Al-Muawwidhatayn: The Two Surahs of Refuge
Al-Muawwidhatayn are Surah al-Falaq and an-Nas: what each seeks refuge from, why the Prophet prized them, and their authentic sunnah uses.
There is a reason the last two surahs of the Qur'an are the ones many of us reach for first when we feel exposed: at night before sleep, after a hard day, when something unseen seems to press on the heart. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to hold on to them for exactly that. Together they are called al-Muawwidhatayn, the two surahs of refuge, and they were revealed one night as verses the like of which had never been seen.
This article explains what each of the two surahs actually asks Allah for protection from, why the Prophet ﷺ valued them above other recitation, and the authentic, sunnah-based ways he taught us to use them. Every practice here is tied to a narration you can check, and nothing is added that the Sunnah did not teach.
What al-Muawwidhatayn means
The word comes from the root that gives us a'udhu, "I seek refuge". Both surahs open with the command Qul a'udhu, "Say: I seek refuge", and that shared opening is exactly why they are named together as a pair.
الْمُعَوِّذَتَانِ
al-Muawwidhatayn
The two surahs that give refuge: Surah al-Falaq (113) and Surah an-Nas (114).
A dual form, so the "-ayn" ending means exactly two. Both begin "Qul a'udhu" (Say: I seek refuge), which is what earns them the name.
It helps to clear up one common mix-up straight away. Al-Muawwidhatayn (the dual) is always the two: al-Falaq and an-Nas. Al-Muawwidhat (the plural) is used more loosely by the scholars, and in the wording of some narrations, to include Surah al-Ikhlas (112) as well, giving what people call the "three Quls". Surah al-Ikhlas does not begin with Qul a'udhu, so it is not one of the two surahs of refuge in the strict sense, yet it is recited alongside them in several sunnah practices.
Surah al-Falaq: refuge in the Lord of daybreak
The first of the two, Surah al-Falaq, seeks refuge in the One who splits the darkness of night with the dawn. It opens by naming that Lord of daybreak, then lists the evils it protects against.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
“Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak'”
It then names four specific evils. The first is left completely general, a full refuge before the surah narrows to particular threats. Read them slowly, because each one is precise.
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
“From the evil of that which He created, and from the evil of darkness when it settles, and from the evil of the blowers in knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies.”
So al-Falaq seeks refuge from the evil of any created thing, then from the darkness of the night as it settles in, then from an-naffathat fi al-'uqad, and finally from the hasid, the envier at the moment his envy stirs. That fourth evil is often mistranslated, so it is worth pausing on.
ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
an-naffathat fi al-'uqad
The blowers in knots: those who practise knot-magic (sihr) by blowing onto tied knots.
The feminine form here is a feature of the Arabic; the meaning is the sorcerers who blow on knots as they cast a spell. It is not a general statement about women. Al-Falaq therefore gathers the dangers of the night, of magic and of envy behind the shield of the Lord who brings the morning after every darkness.
Surah an-Nas: refuge in the Lord of mankind
The second surah turns inward. Where al-Falaq sought refuge from external evils, an-Nas seeks refuge from the whisper that reaches the heart. It opens by calling on Allah with three of His descriptions in relation to mankind.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَـٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ
“Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind,'”
He is called Rabb (the Lord who creates and sustains), Malik (the Sovereign King who owns and rules), and Ilah (the only true God who is worshipped). Three names, rising in force, before the surah names the single evil it protects against.
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ
“From the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind.”
ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ
al-waswas al-khannas
The retreating whisperer: the one who whispers evil and then withdraws when Allah is remembered.
*Al-waswas* is the whisper itself and its source; *al-khannas* means the one who slinks back and retreats. The whisperer comes at the heart from two directions, "from among the jinn and mankind", so an-Nas is a refuge for the inside of the chest against both the unseen whisper of shaytan and the harmful voices of people.
Why the Prophet ﷺ prized them
These are not two short surahs the Prophet ﷺ mentioned only in passing. On the night they were revealed, he spoke of them as something unprecedented.
أَلَمْ تَرَ آيَاتٍ أُنْزِلَتِ اللَّيْلَةَ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ قَطُّ {قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ} وَ{قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ}
“Have you not seen that tonight verses have been revealed the like of which has never been seen? They are: 'Qul a'udhu bi rabbil-falaq' and 'Qul a'udhu bi rabbin-nas.'”
On another occasion, Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) asked to be taught surahs such as Hud and Yusuf. The Prophet ﷺ pointed him instead to the refuge of al-Falaq, and gave it a value that is hard to match.
“You will never recite anything more precious to Allah than 'Qul a'udhu bi rabbil-falaq.'”
The scholars note from these narrations that the Prophet ﷺ took to the two surahs as his chosen refuge, including from the jinn and the evil eye of people. That protective role is established for us by the sound narrations you will read next, so there is no need to reach for weaker material to make the point.
The authentic sunnah uses
The beauty of these surahs is that the Prophet ﷺ did not only praise them, he built them into the rhythm of the day. Here are the uses that rest on sound narrations, each tied to its source. Where a narration gives a number, we state it; where it does not, we do not invent one.
After every obligatory prayer
The Prophet ﷺ commanded Uqbah ibn Amir to recite the Muawwidhat after each prayer, so that the protection of these surahs seals every salah you pray. Note that this narration (also in Sunan an-Nasa'i 1336, graded hasan) gives no number, so recite them after the prayer without attaching a "three times" or any bead-count to it.
أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِالْمُعَوِّذَاتِ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to recite the Muawwidhat after every prayer.”
Morning and evening
Among the adhkar of the start and end of the day, the Prophet ﷺ taught the recitation of the three Quls, three times each, as a sufficiency against every kind of harm. Here al-Ikhlas ("Qul huwa Allahu ahad") is recited alongside al-Falaq and an-Nas, so this is the three Quls together, not the two on their own.
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ حِينَ تُمْسِي وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ تَكْفِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ
“Recite 'Qul huwa Allahu ahad' and the Muawwidhatayn three times when you reach the evening and the morning; they will suffice you against everything.”
Before sleep
One of the most cherished sunnahs of the night is the way the Prophet ﷺ closed the day. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) described it in careful detail. Many families pair it with reciting Ayat al-Kursi before sleep, which has its own authentic virtue as a protection through the night.
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ
“Whenever the Prophet ﷺ went to bed every night, he would cup his hands together, blow into them and recite into them Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas. Then he would wipe with them over whatever he could of his body, beginning with his head, face and the front of his body. He would do that three times.”
How the Prophet ﷺ did it before sleep
- 1
Cup your hands
When you have settled into bed, bring your two palms together as if to hold something in them.
- 2
Recite the three Quls into them
Recite Surah al-Ikhlas, then al-Falaq, then an-Nas, with a soft blow (nafth, a light blowing with a little spittle) into your hands.
- 3
Wipe over your body
Wipe your hands over as much of your body as you can reach, starting with your head, then your face, then the front of your body.
- 4
Repeat three times
Do the whole sequence three times, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) described.
Ruqyah and protection
Because the Prophet ﷺ took these two surahs as his refuge from the evils of the seen and unseen, they are among the core recitations of a sound, sunnah-based ruqyah (seeking cure and protection through the Qur'an). The before-sleep practice above is itself a form of self-protection, and the surahs are recited over oneself or a sick person along with al-Fatihah and other verses. Ruqyah stays within what the Sunnah taught: recitation, blowing and wiping, with reliance on Allah alone for the cure. If you would like to recite these surahs with sound pronunciation and grow in confidence with the short surahs, you can find a Qur'an or Arabic teacher who will take you through them verse by verse; it is also worth reading about Surah al-Mulk: The Protector in the Grave. For anything touching a specific diagnosis or a serious case, turn to people of knowledge and to islamqa.info rather than to amulets or invented formulas.
| When | What to recite | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| After every obligatory prayer | The Muawwidhat | No count given | Abi Dawud 1523 (sahih); an-Nasa'i 1336 (hasan) |
| Morning and evening | The three Quls (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, an-Nas) | Three times each | Abi Dawud 5082 (hasan); Tirmidhi 3575 |
| Before sleep | The three Quls, blown into cupped hands and wiped over the body | Three times | al-Bukhari 5017 (agreed upon) |
Do
- Learn both surahs by heart; they are short and within reach of any beginner.
- Recite the Muawwidhat after every obligatory prayer, as the Prophet ﷺ commanded.
- Keep the morning, evening and before-sleep recitations as a steady daily habit.
- Recite with understanding of what you are seeking refuge from, so the words carry weight in your heart.
- Teach the before-sleep sunnah to your children as part of their bedtime.
Don’t
- Do not confuse al-Muawwidhatayn (the two: al-Falaq and an-Nas) with the three Quls that add al-Ikhlas.
- Do not attach the "third of the Qur'an" reward to al-Falaq or an-Nas; that belongs to al-Ikhlas.
- Do not add counts, bead-tallies or outcomes the Sunnah never mentioned.
- Do not read 113:4 as a comment about women; it means the sorcerers who blow on knots.
- Do not turn to amulets or charms; the protection is in the recitation and reliance on Allah.
Key takeaways
- Al-Muawwidhatayn are the two surahs of refuge: al-Falaq (113) and an-Nas (114), both opening with Qul a'udhu.
- Al-Falaq seeks refuge from external evils: what Allah created, the settling darkness, knot-magic and the envier.
- An-Nas seeks refuge from the retreating whisperer who comes at the heart, from among jinn and mankind.
- The Prophet ﷺ called them verses the like of which had never been seen (Muslim 814a) and prized al-Falaq above other recitation (an-Nasa'i 5439).
- Recite them after every prayer, and recite the three Quls three times each morning, evening and before sleep.
- Keep to the authentic counts; add no invented formula, and keep the "third of the Qur'an" virtue to al-Ikhlas.
Further reading
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