Period of Revelation
Hadrat Hasan Basri
'Ikrimah
'Ata' and Jabir bin Zaid say that these Suras are Makki. A tradition from Hadrat
'Abdullah bin 'Abbas also supports the same view. However
according to another tradition from him
it is Madani and the same view is held also by Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Zubair and
Qatadah. One of the traditions which strengthens this second view is the Hadith which
Muslim
Tirmidhi
Nasa'i and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal have related on the authority of Hadrat 'Uqbah bin
'Amir. He says that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peach) one day said to him: "Do
you know what kind of verses have been revealed to me tonight? - these matchless
verses are A'udhu bi-Rabbil-falaq and A'udhu bi-Rabbin-nas. This Hadith is used as an
argument for these Suras to be Madani because Hadrat 'Uqbah bin 'Amir had become
a Muslim in Madinah after the hijrah
as related by Abu Da'ud and Nasa'i on the basis of his own statement. Other traditions
which have lent strength to this view are those related by Ibn Sa'd
Muhiyy-us-Sunnah Baghawi
Imam Nasafi
Imam Baihaqi
Hafiz Ibn Hajar
Hafiz Badr-uddin 'Ayni
'Abd bin Humaid and others to the effect that these Suras were revealed when the Jews
had worked magic on the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in Madinah and he had
fallen ill under its effect. Ibn Sa'd has related on the authority of Waqidi that this
happened in A.H. 7. On this very basis Sufyan bin Uyainah also has described these
Sura as Madani. But as we have explained in the Introduction to Sura Al-Ikhlas
when it is said about a certain Sura or verse that it was revealed on this or that
particular occasion
it does not necessarily mean that it was revealed for the first time on that very occasion.
Rather it sometimes so happened that a Sura or a verse had previously been revealed
then on the occurrence or appearance of a particular incident or situation
the Holy Prophet's attention was drawn to it by Allah for the second time
or even again and again. In our opinion the same also was the case with the
Mu'awwidhatayn. The subject matter of these Suras is explicit that these were sent
down at Makkah in the first instance when opposition to the Holy Prophet there had
grown very intense. Later
when at Madinah storms of oppposition were raised by the hyprocrites
Jews and polytheists
the Holy Prophet was instructed to recite these very Suras
as has been mentioned in the above cited tradition from Hadrat Uqbah bin Amir. After
this
when magic was worked on him
and his illness grew intense
Gabriel came and instructed him by Allah's command to recite these very Suras.
Therefore
in our opinion
the view held by the commentators who describe both these Suras as Makki is more
reliable. Regarding them as connected exclusively with the incident of magic is difficult
for to this incident related only one verse (v.4)
the remaining verses of Sura al Falaq and the whole of Sura An-Nas have nothing to do
with it directly.Theme and Subject-Matter
The conditions under which these two Suras were sent down in Makkah were as
follows. As soon as the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) began to preach the
message of Islam
it seemed as though he had provoked all classes of the people around him. As his
message spread the opposition of the disbelieving Quraish also became more and
more intense. As long as they had any hope that they would be able to prevent him
from preaching his message by throwing some temptation in his way
or striking some bargain with him
their hostility did not become very active. But when the Holy Prophet disappointed
them completely that he would not effect any kind of compromise with them in the
matter of faith
and in Sura Al-Kafirun they were plainly told: "I do not worship those who you worship
nor are you worshippers of HIm Whom I worship. For you is your religion and for me is
mine"
the hostility touched its extreme limits. More particularly
the families whose members (men or women
boys or girls) had accepted Islam
were burning with rage from within against the Holy Prophet. They were cursing him
holding secret consultations to kill him quietly in the dark of the night so that the Bani
Hashim could not discover the murderer and take revenge; magic and charms were
being worked on him so as to cause his death
or make him fall ill
or become mad; satans from among the men and the jinn spread on every side so as to
whisper one or another evil into the hearts of the people against him and the Qur'an
brought by him so that they became suspicious of him and fled him. There were many
people who were burning with jealousy against him
for they could not tolerate that a man from another family or clan than their own should
flourish and become prominent. For instance
the reason why Abu Jahl was crossing every limit in his hostility to him has been
explained by himself: "We and the Bani Abdi Manaf (to which the Holy Prophet
belonged) were rivals of each other: they fed others
we too fed others; they provided conveyances to the people
we too did the same; they gave donations
we too gave donations
so much so that when they and we have become equal in honour and nobility
they now proclaim that they have a Prophet who is inspired from the heaven; how can
we compete with them in this field? By God
we will never acknowledge him
nor affirm faith in him". (Ibn Hisham
vol. I
pp. 337-338). Such were the conditions when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
was commanded to tell the people: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn
from the evil of everything that He has created
and from the evil of the darkness of night and from the evil of magicians
men and women
and from the evil of the envious"
and to tell them: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind
the King of mankind
and the Deity of mankind
from the evil of the whisperer
who returns over and over again
who whispers (evil) into the hearts of men
whether he be from among the jinn or men." This is similar to what the Prophet Moses
had been told to say when Pharaoh had expressed his design before his full court to kill
him: "I have taken refuge with my Lord and your Lord against every arrogant person
who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning." (Al-Mu'min: 27). And: "I have taken
refuge with my Lord and your Lord lest you should assail me." (Ad- Dukhan;20). On
both occasions these illustrious Prophets of Allah were confronted with well-equipped
resourceful and powerful enemies. On both occasions they stood firm on their
message of Truth against their strong opponenets
whereas they had no material power on the strength of which they could fight them
and on both occasions they utterly disregarded the threats and dangerous plans and
hostile devices of the enemy
saying: "We have taken refuge with the Lord of the universe against you." Obviously
such firmness and steadfastness can be shown only by the person who has the
conviction that the power of His Lord is the supreme po
Question whether Mu'awwidhatayn are
or are not
Quranic
The above discussion is enough to help one understand fully the theme and content of
the two Suras
but since three points in the books of Hadith and commentary concerning these Suras
have been discussed
which are likely to create doubts in the minds
it is necessary to clear them also here. First
whether it is absolutely established that these two Suras are the Qur'anic Suras
or whether there is some doubt in this regard. This question arose because in the
traditions related from an illustrious Companion like Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud
it has been said that he did not regard these two Suras as the Suras of the Qur'an and
had eliminated these from his copy of the Mushaf. Imam Ahmad
Bazzar
Tabarani
Ibn Marduyah
Abu Ya'la
Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal
Humaydi
Abu Nu'aim
Ibn Hibban and other traditionists have related this from Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud
with different chains of transmitters and mostly on sound authority. According to these
traditions
he not only eliminated these Suras from the Mushaf but it has also been reported that
he used to say: "Do not mix up with the Qur'an that which is not of the Qur'an. These
two Suras are not included in the Quran. This was only a command enjoined on the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) for seeking God's refuge." In some traditions there
is also the addition that he did not recite these Suras in the Prayer. On the basis of
these traditions the opponents of Islam had an opportunity to raise doubts about the
Qur'an
saying that this Book
God forbid
is not free from corruption. For when
according to a Companion of the rank of Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud
these two Suras are an annexation to the Qur'an
many other additions and subtractions also might have been made in it. To rid the
Qur'an of this blame Qadi Abu Bakr Al-Baqillani
Qadi Iyad and others took the stand that Ibn Mas'ud was not in fact a denier of the
Mu'awwidhatayn being Qur'anic but only refused to write them in the Mushaf. For
according to him
only that which the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had allowed
should be written in the Mushaf
and Ibn Mas'ud did not receive the information that the Holy Prophet had allowed this.
But this stand is not correct
for according to sound evidence
it is confirmed that Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) had denied that these
were Suras of the Qur'an. Some other scholars
for instance
Imam Nawawi
Imam Ibn Hazm and Imam Fakhr- udding Razi
regard this as a pure lie and falsehood that Ibn Mas'ud had asserted any such thing.
But to reject genuine historical facts without sound evidence is unscientific. Now
the question is: How can the blame that attaches to the Qur'an because of these
traditions of Ibn Mas'ud correctly refuted? This question has several answers which we
shall give below in sequence: (1) Hafiz Bazzar after relating these traditions of Ibn
Mas'ud in his Musnad
has written that he is solitary and isolated in his this opinion; no one from among the
Companions has supported this view. (2) The copies of the Qur'an which the third
Caliph
Hadrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)
had got compiled by the consensus of the Companions and which he had sent from the
Islamic Claiphate officially to the centres of the world of Islam contained both these
Suras. (3) The Mushaf which
since the sacred time of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) till today
has the seal of consensus of the entire world of Islam
contains both these Suras. The solitary opinion of only Abdullah bin Mas'ud
in spite of his high rank
has no weight against this great consensus. (4) It is confirmed by sound and reliable
ahadith from the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) that he not only recited these
Suras in the Prayer himself but instructed others also to recite them
and taught them to the people as the Suras of the Qur'an. Consider
for instance
the following ahadith: We have cited on the authority of Muslim
Ahmad
Tirmidhi and Nasai the tradition of
Question of Holy Prophet's being affected by Magic
The second thing that has arisen in respect of these two Suras is that
according to traditions
magic had been worked on the Holy Prophet
and he had fallen ill under its effect
and Gabriel (peace be on him) had instructed him to repeat these Suras to remove the
charm. This has been objected to by many rationalists of both ancient and modern
times. They say that if these traditions are accepted
the whole Shari'ah becomes doubtful. For if the Prophet could be charmed
and according to these traditions he was charmed
one cannot say what the Prophet might have been made to say and do under the
influence of magic by his opponents
and what in his teaching may be Divine and what the result of magic. Not only this: they
also allege that if this is accepted as true
it might well be that the Prophet might have been prompted to make the claim to
Prophethood through magic and the Prophet by misunderstanding might have thought
that an angel had come to him. They also argue that these traditions clash with the
Qur'an. The Qur'an mentions the accusation of the disbelievers who said that the
Prophet was bewitched (Bani Isra'il:47)
but these traditions confirm the accusation of the disbelievers that the Prophet had
actually been charmed and bewitched. For a proper investigation of this question it is
necessary that one should first see whether it is established by authentic historical
evidence that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had actually been affected by
magic
and if so
what it was and to what extent. Then it should be seen whether the objections raised
against what is established historically do actually apply to it or not. The Muslim
scholars of the earliest period were truly honest and upright in that they did not try to
corrupt history or conceal facts according to their own ideas
concepts and assumptions. They conveyed intact to the later generations whatever
was confirmed historically
and did not at all care how the material supplied by them could be used by the one who
was bent upon drawing perverse conclusions from the facts. Now
if something stands confirmed by authentic and historical means
it is neither right for an honest and rightminded person that he should deny history on
the ground that in case he accepted it
it would lead to these evil results according to his thinking
nor it is right that he should add to and stretch beyond its genuine limits by conjecture
and speculation whatever is established historically. Instead
he should accept histroy as history and then see what is actually proved by it and what
is not. As far as the historical aspect is concerned
the incident of the Holy Prophet's being affected by magic is absolutely confirmed
and if it can be refuted by scientific criticism
then no historical event of the world can be proved right and genuine. It has been
related by Bukhari
Muslim
Nasai
Ibn Majah
Imam Ahmad
Abdur Razzaq
Humaidi
Baihaqi
Tabarani
Ibn Sad
Ibn Mardayah
Ibn Abi Shaibah
Hakim
Abd bin Humaid and other traditionists on the authority of Hadrat Aishah
Hadrat Zaid bin Arqam and Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas
through so many different and numerous channels that forgery is out of the question.
Although each tradition by itself is an isolated report (khabar wahid)
we give it below as a connected event from the details provided by the traditions. After
the peace treaty of Hudaibiyah when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) returned
to Madinah
a deputation of the Jews of Khaibar visited Madinah in Muharram
A.H. 7 and met a famous magician
Labid bin Asam
who belonged to the Ansar tribe of Bani Zurayq. They said to him: "You know how
Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) has treated us. We have
tried our best to bewitch him but have not succeeded. Now we have come to you
because you are a more skilled magician. Here are three gold coings
accept these and cast a powerful magic spell on Muhammad." In those days the Holy
Prphet had a Jewish
Question of Reciting Charms and Amulets in Islam
The third thing that arises in connection with these Suras is whether recitation of
charms and amulets has any place in Islam
and whether such recitation is by itself efficacious or not. This question arises for in
many ahadith it has been reported that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) at the
time of going to bed every night
especially during illness
used to recite the Mu'awwidhatayn (or according to other reports
the Mu'awwidhat
i.e. Qul Huwa-Allahu Ahad and the Mu'awwidhatayn) thrice
blow in his hands and then rub the hands on his body from head to foot as far as his
hands could reach. During his last illness when it was not longer possible for him to so
do
Hadrat Aishah recited these Suras herself or by his command blew on his hands hin
view of their being blessed and rubbed them on his body. Traditions on this subject
have been related in Bukhari
Muslim
Nasai
Ibn Majah
Abu Da'ud and Mu'atta of Imam Malik through authentic channels on the authority of
Hadrat Aishah herself beside whom no one could be better acquainted with the
domestic life of the Holy Prophet. In this regard
one should first understand its religious aspect. In the Hadith a lengthy tradition has
been related on the authority of Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas
at the end of which the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "The people of my
Ummah to enter Paradise without reckoning will be those who neither turn to treatment
by branding
nor to enchanting
nor take omens
but have trust in their Lord." (Muslim). According to a tradition reported on the authority
of Hadrat Mughirah bin Shubah
the Holy Prophet said: "He who got himself treated by branding
or enchanting
became independent of trust in Allah." (Tirmidhi). Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud has
reported that the Holy Prophet disapproved of ten things one of which was recitation of
charsm and amulets except by means of the Mu'awwidhatayn or Mu'awwidhat. (Abu
Daud
Ahmad
Nasai
Ibn Hibban
Hakim). Some ahadith also show that in the beginning the Holy Prophet had altogether
forbidden recitation of charms and amulets
but later he allowed it on the condition that is should not smack of polytheism
but one should recite and blow by means of the holy names of Allah
or the words of the Qur'an. The words used should be understandable and one should
know that there is nothing sinful in it
and one should not wholly rely on the recitation of charms but on Allah's will to make it
beneficial." After the explanation of the religious aspect
let us now see what the Hadith says in this regard. Tabarani in As-Saghir has related a
tradition on the authority of Hadrat Ali
saying: "One the Holy Prophet was stung by a scorpion during the Prayer. When the
Prayer was over
he remarked: God's curse be on the scorpion: it neither spares a praying one
nor any other. Then he called for water and salt
and started rubbing the place where the scorpion had stung with salt water and reciting
Qul ya ayyuhal-kafirun
Qul Huwa Allahu ahad
Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbil-falaq and Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbin-nas
along with it." Ibn Abbas also has related a tradition to the effect: "The Holy Prophet
(upon whom be peace) used to recite this invocation over Hadrat Hasan and Husain:
U'idhu kuma bi-kalimat Allahit-tamati min kulli shaitan-in wa hammati-wa min kulli
ayt-in-lam nati: "I give you in the refuge of Allah's blameless words
from every devil and troublesome thing
and from every evil look." (Bukhari
Musnad Ahmad
Tirmidhi
Ibn Majah). A tradition has been related in Muslim
Muwatta
Tabarani and Hakim about Uthman bin al-As ath-Thaqafi
with a little variation in wording
to the effect that he complained to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
saying: "Since I have become a Muslim
I feel a pain in my body
which is killing me." The Holy Prophet said: "Place your right hand on the place where
you feel the pain
then recite Bismillah thrice
and A'udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhiru ("I seek refug
Relation between Sura Al-Fatihah and the Mu'awwidhatayn
The last thing which is noteoworthy with regard to the Mu'awwidhatayn is the relation
between the beginning and the end of the Qur'an. Although the Qur'an has not been
arranged chronologically
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) arranged in the present order the verses and
Suras revealed during 23 years on different occasions to meet different needs and
situations not by himself but by the command of Allah Who revelaed them. According
to this order
the Qur'an opens with the Sura Al-Fatihah and ends with the Mu'awwidhatayn. Now
let us have a look at the two. In the beginning
after praising and glorifying Allah
Who is Lord of the worlds
Kind
Merciful and Master of the Judgement Day
the servants submits: "Lord
You alone I worship and to You along I turn for help
and the msot urgent help that I need from You is to be guided to the Straight Way." In
answer
he is given by Allah the whole Qur'an to show him the Straight Way
which is concluded thus: Man prays to Allah
Who is Lord of dawn
Lord of men
King of men
Deity of men
saying: "I seek refuge only with You for protection from every evil and mischief of every
creature
and in particular
from the evil whisperings of devils
be they from among men or jinn
for they are the greatest obstacle in following the Straight Way." The relation that the
beginning bears with the end
cannot remain hidden from anyone who has understanding and insight.
