بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
⚫ THE CONCEPT OF THE EVIL EYE (AYN)
A person who afflicts others by the evil eye is known as ❝Al-A’in❞ and a person affected by the evil eye is called ❝Al-Ma’yoon.❞
Ibn Al Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said in his book Zaad al Ma’ad:
❝It is the arrow that is taken out from the soul of the envious individual, the one who causes the affliction of the evil eye, and then it is fired upon the subject of the evil eye. This individual can be affected sometimes and manage to escape it at other times.
If one encounters this and is exposed to it then there will be no protection from its effect, however, it then becomes imperative if one encounters this to take care and prepare themselves with the best defence and not allow it to be implanted upon them.
It is in this manner that a person can protect themselves from the envious individual and not be affected by them. Sometimes these arrows return to the one whom they belong and this archery makes the envious individual feel the same negativity in his life like the negatively he tried to push on the subject.❞
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message and they say; ‘Indeed, he is mad.’❞
[Al-Qalam: 51]
Ibn Katheer (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) uses this verse as evidence to show that the evil eye is real and that it has the ability to affect people since Allah (ﷻ) mentions ‘those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message.‘
An incident which is narrated from the time of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) saw the Quraish ask some people who were known to give the evil eye to another person which could cause illness, death or some other effect to put it on the Prophet (ﷺ).
However, Allah (ﷻ) protected the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) from those who were intent on destroying him with Ayn.
Ibnul Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) mentioned in his book Zaad al Ma’ad that some people have denied the effects of Ayn; he describes these people as arrogant with no knowledge.
According to some scholars, the concept of effecting a person with the evil eye (Ayn) can be likened to the effect of when a person walks into a room and they feel embarrassment or shyness due to people looking at them, perhaps causing the face to change colour.
Another example could be where someone sees someone they fear and they become pale in the face.
Ibnul Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) describes it as a physical or spiritual effect that leaves the eye and affects the human being.
⚫ THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVIL EYE (AYN)
There are different types of Evil Eye which a person can become afflicted with.
They are:
(العين) Ayn – The eye from someone who may love or know you and not have evil intentions towards you.
(الحســـد) Hasad – The envious eye from someone who hates or dislikes you or something you have but wants it removed from you.
(النفس) Nafs – The admiring eye which a person can put on themselves.
(النظرة) Nathara – The evil eye which comes from the Jinn.
Evidence for the different types of Evil Eye (Ayn)
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake Qadr (divine decree), it would have been the evil eye.❞
This alludes to the speed of the evil eye and expresses that if anything was to overtake the decree of Allah (ﷻ) it would have been the evil eye, i.e. in its speed.
▪Hasad
Iblees envied Adam (عليه السلام) as he disliked his creation and the fact he was ordered to prostrate to him.
He thought he was better because he was made from fire and Adam (عليه السلام) was created from clay.
Therefore it was only envy which pushed iblees to transgress and disobey the order of Allah (ﷻ).
▪Nafs
The Prophet (ﷺ) said;
❝Whoever among you sees something in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessings for it because the evil eye is real.❞
[Narrated by Ibn al-Sunni, Al-Haakim and classed as saheeh by Al-Albani 243]
▪Nathara
This originates from the evil eye of a Jinn.
The evidence for this is the narration of Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) who said the Prophet (ﷺ) saw in her house a slave girl with discolouration on her face so he (ﷺ) said: ❝Perform Ruqyah for her, for she has been afflicted by the eye of a Jinn.❞
From the above, we see that the Evil eye can be given by a human or by a Jinn. It is also known that animals can give the evil eye too when they look at something.
There are many stories and encounters concerning this and Allah (ﷻ) knows best.
⚫ EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF ENVY (HASAD)
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed out of envy from their own selves, even after the truth has become manifest unto them (i.e that Muhammad (ﷺ) is Allah’s Messenger).❞
[Al-Baqarah: 109]
Allah (ﷻ) also says:
❝Or do they envy people (i.e. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his followers) for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Ibraheem the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.❞
[An-Nisa: 54]
Allah (ﷻ) also says:
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
(Al-Falaq: 5)
⚫ THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EVIL EYE AND ENVY.
The Evil eye (in Arabic: Ayn, in Urdu: Nathara) is an illness which some people (not everyone) carry.
It entails looking at a blessing which someone has within themselves or from that which they possess from worldly possessions with amazement or liking it.
This then leads to dwelling on the matter, continually looking at the person who has the thing which he feels jealous towards and subsequently leading to an attack described as rays emitting from a person’s eyes (and their soul) and subsequently affecting him physically/mentally causing him to become ill.
One doesn’t need to physically look at someone to give them the evil eye, even a blind person can give the evil eye. One can even give the evil eye merely by listening to the description of a person’s blessings.
[Zaad Al Ma’ad: volume 4 page 149]
The evil eye is like an arrow which comes from the soul of the one who envies towards the one who is envied and on whom the evil eye is put; sometimes it hits him and sometimes it misses.
If the target is exposed and unprotected it will affect him but if the target is cautious and armed the arrow will have no effect and may even come back on the one who launched it.
[Extracted from Zaad Al Ma’ad]
According to Shaykh Khalid Al-Hibshi (حفظه الله) it is something evil that comes out of the soul and then attacks the person.
Allah (ﷻ) himself commanded the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to seek refuge with Him from the envier.
He (ﷻ) said (interpretation of the meaning):
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
(Al-Falaq: 5)
Allah (ﷻ) says in another verse (interpretation of the meaning):
❝And verily those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes (through hatred).❞
(Al-Qalam: 51)
In a Hadith narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), it says;
❝A’odhu bi kalimaat-Illaah it-taamah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli a’ynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and vermin and from every envious eye).❞
[Bukhari – 3191]
The meaning of ❝vermin❞ (haammah) is lethally poisonous animals and insects.
The meaning of ❝envious❞ (laammah) is that which causes harm because of jealousy (i.e hasad).
The word ❝Haasid❞ (envier) is more general in meaning than the word Ayn (one who puts the evil eye on another).
The scholars disagreed over whether or not the evil eye is restricted only to jealousy, whilst agreeing that not every jealous person gives the evil eye.
The difference of opinion follows:
1• One group said; ❝Everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous but not every jealous person gives the evil eye.❞ This is the Fatwa of the Permanent Committee for Research and Ifta’ in Saudi Arabia.
2• Another group said: ❝Not everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous and not every jealous person gives the evil eye.❞
This is the opinion of a group of scholars.
The evidence for this is that Ayn can even be given to yourself, your own children and even when joking.
The evidence for this comes from the following Hadith:
❝Whoever among you sees something in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessings for it because the evil eye is real.❞
[Ibn al-Sunni in A’mal al-Yawm wal-Laylah, page 168; Al-Haakim, 4/216. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Al-Kalim at-Tayyib, page 243]
This Hadith explains that a person may harm himself, his wealth, his children, his wife etc by the evil eye.
⚫ EVIDENCE IN THE QUR’AN.
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves even after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.❞
[Al-Baqarah: 109]
❝Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.❞
[An-Nisa: 54]
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
[Al-Falaq: 5)
Various steps leading to envy:
1• Enmity
2• Supremacy
3• Pride
4• Wonder
5• Fear
6• Love of authority
⚫ ENVY IS OF VARYING DEGREES.
1 – A person wants the blessing to be taken away from his Muslim brother/sister even if it does not come to him; rather he does not like Allah (ﷻ) to bless anyone else as that upsets him/her.
This person may actively work to remove the bounty from another person without necessarily destroying the bounty itself.
He may do this with his speech or actions and may do whatever it takes to bring an end to the blessing from the envied person.
2 – Where a person wants a blessing to be taken away from someone else because he hopes that it will come to him. This person does not just seek to remove that bounty from another person but also works to get the bounty for himself.
3 – Where he wishes for himself a blessing like that which someone else has without wanting it to be taken away from the other person.
This is permissible and is not called hasad rather it is called ❝Ghibtah❞ (envy that is free from malice).
The worst are those who simply wish to destroy the bounty regardless of whether they themselves get it or if it is simply destroyed.
They only want to destroy that blessing because it was not given to them in the first place. Then there are those who cannot remove the feeling of envy from their souls.
They cannot control it but they do not like it and they wish they could remove it from themselves. Those people, Allah willing, are not sinful for their state that they cannot control.
People who have Hasad sometimes don’t know that they have hate towards others. They are in denial to themselves but their actions and speech are obvious to others.
Hasad (Envy) needs to be rectified by a person looking into their soul.
Umar (رضي الله عنه) said;
❝Bring yourselves to account before you are brought to account.
Don’t become superstitious or paranoid but get in touch with your soul and purify it as the soul is the doorway to your heart.
The soul and heart are interconnected with each other, therefore if one is corrupted the other will be corrupted.
The soul is like a child that wants to indulge in pleasure all the time. Your brain tells the soul what’s right and wrong.
The heart feeds off whatever the soul indulges in and gets affected by whatever the brain tells it to do.
Once a person taps into this then he becomes someone who is in control. Hasad (destructive jealousy) causes a great deal of harm in this world and in the Hereafter.❞
Narrated from Az-Zubayr ibn al-A’waam (رضي الله عنه),
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝There has come to you a disease of the nations before you, jealousy and hatred. This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer); I do not say that it shaves hair but that it shaves (i.e destroys) faith. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you that which will strengthen love between you? Spread the greetings of peace amongst yourselves.❞
[Tirmidhi, 2434]
Concerning the meaning of the phrase ❝it shaves (destroys) faith❞,
At-Tayyibi (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said:
❝Hatred takes away faith like a razor takes away hair.❞
[Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi bi Sharh Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said in his book Amraad al-Quloob: (diseases of the heart)
❝Whoever finds in himself any hasad towards another has to try to neutralise it by means of attaining taqwa (piety, the consciousness of Allah ﷻ) and Sabr (patience).
He should hate that the feeling of hasad is in himself. But the one who does wrong to his brother by word or deed will be punished for that.
However, the one who fears Allah (ﷻ) and is patient is not included amongst the wrongdoers and Allah (ﷻ) will benefit him by his taqwa.
Nobody is free from hasad, but the noble person hides it whilst the base person shows it.❞
A person will not be brought to account for whatever crosses his mind but he will be brought to account for what he says and does.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝Allah will forgive my nation for their mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do (through coercion).❞
[Bukhari – 2033]
The envious that doesn’t try to remove the envy from his own heart, there is a difference of opinion whether this type of person is sinful or not.
According to Ibn Rajab (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) those that remove hasad from their hearts, pray for the person whom they have hasad towards and tell others of their goodness, they remove the hasad so much so they begin to love the person and love that Allah (ﷻ) has bestowed them with this bounty.
These people are amongst the highest level of faith as they love for their brother what they love for themselves and this is what everyone should strive for.
⚫ HADITH RELATED TO THE EVIL EYE.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake Qadr (divine decree), it would have been the evil eye.❞
This alludes to the speed of the evil eye and expresses that if anything was to overtake the decree of Allah (ﷻ) it would have been the evil eye, i.e. in its speed.
Narrated from Abdullah Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), he said;
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and can bring down a person from a high mountain.❞
[Sahih al Jami’ 4146]
What is meant here is that the evil eye follows a person by Allah (ﷻ)’s will until it causes him to fall from a mountain.
Another understanding is that Ayn is so powerful it could bring down the highest mountain. We must therefore really consider the effects it can have on the human body.
Narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) came out and travelled with him towards Makkah until they were in the mountain pass of Al-Kharar in Al-Jahfah.
There Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl (bathed), and he was a handsome white-skinned man with beautiful skin.
Amir ibn Rabee’ah, one of Banu Adiyy ibn K’ab looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and said;
❝I have never seen such skin as beautiful as this, not even the skin of a virgin,❞ upon those words Sahl fell to the ground.
They went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said;
❝O Messenger of Allah, can you do anything for Sahl because by Allah he cannot raise his head.❞ He said, ❝Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?❞ They said; ❝Amir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.❞ So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called Amir and rebuked him strongly.
He said; ❝Why would one of you kill his brother? If you see something that you like, then pray for blessings for him.❞ Then he said to him; ❝Wash yourself for him.❞ So he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel.
Then that water was poured over him (i.e. Sahl) and a man poured it over his head and back from behind. He did that to him then Sahl got up and joined the people and there was nothing wrong with him.
[Ahmad, Malik, An-Nasai’ and Ibn Hibban. Classed as saheeh (authentic) by al-Albani in Al-Mishkat]
In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) came out and travelled towards Makkah, until they were in the mountain pass of Al-Kharaar in al-Jahfah.
There Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl, and he was a handsome white-skinned man with beautiful skin. Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, one of Banu Adiyy ibn Ka’b looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and said:
❝I have never seen such beautiful skin as this, not even the skin of a virgin,❞ thereupon Sahl fell to the ground.
They went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said;
❝O Messenger of Allah, can you do anything for Sahl because by Allah he cannot raise his head.❞
He said, ❝Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?❞ They said, ❝Aamir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.❞
So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called Aamir and rebuked him strongly.
He said, ❝Why would one of you kill his brother? If you see something that you like, then pray for blessings for him (saying TabarakAllah)❞ Then he said to him, ❝Wash yourself for him.❞
So he (Aamir) washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his feet and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel.
Then that water was poured over him (Sahl, and a man poured it over his head and back from behind.
He did that to him then Sahl got up and joined the people, after which there was nothing wrong with him.
Narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
❝The influence of the evil eye is a fact. If anything were to precede the divine decree it would have been the influence of an evil eye. Therefore when you are asked to take a bath (as a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.❞
[Sahih Muslim Hadith 5427]
Therefore the person who has been afflicted by Ayn should try to get the water of the person who has afflicted him and bath with it.
Narrated by Umm Salaamah (رضي الله عنها)
The Prophet (ﷺ) once saw a young girl who had a certain expression on her face, so He said;
❝Seek an Islamic formula for her because she is touched by the evil eye.❞
[Bukhari]
⚫ THE EFFECTS OF THE EVIL EYE.
Shaikh Khalid Al-Hibshi (حفظه الله) says that Ayn has a tremendous amount of power. It has an influence in all areas of a person’s life, whether religious affairs, worldly affairs, as well as moral characteristics etc.
Some of the effects are summarised below:
• Effect on the minds: IQ, wit, memory, ability to focus, understanding and assimilation.
• Effect on the livelihood: Wealth, income, provisions etc.
• Effect on beauty: hair, face, skin colour, the body etc.
• Effect on religion: worship, humility, character, integrity etc.
• Effect on a person’s morality: modesty, truthfulness, courage, good characteristics etc.
• Effect on marital and family life: happiness, pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriages, raising and loving children, discord etc.
• Effect on ages: longevity, age relative to appearance, death, etc.
• Effect on the body: power, speed and activity, health and wellness, skills etc.
• Effect on livestock: camels, bringing down birds from the sky etc.
• Effects on nature: plants, trees and fruits, damage, burns, ripeness, shrivel and die etc.
• Effect on inanimate objects: cars, all kinds of devices, gold, women’s cosmetic application or products.
⚫ EVIDENCE FROM THE SUNNAH.
Narrated from the freed slave of Az-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) he said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝The disease of the nations who came before you has started to spread amongst you; jealousy and hatred.
This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer). I do not say that it shaves hair but rather that it shaves (destroys) faith. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of that which will strengthen love between you? Spread the greetings of peace amongst yourselves.❞
[Tirmidhi]
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝My nation will be stricken with the disease of the other nations.❞
They said: ❝What is the disease of the other nations?❞
He (ﷺ) said:
❝Insolence, arrogance, accumulation of wealth, competition in worldly gains, mutual hatred and envy until there will be wrongdoing and then killing.❞
⚫ SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS – EVIL EYE AND ENVY.
• Constant yawning without wanting sleep.
• Constant burping without eating.
• Symptoms increase when reading or listening to the Qur’an.
• Itching when the person afflicted carries out an act for which the evil eye has been given, For example, if the evil eye has been given because of a person’s wealth, they will start itching when they come into contact with money.
• The appearance of spots and boils on the body/face.
• Hot and cold flushes for no reason.
• Tight chested.
• Tiredness/Laziness.
• Insomnia.
• Waswasah. (constant whispering)
• Putting on weight without necessarily eating more.
• Cases of Cancer.
• Some cases of Psychological conditions such as delusion and fear.
• Forgetfulness and sleepiness while doing studying, reading Quran or going to school etc.
• Headaches.
• Allergies, rhinitis and sinusitis.
• Sneezing a lot for no reason.
• Cold/ flu.
• Hair Loss.
• Darkening under the eyes.
• Becoming pale.
• Permanent headaches.
• Spots under the skin.
• Pains at the mouth of the stomach which doctors cannot explain.
• The desire to get out of the house or hatred in staying indoors.
• The feeling of death and despair.
• Seeing dead people in your sleep, lizards or cats.
• To see people who have given you the evil eye looking at you in a strange and scary way.
• Physical ailments which doctors cannot explain and going from one problem to another.
• Seeing ants in the house.
• Children crying constantly for no reason.
And Ultimately Allah (ﷻ) knows best!
⚫ Explanation in detail about Evil Eye and Envy By Shaikh Khalid Al-Hibshi;
Part 1;
Part 2;
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