty may prevent them from facing decline after attaining all the accomplishments and the spiritual and material progress that He would bestow upon them through the Holy Prophet Muḥammad^sa. Further, it should not be the case that they ever forsake practising the Holy Qur’ān’s teachings, thereby depriving themselves of the light and radiance of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Holy Qur’ān, and that darkness prevails over them.

Likewise, after material progress has been achieved, it should not be that a circumstance arises that causes the Muslims to fall into the pitfalls of ruin, and if, on account of their own mistakes, such circumstances do arise, may Allah Almighty Himself come to their aid, and may He bring about such circumstances for the world to witness the radiant countenance of the Holy Prophet (sa), so that the days of decline turn into days of prosperity once more.

2) One of the meanings of the word غَسَقَ (Ghasaqa) is the abundance of something. Thus, one infers from the expression غَسَقَتِ السَّماءُ غَسْقًا…أَيْ اِنْصَبَّتْ وأَرَشَّتْ (Ghasaqat al-Samā’ Ghasqan…ai Inṣabbat wa Arashshat) that there was so much water in the clouds that it began to rain heavily. Similarly, the term غَسَقَ is also used when eyes are filled with tears which begin to flow themselves. Considering these meanings, وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَwould mean: ‘I seek refuge [with Allah] from experiencing hardship after comfort and prosperity.’ It is clear that an excess of wealth at times leads one to ruin, whereas at times poverty can have the same effect. For instance, it is observed that sometimes the light’s intensity damages the eyes, and at times the eyes are damaged due to the lack of light; not only do those who stare at the sun lose their eyesight, but also those who live in darkness. Peace and comfort cannot be attained until one adopts the path of moderation. Thus, we learn from the expression مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ (min Sharr mā Khalaq)a prayer to safeguard ourselves against excess wealth and its harms, while the words:

 وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ indicate being safeguarded against the dangers of having too little wealth, which is a dangerous plight to be in, as expressed by the ḥadīth:

كَادَ الْفَقْرُ أَنْ يَكُوْنَ كُفْرًا

(Kāda al-Faqr an Yakūn Kufran)

This means that sometimes poverty causes one to lose their faith. As a safeguard against such circumstances Allah Almighty has taught us to pray that we should beseech Allah Almighty so that after acquiring wealth, a time of poverty may not come upon us. Those who are poor right from the start may not feel [the extent of] their poverty, but for those who face poverty after being wealthy, every passing day becomes more difficult. Thus, in order to be protected against such circumstances we have been taught the prayer:

وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

3) غَاسِقٌ refers to both the sun and the moon. One of the meanings of the word  وُقُوْب (Wuqūb) is an eclipse. Thus, وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ would mean ‘I seek refuge with Allah against the evil of the time of solar and lunar eclipses.’

The eclipse of the sun and moon has twofold significance:

a) The divine light that is necessary for the progress of man would become dim and the things which utilise this light would no longer be able to acquire it. For instance, the sun produces its own light, whereas the moon draws its light from the sun and illuminates the world. If such circumstances were to arise in which the moon was unable to draw light from the sun and it became dark, then such a situation would also fall under the verse: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ. Although this verse constitutes a prayer, it also contains a prophecy with respect to a time in which even the light of the Holy Prophet (sa) would be hidden from the world, and not only would people be unable to perceive his light, but there would also remain no righteous individual or saint among them who occupies the status of ‘the moon’ [in relation to the Holy Prophet (sa)], to draw from his light and disseminate it throughout the world. In fact, only darkness would prevail. It has been instructed that at such a time, one should seek refuge against the evils that may be inflicted on the Muslim Ummah.

b) The eclipse may also be taken here in the literal sense, i.e. this verse refers to the eclipse of the sun and the moon, and Allah instructs us that when such a time comes upon us, we ought to seek refuge with Him against the harms thereof.

It is clearly stated in the aḥādīth that after the Ummah of Muḥammad (sa) has attained spiritual and material progress, a time will come when it will fall into a pit of moral degeneration. There would be nothing left of Islam among them except its name and nothing would remain of the Holy Qur’ān except its script and nobody would act upon it. All sorts of vices would spread among them, and the rule and grandeur they had gained through the blessings of the Holy Qur’ān would come to an end. At such a time, Allah Almighty would aid the Ummah of Muḥammad (sa) and commission a person who would be named the Messiah and Mahdī, and through him, Islam would prevail in every way and its once-effaced glory would be restored in the world. There will be many signs for the advent of the Mahdī and Messiah. Among those signs are the solar and lunar eclipses during the month of Ramaḍān.

إِنَّ لَمَھْدِيِّنَا آيَتَيْنِ لَمْ تَكُونَا مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ , يَنْکَسِفُ الْقَمَرُ لِأَوَّلِ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ , وَتَنْكَسِفُ الشَّمْسُ فِي النِّصْفِ مِنْهُ

That is to say, when our Mahdī is sent to establish the greatness of the religion of Islam, at that time, two signs will appear as evidence for his claim that have never occurred before as proof for any other claimant. First, the moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramaḍān, i.e. on the first of the nights on which a lunar eclipse can occur, and within the same month, the sun will be eclipsed on the middle day, i.e. on which a solar eclipse can occur.[2]

This ḥadīth mentions a specific prophecy regarding the solar and lunar eclipses, and accordingly, Allah Almighty has taught us a prayer in the words: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ that when Islam is in a weak state, and when God Almighty appoints the Messiah and the Mahdī to consolidate the greatness and glory of Islam again, we call on Allah Almighty to protect us from the evil that will come at that time, to include us among his helpers and supporters, and to safeguard us from the punishment that befalls his opponents.

4) As previously stated in the exegesis of أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ Allah has taught us a prayer to seek refuge with Him from the inherent defects that prevent one from attaining excellence. In the words, وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ, we have been taught by Allah Almighty a supplication to protect us from a devastating outcome, because sometimes, although the beginning may be great, the end result can be terrible. Sometimes, one’s end is so untimely or inopportune that their righteousness, rather than enduring, is ruined. This is why this verse omits mention of the middle stage of life and refers to the end instead. That is to say, the words مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ refer to the initialphase of man’s life.Allah Almighty does not refer to the middle stage of human life; instead, He refers to the end phase of man’s life: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ This means, [‘I seek refuge with Allah] from the evils of when something falls into an abyss, disappears and is hidden from sight’ or in other words, fromthe consequences of when amandies and is buried in the earth. [To put it another way, Allah Almighty has instructed man to supplicate:]

‘O my Lord, I seek refuge with You from the ill consequences of that time, just as I seek refuge from my inborn defects that prevent me from making progress. And similarly, I seek refuge with You from a situation in which my death results in such shortcomings that would harm the cause of religion or that my work is left unfinished, and ends badly instead of ending well.’

In this world, death can also lead to evil. In fact at times, man dies before completing a task, resulting in bad outcomes rather than good ones. Therefore, Allah Almighty instructs us to pray to Him so that we may also be safeguarded against the evil relating to one’s demise, i.e. the consequences that may occur after one’s death.

By the grace of Allah Almighty, Allah has given me the glad tidings that He will fulfil tasks for which I have been chosen and the end of my life will be extremely good. Thus, in 1942 Allah Almighty informed me through revelation:

مَوْتُ حَسَنٍ مَوْتٌ حَسَنٌ فِيْ وَقْتٍ حَسَنٍ

meaning, ‘the death of Ḥasan will be a most excellent [Ḥasan] death and it will come to pass at an excellent time.’ In this revelation, I have been declared the spiritual manifestation [burūz] of Ḥasan (ra) [the name of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) grandson, lit. meaning excellent] and Allah Almighty states that He will fulfil all the prophecies relating to me and that my fate will be a most excellent one and this community will never be thrown into disarray. All praise belongs to Allah for this.

As I have already explained in my exegesis of قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ the term Falaq has numerous meanings: it can refer to hellfire, it can refer to the wood in which prisoners are tightly bound and also refers to the small remnants of milk found in a cup. In light of these meanings, Muslims are taught to seek refuge from circumstances that would plunge a nation or individuals into hellfire. In a similar vein, they should seek refuge from any cause that may lead them to prison and they should seek refuge from anything that may cause the teachings of the Qur’ān to disappear from among them, leaving them with a very small portion. All these circumstances reflect a state of moral degeneration which is akin to darkness. In order to protect man from all these eventualities, a comprehensive prayer has been taught in وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ. It has been explained that every member of the Muslim Ummah should pray that Allah Almighty prevents them from being led into conflicts after having lived in peace and tranquillity, as well as from the shame of being occupied by others after having held power and authority. May Allah Almighty safeguard the Muslims from such circumstances wherein only darkness prevails.

In the exegesis of قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ, I have mentioned that we have been taught a prayer to attain perfection not just at the collective level, but also at the personal level. In light of these meanings وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ implies that when one gets Allah Almighty’s protection and is then guided to the path of prosperity, and experiences the radiance and brilliance of the Tower of Light, if at that time it suddenly becomes dark, one would suffer more than before, just as someone who walks in the light and is suddenly plunged into pitch darkness cannot see anything. A believer experiences these stages on their spiritual journey. It is clear from the Holy Qur’ān that a believer experiences both spiritual qabḍ[contraction] and basṭ [expansion] at different times. It can sometimes feel as if God Almighty is in one’s hands; this is the state of basṭ. At other times, it seems as if the [divine] light that they once saw has disappeared. In such circumstances, many ignorant people begin to lose hope and, having arrived right at the precipice of success, then fail [to reach their goal]. They think that perhaps what they saw was not actually divine light. Therefore, Allah Almighty says: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ That is: ‘O Muslim! You must pray to God Almighty: ‘Lord, once I have enjoyed Your light, do not let the state of qabḍ cause my spiritual death. Rather, let it be a means for my progress. And having reached perfection, let me not see decline and let me not die with regrets and unfulfilled desires.’

The tenor of the words وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ is that when a believer who truly adheres to the oneness of God proclaims, as per the command of قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ that he does not rely upon anyone except Allah, he begins to experience opposition. His friends abandon him, and those who were once sympathetic to him turn against him. Thus, a kind of darkness prevails, and nothing can be seen aside from it. In such circumstances, Allah Almighty instructs one to seek refuge with Him alone. Similarly, the words قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ teach us the prayer for attaining excellence. After that, the verse وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ intimates that while striving to achieve perfection, one must always beseech God earnestly in order to be protected from the ill effects of those things that can harm them when they are unaware or heedless, or that can harm them suddenly.

Here, the question may arise: since it was decreed that the Muslims would be in complete and utter darkness, what need is there for one to pray? It should be remembered that not all Muslims benefited from these supplications, but that, by the blessings of the prayers of the Holy Prophet (sa) and other Muslims, God Almighty preserved the seed of Islam in every age, and there remained a spark that could rekindle the flame once again in every age. Therefore, Allah Almighty urged the Holy Prophet (sa) to pray so that at the time of prosperity those in his Ummah who bear an affinity and have a sincere relationship with him would be saved through the blessings of his prayers, and the Holy Prophet (sa) thereby would become an intercessor for people throughout every age.

Since the evil that was prophesied to spread pertains to the entire Ummah, which Allah here refers to in the words وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ, even in the first century there were Muslims who partook in the share of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) prayers, and who on account of their relationship with him attained salvation through his intercession. For them, the Holy Prophet (sa) thus became an intercessor. Similarly, in the second and third centuries, and in the ones that followed, those, who through their relationship with the Holy Prophet (sa), gained protection against spiritual ills and ailments by virtue of this prayer became, as a result, deserving of his intercession. In much the same way, in every age, hundreds of thousands of souls were saved because their prayers harmonised together with the prayers of the Holy Prophet (sa). Though evil continued to become widespread, and the era of darkness which had been foreordained had come to pass, and even the light of Muḥammad (sa) was lost to view, and moreover, the relationship of Muslims to Islam remained only in name, and this fulfilled the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (sa).

لَا يَبْقَى مِنْ الإِسْلامِ إِلَّا اِسْمُهُ ، وَلَا يَبْقَى مِنْ القُرْآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ

That is to say that the Holy Prophet (sa) had foretold a time when Islam would exist only in name, but not in practice. Similarly, the Holy Qur’ān would remain only in script; and its practice would be abandoned. At such a time, due to the earnest prayers of the Holy Prophet (sa), Allah Almighty sent a man of Persian descent to save Islam, who brought down the Qur’ān from the heavens to the earth once again and transformed the Muslims’ dark nights into illuminated days. Neither the prayers of the Holy Prophet Muḥammad (sa) nor the prayers of his Ummah were wasted or in vain. In fact, it was by virtue of these prayers that Allah Almighty decreed that such a moon would rise in the sky of Islam that would reflect the countenance of the Holy Prophet Muḥammad (sa), just as a full moon reflects the sun’s rays.

And it is also worth bearing in mind that the Holy Qur’ān does not conclude with al-Mu‘awwidhatain [collectively, the last two chapters of the Holy Qur’ān]; rather, as is the custom among Muslims, if one reaches the end of the Holy Qur’ān he goes back and reads the first verses immediately so that this chain of Qur’ānic recitation is continued and is not interrupted. It is apparent that the Holy Qur’ān begins with the words, ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ [All Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the Worlds.] And it is the practice of Allah Almighty that every progress and advancement is followed by a decline, but along with that it is necessary that every night is followed by a new day. It was the Holy Prophet Muḥammad’s (sa) seeking refuge with Allah that caused the sun to rise again. Indeed, when the sun set on the previous prophets, a new Ummah was established in their place. Among the distinctive features of the Holy Qur’ān is that after seeking refuge with Allah at the end of the Qur’ān, man begins reading it once again with the word al-Ḥamd [all praise], starting the same process again. In other words, this explains that whoever adheres to the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muḥammad (sa) will inevitably succeed and advance again, after experiencing all those difficult circumstances they will then be shielded by prayers of refuge of the Holy Prophet (sa) for his Ummah, and hereupon the process of al-Falaq al-Muḥammadī [a new dawn for the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (sa)] would arise again. The fact that al-Mu‘awwidhatain appears right at the end of the Holy Qur’ān, intimates that the dispensation of Muḥammad (sa) will never end. This was the wisdom in placing them at the end. Other scriptures appear to begin with seeking refuge with God from evil and, consequently they have now come to an end. However, this command to seek God’s refuge is found at the beginning of the Holy Qur’ān, and it was once again revealed at the end of it. Allah has commanded every person in the Ummahto recite this, signifying that the Holy Prophet’s (sa) dispensation will not cease, but rather, will continue to the end.

ENDNOTES

1. The Holy Qur’ān, 33:46-47.

2. Sunan al-Dāraqutnī, Kitāb al-‘Idain, Bāb Ṣifat al-Kusūf wa al-Khusūf.