who blow into the knots in order to bewitch people. The Qur’an mentions women specifically, even though sorcery is practiced by both women and men, because it is more common among them. It is also permissible to understand al-naffāthāt (the blowers) as a reference to the very souls that blow, which would include both women and men.

“And from the evil of an envier when he envies”: this is the evil eye—the person who possesses the evil eye, may Allah protect us, a wicked soul that dislikes seeing good reach others. Whenever Allah grants someone wealth, status, knowledge, children, a spouse, or any other blessing, something issues from that malicious soul like an arrow; it strikes the victim, though it brings no benefit whatsoever to the envier. His soul is foul and, God forbid, cannot bear another’s good fortune, so the person is afflicted by the evil eye. The Prophet ﷺ said: “If anything were able to overtake the Divine decree—or, he said, the Divine measure—it would be the evil eye.” The evil eye is real and takes effect; some scholars even held that it is what Allah meant by His words, “Indeed, those who disbelieve almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the Reminder” (Q 68:51).

“And from the evil of an envier when he envies”: Allah added the phrase “when he envies” because an envier may at times refrain, but once he does envy—God forbid—his evil reaches beyond himself to harm others. The verse can therefore be understood to cover both the envier who casts the evil eye and the envier who does not, for some people are simply consumed by envy—may Allah grant us well-being.