into everything, bringing darkness. Al-ghasaq means darkness. Al-Zajjāj said that al-ghāsiq means cold, and that night is therefore called ghāsiq because it is colder than day. Alternatively, al-ghasaq is said to mean flowing and enveloping: the darkness of night flows over and envelops the earth. If al-ghāsiq is interpreted as the moon, its “entering” may mean its entering an eclipse. There is no contradiction between interpreting it as the night and as the moon, for the moon is the sign of the night. There are thus three levels: night in general, then the moon in general, then the moon during an eclipse.

This accords with what was mentioned concerning the One in whom refuge is sought. The broad interpretation of al-falaq as creation corresponds to “from the evil of what He has created,” while its specific interpretation as daybreak—the emergence of light—corresponds to “the darkening one when it enters,” meaning the onset of darkness.

Ibn Zayd said: “Al-ghāsiq is the Pleiades when they set.” Illnesses and plagues used to become more frequent when they set, though they may also occur when they rise. It seems—and Allah knows best—that part of the wisdom behind this is that light is of the nature of good, and darkness of the nature of evil. Evils arising from the soul occur at night that do not occur during the day. The moon also has an influence on the earth, especially during an eclipse, for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“They are two signs by which Allah strikes fear into His servants.”

Fear is only aroused when a cause for fear comes into being, and that occurs only when there is a cause of punishment or reason to expect it. It is thus known that an eclipse is an occasion on which punishment may befall the inhabitants of the earth;