WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:08.099 A Gentle Commentary on the Book "Introductory Cards 00:00:08.099 --> 00:00:11.199 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an" 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:15.099 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Aziz Ibn Umar Naseef, 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:16.500 may Allah preserve him. 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:19.600 Surah al-Falaq. 00:00:20.289 --> 00:00:22.089 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:22.089 --> 00:00:23.589 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation, 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:28.120 and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:30.120 and upon his family and all his Companions. 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:32.500 We continue with our gentle commentary 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.020 on the introductory cards, 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.109 and we have now reached Surah al-Falaq, 00:00:39.109 --> 00:00:41.340 by the grace of Allah and with good fortune. 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:43.340 I would like to make three reflective pauses regarding it. 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.039 The first pause: 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:49.299 this tremendous surah 00:00:49.299 --> 00:00:51.520 is among the very first things memorized 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.520 by a young child. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:55.520 Even before memorizing it, 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.189 the child hears it from their parents 00:00:58.189 --> 00:01:01.259 as they recite the surahs of protection (al-Mu'awwidhat) 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:04.260 at a very early age. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:07.959 Thus, the child learns that the One whose refuge is sought 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:09.959 is Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:12.629 This connects directly to the second pause, 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:16.299 which is that after a person completes, 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:19.299 for example, an entire recitation (khatmah) of the Qur'an, 00:01:19.299 --> 00:01:21.299 they ultimately arrive 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:24.370 at these two concluding surahs: 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:26.400 al-Falaq and an-Nas. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:27.400 We are now considering Surah al-Falaq, 00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:30.400 where one recites: "Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.'" 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:32.400 So in his beginnings, 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.400 in his childhood, 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.400 and in his state of weakness and vulnerability, 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:38.879 he sought refuge; 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:40.879 and after he has gained knowledge 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:43.879 and recited the entire Qur'an, 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:48.040 he still remains in need of seeking that very refuge. 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:50.810 In both states, 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:54.810 the One whose refuge is sought is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He; 00:01:54.810 --> 00:01:57.810 He alone protects from the evil of whatever He has created. 00:01:57.810 --> 00:02:00.859 As for the third pause, 00:02:00.859 --> 00:02:04.890 the surah opens 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:06.890 with the command: "Say." 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:08.889 We have encountered similar phrasing before, 00:02:08.889 --> 00:02:12.590 and it corresponds directly with Surah an-Nas as well. 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:14.590 This opening command, "Say," 00:02:14.590 --> 00:02:18.819 reminds us that the supreme path of protection 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:21.740 against evil is divine revelation. 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:24.259 We may exert our own efforts 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:27.120 and try our best to guard against evils, 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:29.120 but complete protection 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.120 and ultimate refuge 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:34.120 are obtained solely through revelation. 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:36.120 The word "Say" points to this reality: 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:38.120 you do not seek refuge according to your own reasoning, 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:41.120 but rather through what your Lord has revealed to you. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:44.120 I am reminded here of an exchange 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:47.120 I once had with someone 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:50.120 regarding the prayers used to seek protection for a child. 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.699 When I mentioned to him the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:55.699 "I seek refuge for you both in the perfect words of Allah, 00:02:55.699 --> 00:02:57.729 from every devil and poisonous reptile, 00:02:57.729 --> 00:02:58.729 and from every evil eye," 00:02:58.729 --> 00:03:00.729 with which the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to seek refuge for 00:03:00.729 --> 00:03:01.729 al-Hasan and al-Husayn, 00:03:01.729 --> 00:03:04.729 may Allah be pleased with them both— 00:03:04.729 --> 00:03:09.080 it seemed that when I presented this supplication to him, 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:10.080 he deemed it too brief, 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:11.080 saying, "Is that all?" 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:14.080 In the same way, someone might look at al-Falaq and an-Nas 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:16.500 as short surahs, 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:18.500 wondering, "Is this truly sufficient for seeking refuge?" 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:20.780 Yes, it is indeed sufficient for seeking refuge, 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:23.780 because we receive this means of protection directly from Allah, 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:25.780 Glorified and Exalted is He. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:27.780 And whatever comes from Allah 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:30.259 suffices above all else; 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:32.300 it is greater than anything else 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:35.300 and far more profound than anything else. 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:38.300 Indeed, it has been narrated regarding the virtues of this surah: 00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:41.620 "You will never recite anything more profound with Allah 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:43.620 than 'Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.'" 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:49.289 So let us be reassured: as long as we take the path of protection prescribed in Allah's revelation, 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:53.289 we can be confident that divine protection is assured, by Allah's leave. 00:03:53.289 --> 00:03:54.289 And Allah knows best. 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:55.289 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, 00:03:55.289 --> 00:03:57.289 and upon his family and all his Companions. 00:03:57.289 --> 00:03:59.289 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.