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Ibn Zayd said: It means the Pleiades when they set. It is said that illnesses become widespread when they set and subside when they rise.
“And from the evil of those who blow on knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies.”
Regarding His words, “And from the evil of those who blow on knots”: this means the sorceresses who blow upon knotted threads while reciting incantations over them. Abu Ubaydah said: “They were the daughters of Labid ibn al-A‘sam, who bewitched the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.”
“And from the evil of an envier when he envies”: this means the Jews, for they used to envy the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
(1) Added from manuscript B.
(2) Ibn Jarir said, 30:352-353: “The soundest view in my judgment is that Allah commanded His Prophet, peace be upon him, to seek refuge ‘from the evil of the ghasiq’—that is, whatever becomes dark. One says, ‘The night ghasaqa,’ meaning that it became dark. ‘When it waqaba’ means: when it enters into its darkness. Thus, the night is ghasiq when it enters into darkness; a star is ghasiq when it sets; and the moon is ghasiq when it waqaba. No particular one of these was specified; rather, the command is general. Thus, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was commanded to seek refuge from the evil of every ghasiq when it waqaba.”
(3) See our annotation on the hadith, “When the star rises, the affliction is lifted,” in Hujjat Allah al-Balighah by al-Dihlawi (forthcoming); Mushkil al-Athar by al-Tahawi, 3:92.
(4) Omitted from manuscript A.
وَقَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: [يَعْنِي] (١) الثُّرَيَّا إِذَا سَقَطَتْ (٢) . وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الْأَسْقَامَ تَكْثُرُ عِنْدَ وُقُوعِهَا وَتَرْتَفِعُ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِهَا (٣) .
﴿وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ (٤) وَمِنْ شَرٍ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ (٥) ﴾
﴿وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ﴾ يَعْنِي السَّوَاحِرَ اللَّاتِي يَنْفُثْنَ فِي عُقَدِ الْخَيْطِ حِينَ يَرْقَيْنَ عَلَيْهَا. قَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: هُنَّ بَنَاتُ لَبِيدِ بْنِ الْأَعْصَمِ سَحَرْنَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ. ﴿وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ﴾ يَعْنِي [الْيَهُودَ] (٤) فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَحْسُدُونَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ.
(١) زيادة من "ب".
(٢) قال ابن جرير: ٣٠ / ٣٥٢ ٠ ٣٥٣: "وأولى الأقوال في ذلك عندي بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله أمر نبيه ﷺ أن يستعيذ (من شر غاسق) وهو الذي يظلم، يقال: غسق الليل يغسق غسوقا: إذا أظلم (إذا وقب) يعني: إذا دخل في ظلامه، والليل إذا دخل في ظلامه غاسق، والنجم إذا أقل غاسق، والقمر غاسق إذا وقب، ولم يخصص بعض ذلك، بل عم الأمر بذلك فكل غاسق، فإنه ﷺ كان يؤمر بالاستعاذة من شره إذا وقب".
(٣) انظر: تعليقنا على شرح حديث "إذا طلع النجم ارتفعت العاهة" في حجة الله البالغة للدهلوي (تحت الطبع) ، مشكل الآثار للطحاوي: ٣ / ٩٢.
(٤) ساقط من "أ".