Surah 113 - Al-Falaq (The Daybreak)
1 Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak
Surah 113 opens with an appeal to “the Lord of the Daybreak”, invoking God as the one who brings light out of darkness. From a biblical standpoint, this imagery resonates strongly with Scripture, where light signifies God’s creative power and moral clarity (Genesis 1:3; John 1:5).
2 From the evil of that which He created;
The surah acknowledges that creation itself, though good, can become a context in which harm and fear arise (“From the evil of that which He created”). Christianity agrees that the world is disordered and dangerous, yet it would qualify this by noting that creation is not evil in itself but is subject to corruption because of human sin (Romans 8:20–22). The surah gestures toward this brokenness but does not explain its origin.
[Tags: Evil]
3 From the evil of the darkness when it is intense, 4 And from the evil of malignant witchcraft, 5 And from the evil of the envier when he envies.
Verses 3–5 narrow the focus to particular threats: darkness, witchcraft, and envy. From a Christian perspective, this reflects a worldview deeply concerned with external sources of harm — hostile environments, occult practices, and malevolent human intentions. Scripture certainly recognizes such dangers (Galatians 5:20; Proverbs 14:30), yet Christianity ultimately locates their power not in autonomous forces but in rebellion against God’s moral order. The reference to envy is especially striking, as it comes closest to a biblical diagnosis of sin as an inward vice (cf. James 3:16). However, even here, envy is treated as something from which one seeks protection, not repentance or inner renewal.
[Tags: Evil , Darkness] [Tags: Evil , Witchcraft] [Tags: Evil , Envy]
Theologically, the surah functions as a protective prayer rather than a penitential one. There is no confession of sin, no appeal for forgiveness, and no transformation of the self—only refuge from harm. From a Christian standpoint, this highlights a recurring limitation: the Quranic solution to evil is defensive rather than redemptive. Christianity teaches that darkness is not merely something to hide from, but something to be overcome through reconciliation with God and renewal of the heart (Colossians 1:13–14). Thus, while Surah 113 powerfully expresses humanity’s vulnerability and dependence on God, it stops short of addressing the deeper problem that, according to Christian doctrine, humanity is not only endangered by evil but implicated in it.