﴿ بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ ﴾

“SAY: "I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the rising dawn,”

Say, �I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,He said:Truly God, Exalted is He, commanded him [the Prophet] in these two sūras [113 and 114] to take refuge (iʿtiṣām) in Him, seek help (istiʿāna) from Him, and show [his] need (faqr) for Him.He was asked, �What is showing [one�s] need?� He replied:It is the [substitution of one] state by another (huwa�l-ḥāl bi�l-ḥāl), for the natural disposition (ṭabʿ) is dead [in and of itself] and its life is in displaying this. He also said:The best form of purification (ṭahāra) is that the servant purifies himself from [the illusion of] his own power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa). Every act or saying that is not accompanied by the words: �there is no power or strength save in God�, will not have God�s support, Mighty and Majestic is He. Furthermore, every saying which is not accompanied by the proviso, will incur a punishment for [the person who said it], even if it was an act [or saying] of righteousness.And for every affliction (muṣība) which is received without being accompanied by the saying of �return� (istirjāʿ), the afflicted person will not be given steadfastness when facing it [affliction] on the Day of Resurrection.He said:According to Ibn ʿAbbās y, al-falaq means the morning (ṣubḥ) while according to al-Ḍaḥḥāk it refers to a valley in the Hellfire. [On the other hand], according to Wuhayb it refers to a chamber in Hell, and according to Ḥasan it refers to a well in Hell.It has also been said that He intended by it all people (jamīʿ al-khalq). Or it has been said that it refers to the rock from which water springs forth.