Allah is Goodness “Lessons from the Sunnah in regards to the Evil Eye”

After the Prophet's return from Tabuk delegations came to him from all of Arabia embracing Islam. ● The Prophet offered guidance to them in everything from spiritual to medical concerns. One such concern that the Prophet often found himself offering guidance in regards to was the Evil Eye ● The Arabs were a very competitive people and often if one was envied by others he would find himself suffering from sicknesses. ● Such being the case, many came to the Prophet seeking help from this. Imam Muslim narrates on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet said: ● "The influence of the evil eye is a fact and if anything had preceded the decree of Allah, it would have been the influence of the evil eye."

The Prophet taught the people how to cure themselves from this evil if they were indeed suffering from it: ● He said: ● “And when you are asked to take bath as a cure from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath." ● It is also narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of Anas that the Messenger of Allah permitted incantations against The Evil Eye, Ulcers and poisoning by snakes and scorpions ● Malik Ibn Shihab narrated on the authority of Abu Umamah Ibn: ● 'Amir bin Rabee' saw Sahl bathing and he said: "I have not seen the like of what I see today, not even the skin of a maiden who has never been out of doors."

After saying this, Sahl immediately fell to the ground and could not move, They sent a family member of Sahl to go and fetch the Prophet ● When the family of Sahl came upon the prophet and told what had happened, he immediately went to the home of Sahl and found him lying on the ground with Amir standing over him. ● The Prophet was furious with Amir and said: ● "Why does one of you kill his brother? Why did you not say: 'May Allah bless you? Make Ghusl for it."' ● Amir then washed his face, hands, elbows, knees, the ends of his feet, and inside his lower garment in a vessel. ● Then he took the water from that vessel and poured it over Sahl and Sahl stood and was able to walk away with no other ailments

So thus it is from the guidance and sunnah of our Prophet: ● If one finds himself suffering from the evul eye he should take a ghusl. Az- Zuhri said: ● "The one who casts the evil eye is commanded to take a drinking vessel full of water and put the palm of his hand in it and rinse his mouth with it, then spit into the vessel and wash his face in the vessel, then to put his left hand in the vessel and pour it over his right knee into the vessel, then to put his right hand into it and pour it over his left knee, then wash what is inside his Tzar and the vessel should not be placed on the ground; then it should be poured over the head of the man who has been afflicted by the evil eye from behind and in a single pouring."

The Evil Eye is of two types: that of humans and that of the jinn, meaning it can be afflicted as a result of either It has been authentically reported By Imam Bukhari from Umm Salamah that the Prophet saw a slave girl in her house and in her face was a Safah (a dark spot) and he said: "Make incantation for her, for she has been afflicted by AnNazrah (i.e. the evil eye )." Al-Baghawi said: "Sarah means An -Nazrah from the jinn. The Prophet was saying that she has been afflicted by the evil eye from the jinn, which was more piercing than the points of spears."

The Prophet used to seek protection with Allah from the jinn and from the evil eye of human beings and he taught us to do the same ● It is not actually the eye which affects a person, but rather the spirit, but because of the spirits strong connection to the eye, the deed has been attributed to it. ● The spirit of the envious person is harmful to the person of whom he is envious in a manner which is most clear. ● For this reason, Allah commanded His Messenger to seek refuge from the evil of it. ● Also we are taught to seek refuge from poisonous snakes, spiders and the likes. The Prophet told us that the poison of a snake can cause blindness and miscarriages ● (Muslim)

Among the Prophetic ways of seeking refugem with Allah is to say: ● "Aiiidhu Bikalimatillahit-Tammati Min Kulli Shaitanin Wa Ham-matin Wa Min Kulli 'Ainin Lammah" ● "I seek refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah from every devil, from every poisonous creature and from the affliction of every envious eyer” ● Also: ● "I seek refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah Which neither a righteous man nor a profligate man may surpass from the evil of what He has created, wrought and brought forth from naught and from the evil of what descends from the heaven and what ascends to it and from the evil of what He has wrought in the earth and from the evil of what emanates from it and from the evil of the trials of the night and the day and from the night visitors, except a visitor who brings good, oh, Most Beneficent"

More duaa: ● "I seek refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah from His Anger and His Punishment and from the evil of His slaves and from the evil suggestions of the devils and from their coming to me." ● "Oh, Allah, I seek refuge in Your Noble Countenance and in Your Perfect Words from the evil of what You seize by its forelock; 0, Allah! You remove sin and dept; oh, Allah! Your troops are not routed, nor is Your Promise broken. Glory and praise be unto You."

And if the person from whom the evil eye emanates fears the harm of his eye as in the case of Amir, he should say: ● "Oh, Allah! Bless him," as the Messenger of Allah commanded 'Amir to say to Sahl ● Also you can prevent the evil eye from occuring to you by doing the following: ● When someone complements you simply say: ● "Ma Sha'allahu La Quwwata Illa Billah" ● "That which Allah wills will come to pass." ● Whenever 'Urwah saw something he admired, or he entered any of his gardens, he would say this.