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Obsessing Over the Evil Eye

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

category: Coping with Adversity

source: Islam-QA.com

reads: 12830

I ask Allaah to relieve your distress and take away your sorrow. 

It should be noted that Islam does not bring any hardship. Rather one of the most important aims of sharee'ah is to relieve people of hardship. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  "Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty" [al-Maa'idah 5:6] 

It is not permissible for a Muslim to listen to the shaytaan and let him fill his life with doubts, waswaas and paranoia, for if he does that he will lose out in this world and will not gain anything in the Hereafter. Such whispers (waswaas) are merely tricks of the accursed Shaytaan who wants to cause grief for those who believe. And Allaah is the best of protectors and the most merciful of those who show mercy. 

What you must do is put a stop to all these whispers, and not pay any attention to bad thoughts. It is sufficient for you to say the dhikr that is prescribed in sharee'ah when you see something good, and Allaah will protect it against the evil eye and destructive envy (hasad). Remembrance of Allaah (dhikr) and the evil eye or envy cannot coexist. 

It was narrated from Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn Haneef that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Why don't you invoke blessings, for the evil eye is real." [Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta' (2/938); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (6/149)]

Al-Zarqaani said in Sharh al-Muwatta' (4/320): "..why don't you say, Baarak Allaahu feek (May Allaah bless you), and that would cancel out what is feared of the evil eye and take away its effects."

It was narrated from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Aamir ibn Rabee'ah from his father (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If one of you sees in himself or his brother something that he likes, let him pray for blessings, for the evil eye is real." 

Narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (4/240). He said: "This is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh, although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) did not narrate it with any mention of invoking blessing." And al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami (556). 

It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (13/31): This indicates that the evil eye cannot cause any harm if the one who may harm with the evil eye invokes blessings. What is prescribed for everyone who admires something is to invoke blessings, for if he prays for blessings, the harm must inevitably be diverted. Invoking blessings means to say: Tabaarak Allaah ahsan al-khaaliqeen, Allaahummah baarik fihi (Blessed be Allaah the best of creators, O Allaah bless it). 

Al-Nawawi said: "It is mustahabb for the one who may harm with the evil eye to pray the blessing for the one who may be harmed and say Allaahumma baarik wa laa tadurrahu (O Allaah bless and do not harm him) and Ma sha Allaah laa quwwata illa Billaah (As Allaah wills, there is no power except with Allaah)."

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (10/205): "The one who admires something should hasten to pray that the thing he admires be blessed, and that will be a ruqyah on his part."

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (1/547) it says: "The remedy for the one who may cause harm with the evil eye when he sees something he admires is to remember Allaah and invoke blessing."

Shaykh al-Fawzan said in al-Muntaqa (1/question no. 87): 

If the one who may cause harm with the evil eye fears that he may harm the thing he is looking at, then he should say: Allaahumma baarik 'alayhi (O Allaah, bless it). Similarly it is mustahabb for him to say: Ma sha Allaah laa quwwata illa Billaah (As Allaah wills, there is no power except with Allaah), because it was narrated from Hishaam ibn 'Urwah from his father that when he saw a thing that he liked or he entered one of his gardens, he would say: Ma sha Allaah laa quwwata illa Billaah (As Allaah wills, there is no power except with Allaah). 

If the one who may cause harm with the evil eye always says this dhikr, then he will ward off its harm, in sha Allaah. 

It says in Fataawa al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (5): 

The Muslim should not let doubts, illusions, suspicion and excessive fear of the evil eye overwhelm him so much that he becomes afflicted with psychological illness and the like. He should think positively of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and understand that whatever befalls him only happens by the will of Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted. So let him turn to Allaah, because He alone is able to ward off harm and relieve distress. End quote. 

If you see something that you like, then pray to Allaah for blessing, and do not pay attention to anything else. Allaah will protect it because of your du'aa', and will ward off all harm from it. Do not let yourself keep on fearing it, for Allaah does not want that for His slaves. Also keep striving to make yourself see the will of Allaah in all things, for He has great wisdom in what He gives and withholds, lowers and raises, and there is none to put back His Judgement [cf. al-Ra'd 13:41] and none can change His Words [al-An'aam 6:115].  

Always remember – O slave of Allaah – that this world and everything in it is too insignificant for people to envy one another and transgress against one another for its sake, as al-Mutanabbi said: 

What hearts desire is too insignificant for people to transgress against one another or destroy one another in pursuit of it. 

This is also indicated in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Why would one of you kill his brother?" [Narrated by Imam Maalik (1746) and Ahmad (15550) and others.]

And Allaah knows best.