Class 5 – Quran Surahs Kafiroon, Al Ikhlas, Al Falaq & Al Nas

Class 5
‘Quran – Surahs Kafiroon, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq & Al-Nas’

 

Surah Kafiroon

This chapter was revealed as a response to the idol-worshipping leaders of the Quraysh that came to the Prophet ﷺ with the proposal that he worship their idols for a year, and in return, they would worship his God for a year. The surah came near the end of the Prophet ﷺ’s journey of dawah (calling people to Islam) and as such.. So, the Prophet tells them that they will not be swapping the worship of gods and that their committing of shirk (associate partners with Allah) will have consequences on the day of Judgement.

Translation of Surah Kafiroon

• (Muhammad) Say, “O you disbelievers!” [1]
• “I don’t worship (those rival gods) that you worship.” [2]
• “And you don’t worship (Allaah alone) which I worship.” [3]
• “And I won’t (ever) worship (in the manner) that you are worshipping.” [4]
• “And you won’t (ever) worship whom I worship (in the way He should be worshipped).” [5]
• “(So,) You have your religion (and its consequences), and I have mine.” [6]

Sunnah times to recite Surah Kafiroon:

• In the first Rakah of the two Rakah Sunnah prayers of Fajr
• In the Second Rakah of Witr. (First Rakat Surah Al Al’aa and 3rd rakah Surah Al Ikhlas)
• Before going to Sleep.
• He ﷺ. also recited Surah Kafiroon in the first Rakah of the prayer after Tawaf (second rakah he would recite Surah al Ikhlas)

Surah al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity)

or at-Tawheed (Oneness of God) [112] This chapter was revealed as a reply to the idol worshippers of Makkah who asked about the ancestry of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s god, as well as a reply to those who worshipped the “son of god” (Christians and Jews) or the sun and moon (Zoroastrians). It focuses on tawheed (the Oneness of Allah), wherein it states that He is One (unique in all His attributes), He is Self-Sufficient (does not need anyone, but everyone depends upon Him), He has no parents or children (as those that come into existence will eventually die and those that die will leave behind inheritance), and that none are equal to Him (no one can rival Him and He has no spouse).

• – Say (Muhammad): “He is Allaah, the One (and only god),” [1]
• – “Allaah is the Self-Sufficient (needed by all),” [2]
• – “Nothing was born by Him and He was not born,” [3]
• – “And there is none like (or equal to) Him.” [4]

Ikrimah R.A. said, the reason for the revelation of this Surah was. “When…

• the Jews said, `We worship Uzayr, the son of Allah,’ and
• the Christians said, `We worship the Messiah (Isa), the son of Allah,’ and
• the Zoroastrians said, `We worship the sun and the moon,’ and
• the idolators said, `We worship idols,’

– Allah revealed to His Messenger,- قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ – Say: “He is Allah, One.”- meaning,

• He is the One, the Singular,
• Who has no peer,
• no assistant, no rival,
• no equal and none comparable to Him.

This word (Al-Ahad) cannot be used for anyone in affirmation except Allah the Mighty and Majestic, because He is perfect in all of His attributes and actions.- Concerning His saying,- اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ﴿٢﴾ – Allah As-Samad, Ikrimah reported that Ibn Abbas said, “This means the One Who all of the creation depends upon for their needs and their requests.” Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas,

• “He is the Master Who is perfect in His sovereignty,
• the Most Noble Who is perfect in His nobility,
• the Most Magnificent Who is perfect in His magnificence,
• the Most Forbearing Who is perfect in His forbearance,
• the All-Knowing Who is perfect in His knowledge, and
• the Most Wise Who is perfect in His wisdom.
• He is the One Who is perfect in all aspects of nobility and authority.
• He is Allah, glory be unto Him. These attributes are not befitting anyone other than Him. He has no coequal and nothing is like Him. Glory be to Allah, the One, the Irresistible.”

Al-A`mash reported from Shaqiq, who said that Abu Wa’il said,- ” الصَّمَدُ As-Samad, is the Master Whose control is complete.’

Virtues:

• The Prophet ﷺ has stated that reading this chapter is equivalent to reading one-third of the Qur’an and the one who loves to recite it will be admitted into Paradise.
• The Prophet ﷺ has encouraged the recitation of Surah al-Naas, al-Falaq and al-Ikhlas three times before and after sleep, as a protection from everything. During the night, the Prophet ﷺ would blow into his hands and then recite the three Quls and then wipe over his body with his palms.
• Also as mentioned under Surah Kafiroon , He ﷺ used to recite Surah Ikhlas in the second Rakah of the Sunnah prayers on Fajr & Maghirb and also the same for the Prayer after Tawaf and would recite it in the third Rakah of Witr.

Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) [113]

This chapter tells us to seek Allah’s protection from all the evil that is present in our world, but more specifically the evil that can cause us physical harm. This harm can come from many sources, but the greatest sources will be (1) from the darkness of the night, (2) from magic spells (sorcery) and (3) from within people’s hearts. So we seek Allah’s protection from the darkness until it retreats at daybreak (sunrise) and from the bad things done by His creation.

• Say (Reciter): “I seek protection with (Allaah,) the Lord of the daybreak,” [1]
• “From the evil of what He has created,” [2]
• “And from the evil of the (night and its) advancing darkness,” [3]
• “And from the evil of witches who blow into knots (as they cast spells),” [4]
• “And from the evil of the one who envies, when they are envious.” [5]

Surah an-Naas (The Humankind) [114]

This chapter tells us that we should seek Allah’s protection from the spiritual world, primarily from the source of all evil, the Devil (Satan). We seek His protection from the evil deeds that we may do because of the repeated thoughts that are whispered into our hearts and minds by Shaythan. These thoughts cause us to have bad feelings such as envy, jealousy, greed, pride, anger, etc, which become sinful if we act on them. It also emphasizes that protection from this type of evil can only be gotten from Allah, who has the attributes of lord (creator), king (owner), and god (one to be worshipped and obeyed).

• Say (Reciter): “I seek protection with (Allaah,) the Lord of humankind,” [1]
• “The King of humankind,” [2]
• “The God of humankind,” [3]
• “From the evil of the (constant) whisperer who retreats (when I remember Allaah),” [4]
• “Who whispers in the chests (and hearts) of humankind,” [5]
• “(That are) Among the jinn and humans.” [6]

These are three attributes from the attributes of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They are lordship, sovereignty and divinity. Thus, He is the Lord of everything, the King of everything and the God of everything. All things are created by Him, owned by Him, and subservient to Him. Therefore, He commands whoever is seeking protection to seek refuge with the One Who has these attributes from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws. This (the whisperer) is the devil that is assigned to man. For verily, there is not any of the Children of Adam except that he has a companion that beautifies wicked deeds for him. This devil will go to any lengths to confuse and confound him. The only person who is safe is He Whom Allah protects.

The Virtues of Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

• (Do you not see that there have been Ayat revealed to me tonight the like of which has not been seen before), They are Surah Falaq & Surah Naas. This Hadith was recorded by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih.”
• Imam Malik recorded from `A’ishah that whenever the Messenger of Allah was suffering from an ailment, he would recite the Mu`awwidhatayn over himself and blow (over himself). Then if his pain became severe, `A’ishah said that she would recite the Mu`awwidhatayn over him and take his hand and wipe it over himself seeking the blessing of those Surahs. Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah all recorded this Hadith.
• Surah an-Naas and al-Falaq are collectively known as Al Mu‘aw-widhatain. The Prophet ﷺ told us to recite these two surahs before we sleep and after we get up and referred to them as the best two surahs, especially when seeking protection. The Prophet ﷺ was known to recite the two surahs, followed by blowing into his palms and then running his hand over his body, when he was feeling ill.

________________________________

TIPS OF TEST

• Memorize the Surahs
• Remember when to recite them
• Remember their virtues