Tafsir of Al-Falaq 113:4

(And from the evil of the blowers in the knots) i.e., from the evil of the sorcerous souls who tie knots in threads and blow upon them. "The blowers" (al-naffathat) is an adjective for the souls (al-nufus), and this is considered due to the feminine form, even though the effect of sorcery comes from wicked souls and evil spirits and their movements. Some have estimated [the implied noun to be] women, yet the first [interpretation] is worthier, so that it may include men and encompass the aforementioned indication; this also aligns with the sabab al-nuzul (reason for revelation), for he who bewitched the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—was a man, according to the well-known report, as you will hear if Allah wills. It has been said that some women assisted him, and because such acts are among the deeds and stratagems of women, the feminine form prevailed over the masculine here—a [grammatical] usage permissible according to what al-Khafaji detailed in his commentary on Durrat al-Ghawwas.

"Blowing" (al-nafth) is exhaling with saliva, as al-Zamakhshari said. The author of al-Lawmih said: It is akin to blowing, which occurs in ruqyah (incantation), without saliva accompanying it; if it involves saliva, it is "spitting" (tafl). The first [definition] is more correct, according to what Ibn al-Qayyim transmitted: that when they perform sorcery and seek assistance in the effect of their action through a breath mingled with some particles of their own wicked souls.

Al-Hasan recited "al-nuffathat" with a damma on the nun. He, as well as Ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn al-Qasim, and Ya’qub in one narration, also recited "al-naffathat." Abu al-Rabi’ and al-Hasan also recited "al-nafthat" without the alif (as in al-hadhurat). The definite article attached to it is either for referencing a specific group known, or to signal that the evil is all-encompassing of all individuals of that category and their immersion in it.

The specification of this in mention is due to what al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ibn Majah narrated from Aishah—may Allah be pleased with her—who said: "The Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—was bewitched until he would imagine that he had done a thing when he had not done it. Then, one day or one night, he invoked Allah, then invoked, then invoked, and said: 'O Aishah, have you perceived that Allah has answered me regarding that about which I sought His counsel?' I asked: 'What is that, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Two men came to me, one sat by my head and the other by my feet. The one by my head said to the one by my feet, or the one by my feet said to the one by my head: "What is the man’s ailment?" He said: "He is bewitched (matbub)." He asked: "Who bewitched him?" He said: "Labid ibn al-A’sam." He asked: "In what?" He said: "In a comb, the hair gathered upon it, and the sheath of a male palm spadix." He asked: "Where is it?" He said: "In the well of Dhu Arwan."'"

She said: "So the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—went to it with some of his companions, then said: 'O Aishah, by Allah, its water was like the infusion of henna, and its palm trees were like the heads of devils.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, why did you not burn it?' He said: 'As for me, Allah has cured me, and I dislike to incite evil against the people,' so he ordered it to be buried."

These two angels, according to what is indicated by the narration of Ibn Marduyah via the path of Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas, were Gabriel and Michael—peace be upon them both. Regarding their conversation, in al-Bayhaqi’s al-Dala’il, after mentioning the hadith of the two angels: "So the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—went out the next morning with his companions to the well, and a man entered and extracted the sheath of the spadix from under the rock. In it was the comb of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—and some of his hair, and in it was a waxen figurine of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and in it were needles stuck, and a string with eleven knots. Gabriel—peace be upon him—came to him with the Mu’awwidhatan (the two surahs of refuge) and said: 'O Muhammad, say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,' and he untied a knot, 'From the evil of what He created,' and he untied a knot, until he finished both of them, and all the knots were untied. He did not pull out a needle without feeling pain from it, then finding comfort after that." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you had killed the Jew [it would be better]." He said: "Allah has cured me, and what he sees of Allah’s punishment is more severe."

In another narration, the one who carried out the sorcery was Labid ibn al-A’sam and his daughters. The Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—fell ill, so Gabriel descended with the Mu’awwidhatan, informing him of the location of the sorcery, who did it, and with what he did it. The Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—sent Ali—may Allah honor his countenance—al-Zubayr, and Ammar. They drained the water of the well, which was like the infusion of henna, then lifted the rock of the well and extracted the teeth of the comb, and with it a string in which eleven knots had been tied, pierced with needles. They brought it to the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—who began to recite the Mu’awwidhatan over it. Every time he recited a verse, a knot would untie, and the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—would feel lightness, until the final knot was untied upon the completion of the two surahs. Then the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—stood up as if he had been released from shackles. The first report is more correct than this one.

Imam al-Maziri said: The innovators have rejected this hadith, claiming that it concerns the station of Prophethood and casts doubt upon it, and that its validity would prevent trust in the Divine Law. The response is: The hadith is authentic, and it does not contradict the text, nor does it necessitate a degradation of the station of Prophethood or casting doubt upon it, because the disbelievers intended by their word "bewitched" that he was a madman, and he is far above that. Even if we accept the literal meaning intended, it was before this story, or they meant that sorcery had an effect on him, and that the revelation he received was from the hallucinations of sorcery. This is also a lie, because Allah protected him regarding what pertains to the Message. As for what pertains to worldly affairs—about which he was not sent as a Prophet—and which are things that befall humans, it is not far-fetched that he should imagine things that have no reality. It has been said that this [the effect] was that he imagined he had approached his wives when he had not. A person may imagine such things in a dream, so it is not far-fetched to imagine it while awake. It is also said that he imagined he had done something, but he did not believe the reality of what he imagined; thus, his beliefs—peace and blessings be upon him—remained sound.

Al-Qadi Iyad said: The narrations of the hadith of Aishah have come to show that the sorcery took hold of his noble body—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—and his outward faculties, not his intellect, heart, or beliefs. The meaning of what is in some narrations, "until he thought he had come to his wives when he had not," and in others, "he imagines that he...," is that he appeared to have the strength for it based on his habitual vigor, but when he approached them, the "seizure" of the sorcery took him, so he did not reach them and was unable to do so, as befalls the bewitched person. All that has come in the narrations—that he would imagine he did something when he did not—is interpreted as imaginative [sensory] matters, not a defect occurring to the intellect. There is nothing in this that casts confusion upon the Message or provides a point for the people of misguidance.

Some have denied sorcery and its reality, attributing what occurs from it to false hallucinations that have no reality. However, the school of the People of the Sunnah and the scholars of the Ummah maintain its reality and that it is true, just as other things are true, due to the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah regarding it. It is not rationally inconceivable that Allah—the Exalted—should break the habit [of nature] upon the articulation of formulated words or the combining of specific bodies, and the mixing of forces in an order known only to the sorcerer. When a person observes some substances, some of which are lethal like poisons and others which are curative like medicines, their intellect does not deem it impossible for a sorcerer to be distinguished by knowledge of lethal forces, destructive words, or actions leading to discord. Moreover, it is not without psychological influence.

Furthermore, those who affirm it have differed regarding the extent to which it occurs. Some say its effect does not exceed the ability to cause discord between a man and his wife, because Allah—the Exalted—only mentioned that to exalt what is associated with it and to highlight its gravity. If something greater could occur through it, it would have been mentioned, for the similitude in exaggeration is not struck except by the highest states of the mentioned subject. The school of the Ash’aris is that it is permissible for more than that to occur through it, and this is correct rationally, because there is no agent but Allah; whatever occurs of that is a habit that Allah has established, and acts do not differ in that regard; none is more worthy than the other. If the Divine Law had stated its limitation to a specific rank, we would have to accept it, but there is no definitive text requiring a limitation to what the first speaker said. Mentioning the discord between spouses in the verse is not an explicit text prohibiting anything beyond it; the matter is only whether it is apparent or not. The distinction between the sorcerer, the Prophet, and the saint—according to the Ash’ari view—is that the breaking of habit is permissible at the hands of the sorcerer, and this is clearly explained in theological books and commentaries on the authentic collections.

It has been said that the meaning of "blowing in the knots" in the verse is the nullification of men’s resolve through stratagems, borrowed from the loosening of knots by blowing saliva to make them easier to untie. This is close to the innovations of interpretations.