Block Shaytan From Your Heart with 11 Verses | Transform Your Salah - Ep. 2
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What if there's a reason why certain things just don't go our way? We might be missing something. There are some obstacles in our life. We want to move forward, we want to enjoy life, but then we get affected by unexpected news. Our mood drops, our hearts feel tight, the nights don't end, and we can't sleep. That's why Allah sent down two short, but very powerful surahs (chapters) in the Quran. Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) and Surah an-Nas (The Mankind). A shield for us, a shelter, a protection. Life is not only about what we can see. There are a lot of things that we cannot see, but we need to be protected from them.
For example, magic, evil eyes, jealousy, the harm that comes at night, waswasa (whispers), and people who act like shaytan (devil). We have hundreds of enemies. There's such deep beauty in the meaning of these surahs (chapters) that, when the video ends, we will think like, "How did I live without reciting and understanding these surahs?" At the end of the video, we will recite these surahs with the meanings we have learned, and many things will start to change, insha'Allah (God willing). The troubles that are about to come upon us, insha'Allah (God willing), will be turned away. Have you heard that magic was cast on our Prophet Alayhis Salatu was-Salam (peace and blessings be upon him)?
A Jew named Labid, he prepared magic by wrapping the Prophet's ﷺ hair around a comb. Then he threw it into a well. It was a trial for the Prophet ﷺ. He started to go through a serious illness. His weakness and discomfort got worse day by day. Then Allah informed him through revelation. The companions went right away and looked into the well. And yes, at the bottom of the well, there was a comb with hair wrapped around it. Following this incident, Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) and Surah an-Nas (The Mankind) were revealed. Eleven knots had been tied on the comb, and in these two surahs, there are eleven ayas (verses) in total. The Messenger of Allah recited one ayah (verse) for each knot.
Every time he recited one, a knot was untied and he felt better. When he recited the last ayah, the final knot was untied. The illness, the magic, they completely went away. So these surahs are very powerful. Until that day, Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had some other duas (supplications) for protection, but after these surahs were revealed, he started reciting them instead. Every night before sleeping, Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite these two surahs together with Surah al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity) and then blow into his hands, and then wipe his hands over the parts of the body that he could reach.
Now, let's begin our topic with Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak). What is the first ayah (verse)? Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq. Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of dawn." What a beautiful expression, huh? The Lord of daybreak. But why dawn? Because every night has a morning, right? It reminds us of hope. This is a sign for the situations in our lives that don't go well and make us feel heavy inside. Every night has a morning. The ayah reminds us of this. Think about something that bothered you ten years ago. Now, it's either completely gone or it doesn't affect you much anymore. That means the morning of the night has come.
Sometimes we may feel as if everything around us is coming down on us, but this night will also have a morning. With this hope, we need to stay strong against the hardships. Remember Prophet Yunus Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him). He was in the belly of the fish. There was a storm, and he was in the middle of the sea. Could there be a worse situation than that? He admitted his mistake and said, "My Lord, indeed, I was among the wrongdoers." He deeply felt that only Allah could save him, and he made dua (supplication) with that feeling. And in the end, Allah saved him and brought him to safety. Think about Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him).
They threw him into a massive fire using a giant catapult. From the outside, it looked like there was no hope, but Allah didn't let the fire burn him. Sometimes we may say, "My situation is really bad. I'll never get out of this. There's no hope." But the One who created you from nothing, the One who has endless power, and He rules the entire universe, can't He create a way out for you? How many years will you live in this world? You're not going to live for a thousand years. A hundred years from now, you and everyone you love, or the people you have conflicts with, they will be under the ground. This life will eventually end. The world is temporary. So how can your problems last forever?
The pain you once said, "This will never pass," it passed. Morning came, hope arrived, and this ayah makes us think exactly that. You say, "Ya Rabb (O Lord), what should I do?" And He says to you, "Qul" (Say). You ask, "What should I say?" A'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq (I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn). The sun will rise. It will break through the darkness. All darkness will disappear. Light will come. With this hope, you will hold on through the hardship. Next ayah, Min sharri ma khalaq. What does it mean? From the evil of whatever He has created. But wait a second. That hardship didn't appear by itself. Allah created it. So if you can't control it, then what should you do?
You need to find someone who can control it and can stop it. The ayah calls out to you, "Don't search in the wrong place or far away. The One who created it and can control it is Allah." Are we talking about the same Allah who gave you so many blessings since the day you were born? Millions of gifts throughout your life. Yes, this means that He has compassion towards you. So if Allah allowed this to happen, then there's definitely some good behind it. This should give peace to your heart. Allah knows your situation, and for sure, in the end, there's something good in it for you. He's guiding you towards it. Then who should we go for protection from these bad things?
To Allah, the One who creates and controls them. To be happy, we may need many reasons, but to feel sad, one missing thing is enough. For example, imagine a car. It needs hundreds of parts to work: the steering wheel, the engine, the exhaust, thousands of small things. But if just one is missing, the car doesn't move. Our life is like that too. We move forward, we live, but sometimes one missing thing takes away all our happiness. Even this is enough to show how much we need to seek for protection. When you break your connection with Allah, everything starts to go wrong, one by one. Shall we count the things that we need to seek protection from?
Earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness, losing your loved ones, magic, jinns (spirits), accidents, failures, depression. There are a lot of things. For example, the people who hurt you. Sometimes someone you called "brother" has turned your life upside down. This can happen too. And sometimes something looks good, but it is actually bad. So when we recite this ayah, we also ask Allah for protection from those things. Let's remember again, min sharri ma khalaq. I seek refuge from what? From the evil of whatever He has created. There's one more thing we need to seek protection from: the evil eye, al-'ayn (the evil eye). What is the evil eye?
The evil eye is when someone looks at you with jealousy, and that negative energy is believed to cause problems in your life. The evil eye works strongly in two situations. The first one is when you admire something. You really like something, but you don't connect it to Allah. For example, instead of saying, "How beautifully Allah created," you only say, "It's so beautiful." Especially mothers can affect their own children with the evil eye unintentionally. Words of praise without saying Masha'Allah (what Allah has willed), they can have a strong effect. The second one is more dangerous. It is jealousy.
This kind of look can bring extra harm to the other person, ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid). But how do I know that I am affected by the evil eye? If everything starts to go wrong in your life, if the things you try to keep, they're failing, especially if something goes wrong right after a big success, this could be a sign of the evil eye. But why are we talking about this? Because Surah an-Nas (The Mankind) and Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) are the strongest surahs for protection from the evil eye.
In Surah al-Qalam (The Pen), ayah number 51, Allah says to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "Those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes." So here's the question: with so many people around us, how do we protect ourselves from the evil eye? The first one, we should recite Surah an-Nas and Surah al-Falaq every day, every night. The second one, we should not tell everyone about our successes. The third one, we should be careful when sharing things on social media. We don't know who will see it or what they will feel when they see it.
For example, you have a happy family, and you share a photo with your child, but the person who sees it doesn't have that kind of life. Even if they are not jealous normally, if they feel sad when they see your photo, this can still cause the evil eye. That person doesn't say, "I want to harm them." He doesn't even know he's doing it. That's why we need to seek protection from Allah. So the next ayah, wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. And from the evil of the night when it grows dark. In here, we seek refuge from what? And from the evil of the night when it grows dark. Why does the ayah talk about darkness? Because darkness means the unknown: scorpions, snakes, and other dangers.
In the daylight, you can see what's around you, but when it gets dark, it's harder to notice danger coming close. If we look at it from a psychological side, night means being alone. It's the time when you are by yourself. You start to think deeply. You focus on your feelings. At night, people become the most vulnerable emotionally and mentally. That's why we ask Allah for protection from the evil of the night. Wa min sharrin-naffathati fil-'uqad. And from the evil of the women who blow on the knots. This means people who do magic. We ask Allah to protect us from their harm. Brothers, sisters, don't take magic lightly, especially in marriage matters.
For example, someone plans to marry a person, but suddenly that person marries someone else. The jealousy and envy become so strong that the person does magic to break that marriage. There are many types of magic. Just don't say, "Nothing will happen to me." Magic was done to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it had an effect. That's why we really need Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad. And from the evil of an envier when they envy. An envier is not just unhappy about what you have; they want you to lose it. When someone gets a blessing, the envier's heart says that, "Why did they get that?" This is more than a dislike.
It is, without realizing it, a challenge to qadar (divine decree), the destiny Allah has decreed, because the One who gave that blessing is Allah Himself. Thinking this way, even unconsciously, is like saying, "Allah didn't know who should receive what." Ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid). This is why this kind of envy is a dangerous sickness of the heart. Let's not only look for enviers outside. This can also be inside of us. For example, you want to have something, but your father doesn't care. Then you see that exact thing with someone you dislike, and his father bought it for him, and it looks amazing. That moment is a test for you.
A person may not be able to stop the feelings inside, but if you are not okay with that feeling, and you don't turn it into action, then there is no sin on you. So what does it mean to turn into action? It means trying to harm that person in some way or intentionally feeling happy if something bad happens to them. In Islam, you are not responsible for a feeling or a thought that doesn't turn into action. The solution is three duas (supplications). The first one, make dua for yourself to get out of this feeling. The second, make dua for the person you have bad feelings towards. The third one is the most powerful: ask Allah to give good things to that person.
Praying for their well-being will heal the jealousy inside you. The first murder between Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain) happened because of envy. The reason why Shaytan (devil) went against Allah and became Shaytan, it was because he envied Prophet Adam. Behind many fights, arguments, and secret plans we see in the world, there's often envy. Also, we should not forget this: envy burns the envier first. So when we envy someone, we are actually hurting ourselves the most. We lose our own peace the most. Our mind keeps thinking about those things all the time.
One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his companions, "Now, a man from the people of Jannah (paradise) will appear." The companions wanted to understand why this man was from paradise. One of the companions went and stayed as a guest in the man's home. For three days, he watched him closely. He wondered, "What kind of worship does he do that makes him a person of paradise?" He watched, but he didn't see him doing anything different. At the end, he admitted why he came and asked the man directly.
And the man of paradise replied, "I do not hold even a little bit of hatred in my heart towards any Muslim, and I never envy anyone for the blessings and good things that Allah has given them." So sometimes jealousy can take a person to hell, but choosing not to envy others, this can lead someone to paradise. What a fine line there is. So friends, this is where Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) ends. Let's remember the meanings.
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, from the evil of whatever He has created, and from the evil of the night when it grows dark, and from the evil of the women who blow on the knots, and from the evil of an envier when they envy." Now we move on to Surah an-Nas (The Mankind). What does "Nas" mean? It means "people." And again, we see seeking protection in this surah. We will see this from the very first ayah. Let me ask you a question. Who drowns more often? People who can swim or people who can't swim? It is said that people who can swim drown more often, because those who can't swim, they don't go into a deep water. They're careful. They say, "I won't go there.
It's three meters deep. I can't handle it." But people who can swim, they trust themselves. They go into deep water. They think everything will be fine, but there are still other dangers at the sea. So the problem here is trusting yourself too much, like, "Nothing will happen to me. Don't make a big deal, no matter what comes, I can handle it." These kind of conversations. A person who talks like this is like a boxer who puts his guard down. At that moment, he gets hit and feels weak. Brothers, sisters, we should think like this: I can lose against Shaytan (devil). He can trap me. He knows my weak points. I need to seek refuge in Allah. Right now, some people are being careful.
They keep their guard up and watch videos about Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Nas. This way, they try to protect themselves. But some still say, "Nothing will happen to me." In this case, the person can become a target because their guard is low. Here we go. Qul a'udhu bi Rabbin-nas, Malikin-nas, Ilahin-nas. I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind. Three names are mentioned: Lord (Rabb), King (Malik), God (Ilah). Who are we seeking protection in? In our Lord, our true King, our God. What should we understand from this? There are things in this world that scare us. What are they? Maybe a person, maybe an illness, maybe death.
Maybe you're thinking, "What will I do if that person harms me?" All these things we fear are weak in front of Allah's endless power. They have no real strength. What I mean is that, seek protection in Allah. The things you're afraid of are weak beings that will tremble in front of Allah. Think about the cruel king called Nimrod. He was hurting the people around him. Everyone was afraid of him. So what did Allah do? He sent one of His smallest soldiers, a tiny fly. It slipped past Nimrod's guards, past the walls of the palace, and found its way into his nose. From there, it reached his brain. That's when Nimrod began to lose control.
The mighty king who once claimed to be a god was now helpless, banging his head against the walls in agony. Day after day, the pain consumed him. The one who thought he ruled the world was defeated by something smaller than a fingernail. The one you called "great king" was defeated by a fly sent by Allah. Pharaoh, on the other hand, he was the same. He was hurting people. Musa Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him) and his people reached the Red Sea. Behind them, there was Pharaoh and his army. In front of them, there was the sea. Who did Musa Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him) turn to? To Allah, for protection. He hit the sea with his staff. A miracle happened. The sea split into two.
Musa (Moses) and his people walked through it between the walls of water rising on both sides. Pharaoh also tried to walk through after them, but the water closed over them. Pharaoh and his army drowned in the sea. What am I trying to say? Take refuge in who? In your Rabb (Lord), your Malik (King), your Ilah (God), because there is no ruler greater than Him. Why do we take refuge in Him? Because the key to everything is with Him. Everything is under His control. Everything happens by His command. Not even a leaf falls without Allah's will. Think about it. Allah, the One who has endless power, what is it that He cannot do? Nothing.
People and all other creatures, they have limits, but Allah has full power and full authority. If He doesn't allow it, nothing can happen. Right now, I'm taking refuge in my Lord who has endless power. Min sharril-waswasil-khannas, alladhi yuwaswisu fi sudurin-nas. What does it mean? From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, who whispers evil into the chests of mankind. Brothers, sisters, what are we seeking protection from? From waswasa (whispers), the bad thoughts that Shaytan whispers into us. We are asking Allah to protect us from that. There is an important distinction here.
The ayah says, "who whispers evil into the chests of mankind." It doesn't say "into their hearts." What does this mean? Shaytan gives you a whisper, a waswasa. He encourages you to commit a sin. He makes it seem attractive or tells you, "Don't pray salah (prayer)," or tries to plant thoughts that will destroy your hope and patience. This whisper stays in your chest, what we call sadr (chest), but it hasn't yet reached your heart. It will reach your heart only if you choose, if you act on that whisper and think like, "I won't pray. I won't pray salah (prayer). I'm already obsessed with wudu (ablution). I don't want to pray salah.
I have problems." Then the whisper in your sadr (chest) can enter your heart. So what should we think of when we hear the word "waswasa" (whispers)? It's the whisperings of Shaytan. Okay, the voice that commands evil, thoughts that prevent goodness, that make you leave acts of worship. You know how in cartoons there's sometimes an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder, right? It's kind of like that. Shaytan speaks to us many times a day. The most critical point here is that sometimes Shaytan's words feel like they are your own thoughts. The conversations in your mind, the images, maybe the bad words, the thoughts you have, they have not always been your own.
For example, imagine a guy called Ahmed. He has thought about getting a girlfriend. Then one day, he meets a girl at a supermarket. The girl asks him for help. They interact, they become familiar with each other. Ahmed thinks of himself, "I'm not in a position to get married. Maybe I will marry six or seven years later. During this time, I can get to know her. I will explain Islam to her. She seems like a good person anyway." Ahmed feels like this is his own thought. But wait, recognize it. That's not within Islamic boundaries, right? This is Shaytan's whisper. When you recognize this difference, you have solved a big issue regarding the test you're facing. So how will you distinguish it?
Is it from Shaytan or is it my thought? If it's outside the boundaries of what's halal (permissible), or if it pulls you down spiritually, makes you feel hopeless, then it's Shaytan's whisper. We should be careful. Sometimes these whispers can seem very innocent. In our tafsir (exegesis) resources, it is explained that Shaytan has the following plan. The first plan, for you and for me, for everyone: He tries to lead a person to disbelief and shirk (polytheism). The first aim is disbelief and shirk. If he fails at that, he tries to drag him into major sins. This is the second plan. If that doesn't work, he distracts him with minor sins. This is the third plan.
If he can't do that either, he keeps him busy with empty and useless acts. If he still can't engage him in useless things, he pulls him away from highly rewarded deeds and guides him towards deeds with lesser rewards. In other words, Shaytan has many tactics and whispers to deceive people. Without seeking refuge in Allah, it is impossible to resist its tricks. But we often act carelessly. We fall into the thought of, "Nothing will happen to me." One day, we might say, "I was praying five times a day. Why did I stop?" Because you lowered your guard. There was an enemy following you, waiting for your weaknesses.
When the time came, you started giving him what he wanted, and now you are in this situation. The surah continues, Minal-jinnati wan-nas. What does that mean? From among the jinn (spirits) and mankind. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the famous scholar, while proving the existence of Shaytan, he uses human shayateen as an example. He says, "Is there a shaytan? Yes, there are people who act like shaytan among us. If these people could shed their physical bodies and become invisible, they would be no different from shaytan in function." Those who oppress, who constantly call others to sin, and who share haram (forbidden) content.
I know that sometimes a person may fall into a sin due to his own desires. That is something different. But there are also people whose main goal is to spread corruption and call others to evil. These people are like shaytan with a human body. Therefore, when thinking about those who whisper evil, we must consider not only the jinns, but also the people. Because if a person continues in evil and sin continuously, he can become worse than Shaytan. Shaytan only whispers, but a person, maybe your friend, he can take your hand and lead you to haram (forbidden), not just whispering. They might approach you with something like this: "Why don't you have a girlfriend? Why don't you have a boyfriend?
Are you ugly? Don't you think about it? One of my friend's partners saw you and really liked you. You may hang out together." It may seem innocent to you, but ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid), sometimes Shaytan whispers to people around us, and Shaytan uses the people around us to influence us. That's why we need to seek refuge in Allah from both the jinn and the people, so that we can be protected. Let's remember all the verses. I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, who whispers evil into the chests of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind. Yes, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas are now complete.
There's a saying like, "The lesson repeats until it is learned." The trials, difficulties, and troubles that we face, they are a warning from Allah. They remind us that we cannot live without Him. Through them, Allah invites us to seek refuge in Him. Then with surahs like these and their deep meanings, Allah guides us. And now we know that nights can be dark, trials can approach silently, but we have a Rabb (Lord), a Malik (King), an Ilah (God). We have a falaq (daybreak) to break through every darkness and an nas (mankind) to silence every whisper. After this video, let just one habit change in your life.
Before you go to sleep, recite Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas like the Prophet (peace be upon him) did. But this time, do it with understanding. Seek refuge and surrender. Remember, every night you don't recite these two surahs, it means you have lowered your guard. But every night you do, you wear a shield. And now, no darkness can make you helpless, because you have learned to seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn. The first video of this series was Surah al-Fatihah (The Opening Chapter). Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), that video was deep, that video was inspiring, I believe.
And the next video of this series, we will continue to dive deeper into the opening supplication, Subhanakallahumma (Glory be to You, O Allah). By the time this series ends, insha'Allah (God willing), we will understand all the verses that we have recited. Insha'Allah, we will pray with true humility and concentration, and we will walk towards eternity.
For example, magic, evil eyes, jealousy, the harm that comes at night, waswasa (whispers), and people who act like shaytan (devil). We have hundreds of enemies. There's such deep beauty in the meaning of these surahs (chapters) that, when the video ends, we will think like, "How did I live without reciting and understanding these surahs?" At the end of the video, we will recite these surahs with the meanings we have learned, and many things will start to change, insha'Allah (God willing). The troubles that are about to come upon us, insha'Allah (God willing), will be turned away. Have you heard that magic was cast on our Prophet Alayhis Salatu was-Salam (peace and blessings be upon him)?
A Jew named Labid, he prepared magic by wrapping the Prophet's ﷺ hair around a comb. Then he threw it into a well. It was a trial for the Prophet ﷺ. He started to go through a serious illness. His weakness and discomfort got worse day by day. Then Allah informed him through revelation. The companions went right away and looked into the well. And yes, at the bottom of the well, there was a comb with hair wrapped around it. Following this incident, Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) and Surah an-Nas (The Mankind) were revealed. Eleven knots had been tied on the comb, and in these two surahs, there are eleven ayas (verses) in total. The Messenger of Allah recited one ayah (verse) for each knot.
Every time he recited one, a knot was untied and he felt better. When he recited the last ayah, the final knot was untied. The illness, the magic, they completely went away. So these surahs are very powerful. Until that day, Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had some other duas (supplications) for protection, but after these surahs were revealed, he started reciting them instead. Every night before sleeping, Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite these two surahs together with Surah al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity) and then blow into his hands, and then wipe his hands over the parts of the body that he could reach.
Now, let's begin our topic with Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak). What is the first ayah (verse)? Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq. Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of dawn." What a beautiful expression, huh? The Lord of daybreak. But why dawn? Because every night has a morning, right? It reminds us of hope. This is a sign for the situations in our lives that don't go well and make us feel heavy inside. Every night has a morning. The ayah reminds us of this. Think about something that bothered you ten years ago. Now, it's either completely gone or it doesn't affect you much anymore. That means the morning of the night has come.
Sometimes we may feel as if everything around us is coming down on us, but this night will also have a morning. With this hope, we need to stay strong against the hardships. Remember Prophet Yunus Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him). He was in the belly of the fish. There was a storm, and he was in the middle of the sea. Could there be a worse situation than that? He admitted his mistake and said, "My Lord, indeed, I was among the wrongdoers." He deeply felt that only Allah could save him, and he made dua (supplication) with that feeling. And in the end, Allah saved him and brought him to safety. Think about Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him).
They threw him into a massive fire using a giant catapult. From the outside, it looked like there was no hope, but Allah didn't let the fire burn him. Sometimes we may say, "My situation is really bad. I'll never get out of this. There's no hope." But the One who created you from nothing, the One who has endless power, and He rules the entire universe, can't He create a way out for you? How many years will you live in this world? You're not going to live for a thousand years. A hundred years from now, you and everyone you love, or the people you have conflicts with, they will be under the ground. This life will eventually end. The world is temporary. So how can your problems last forever?
The pain you once said, "This will never pass," it passed. Morning came, hope arrived, and this ayah makes us think exactly that. You say, "Ya Rabb (O Lord), what should I do?" And He says to you, "Qul" (Say). You ask, "What should I say?" A'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq (I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn). The sun will rise. It will break through the darkness. All darkness will disappear. Light will come. With this hope, you will hold on through the hardship. Next ayah, Min sharri ma khalaq. What does it mean? From the evil of whatever He has created. But wait a second. That hardship didn't appear by itself. Allah created it. So if you can't control it, then what should you do?
You need to find someone who can control it and can stop it. The ayah calls out to you, "Don't search in the wrong place or far away. The One who created it and can control it is Allah." Are we talking about the same Allah who gave you so many blessings since the day you were born? Millions of gifts throughout your life. Yes, this means that He has compassion towards you. So if Allah allowed this to happen, then there's definitely some good behind it. This should give peace to your heart. Allah knows your situation, and for sure, in the end, there's something good in it for you. He's guiding you towards it. Then who should we go for protection from these bad things?
To Allah, the One who creates and controls them. To be happy, we may need many reasons, but to feel sad, one missing thing is enough. For example, imagine a car. It needs hundreds of parts to work: the steering wheel, the engine, the exhaust, thousands of small things. But if just one is missing, the car doesn't move. Our life is like that too. We move forward, we live, but sometimes one missing thing takes away all our happiness. Even this is enough to show how much we need to seek for protection. When you break your connection with Allah, everything starts to go wrong, one by one. Shall we count the things that we need to seek protection from?
Earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness, losing your loved ones, magic, jinns (spirits), accidents, failures, depression. There are a lot of things. For example, the people who hurt you. Sometimes someone you called "brother" has turned your life upside down. This can happen too. And sometimes something looks good, but it is actually bad. So when we recite this ayah, we also ask Allah for protection from those things. Let's remember again, min sharri ma khalaq. I seek refuge from what? From the evil of whatever He has created. There's one more thing we need to seek protection from: the evil eye, al-'ayn (the evil eye). What is the evil eye?
The evil eye is when someone looks at you with jealousy, and that negative energy is believed to cause problems in your life. The evil eye works strongly in two situations. The first one is when you admire something. You really like something, but you don't connect it to Allah. For example, instead of saying, "How beautifully Allah created," you only say, "It's so beautiful." Especially mothers can affect their own children with the evil eye unintentionally. Words of praise without saying Masha'Allah (what Allah has willed), they can have a strong effect. The second one is more dangerous. It is jealousy.
This kind of look can bring extra harm to the other person, ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid). But how do I know that I am affected by the evil eye? If everything starts to go wrong in your life, if the things you try to keep, they're failing, especially if something goes wrong right after a big success, this could be a sign of the evil eye. But why are we talking about this? Because Surah an-Nas (The Mankind) and Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) are the strongest surahs for protection from the evil eye.
In Surah al-Qalam (The Pen), ayah number 51, Allah says to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "Those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes." So here's the question: with so many people around us, how do we protect ourselves from the evil eye? The first one, we should recite Surah an-Nas and Surah al-Falaq every day, every night. The second one, we should not tell everyone about our successes. The third one, we should be careful when sharing things on social media. We don't know who will see it or what they will feel when they see it.
For example, you have a happy family, and you share a photo with your child, but the person who sees it doesn't have that kind of life. Even if they are not jealous normally, if they feel sad when they see your photo, this can still cause the evil eye. That person doesn't say, "I want to harm them." He doesn't even know he's doing it. That's why we need to seek protection from Allah. So the next ayah, wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. And from the evil of the night when it grows dark. In here, we seek refuge from what? And from the evil of the night when it grows dark. Why does the ayah talk about darkness? Because darkness means the unknown: scorpions, snakes, and other dangers.
In the daylight, you can see what's around you, but when it gets dark, it's harder to notice danger coming close. If we look at it from a psychological side, night means being alone. It's the time when you are by yourself. You start to think deeply. You focus on your feelings. At night, people become the most vulnerable emotionally and mentally. That's why we ask Allah for protection from the evil of the night. Wa min sharrin-naffathati fil-'uqad. And from the evil of the women who blow on the knots. This means people who do magic. We ask Allah to protect us from their harm. Brothers, sisters, don't take magic lightly, especially in marriage matters.
For example, someone plans to marry a person, but suddenly that person marries someone else. The jealousy and envy become so strong that the person does magic to break that marriage. There are many types of magic. Just don't say, "Nothing will happen to me." Magic was done to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it had an effect. That's why we really need Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad. And from the evil of an envier when they envy. An envier is not just unhappy about what you have; they want you to lose it. When someone gets a blessing, the envier's heart says that, "Why did they get that?" This is more than a dislike.
It is, without realizing it, a challenge to qadar (divine decree), the destiny Allah has decreed, because the One who gave that blessing is Allah Himself. Thinking this way, even unconsciously, is like saying, "Allah didn't know who should receive what." Ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid). This is why this kind of envy is a dangerous sickness of the heart. Let's not only look for enviers outside. This can also be inside of us. For example, you want to have something, but your father doesn't care. Then you see that exact thing with someone you dislike, and his father bought it for him, and it looks amazing. That moment is a test for you.
A person may not be able to stop the feelings inside, but if you are not okay with that feeling, and you don't turn it into action, then there is no sin on you. So what does it mean to turn into action? It means trying to harm that person in some way or intentionally feeling happy if something bad happens to them. In Islam, you are not responsible for a feeling or a thought that doesn't turn into action. The solution is three duas (supplications). The first one, make dua for yourself to get out of this feeling. The second, make dua for the person you have bad feelings towards. The third one is the most powerful: ask Allah to give good things to that person.
Praying for their well-being will heal the jealousy inside you. The first murder between Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain) happened because of envy. The reason why Shaytan (devil) went against Allah and became Shaytan, it was because he envied Prophet Adam. Behind many fights, arguments, and secret plans we see in the world, there's often envy. Also, we should not forget this: envy burns the envier first. So when we envy someone, we are actually hurting ourselves the most. We lose our own peace the most. Our mind keeps thinking about those things all the time.
One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his companions, "Now, a man from the people of Jannah (paradise) will appear." The companions wanted to understand why this man was from paradise. One of the companions went and stayed as a guest in the man's home. For three days, he watched him closely. He wondered, "What kind of worship does he do that makes him a person of paradise?" He watched, but he didn't see him doing anything different. At the end, he admitted why he came and asked the man directly.
And the man of paradise replied, "I do not hold even a little bit of hatred in my heart towards any Muslim, and I never envy anyone for the blessings and good things that Allah has given them." So sometimes jealousy can take a person to hell, but choosing not to envy others, this can lead someone to paradise. What a fine line there is. So friends, this is where Surah al-Falaq (The Daybreak) ends. Let's remember the meanings.
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, from the evil of whatever He has created, and from the evil of the night when it grows dark, and from the evil of the women who blow on the knots, and from the evil of an envier when they envy." Now we move on to Surah an-Nas (The Mankind). What does "Nas" mean? It means "people." And again, we see seeking protection in this surah. We will see this from the very first ayah. Let me ask you a question. Who drowns more often? People who can swim or people who can't swim? It is said that people who can swim drown more often, because those who can't swim, they don't go into a deep water. They're careful. They say, "I won't go there.
It's three meters deep. I can't handle it." But people who can swim, they trust themselves. They go into deep water. They think everything will be fine, but there are still other dangers at the sea. So the problem here is trusting yourself too much, like, "Nothing will happen to me. Don't make a big deal, no matter what comes, I can handle it." These kind of conversations. A person who talks like this is like a boxer who puts his guard down. At that moment, he gets hit and feels weak. Brothers, sisters, we should think like this: I can lose against Shaytan (devil). He can trap me. He knows my weak points. I need to seek refuge in Allah. Right now, some people are being careful.
They keep their guard up and watch videos about Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Nas. This way, they try to protect themselves. But some still say, "Nothing will happen to me." In this case, the person can become a target because their guard is low. Here we go. Qul a'udhu bi Rabbin-nas, Malikin-nas, Ilahin-nas. I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind. Three names are mentioned: Lord (Rabb), King (Malik), God (Ilah). Who are we seeking protection in? In our Lord, our true King, our God. What should we understand from this? There are things in this world that scare us. What are they? Maybe a person, maybe an illness, maybe death.
Maybe you're thinking, "What will I do if that person harms me?" All these things we fear are weak in front of Allah's endless power. They have no real strength. What I mean is that, seek protection in Allah. The things you're afraid of are weak beings that will tremble in front of Allah. Think about the cruel king called Nimrod. He was hurting the people around him. Everyone was afraid of him. So what did Allah do? He sent one of His smallest soldiers, a tiny fly. It slipped past Nimrod's guards, past the walls of the palace, and found its way into his nose. From there, it reached his brain. That's when Nimrod began to lose control.
The mighty king who once claimed to be a god was now helpless, banging his head against the walls in agony. Day after day, the pain consumed him. The one who thought he ruled the world was defeated by something smaller than a fingernail. The one you called "great king" was defeated by a fly sent by Allah. Pharaoh, on the other hand, he was the same. He was hurting people. Musa Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him) and his people reached the Red Sea. Behind them, there was Pharaoh and his army. In front of them, there was the sea. Who did Musa Alayhis Salam (peace be upon him) turn to? To Allah, for protection. He hit the sea with his staff. A miracle happened. The sea split into two.
Musa (Moses) and his people walked through it between the walls of water rising on both sides. Pharaoh also tried to walk through after them, but the water closed over them. Pharaoh and his army drowned in the sea. What am I trying to say? Take refuge in who? In your Rabb (Lord), your Malik (King), your Ilah (God), because there is no ruler greater than Him. Why do we take refuge in Him? Because the key to everything is with Him. Everything is under His control. Everything happens by His command. Not even a leaf falls without Allah's will. Think about it. Allah, the One who has endless power, what is it that He cannot do? Nothing.
People and all other creatures, they have limits, but Allah has full power and full authority. If He doesn't allow it, nothing can happen. Right now, I'm taking refuge in my Lord who has endless power. Min sharril-waswasil-khannas, alladhi yuwaswisu fi sudurin-nas. What does it mean? From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, who whispers evil into the chests of mankind. Brothers, sisters, what are we seeking protection from? From waswasa (whispers), the bad thoughts that Shaytan whispers into us. We are asking Allah to protect us from that. There is an important distinction here.
The ayah says, "who whispers evil into the chests of mankind." It doesn't say "into their hearts." What does this mean? Shaytan gives you a whisper, a waswasa. He encourages you to commit a sin. He makes it seem attractive or tells you, "Don't pray salah (prayer)," or tries to plant thoughts that will destroy your hope and patience. This whisper stays in your chest, what we call sadr (chest), but it hasn't yet reached your heart. It will reach your heart only if you choose, if you act on that whisper and think like, "I won't pray. I won't pray salah (prayer). I'm already obsessed with wudu (ablution). I don't want to pray salah.
I have problems." Then the whisper in your sadr (chest) can enter your heart. So what should we think of when we hear the word "waswasa" (whispers)? It's the whisperings of Shaytan. Okay, the voice that commands evil, thoughts that prevent goodness, that make you leave acts of worship. You know how in cartoons there's sometimes an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder, right? It's kind of like that. Shaytan speaks to us many times a day. The most critical point here is that sometimes Shaytan's words feel like they are your own thoughts. The conversations in your mind, the images, maybe the bad words, the thoughts you have, they have not always been your own.
For example, imagine a guy called Ahmed. He has thought about getting a girlfriend. Then one day, he meets a girl at a supermarket. The girl asks him for help. They interact, they become familiar with each other. Ahmed thinks of himself, "I'm not in a position to get married. Maybe I will marry six or seven years later. During this time, I can get to know her. I will explain Islam to her. She seems like a good person anyway." Ahmed feels like this is his own thought. But wait, recognize it. That's not within Islamic boundaries, right? This is Shaytan's whisper. When you recognize this difference, you have solved a big issue regarding the test you're facing. So how will you distinguish it?
Is it from Shaytan or is it my thought? If it's outside the boundaries of what's halal (permissible), or if it pulls you down spiritually, makes you feel hopeless, then it's Shaytan's whisper. We should be careful. Sometimes these whispers can seem very innocent. In our tafsir (exegesis) resources, it is explained that Shaytan has the following plan. The first plan, for you and for me, for everyone: He tries to lead a person to disbelief and shirk (polytheism). The first aim is disbelief and shirk. If he fails at that, he tries to drag him into major sins. This is the second plan. If that doesn't work, he distracts him with minor sins. This is the third plan.
If he can't do that either, he keeps him busy with empty and useless acts. If he still can't engage him in useless things, he pulls him away from highly rewarded deeds and guides him towards deeds with lesser rewards. In other words, Shaytan has many tactics and whispers to deceive people. Without seeking refuge in Allah, it is impossible to resist its tricks. But we often act carelessly. We fall into the thought of, "Nothing will happen to me." One day, we might say, "I was praying five times a day. Why did I stop?" Because you lowered your guard. There was an enemy following you, waiting for your weaknesses.
When the time came, you started giving him what he wanted, and now you are in this situation. The surah continues, Minal-jinnati wan-nas. What does that mean? From among the jinn (spirits) and mankind. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the famous scholar, while proving the existence of Shaytan, he uses human shayateen as an example. He says, "Is there a shaytan? Yes, there are people who act like shaytan among us. If these people could shed their physical bodies and become invisible, they would be no different from shaytan in function." Those who oppress, who constantly call others to sin, and who share haram (forbidden) content.
I know that sometimes a person may fall into a sin due to his own desires. That is something different. But there are also people whose main goal is to spread corruption and call others to evil. These people are like shaytan with a human body. Therefore, when thinking about those who whisper evil, we must consider not only the jinns, but also the people. Because if a person continues in evil and sin continuously, he can become worse than Shaytan. Shaytan only whispers, but a person, maybe your friend, he can take your hand and lead you to haram (forbidden), not just whispering. They might approach you with something like this: "Why don't you have a girlfriend? Why don't you have a boyfriend?
Are you ugly? Don't you think about it? One of my friend's partners saw you and really liked you. You may hang out together." It may seem innocent to you, but ma'adhallah (may Allah forbid), sometimes Shaytan whispers to people around us, and Shaytan uses the people around us to influence us. That's why we need to seek refuge in Allah from both the jinn and the people, so that we can be protected. Let's remember all the verses. I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, who whispers evil into the chests of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind. Yes, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas are now complete.
There's a saying like, "The lesson repeats until it is learned." The trials, difficulties, and troubles that we face, they are a warning from Allah. They remind us that we cannot live without Him. Through them, Allah invites us to seek refuge in Him. Then with surahs like these and their deep meanings, Allah guides us. And now we know that nights can be dark, trials can approach silently, but we have a Rabb (Lord), a Malik (King), an Ilah (God). We have a falaq (daybreak) to break through every darkness and an nas (mankind) to silence every whisper. After this video, let just one habit change in your life.
Before you go to sleep, recite Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas like the Prophet (peace be upon him) did. But this time, do it with understanding. Seek refuge and surrender. Remember, every night you don't recite these two surahs, it means you have lowered your guard. But every night you do, you wear a shield. And now, no darkness can make you helpless, because you have learned to seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn. The first video of this series was Surah al-Fatihah (The Opening Chapter). Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), that video was deep, that video was inspiring, I believe.
And the next video of this series, we will continue to dive deeper into the opening supplication, Subhanakallahumma (Glory be to You, O Allah). By the time this series ends, insha'Allah (God willing), we will understand all the verses that we have recited. Insha'Allah, we will pray with true humility and concentration, and we will walk towards eternity.