(1–5) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak * from the evil of what He has created * and from the evil of the night when its darkness settles * and from the evil of those who blow upon knots * and from the evil of an envier when he envies.’”

That is: “Say,” while seeking refuge, “I seek refuge”—that is, I turn for shelter and protection and hold fast—“in the Lord of daybreak”; that is, the One who splits open the grain and the date stone, and who brings forth the dawn.

“From the evil of what He has created.” This includes everything Allah has created—human beings, jinn, and animals. Thus, refuge is sought in their Creator from the evil within them. After speaking generally, He then specified particular evils, saying: “And from the evil of the night when its darkness settles”; that is, from the evil present at night when it envelops people and many evil spirits and harmful creatures spread abroad.

“And from the evil of those who blow upon knots”; that is, from the evil of sorceresses who employ blowing upon the knots they tie as an aid in their sorcery.

“And from the evil of an envier when he envies.” An envier is one who wishes for a blessing to be taken away from the person envied and strives to remove it by whatever means he can. It is therefore necessary to seek refuge in Allah from his evil and to thwart his schemes. This also includes one who casts the evil eye, for the evil eye proceeds only from an envious person of wicked disposition and vile soul. Thus, this surah comprises seeking refuge from every kind of evil, both generally and specifically.

It also demonstrates that sorcery is real, that its harm is to be feared, and that refuge must be sought in Allah from it [and from those who practice it].

Commentary on Sūrat al-Nās

It is a Medinan surah.