The mu'awwadhitayn (المعوذتين), sometimes translated "suras of refuge", is an Arabic term referring to suras al-Falaq and an-Nas of the Qur'an, two consecutive short prayers which begin "Say: I seek refuge in the Lord..." They are said to have been revealed together, and to be Makkan suras. There is a sunna tradition of reading them over the sick or before sleeping.

Three hadith, supplied by Ibn Hanbal (Musnad: hadith nos. 21224-27), Bazzar , at-Tabarani , and others claim that Ibn Masud did not regard them as part of the Qur'an. These reports are denounced as lies by Ibn Hazm and an-Nawawi , among others, while Ibn Hajar suggests that he was uncertain about their status for a time but later accepted them as genuine. Other hadith confirm that these were part of it.

External links

• Tafsir (anonymous?)
• Maududi's tafsir