Al-Falaq الفلق
The Daybreak
Al-Falaq is a five-verse prayer of refuge, opening with "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak" and naming four specific harms to be protected from: the evil of what He created in general, the darkness of night when it settles, those who blow on knots (a reference to practiced sorcery), and the envy of an envier. Alongside An-Nas, which follows it as the Quran's final surah, it forms what's known as al-Muʿawwidhatayn, "the two surahs of refuge." Both are traditionally recited together — morning and evening, before sleep, and after each of the five daily prayers — as a standing means of protection rather than a one-time response to a specific threat.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
Say [Prophet], ‘I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
against the harm in what He has created,
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
the harm in the night when darkness gathers,
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
the harm in witches when they blow on knots,
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
the harm in the envier when he envies.’
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Five verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
"The daybreak" or "the split" — referring to the breaking of dawn, the surah's opening image of God as its Lord.
The name for Al-Falaq and An-Nas together — "the two surahs of refuge" — recited as a pair for protection, traditionally morning, evening, before sleep, and after each daily prayer.