Third: the evil of those who blow on knots—the sorceresses who take form through actions involving physical bodies.

Fourth: the envious person—that is, souls that inflict harm out of folly. This encompasses all causes of evil. Then, in “Surah al-Nās,” He specifically addresses the evil arising from jinn and humans, who are harmful spirits.

Section

The connection between the two surahs becomes apparent from another perspective: what one seeks refuge from is evil, just as what one seeks is good. Evil arises either from a person’s own actions or from something other than his actions. The origin of his doing evil is whispering, which sometimes comes from jinn and sometimes from humans. Cutting off evil at its root and source is better than repelling it after it has occurred.

Thus, when a person is granted refuge from the evil of the whisperer who whispers into people’s hearts, he has been granted refuge from the evil of disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience. This concerns his own actions, but the verse also encompasses the wrongdoing of others toward him. This surah therefore concerns evil arising from a person’s actions. As for evil arising from others, that is addressed in Surah (al-Falaq), which contains the seeking of refuge from the evil of created things, both generally and specifically. And Allah knows best.