Today's Verse

ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻠﻖ: Suratul Falaq
The Daybreak

Verse 4

Arabic:

ﻭَﻣِﻦْ ﺷَﺮِّ ﺍﻟﻨَّﻔَّﺎﺛَﺎﺕِ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﻟْﻌُﻘَﺪ

Transliteration:

Wamin sharrin naf faa thaati fiil 'uqad

Translation:
4. "And from the evil of the blowers in knots,''
Tafsir

(And from the evil of the blowers in knots,)

Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak all said, "This
means the witches.''

Mujahid said, "When they perform their spells and blow into the knots.''

In another Hadith it has been reported that Jibril came to the Prophet and said, "Are you suffering from any ailment, O
Muhammad'' The Prophet replied,
‏« ﻧَﻌَﻢْ‏»
(Yes.) So Jibril said, "In the Name of Allah, I recite prayer (Ruqyah) over you, from every illness that harms you, from the evil of every envious person and evil eye. May Allah
cure you.''

Discussion of the Bewitchment of the Prophet

In the Book of Medicine of his Sahih, Al-Bukhari recorded that `A'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allah was bewitched
until he thought that he had relations with his wives, but he had not had relations with them.''

Sufyan said, "This is the
worst form of magic when it reaches this stage.'' So the Prophet said,
‏« ﻳَﺎ ﻋَﺎﺋِﺸَﺔُ، ﺃَﻋَﻠِﻤْﺖِ ﺃَﻥَّ ﺍﻟﻠﻪَ ﻗَﺪْ ﺃَﻓْﺘَﺎﻧِﻲ
ﻓِﻴﻤَﺎ ﺍﺳْﺘَﻔْﺘَﻴْﺘُﻪُ ﻓِﻴﻪِ؟ ﺃَﺗَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺭَﺟُﻠَﺎﻥِ ﻓَﻘَﻌَﺪَ
ﺃَﺣَﺪُﻫُﻤَﺎ ﻋِﻨْﺪَ ﺭَﺃْﺳِﻲ ﻭَﺍﻟْﺎﺧَﺮُ ﻋِﻨْﺪَ ﺭِﺟْﻠَﻲَّ،
ﻓَﻘَﺎﻝ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻱ ﻋِﻨْﺪَ ﺭَﺃْﺳِﻲ ﻟِﻠْﺎﺧَﺮِ: ﻣَﺎ ﺑَﺎﻝُ
ﺍﻟﺮَّﺟُﻞِ؟ ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻣَﻄْﺒُﻮﺏٌ، ﻗَﺎﻝَ: ﻭَﻣَﻦْ ﻃَﺒَّﻪُ،
ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻟَﺒِﻴﺪُ ﺑْﻦُ ﺃَﻋْﺼَﻢَ : ﺭَﺟُﻞٌ ﻣِﻦْ ﺑَﻨِﻲ ﺯُﺭَﻳْﻖٍ
ﺣَﻠِﻴﻒٌ ﻟِﻴَﻬُﻮﺩَ، ﻛَﺎﻥَ ﻣُﻨَﺎﻓِﻘًﺎ، ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻭَﻓِﻴﻢَ؟
ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻓِﻲ ﻣُﺸْﻂٍ ﻭَﻣُﺸَﺎﻃَﺔٍ، ﻗَﺎﻝَ: ﻭَﺃَﻳْﻦَ؟
ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻓِﻲ ﺟُﻒِّ ﻃَﻠْﻌَﺔٍ ﺫَﻛَﺮٍ، ﺗَﺤْﺖَ ﺭَﺍﻋُﻮﻓَﺔٍ
ﻓِﻲ ﺑِﺌْﺮِ ﺫَﺭْﻭَﺍﻥَ‏»
(O `A'ishah! Do you know that Allah has answered me concerning that which I asked Him. Two men came to me and one of them sat by my head while the other sat by my
feet. The one who was sitting by my head said to the other one, `What is wrong with this man' The other replied, `He is
bewitched.' The first one said, `Who bewitched him' The other replied, `Labid bin A`sam. He is a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq who is an ally of the Jews, and a hypocrite.'

The first one asked, `With what (did he bewitch him)' The other replied, `With a comb and hair from the comb.' The first one asked, `Where (is the comb)' The other answered,
`In the dried bark of a male date palm under a rock in a well called Dharwan.')

`A'ishah said, "So he went to the well to remove it (the comb with the hair).

Then he said,
‏«ﻫَﺬِﻩِ ﺍﻟْﺒِﺌْﺮُ ﺍﻟَّﺘِﻲ ﺃُﺭِﻳﺘُﻬَﺎ، ﻭَﻛَﺄَﻥَّ ﻣَﺎﺀَﻫَﺎ
ﻧُﻘَﺎﻋَﺔُ ﺍﻟﺤِﻨَّﺎﺀِ،ﻭَﻛَﺄَﻥَّ ﻧَﺨْﻠَﻬَﺎ ﺭُﺅُﻭﺱُ
ﺍﻟﺸَّﻴَﺎﻃِﻴﻦ‏»
(This is the well that I saw. It was as if its water had henna soaked in it and its palm trees were like the heads of devils.)
So he removed it (of the well).

Then I (`A'ishah) said, `Will
you not make this public' He replied,
‏«ﺃَﻣَّﺎ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ ﻓَﻘَﺪْ ﺷَﻔَﺎﻧِﻲ، ﻭَﺃَﻛْﺮَﻩُ ﺃَﻥْ ﺃُﺛِﻴﺮَ ﻋَﻠَﻰ
ﺃَﺣَﺪٍ ﻣِﻦَ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺱِ ﺷَﺮًّﺍ‏»
(Allah has cured me and I hate to spread (the news of) wickedness to any of the people.)''

Tafsir ibn Kathir
CAUTION

You may be wondering..."How could the Prophet (s.a.w) have been bewitched?

Read this:
Say, O [Muhammad], "I am only a man like you to whom it has been revealed that your god is
but one God; so take a straight course to Him
and seek His forgiveness." And woe to those who associate others with Allah - (Q41 verse 6).

So, although the Prophet is the best of mankind, he is still but a human being.

Also, Allah permits him to have different experiences so the Ummah can learn from them.

And Allah knows best.