๏ Say, “I seek refuge with the Lord of the awakening, (1) from the evil of what He created, (2) and from the evil of the darkness when it spreads. (3) From the evil of the ones who spit at promises, (4) and from the evil of the envier when he envies.” (5) ๏
— al-falaq, 113/1-5
It could be argued that the dīn project comes to a conclusion in chapter 112, al-ikhlāṣ, which reminds us of the unity of the divine.
The Quran itself concludes with two further chapters, “two sentinels,” as described by Amin Ahsan Islahi. Chapters 113 and 114 are both prayers to God to protect people from evils – they act as a guard of the message found in all the previous chapters.
This chapter speaks about the evil that can come from God's creation, and how darkness can spread from it. The phrase that stands out is in verse four – al-nafāthāti fī l-ʿuqad – literally, “the blowers/spitters in the knots.” The knots, al-ʿuqad, are the pledges, obligations people are tied to by right. Evil, and the undermining of the dīn, comes when people reject their promises, or “spit” at them.
Neglecting obligations leads to inequalities, which in turn brings envy and jealousy.
The intimacy of the people – social living – is threatened by these evils, which is the subject of the next chapter.
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