with saliva tainted by evil, and he seeks the aid of the devils, so the spell afflicts the victim by Allah’s universal decree of destiny.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: it clarifies a specific form of magic—knot-magic, known as al-ʿazīmah.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:

1. It identifies a type of sorcery that is carried out by tying knots and blowing into them.
2. Sorcery is an act of polytheism because it entails seeking help from the devils.
3. Whoever relies on anything other than Allah will be forsaken and humiliated by Him.