Belief in the Evil Eye
The concept of an evil eye exist in Islam. People often think that an evil eye and jealousy is the same thing. Yes! There is a very strong relationship between an evil eye and jealousy but, it is not necessary that these two happen at the same time. Every person who puts an evil eye is jealous with the victim but not every jealous person has an evil eye.
There is a word ‘al-ayn’ for an evil eye. Commonly we also say ‘nazar’ to an evil eye. Nazar begins when a person likes something in another person and the person with an evil eye keep effecting the thing which the second person has, by looking at that thing with evil feelings. Such evil feelings can have worst consequences. The nazar can harm the victim up to such extent that it can take a victim’s life. This is why Allah says in Surah Al-Falaq, verse First and Last:
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak. And from the evil of an envier when he envies." [113: 1, 5]
Since, there is a difference in ‘al-ayn’ and ‘ain’, so while asking safety to Allah from an envier we must seek refuge with Allah from an evil eye.
There are two sort of persons in war, protected and unprotected. If an enemy’s weapon hit the protective one then there is no harm but if the enemy’s weapon targets the unprotective person then he definitely hurts by the attack. Now, the question is how much the unprotective person gets hurt? The harm depends on the sharpness of weapon. Similarly, we need to protect ourselves from evil eyes with the remembrance of Allah so that no evil power can harm us. If we do not protect ourselves by not following what Allah has said, then we might get hurt badly by the evils around us. We never know who is going to hurt us so we need to keep ourselves safe otherwise evil eyes harm us.
Many people in the World believe in evil eye (nazar), especially Muslims believe more than the non-Muslims. Usually people who do not believe in evil eye says it as a myth or they think that who believes in evil eye, actually believes in superstitions. However, what exists in real and what not can easily be understood by doing a study of Quran. Allah says in Surah Al-Qalam, verse 51:
‘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”’. [68:51]
Again, there are two types of believers. One who believe in nazar but they absolutely have no idea what nazar in real is, how it causes, and what are the preventions. Such type of people use amulets, they tie thread around their wrist, they also wear folded scripters of Quran around their neck.
Then there is a second type of believers who have read the Quran and Hadith, and they know what the real precautions are, and which are not anything else but the remembrance of Allah. Tying the scriptures around the neck or wrist, wearing lucky stones, talisman or amulets are not going to protect anyone in any way. The only thing which can prevent a person from evil powers is to read Quran and Hadith, to implement the teachings in real life, and most importantly to not share every detail of your life with everybody. Mufti Ismail Menk says,
“Whatever you choose to do, don't brag about it. Keep it between you and the Almighty. Any arrogance will make your effort meaningless”.
The above statement is beautiful that keep your things between you and Almighty Allah. Even if you do not believe in evil eye, still nobody deserves to know about the struggles you have gone through in your life and to know about the achievements those struggles have led you to get. Because it does not matter that if you are talking with the most closet person in your life, still he has not walked with you through that journey and after listening to your story he cannot put his feet in your shoes either, to actually feel what you have felt. So, we never make an idea that when and where people get jealous by our achievements without knowing the struggles behind them. Allah knows your struggles and your hard times, so talk to Him and you will never get in trouble. As Allah says in Surah Al-Hadid, verse 4:
“He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein; and He is with you wherever you are. And Allah, of what you do, is Seeing”. [57:4]
In the above verse He says that he knows everything whether hidden or exposed, every feeling whether expressed or suppressed, each struggle and every hard times we go through. Therefore, the best healing lies in talking to Him, we should talk Him, we should complain Him if His people on earth are hurting us, we should thank Him for the strength He has given us to fight from our hard times, we should ask Him whatever we want, we should keep remember Him in every situation, and then nothing can harm us.












