Many Muslims do their best to believe that the evil eye does not exist. Maybe because on a logical level, believing such may translate to believing that there is something more powerful than Allah (swt).
But as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) has been narrated to have said in a hadith: “The influence of an evil eye is a fact; if anything would precede the destiny it would be the influence of an evil eye” (Muslim).
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What is the evil eye?
The evil eye comes from a look of admiration that a person has onto another. When you see something that you like in another, even if you are not jealous of them or anything, you may actually inflict them with the evil eye and cause that thing you admired to be destroyed.
For example, a recently married couple who just had a baby may be infected with the evil eye by someone who simply came to visit and loved their home decor, or admired how cute the newborn is. From this admiration of the beauty in their lives, the visitor could infect the couple and their child with the evil eye.
This, of course, does not happen in every instance where someone admires or likes something in another. But this is to show the most common ways through which people are afflicted with the evil eye.
It is also possible to inflict oneself with the evil eye unknowingly or to be inflicted by a Jinn. But these two ways also revolve around a person receiving a look of admiration that can negatively harm him/her.
Accepting the presence of evil eye does not mean that one disbelieves in Allah (swt); but to protect ourselves from being afflicted by the evil eye, there are some duas that have been given to us from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Duas against the Evil Eye
These duas are to protect a person against the evil eye. Except for the one that will be mentioned last, they are not the cure for someone who has already been afflicted with the evil eye. Because the later will involve a longer process of making the ruqya dua in an attempt to cure the afflicted.
That said, here are some duas from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) that serve as a form of protection for us against the evil eye.
1. Praising the goodness in another
We certainly can’t help it, or stay away from admiring people or giving them compliments, just because we do not want to afflict them with the evil eye. Your friend who got the dream job, your younger sister getting married, or that sister at the masjid with the nice abaya.
Good things happen to everyone and it is good to be happy for them, or for yourself. This is why whenever we see something that we like or appreciate in a person or in ourselves, we are encouraged to say “maa sha’a Allah”, “Allahumma barik”, “tabarakAllah”, etc.
All of these phrases thank and glorify Allah (swt) as the Creator of that thing which you admire and they ask for the blessings of Allah (swt) on you or the person that you are admiring.
There was an interesting case of a Companion of the Prophet (saw) who took off his clothes to take a shower, and another Companion commented on how beautiful his body was. The Companion who wanted to take a shower instantly fell ill, and when this matter was referred to the Holy Prophet, he said: “Why does one of you kill his brother? Why did you not say, “May Allah bless you?” (ta baraka-llah) The evil eye is true. Do wudu from it.” (Muwatta Malik)
2. The Mu’auwidat (Suras Falaq, & Nas: Qur’an 113 & 114)
The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to seek protection against the evil of jinn and the evil eyes till Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas were revealed. After they were revealed, he took to them for seeking Allah’s protection and left everything besides them. (At-Tirmidhi)
The two surahs of Falaq and Nas, along with Suratul Ikhlas (Qur’an 112) are some of our best protections against the evil eye and any evil that can befall a person. The Prophet (SAW) taught his companions to recite these three chapters of the Qur’an thrice every morning and evening, saying that it will suffice us in all aspects of our lives.
A good way to incorporate these duas into our lives is to recite them as soon as we wake up, as part of our early morning routine. As Muslims, we should wake up to thank Allah (SWT) for restoring our souls to us after sleeping, then recite the duas that protect us for the rest of the day
3. The Prayer of Ibraheem (AS)
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ
“A’udhu bi kalimatil-lahil- tammati, min kulli shaitanin wa hammah, wa min kulli ‘aynin lammah (I seek refuge for you both in the Perfect Words of Allah, from every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every evil eye)”. (Sunan Ibn Majah)
This was the dua that Prophet Ibraheem (as) used to make for his sons, and also that which Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to make for his grandchildren, Hassan and Hussein.
This is a dua against evil eye especially for children, and for Muslim parents and caregivers, we should endeavour to recite this dua for the children every day even if they are old enough to recite other duas against the evil eye by themselves.
4. The Dua of Jibril (AS)
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنٍ أَوْ حَاسِدٍ اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ
“Bismillahi arqika, min kulli shay’in yu’dhika, min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘aynin aw hasidin. Allahu yashfika, bismillahi arqika (In the Name of Allah I perform Ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye, may Allah heal you. In the Name of Allah I perform Ruqyah for you)”. (Sunan Ibn Majah)
This is a prayer that angel Jibril (as) performed on Prophet Muhammad (saw) when he was ill. This shows that this prayer may be more of a healing for the evil eye, and not necessarily a protection against it.
This is handy for us to know and be able to recite so that it can be beneficial if one ever feels as if they could be afflicted with the evil eye. Although there are various ways of treating the evil eye and anyone who feels afflicted should always consult a local Imam for assistance.
Overall, it is important for us as Muslims to continue to strive to turn to Allah (swt) for protection using only the means that has been taught to us by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the Holy Quran. Because as we believe and affirm with our Shahadah every day, there is no power more supreme than that of Allah (swt)
Related Video: Dua That Protects You From Evil
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