and Majestic, protects him.

As for Surat al-Falaq, Allah says: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak from the evil of what He has created.” In other words, O human being, seek the aid of your Lord and say: I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak from the evil of what He has created.

Al-falaq (daybreak) is the splitting of the dawn, and likewise the splitting of the grain and the date-stone. Allah the Most High says, “He causes the dawn to break,” and He says, “Indeed, Allah is the One who splits the grain and the date-stone.” He, exalted be He, is therefore the Lord of al-Falaq, and no one is able to split any of the things He has mentioned except Allah alone.

“From the evil of what He has created” covers every created thing, including a person’s own self, as is stated in the sound ḥadith: “We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and from our bad deeds.” The soul constantly incites to evil, so one seeks refuge with Allah from the evil of all that He has created—humankind, jinn, the self, and everything else.

“And from the evil of the darkness when it settles”: the term ghāsiq refers to the night, for it is at night that creeping creatures and beasts emerge and many harms occur. Thus one seeks refuge with Allah from the evil of the night when it descends.

“And from the evil of the blowers into knots”—that is, the female sorcerers.