The Al-Mu’awwidhatayn1:
Merits and Proprieties
Part One
Praise be to Allah! We express our gratitude to Him, implore His assistance, and
seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own selves and
malevolent deeds. Whoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whoever Allah
leads astray will never find any source of guidance. I bear witness that there is no deity
worthy of worship except Allah with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad
() is His servant and Messenger ‒May Allah send His bounteous Salat (Graces,
Honours, and Mercy) and Peace on him, his family, his Companions, and the tabi'în
(the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [] after his death), and all
those who have righteously followed them till the Day of Judgement.
O people! I recommend to you what Allah had recommended to bygone nations as
well as to our present nation: And verily, We have recommended to the
people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all)
fear Allâh  [Al-Nissâ: 131]. For whoever keeps vigilant will definitely enjoy peace
and safety, and whoever remains oblivious (of Allah’s teachings) will surely regret it.
Resurrection is a truth. On that day, scales will be laid down (to weigh deeds). So, take
extra precautions in preparation for that day: And be afraid of the Day when
you shall be brought back to Allâh. [Al-Baǭara: 281]
O Muslims!
1 The Al-Mu'awwidhatayn ( المعوذتین ), sometimes translated as " Verses of Refuge", is an Arabic
term referring to the last two surahs (chapters) of the Qur’ān viz. Al-Falaq and An-Nas which are two
consecutive short prayers beginning with "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord...". Although these two Surahs
are separate entities in the Qur'ān and also are written in the Mushaf under separate names, they are
so deeply related mutually with their contents closely resembling each other's that they have been
designated by a common name Mu'awwidhitayn (the two Surahs in which refuge with Allah has been
sought). Imam Baihaqi in 'Dala'il an-Nubuwwat' has written that these Surahs were revealed together,
and hence their combined name of Mu'awwidhatayn. There is a Hadith that recommends reading them
over the sick or before sleeping and they are also considered a healing (adapted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mu'awwidhatayn)
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Paradise was Man’s first abode. It is good devoid of any trace of evil, while Hell is
evil devoid of any trace of good. However, life in this world contains both good and
evil.
As humans have been constantly caught unawares by various forms of evil during
their lifetime, they ‒especially the ignorant amongst them‒ have cherished certain
cults which are falsely believed to exorcise those evils, without reliance on divine
revelation or prophetic teachings. Consequently, evil tightened its grip on human
beings and corrupted religions, as is confirmed by Allah’s () following words:
‘And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the
males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin
and transgression. [Al-Jînn: 6]
Then Allah () with His clemency and beneficence made rules (of conduct) to His
creatures to acquaint them with who they should seek refuge and how they should seek
protection. Oqba Ibn Amer () narrated that Allah’s Messenger () said, “Have you
heard the unprecedented Qur’ānic verses revealed tonight? They are namely, Say: "I
seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak [Al-Falaǭ: 1] and Say: "I
seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of mankind [An-Nâs: 1] (Narrated by
Muslim in his Šaĥîĥ).
That was the way Prophet Muhammad () described these great sûrahs (Chapters
in the Holy Ǭur’ān). When the Prophet () uttered those words, he meant that the two
sûrahs contain a big divine secret. They are bestowed by Allah on his servants as a
fortress and a weapon to be used by the believers to repel the devils of both the Jinn
and the Humans. In addition, believers deploy such a weapon in facing the evil forces,
hardships, tribulations of life, conspirators, enviers, magic spells, conjurors, and sins
which put them in harm’s way.
Therefore, the surahs, Al-Falaǭ and An-Nâs, contain clear verses which mention
the disease as well as its medication. Prophet Muhammad () used to pay special
attention to these Qur’ānic surahs and would use them ‒under the command of His
Lord‒ to seek His protection ().
Abu Saeed narrated: “Prophet Muhammad () used to seek Allah's protection
against the Jinn and human harmful and envious looks until the surahs of Al-Falaǭ
and An-Nâs were revealed. Then, he renounced everything else and stood fast to
them.” This Hadith was narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Nassaî (At-Tirmidhi said, “it
is a good hadith.”)
O Muslims!
These two sûrahs constitute a directive from Allah () primarily to His Prophet ()
and then to all the believers. Both are exhorted to seek refuge in His self-sufficient
dominion and seek protection with Him from all sources of panic, whether visible or
latent, known or unknown, and general or specific. It seems as though Allah () were
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making His safe dominion accessible to the believers and offering them His unlimited
and unconditional protection. It sounds as if He were lovingly and graciously saying to
them, “Come along! Come to your safe haven to find rest. Come on! I am the One
Who perfectly knows your weaknesses and all fears surrounding you. I am the One
Who has greater power to defeat your enemy. Come along to the divine haven of
safety, tranquillity, and peace.
He who examines both surahs closely finds out that they constitute a fortress
against invisible evils which are too subtle to be perceived. These evils target humans,
who remain totally unaware of their source. This is why Allah’s command in both
surahs (through the word “say”) has accorded focal attention to such evils as distinct
from the rest of the perils and plagues afflicting humans. Allah’s () command has
equally been clear as regards invoking His assistance, succour, rescue, and Istiâδa
(seeking His protection) from all sorts of evil, in general, but specifically from the
above-cited ones.
The objective is to firmly entrench the meaning of tawhid (monotheism) in the
souls as these have a vital need for protection from all types of evil and harm, which
fosters in them a sense of attachment to their protector who safeguards them against
evil. Thus, these two surahs include invocation of divine protection against all such
evils, using a style characterised by maximum brevity, conclusiveness, semantic force,
as an invocation to seek refuge with Allah.
In Arabic, the term “Aûuδu” means “I resort to”, “I seek refuge with”, “I hold fast
to Allah and ask for His protection.” Istiâδa is a form of worship through which we
seek the satisfaction of the One Whose protection we implore, Allah (). This term
reflects total confidence in Allah’s exclusive power to repel and lift whatever kind of
peril.
In the first Muâwiδah (Al-Falaǭ), Allah () commands His Prophet to address the
“Lord of Daybreak” in order to implore His protection, as He is the Lord of daylight
which emerges from the night to illuminate its darkness. The very idea of restrictively
associating Istiâδa with daylight is an indication that the coming into sight of bright
daylight epitomises the advent of relief that dispels hardships. There is an analogy
between, on the one hand, someone who is awaiting the daybreak and, on the other
hand, a panic-stricken person who is eager to enjoy a sense of relief and safety after a
period of suffering. This is why Allah () say to His Prophet and to all believers:
Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of the daybreak From the evil
of what He has created… [Al-Falaǭ: 1-2]. That is to say, I seek refuge from the
evils of His creatures in general without any specification, regardless of the type of
evil in the Herein and the Hereafter, including the evils of the Jinn as well as those of
the humans, the evils of wild animals and predators, fire, sins, whims, caprices of the
ego, bad deeds, and the evils of all evil-doers.
The next verse is "And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes
with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away [Al-Falaǭ: 3]. The
Arabic word “ghasaǭ” means ‘total darkness’, the word “ghasaaǭ” means ‘night’ or
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‘the person moving by night’, and the word “waǭaba” means ‘comes/arrives’. Ibn
Abbes (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said, “It means the advent of
night with its darkness,” while Mujahid and Al-Zohri said, “It means sunset time.”
The meaning of Istiâδa is protection from the night, and whatever it is associated
with, when it covers the earth with its awe-inspiring obscurity. Night time is therefore
a trigger of fear sensations, for wild animals and predators use darkness to camouflage
themselves and their motion. By night time, criminals and conspirers become active,
instincts and desires grow irresistible, and satanic brainwaves, along with
hallucinations, worries, and grieves, violently crawl into one’s consciousness, thus
generating emotions and longings.
Satan himself is privileged by darkness; he exploits it to gain freedom and start
enticing people (into sinful acts). That is why Allah () ordered His Prophet to resort
to Istiâδa from the night and whatever evils it might entail. Allah () says, "And
from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the
knots” [Al-Falaǭ: 4]. This refers to the witches who contrive to harm others through
blowing witchcraft into knots that they secretly tie, using threads or other devices,
which they attach to the name of the targeted person. The latter will therefore suffer
from their harmful witchcraft: …but they could not thus harm anyone except
by Allâh’s Leave… [Al-Baǭara: 281].
The Prophet () considered witchcraft as one of the major sins which lead to
Hellfire, in addition to annihilating individuals and nations, and causing a fatal destiny
to its perpetrators in the Herein before total loss in the Hereafter.
Whoever falls ill or prey to witchcraft is prohibited from resorting to magicians,
witches, or conjurors. The Prophet () warned that whoever commits that sin, he is
acquitted of such evil deeds (on the Day of Judgement). As an alternative, Allah ()
prescribed us the use of Istiâδa, resorting to Him and seeking His assistance.
The last verse of this surah, "And from the evil of the envier when he
envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5] talks about envy. Envy is a bad moral both according to human
nature and according to religion. It consists in wishing that the bounties Allah
bestowed on the envied person would cease. The real evil and harm of the envier will
concretise as soon as he directs his spiteful looks at the victim or proceeds to harm the
envied person. This explains why Allah () commanded His creatures to resort to Istiâδa
from envious people: —"And from the evil of the envier when he
envies." [Al-Falaǭ: 5].
If people rely on Allah () alone and seek His exclusive assistance to protect
themselves with these Qur’ānic verses, they will certainly get protection from envy
and safety from the envier’s spiteful looks. The Al-Falaǭ sûrah is among the best
remedies for the envied person. It includes sincere reliance on Allah, resorting to His
might, seeking His protection against the envier of the bounties exclusively endowed
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by Allah, the Provider of all favours, for He () is the sole provider of help to
whoever requests it and refuge to whoever seeks it.
O Muslims!
In the second Muâwiδa (the surah of An-Nâs), Allah ordained that people should
approach their Lord to seek His protection, for He is the sole Provider of protection,
the only Sovereign Who has the power to command or prohibit them to do anything,
and the God Whom they worship. Allah ordered people to seek His protection from
the devils who keep trying to prevent them from true worship of Allah. In fact, Satan
is the origin of all evil emanating from people and befalling them.
Allah says "The King of mankind, "The Ilâh (God) of mankind, [An-Nâs:
2-3]. Because people have kings, Allah says that He is their King, and because among
people there those who worship other deities, He says that He is their Lord Who is
worthy of worship. It is He Who should be sought refuge with and He alone to be
resorted to, not to monarchs and renowned worldly figures. He () is their true Lord,
the real King, the only God Who is alone worthy of worship. Everybody and
everything else is under His divine authority, and are virtually helpless vis-à-vis
seeking favours, removing harm, determining death, giving life, or setting off
resurrection.
Istiâδa from the evil of Al-Waswaas Al-Khannaas ‒i.e. Satan‒ covers all his satanic
evils. In this verse, Satan is assigned the most dangerous, malevolent, influential, and
corrupt attributes; it is namely waswasa (surreptitious enticement) which is the initial
stage of volition; for at first, the heart experiences a state of vacuity where evil and sin
are totally absent. Then, Satan starts his enterprise of surreptitious enticement by
embellishing evil to its potential doer. He beautifies the projected act in the eyes of its
potential performer. In addition, he activates the hibernating determination of the
potential doer. Conversely, he demonises good acts and discourages their potential
doer from undertaking them.
Such is always the situation with Satan; alternating his evil deeds of whispering
and retreating. He insinuates himself into man and, like blood, finds his way to his
heart. This is confirmed in both Sahihs2 where Ibn Abbas3 (May Allah be pleased
with both him and his father) says: “Satan is ever perched on a man’s heart.
Whenever he is distracted and slips into oblivion, he starts whispering evil to him.
Once he remembers Allah, he withdraws”; that is he ‘runs away’ or ‘retreats.’
2 Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari are collections of hadiths. They are considered to be the most
authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet ().
3 Abdullah ibn Abbas was a paternal cousin of the Prophet (). He is revered by Muslims for his
knowledge and was an expert in Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an), as well as an authority on the Islamic
Sunnah (adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%60Abd_Allah_ibn_%60Abbas)
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Evil whispering does not come only from Jinn4, but it may come from humans. In
this regard, Allah () said: …Of jinn and men. [An-Nas: 6]. This bears
reference to the danger of those human demons, about whom very few of us are
alerted, despite the fact that Allah () commanded His Prophet in this sûrah to seek
refuge with Him from the evil of both types of such demons: the human and the jinn.
O servants of Allah!
Reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is permissible at any time of the day, particularly
during those times sanctioned by the Prophet () including what was reported by
Uqba Ibn Amir5 () thus: “Allah’s Messenger () commanded me to recite Al-
Mu'awwidhatayn at the end of each salat.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood
and Al Nasai, and was authenticated by Al Hakim and others.]
Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) also narrated that the Prophet (),
“whenever he went to bed every night he would put the palms of his hands together,
blow in them and recite Say (O Muhammad صلى لله علیھ وسلم ): ‘He is Allâh,
(the) One’.[ Al-Ikhlâs: 1]; Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh), the Lord of
the daybreak [Al Falaq:1] and Say: "I seek refuge with (Allâh) the
Lord of mankind [An-Nas:1]. Then, using the palms of his hands, he would wipe
three times all he could over the front part of his body, starting with the head and
face.” [Narrated by Bukhari].
It is also part of the sunnah to recite Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times while uttering
morning and evening invocations. The Prophet () told Abdullah Ibn Khubaib6 ():
“ ‘Say’. I said: ‘say what?’ He said: ‘Say He is Allâh, (the) One, in addition
to Al-Mu'awwidhatayn three times by morning and evening, for these will suffice to
ward off all evils.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, who is
quoted to have said: ‘This is a valid and sound Hadith’. The Hadith was authenticated
by An Nawawi and others.]
O servants of Allah!
The recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is a self-ruqya7 (treatment) for the Muslim
and one he could use for others as well. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her)
4 The jinn or genies are spirits mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān and Islamic theology who inhabit an
unseen world in dimensions beyond the visible universe of humans. Like human beings, the jinn can
also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have freewill like humans and unlike angels. The
jinn are mentioned frequently in the Qur'ān, and the 72nd surah is titled Surat al-Jinn.
5 Uqbah ibn Amir was a Companion of the Prophet () and a well-known member of the early Muslim
community.
6 One of the Companions of the Prophet ()
7 What is said for the purpose of seeking protection or healing. It is agreed among Ulama (Muslim
scholars) that for a ruqya ( رقیة ) to be permissible it has to meet three requirements: (1) It has to include
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reported that “whenever the Prophet () felt pain, he would recite for himself Al-
Mu'awwidhatayn and then blow. She said: ‘When he turned too ill to do it I would
recite for him, and then use his own hand to wipe over his body with it wishing for its
barakah8.” [The Hadith was agreed upon.]
Also, Muslim reported, “Whenever one of his household fell ill, the Prophet ()
would blow on him/her while reciting Al-Mu'awwidhatayn.”
Furthermore, Al-Mu'awwidhatayn are recited as measure to ward off scourge
before it strikes. Abu Saeed9 () reported that “the Prophet () used to seek refuge
with Allah from the evil eyes of humans and jinn alike. When Al-Mu'awwidhatayn
were revealed to him he started to make exclusive recourse to them.” [Narrated by
Tirmidhi, Al Nasai and Ibn Maja]
To recap, recitation of Al-Mu'awwidhatayn is confirmed at the end of each one of
the five salats (prayers), before going to bed, in the morning and evening as well as
for ruqya and protection purposes.
We beseech Allah to grant all of us refuge from all evils, wrongdoings, fitnas
(temptations) and ailments.
May Allah () make His blessings for you and for me in the Noble Qur'ān and
benefit us with the guidance of the Master of all Messengers ()! I say this and I ask
Allah () forgiveness, for you and for me.
Part Two
Praise be to Allah! We praise Him kindly and abundantly and seek His blessing.
He is the One Who answers whoever calls upon Him, shelters whoever seeks refuge
with Him and provides safety for those seeking his protection and care. I bear witness
that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, Who has no associates! I also bear
witness that Muhammad () is His servant and Messenger! May Allah send His Salat
(Graces, Honours, and Mercy), Peace and Blessing on him, his family and all of his
Companions!
O Muslims!
One must not fail to realize the subtlety posed by the Sûrat of Al Falaq where the
command, at the beginning of it, was ‘to seek refuge with the Lord of ‘Falaq’. The
Allah’s words and fairest names and attributes, (2) It has to be in Arabic or any other language the
ruqya receiver (patient) understands, and (3) Both the raqi (the person performing the ruqya) and the
ruqya receiver must believe that the ruqya in itself does not produce any effects and that it is Allah ()
that does. (Adapted from Dr. Khaled Al-Jeraisy’s Self Ruqya Treatment, trans. Dr. Mohammad Atif
Mogahed Mohammad.)
8 The Arabic word ( بركة ) means blessing, benediction, good fortune, abundant good, etc.
9 One of the Companions of the Prophet ().
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word ‘falaq’ means ‘Daybreak’, or rather anything that breaks out bringing goodness
and good will. Making special reference to Al falaq here points to the ultimate verity
that whoever is capable of bringing daybreak and of lifting the night darkness off the
face of the earth is certainly be able of removing all types of darkness as well as
ridding the oppressed of their sufferings. Hence there is no despair with the Almighty,
the All-Capable: Verily! It is Allâh Who causes the seed-grain and the
fruit-stone (like date-stone) to split and sprout. [Al-An’am: 95]
Daybreak stands for that hope which is born out of tragedy. It is the morning light
that comes to replace the gloomy darkness of the night. It is relief cascading from the
peak of distress. It is a cheering voice announcing the advent of ease and relief.
Indeed, this is all we hope and wish for these days. The people of Syria are
suffering from the oppression of their enemy and his allies from among his own
denomination overseas, who are rushing for his support. However, such distress, no
matter how extreme it may grow, is bound to perish in the face of the endurance of the
believers and their exclusive reliance on Allah after they have been failed by those
powers that pretend to stand by the weak. Nay, indeed! These powers only seek to
secure their own interests.
It may be a sign –Allah Willing– that relief is drawing near, for certainly, there is
relief after distress, triumph with patience and verily, along with every
hardship is relief. [Ash-Sharh: 5]
In this context, what we so desperately need is that genuine feeling of trust in
Allah and reliance on Him, in addition to imploring His forgiveness so profusely, for
this is one of the most important keys to the establishment of relief and consent, and
to the shunning of disputes. After all, ‘bravery is but an hour’s patience’.
Those Muslims who are capable of offering support to their brothers in faith –
particularly the rulers– should realize that the initiative lies in their hands, that people
would follow them, and that there is a great deal of goodness in our Umma (Islamic
nation). Therefore, spare no effort to stop the aggression and to bring an end to
perversity. Verily, abandoning one’s brother in faith at times of hardships is only
prelude to expedient retribution of the same nature. Likewise, standing by our
brothers in Syria is warding off adversity from us in this Life and the Hereafter.
Now, ask Allah to send His Salat (Graces, Honors and Mercy) and Peace upon the
Given Mercy and the Offered Blessing, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah.
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O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon
Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad () and his kind and virtuous family! O
Allah! Be pleased with all of Your Messenger’s Companions and those who
righteously follow them till the Day of Judgment!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and
Muslims and let down tyrants, infidels and all the corruptors! O Allah! Grant victory
to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah and Your true servants!
O Allah! Foreordain for the nation of Islam a matter (an affair) of rationality
(guidance) where the people of piety are honored, the people of sins are guided, Al-
Ma‘rûf (good deeds) is enjoined, and Al-Munkar (bad deeds or evil) is forbidden! O
Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Fail those who want to harm Islam and Muslims! Make them preoccupied
with their own selves! Turn their plots against them, and make that the cause of their
own destruction, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Grant victory to the Mujahideen in Your Cause in Palestine, the Sham
(Syria), and everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Relieve them of the siege
around them! Set right their affairs and suppress their enemy!
O Allah! Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque from the oppressors’ injustice and the
occupiers’ aggression!
O Allah! Set right the situation of our brothers (in faith) wherever they may be! O
Allah! Set right the situation of Muslims everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah!
Set right their affairs in Egypt and everywhere, rally them around Your Guidance, and
protect them against those evil-doers among them! O Allah! Set right their affairs!
O Allah! Help our Muslim brothers in Syria! O Allah! Gather them around Your
Truth and Guidance! O Allah! Spare their blood, safeguard their tranquility, bring
them close together, feed their hungry, protect their honor, grant them boldness,
strength and victory against their oppressors! O You, the Ever-Living, the Eternal
Guardian, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty!
O Allah! Guide our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to do
whatever you love and accept! O Allah! Guide him to piety and righteousness! O
Allah! Grant him good health! O Allah! Grant him, his deputies, their brothers and
assistants success to do what is good for the people and the country!
O Allah! Help the Muslim leaders to govern and abide by Your Holy Book and to
follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Mohammad ()! Make them a blessing on Your
believing servants! O Allah! We implore You to spread security, prosperity in our
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own country and in those of all Muslims, to protect us against the evil of evil-doers
and the plotting of the lecherous! Our Lord! Give us in this world that
which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us
from the torment of the Fire! [Al Baqarah: 201]. Our Lord! Forgive
us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You),
establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving
folk. [Al Omran: 147]
O Allah! Forgive our sins, cover our flaws, make easy our affairs and fulfill our
wishes in what pleases You! O Allah! Forgive our sins, those of our parents, our
grandparents, our wives and children! You are indeed All-Hearing!
O Allah! We ask You to be pleased with us and grant us Your Paradise! We seek
refuge with You against Your wrath and hell fire!
It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s forgiveness we seek! It is Allah’s
forgiveness we seek! O Allah! We turn in repentance to You! You are the Ever-
Living, the Eternal Guardian! O Allah! You are Allah, and there is no deity worthy of
worship except You! You are the Self-Sufficient and we are the poor! Send down rain
upon us and do not make us despondent! O Allah! Send down rain upon us! O Allah!
Send down rain upon us! O Allah! Send down rain upon us; a blissful, steady,
widespread, useful and harmless rain, one that would rejuvenate the land, quench the
people’s thirst and reach the rural and the urban lands! O Allah! Send down upon us
rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon us rain of mercy. O Allah! Send down upon
us rain of mercy, not rain of torment, disaster, destruction, or flooding!
O Allah! Answer our prayers, for You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-
Knowing! O Allah! Forgive us! You are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!
Glorified be Your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! You are free from what
they attribute unto You! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to
Allah, the Lord of the worlds!