Question

From what evil of the moon is protection sought when reciting the du’a:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَرِّ هَذَا الغاسقِ إِذا وَقَب

I seek Allah’s protection from this moon when it enters

Answer

‘Allamah Nawawi (rahimahullah) quotes Hafiz Khatib Baghdadi (rahimahullah) who explains:

Visibility of the moon signals nightfall. Corrupt people [thieves/evil Jinn etc.] begin their work as the night sets in as they find it easier to perpetrate all types of vice and oppression in the darkness. We are in actual fact seeking protection from their harm.

Since the moon was a cause/reason that allows them to perpetrate their evil, the evil was attributed to the moon. This is commonly known in Arabic as “تسمية الشيء باسم ما هو سببه”. [or: المجاز المرسل].

(Fatawal Imam An Nawawi; Al Masailul Manthurah, pg. 256. Also see: ‘Aridatul Ahwadhi, vol. 6, pg. 409 and Al Futuhatur Rabbaniyyah, vol. 4, pg. 334)

See the authenticity of the du’a here.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar

Checked by: Mawlana Haroon Abasoomar