这一章与下一章《人民》，包含了真主主要对其先知、其次对众信士所发出的指示：在任何可见或隐微、已知或未知的恐惧面前，都要投靠祂、寻求祂的庇护。仿佛真主——祂的荣耀无限崇高——正在展开祂关怀的世界，将信士们纳入祂的护佑之中。祂慈爱而温柔地召唤他们，让他们投向祂的关怀，从而感到安全与平安。仿佛祂在对他们说：我知道你们是无助的，四周环绕着敌人和恐惧。来到我这里，寻求安全、安宁与平和吧。因此，这两章分别以“你说：我投靠黎明的主”和“你说：我投靠世人的主”开头。关于这两章的降示与流传，有若干记载流传下来，它们都与上述理解相吻合：至慈至仁的真主向祂忠诚的仆人提供关怀与庇护。真主的使者ﷺ极其喜爱这两章，这在他的圣训中明显可见。

This sūrah, along with the following one, Mankind, contains a directive from God primarily to His Prophet and secondly to the believers at large, to take refuge in Him and seek His protection in the face of any source of fear, subtle or apparent, known or unknown. It is as if God — limitless is He in His glory — is unfolding His world of care, and embracing the believers in His guard. He is kindly and affectionately calling on them to resort to His care through which they will feel safe and at peace. It is as if He is saying to them: I know that you are helpless and surrounded by foes and fears. Come to Me for safety, contentment and peace. Hence, the two sūrahs start with, “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,” and, “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.” Several accounts have been handed down concerning the revelation and popularity of these two sūrahs. They all fit in neatly with the above interpretation that God, the Most Merciful, offers His care and shelter to His faithful servants. God’s Messenger loved these two sūrahs profoundly, as is clearly apparent in his traditions.

`Uqba ibn `Āmir,一位圣门弟子,转述说先知对他说:“你没有听到昨夜降示的那些独特的经文吗?‘你说:我求庇护于晨曦的主。’以及‘你说:我求庇护于世人的主。’”[由Mālik、Muslim、al-Tirmidhī、Abū Dāwūd和al-Nasā’ī辑录。] 圣门弟子Jābir说:“安拉的使者有一次对我说:‘Jābir!诵读!’我问:‘我该诵读什么?’他回答:‘诵读“你说:我求庇护于晨曦的主。”以及“你说:我求庇护于世人的主。”’于是我诵读了它们,他评论道:‘尽你所能多诵读它们,因为你永远不会诵读任何与它们等同的经文。’”[由al-Nasā’ī辑录。] Dharr ibn Ĥubaysh说,他曾向圣门弟子Ubayy ibn Ka`b询问al-Mu`awwadhatayn(指这两章经文合称的名称)的事,说:“Abū al-Mundhir!你的兄弟Ibn Mas`ūd是这样说的……(Ibn Mas`ūd曾一度误以为这两章不属于《古兰经》,但后来承认了自己的错误。)你对此有何看法?”他回答说:“我就此事询问过安拉的使者,他告诉我,他曾奉命诵读这两章的经文,而他也履行了这一命令。我们所说的,必定与安拉的使者所说的相同。”[由al-Bukhārī辑录。] 所有这些传述都有力地揭示了这两章经文所指向的那一根本因素——安拉的仁慈与慈爱。

`Uqba ibn `Āmir, a Companion of the Prophet, reports that the Prophet said to him: “Have you not heard the unique verses that were revealed last night, “Say: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,’ and ‘Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.’“ [Related by Mālik, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasā’ī.] Jābir, the Prophet’s Companion, said: “God’s Messenger said to me once, ‘Jābir! Recite!’ and I asked, ‘What shall I recite?’ He replied, ‘Recite, ‘Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,’ and ‘ Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.’ So I recited them and he commented, ‘Recite them [as often as you can] for you shall never recite anything equivalent to them.’“ [Related by al-Nasā’ī.] Dharr ibn Ĥubaysh said that he had inquired from Ubayy ibn Ka`b, the Prophet’s Companion, about al-Mu`awwadhatayn, a name that refers to these two sūrahs together, saying, “Abū al-Mundhir! Your brother, Ibn Mas`ūd says so and so. (For some time Ibn Mas`ūd was under the false impression that these two sūrahs were not part of the Qur’ān, but he later admitted his mistake.) What do you think of that?” He replied, “I asked God’s Messenger about this and he told me that he had been instructed to say the text of these sūrahs and he had carried out the instruction. We surely say the same as God’s Messenger had said.” [Related by al-Bukhārī.] All these reports throw powerful light on that underlying factor of God’s kindness and love to which the two sūrahs draw attention.

全能的真主——愿祂的尊荣无限——在本章中自称为“黎明的主”。阿拉伯语词“falaq”本义为“黎明”，但也可以理解为“整个创造的现象”，指一切生命从无到有、破土而出。这一理解得到《牲畜章》中真主之言的支持：“真主是使谷粒和果核破裂的，祂使死物中生出活物……祂是使清晨破晓的。祂使黑夜成为安息，使太阳和月亮作为计算时日的工具。”（6:95-96） 若采用“黎明”之义，那么寻求庇护，就是向那位“黎明的主”求助，祂在点亮白昼之光时赐予安全，以对抗隐秘与神秘之事。若将falaq理解为“创造”，那么寻求庇护，就是向万物的主求助，以免遭受某一被造物的恶害。两种解释下，都与本章的主题保持一致。

God — limitless is He in His glory — refers to Himself in this sūrah as the Lord of the daybreak. The Arabic term, falaq, simply means ‘daybreak’, but it could be taken to mean ‘the whole phenomenon of creation,’ with reference to everything springing forth into life. This interpretation is supported by God’s saying in Sūrah 6, Cattle: “It is God who splits (fāliq) the grain and the fruit- stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead ... He is the One who causes the day to break (fāliq). He has made the night to be [a source of] stillness, and the sun and the moon for reckoning.” (6: 95-96) If the meaning ‘daybreak’ is adopted, refuge is being sought from the unseen and the mysterious with the Lord of the daybreak, who bestows safety as He kindles the light of day. If, however, fāliq is taken to mean ‘creation’, then refuge from the evil of some creature is being sought with the Lord of all creation. In both cases, harmony with the theme of the sūrah is maintained.

“免受祂所创造之万物的恶害。”（第2节）这句话没有任何例外或限定。各种受造物之间的相互接触，虽然无疑是有益的，却也会带来一些恶。信士们向真主寻求庇护，正是为了促成这种接触所产生的善。因为创造那些受造物的主，必定能够提供适当的环境，引导它们走上只呈现其接触之光明一面的道路。

“From the evil of anything that He has created.” (Verse 2) The phrase contains no exceptions or specifications. Mutual contact between various creatures, though no doubt advantageous, brings about some evil. Refuge from it is sought with God by the believers in order to encourage the goodness such a contact produces. For He who created those creatures is surely able to provide the right circumstances that lead them on a course where only the bright side of their contact prevails.

“从黑暗的邪恶中[即 ghāsiq]，当它聚集时[即 waqab]。”（第3节）从语言学角度看，ghāsiq 意为“大量倾泻”，waqb 是山中一个小孔的名称，水便从其中涌出，而 waqab 则是表示这一动作的动词。这里所指的大概就是夜晚，以及夜晚降临、迅速笼罩世界时所伴随的一切。这本身就令人恐惧。此外，它还使我们的心中充满各种可能：不可知、出乎意料的不安，可能来自凶猛的野兽、不择手段的恶人、突袭的敌人或嘶嘶作响的毒物；还有焦虑和忧虑[这可能导致抑郁和不安]，以及在夜里独处时容易在黑暗中重新涌现的恶念和私欲。这正是信士需要真主庇佑以免遭受的邪恶。

“From the evil of darkness [i.e. ghāsiq] when it gathers [i.e. waqab].” (Verse 3) From a linguistic point of view, ghāsiq, means ‘substantially pouring out’ and waqb is the name given to a little hole in a mountain through which water issues forth, while waqab is the verb denoting such an action. What is probably meant here is the night, with all that accompanies it when it rapidly engulfs the world. This is terrifying in itself. In addition it fills our hearts with the possibility of an unknown, unexpected discomfort caused by a savage beast, an unscrupulous villain, a striking enemy or a hissing poisonous creature, as well as anxieties and worries [which may lead to depression and uneasiness], evil thoughts and passions that are liable to revive in the dark, during one’s state of solitude at night. This is the evil against which the believer needs God’s protection.