of humankind and the jinn to an extent they do not by day. Various evils occur at night that do not occur by day: unbelief, wickedness, disobedience, sorcery, theft, betrayal, indecencies, and other such things. Evil is always associated with darkness. Allah made the night solely for human beings to be still and rest, yet the devils among humankind and the jinn commit evils during it that they cannot commit by day. They seek aid through the moon and invocation of it, and through the moon and its worship. Abū Ma‘shar al-Balkhī has a work entitled “Mushaf al-Qamar” (The Scripture of the Moon), in which he mentions matters of unbelief and sorcery that warrant seeking refuge from it.
Thus, Allah, glorified be He, mentioned seeking refuge from the evil of creation in general, then specifically enjoined seeking refuge from the evil of the darkening one when it settles—the time whose evil is widespread. He then singled out sorcery and envy. Sorcery proceeds from wicked souls, but with the aid of such things as blowing upon knots. Envy also proceeds from wicked souls, whether through the evil eye or through wrongdoing committed with the tongue or hand. Of sorcery, He specifically mentioned those who blow upon knots, who are women. The envier is usually a man, although an envier may be either a man or a woman.
The evil proceeding from the wicked souls of men and women is external to a person; it is not within his heart, unlike the whisperer who withdraws. In Surah al-Nās, He mentioned “the whisperer who withdraws,” for he is the source of deeds