What is the evil eye?
Imam Muslim (rahimullah) reported that Ibn Abbaas (radhi Allahu anhu) narrated the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) as saying, “The evil eye is true, and if there is anything that would precede Predestination, it would be the evil eye.”
The Arabic word “al-‘Ayn” (translated as the evil eye) refers to when a person harms another by looking at them or their property with maliciousness and jealousy. It starts when the person likes or covets a thing, then his evil feelings affect it, by means of his repeated looking at the object of his jealousy. Allah the Almighty commanded His Beloved Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) to seek refuge with Him from the envier, as He said in the Qur’an (interpretation of the meaning):
“And from the evil of the envier when he envies”
[113:5]
In Islam, the harmful effect of an envious person on the envied person cannot be denied. It is a fact that an evil and envious soul touches the envied person in such an evil manner that it causes them harm, both physically and mentally. Prophetic Medicine offers very lucid and effective treatments for the evil eye, but first, it is important to recognise its symptoms.
Symptoms.
Sheikh Abd ul-Azeez al-Sadhaan (may Allah preserve him) said,
“If it is not from a real illness, then the symptoms [of evil eye] may take the following forms:
Headaches that move from one part of the head to another; yellow pallor in the face; sweating and urinating a great deal; weak appetite; tingling, heat or cold in the limbs; palpitations in the heart; pain in the lower back and shoulders; sadness and anxiety; sleeplessness at night; strong reactions due to abnormal fears; a lot of burping, yawning and sighing; withdrawal and love of solitude; apathy and laziness; a tendency to sleep much; health problems with no known medical cause.
These signs or some of them may be present according to the strength of the evil eye or the number of people who put the evil eye on others.”
Al-Ruqyah al-Shar’iyyah (p. 10)
It is best to see an experienced Raqi if you are inflicted with any of these symptoms.
The power of Prayers in reversing the effects of the evil eye.
According to the authentic Prophetic narrations, our Mother Hahzrat Ayesha (radhi Allahu anha) once said, “The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) ordered me [or somebody else] to do Ruqya if there was danger from an evil eye.” (Sahih al Bukhari Book 69, 7:634).
From this narration, we can see that our beloved Nabi (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) instructed us to use prayers.
Abu Abdullah al Tayahi narrated that he was once on his way to a pilgrimage to Makkah riding on a beautiful and swift camel. A man known for inflicting malevolent evil eye was also in the same caravan of travellers. His evil was so great that he would rarely look at something and it would not collapse.
Half way though the journey, someone mentioned to Abu Abdullah, “Guard your camel against the malevolent eye of this man!”
Abu Abdullah replied, “He can force no harm upon my camel.”
An eavesdropper heard the conversation and went back to tell the owner of the evil eye. In pride and arrogance, the malevolent person waited for Abu Abdullah to be busy and away from his camel, so he stood before it and gazed at it. Immediately the camel became enraged and fell to the ground.
When Abu Abdullah returned, he was told what had happened. He demanded, “Lead me to him!” As soon as he saw the man, Abu Abdullah recited the following prayer;
“I call upon the Sovereign Name of Allah, the power of which curbs aggression, Whose shelter is sacred, and Whose barrier is unbreakable, and which is a burning brand against mischief; and by its supremacy, I rescind and nullify the effects of the malevolent evil eye, and cast such effects back upon the aggressor and what he loves most. [He then quoted the Holy Qur’an]; Look carefully, do you see a single flaw therein? Yet look once more, and again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out.” (67:3-4)
Immediately the eyeball of the evildoer popped out if its socket, thus he lost his sight. The camel got back on her feet, vindicated and cured.
According to Imam ibn Qayyim al Jauziyah, there are several Islamic prayer formulas for warding off the evil eye, such as reciting the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an, Surah al Fatihah;
Surah Al-Fatihah (1)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Judgment.
Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
Show us the straight path.
The path of those whom Thou hast favoured.
Not (the path) of those who earn Thy anger nor of those who go astray.
The other two key chapters are 113 and 114, Surahs Al Falaq and An Naas;
Surah Al-Falaq (113)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak.
From the evil of that which He created;
From the evil of the darkness when it is intense.
And from the evil of malignant witchcraft.
And from the evil of the envier when he envies.
Surah An-Naas (114)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.
The King of mankind.
The God of mankind.
From the evil of the sneaking whisperer.
Who whispers in the hearts of mankind.
Of the jinn and of mankind.
The other very effective prayer formula is Ayat ul Kursi;
Ayat ul Kursi (from Surah Al-Baqarah 2, Ayah 255)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal.
Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him.
Unto Him belong whatsoever is in the Heavens and whatsoever is in the Earth.
Who is he that can intercede with Him save by His leave?
He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He wills.
His Throne includes the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them.
He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.
(2:255)
It is also recorded in the authentic narrations from the Holy Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) about using the water in which the perpetrator of the evil eye has conducted Wudhu, to pour it over the victim of the evil eye in order to cure him or her of it;
Imam Ahmad (15550), Imam Maalik (1811), al-Nasaa’i and Ibn Hibbaan narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef that the blessed Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came out and travelled with Sahl towards Makkah, until they were in the mountain pass of ‘Al-Kharaar’ in Al-Jahfah.
There, Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl (ritual bath), and he was a handsome fair-skinned man with beautiful skin. Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, one of Banu ‘Adiyy ibn Ka’b tribe, looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and remarked, “I have never seen such beautiful skin as this, not even the skin of a virgin!” and immediately Sahl fell to the ground.
They went to the Blessed Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) and said, “Oh Messenger of Allah, can you do anything for Sahl? [because] by Allah, he cannot raise his head (due to the evil eye).”
Nabi (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?”
They said, “Aamir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.”
So the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) called Aamir and rebuked him strongly.
He (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Why would one of you kill his brother? If you see something that you like [in him], then pray for blessing for him.” Then he said to him, “Wash yourself for him.”
So Aamir washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel [of water, so as to ensure the washing water was caught in it]. Then that water was poured over Sahl, and a man poured it over his head and back from behind. Then Sahl got up and joined the people and there was nothing wrong with him.
Hijama breaks the effect of Evil Eye and Sorcery, by the Permission of Allah.
Hijama is recommended for everyone who is suffering from the effects of Evil Eye.
Read more about Hijama here.
Medinah Dates.
One of the benefits of eating dates which are grown in the blessed city of Medinatul Munawwarah is that they protect the body from witchcraft and evil eye;
Saad bin Abi Waqaas narrated that God’s Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Whoever eats seven Medinah dates for his breakfast will suffer from neither poison nor witchcraft for that day.” (Bukhari and Muslim).
They should be used alongside the ruqya prayers.
You can find out more about the benefits of dates by clicking here.
How to prevent inflicting others with the evil eye.
If a person fears that he or she might touch other people with their jealous thoughts, let them fend off its harm by saying, “Oh Allah, bless what you have given him/her” when they see something they like in other people’s property or beauty. Further, saying “Masha’Allah” (what Allah has willed) or “La Quwwata illah Billah” (there is no power except from Allah) also helps fend off inflicting others with the evil eye.
Hisham ibn ‘Urwah narrated that his father used to say, “What Allah wills will certainly come to pass, there is no power except from Allah” upon seeing something that he liked and upon entering one of his gardens.
Women, in particular, should be careful of their gaze since it is well known that they tend to have more innate jealousy than men do. This is a natural trait inherent in females.
If the malicious gaze of an evil-doer falls upon a soul who is protected from the evil eye (because he/she is taking precautions), it is well documented that the evil may return back upon the person who initially sent it.
Guarding our attainments and children.
Amongst other essential preventative cures against the evil eye is to ensure Muslims are always discrete about their achievements, free from ostentatiousness in our actions and able to maintain full reservation regarding what others consider to be enviable, for example, our wealth, beautiful family members and children. New brides and pregnant women are also particularly susceptible and so should take care to guard themselves when going out.
Teaching our children how to recite the last three Surahs of the Holy Qur’an (112, 113 and 114) and Ayat ul Kursi on a daily basis from an early age is also important.
The impermissibility of using amulets and charms.
Wearing a piece of jewellery, or hanging up an object inside the home, which either depicts an eye, or which contains charms supposedly thought to repel the evil eye, is strictly forbidden. The use of such objects has no basis in Shari’ah, and constitutes a major sin. This is because our reliance upon any tangible or intangible object, besides the Almighty Creator, to give us protection against evil is a form of Shirk. Shirk is never forgiven by Allah if we persist in it. Any such amulets should be removed from one’s possession and destroyed insha’Allah.
Be wary of Taweez.
Many Muslims believe that Taweez will protect them from the Evil Eye and one should be very suspicious of copies of Taweez given to you claiming to offer protection from every kind of disease, Evil Eye, marriage problems, jinn and shayateen etc.
How to identify a magician. Many so called "peers" who make extraordinary claims about being able to get rid of all your problems overnight are never to be trusted, as they are almost certainly using the jinn and this is strictly forbidden. It is Shirk, which brings Allah's Wrath and always ends up in more problems later down the line.
While wearing the verses of the blessed Qur'an as a Taweez has not been forbidden per se, it must be noted that our beloved Nabi (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) never gave his precious grandsons Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain any Taweez from the Qur'an to wear on their bodies, considering they were the most beloved children on the Earth to any of the Muslims at the time, their protection was paramount to the furthering of Islam, yet Allah's blessed Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) left them solely to the protection of their Creator alone.
Also, due to the sanctity of Allah's Words, it will not be permissible to wear Qur'anic verses when visiting the toilet, even if they are placed inside a locket/bound inside a pouch and hidden under clothes. Such an act could be considered akin to taking a copy of the Holy Book into the bathroom (even if it is wrapped in a cloth) (!)
It is to be noted that there is no might and no power besides that of the Almighty Creator and while there is great barakah in Allah's blessed Words, they are only beneficial if they are recited verbally (with tajweed and belief). There is no benefit in only wearing them or hanging them up inside the home since if this is done, they would neither reside in the heart nor in the mind.
It is a very serious sin to shorten the verses of the Holy Qu'ran, or write them in any other order than in which they were revealed (like for example, switching the words in certain ayahs around or writing them backwards, or representing them as numbers). Writing the verses of the Qur'an in this kind of way is the characteristic of the magicians and allies of the Jinn.
Below are a couple of examples of Taweez which are very dangerous and strictly forbidden to wear and should be immediately destroyed if found.
The correct way to dispose of Taweez can be found here.
The reality of what "Taweez" and talismans contain.
May Allah protect everyone from the evil eye.
Ameen.
Sources:
Natural Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet (pbuh); Shaykh Muhammad al-Akili, page 130 and 132.
Sahih al Bukhari; Book 69, 7:634.
Concept of the Evil Eye http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/20954/evil%20eye
Qur’anic verses for Protection http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/11359
Impermissibility of Amulets http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/10543/evil%20eye
http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/Default.aspx
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/125543
