The Disease of Being Obsessed with Evil-Eye
“ Do not let envy or the 'Evil Eye' prevent you from engaging with the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and enjoying what is permissible (Mubāh) and lawful (Ḥalāl).
For example, many of our brothers—take a brother with a beautiful white robe, for instance—will say, 'I won’t wear it.' Why not? 'I’m afraid of the Eye.' Or your son has beautiful eyes while he’s young, and a woman sees him and says, 'How beautiful he is, my son!' Immediately, [the parents imagine] he’s developed cataracts or glaucoma right then and there.
(Cataract: A clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision. Glaucoma: An eye disease which can lead to blindness)
So, you don’t wear white, and you don’t wear anything nice. Well, are you going to live your life in misery? What was the Prophet’s guidance regarding this? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once saw a man showing signs of wretchedness and poverty. He asked him, 'Do you have wealth?' The man replied, 'Yes, I have wealth.' He asked, 'What kind of wealth has Allah given you?' He said, 'Every kind—Allah has given me gold, silver, horses, land, farms, cars, and workers. Every kind of wealth has been given to me, O Messenger of Allah.' Yet, despite that, he was dressed wretchedly. The Prophet ﷺ told him: 'Let the effect of Allah’s blessing be seen upon you.'
My acting miserable will not ward off envy. But if I dress well and thank Allah for His blessings—saying, (duʿāʾ) 'Praise be to Allah who provided this for me and clothed me without any might or power from myself; O Allah, bless it for me'—then that’s it, I have my weapon (my protection).
To live filthily and shabbily among people just because I’m afraid of envy is contrary to the guidance Allah taught us through the example of His Messenger ﷺ. Extreme fear of the 'Eye' and envy makes you—Allah forbid—do things that are laughable.
For instance, someone names his son 'Jazmah' (Shoe). Why, man? A woman gives birth to a boy, and they call him 'Jazmah.' Or they call him 'Sheḥtah' (Beggar), or 'Bughul' (Mule), or 'Burghūth' (Flea), or 'Khashabah' (Wood). There are names like this! Why do you name them this way, people?
This is from the Days of Ignorance (Jāhiliyyah). You might hear of a companion named 'Abū Dharr'—a noble, great companion—but what does 'Dharr' mean? It means a tiny ant. His name was Jundub ibn Junādah; 'Jundub' is like a flying insect. These names were given during the Jāhiliyyah to "ward off" envy. Even now, you see names like 'Namlah' (Ant), 'Khaishah' (Sack/Rags), or 'Khashabah.' They claim this fends off the Eye, {but they could not thus harm anyone (with their magic) except by Allâh’s Leave.} [2:102]
They resort to ugly names, contrary to the guidance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who used to select the most beloved of names. He would choose the best names and change those that were not good; he would replace unpleasant names with wholesome, good ones.
Fear of the 'Eye' and fear of envy drives a man to wrong his own child by giving them such a name. He might name him 'Naʿsah' (Sleepy/Drowsy). Why 'Naʿsah'? Being 'Awake' (Yaqaẓah) is far better than being 'Sleepy'! Yet, they give their children bad names and dress them in ragged clothes because they believe in the Eye and exaggerate its power. They might even start 'wars' over talk of (jinn) possession. We were going to dive into that (in this ongoing lesson), but it is a long door to open.
It is strange how some people act. Someone might say, 'So-and-so hit me with the Eye,' then they go to a priest in a church! They seek a solution there? We have in the Noble Book: {And some men used to seek refuge with some jinn—so they increased each other in wickedness} [72:6]. You go to a priest who says Jesus is God or the son of God to heal you? Even a Sheikh himself cannot heal you; none heals except Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
Regarding (jinn) possession and envy—specifically possession—we wanted to expand on it, but we haven't reached that yet. For now, we have touched on (the topics of) the Eye and envy.
I say: there are people known for having the 'Eye,' but there are also people with weak faith who fear everything.
In Egypt, we have a proverb for our non-Egyptian friends: 'He who is afraid of the ghost will have the ghost appear to him.' Weakness of certainty makes you susceptible. Even worldly doctors know this; you can be so affected by a thought that you become ill without anyone actually 'hitting' you with anything. Conversely, trust in the person before you can give you peace.
I remember being with a physician, Dr. Hassan Abu El-Enein—may Allah preserve him—a great professor in kidney diseases and one of Egypt’s best. He told me, 'A woman comes to me with her husband. The man’s body is simply spent; he’s 70 or 80 years old. His kidneys have been working day and night without stopping for 80 years! His vitality (Al-Ba’ah) has weakened. She wants a cure, but the man is just tired. My sister, we’ve finished 80 years of consumption!'
The man is examined, and he has nothing but the 'disease of old age.' But he is deluded (mawhoom). He imagines his illness is many times worse than it actually is. The doctor told me, 'Wallahi, Sheikh Mustafa, I used to keep small candies with me, like gum, with a delicious taste. I told them: These are special medicines I brought from Turkey... these will heal you by Allah’s leave.'
He wasn't lying; he was treating the man's delusions. The man returned a week later saying, 'Praise be to Allah! Since the day I took that therapeutic medicine you brought me, I’ve started to feel energetic again.' Even his wife is happy. All that happened was that his psychological state was restored.
There are people who are constantly deluded—always imagining they are under the influence of the 'Eye.' Delusion itself causes more harm than the actual Eye. There is evidence for this in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. Deluded people are more susceptible to illness than others because they 'imagine' the sickness into existence.
But as Allah the Almighty said in His Noble Book: {So turn away from them, and put your trust in Allah. And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs.} [4:81]. Let the 'Eye-caster' do what they wish! I have taken my fortifications and put on my armor—verses from the Book of Allah and the Ḥadīths of the Messenger. Let any envier do what they want; {Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has destined for us.} [9:51]. They cannot harm anyone except by Allah’s leave. «Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you; be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you.» (ḥadīth)
Contrast this with another person: 'Brother, come and deliver the Friday sermon; you are eloquent and your words are beneficial.' [He replies], 'My mother told me not to, son.' Why? Because of the enviers. 'We don't need more trouble, my son.'
Or consider a bride at her wedding. She wants to be celebrated and presented just as brides were in the time of the Messenger ﷺ. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was prepared and presented to the Prophet; the women adorned her, dressed her, and beautified her before bringing her to him. [Today, people] say, 'No, the troubles we already have are enough. We don't want more. The girl is beautiful; if she goes out, someone with a "sharp eye" will make her fall or stop the wedding.'
They say: 'Take your fortifications.' Yes—protect yourself and then trust in Allah! Another person buys a new car. Allah’s blessing upon you is to buy a good vehicle that serves your needs. Instead, you buy a 'lemon' (a broken-down car) that causes you accidents and misery. He says, 'I won't buy a good one; I want to avoid evil/envy.' Then he buys an old car and still gets into an accident or faces disaster!
My brother, we have texts in the Sharīʿah. The Prophet ﷺ had a camel named Al-ʿAḍbāʾ that was never outpaced. It was the fastest camel. [He didn't hide it out of fear]... until a Bedouin came on a young camel and outpaced [the Prophet’s camel, Al- ʿAḍbāʾ]. This was difficult for the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to bear. When the Prophet ﷺ saw their distress, he said: «It is a right upon Allah that nothing in this world rises except that He lowers it.» [ḥadīth]
But the point here is that the Prophet’s camel, Al-ʿAḍbāʾ, was typically never outpaced.
Someone might say to you, 'My friend, let’s marry a one-eyed woman instead of a beautiful one, just to avoid the hassle, so no one says your wife is beautiful or not.' My brother, the wives of the Messenger of Allah were beautiful!
ʿĀʾishah was Al-Humayrah (fair-skinned with a rosy glow). Zainab was her equal in status and beauty. Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyayy was the most beautiful woman among the captives at that time. Juwayriyah bint al-Ḥārith was a charming woman; no one saw her except that she entered their heart.
So when someone says, 'Let’s marry a one-eyed woman,' or mentions that Imām Aḥmad married a one-eyed woman—my brother, the guidance of Muḥammad is the most perfect guidance! You marry to maintain your own chastity as well. You didn't marry out of arrogance or vanity.
This excessive fear—we seek refuge in Allah from cowardice. This fear of envy, fear of the 'Eye,' fear of magic... Trust in Allah and take your 'fortifications' (spiritual protection). Just as there are devils, there are angels. Devils frighten, but angels reassure. {So do not fear them; fear Me if you are ˹true˺ believers.} [3:175] Signs of Monotheism (Tawḥīd) must show in your life. Don't be weak in faith. Be strong through Allah. Our slogan is: {Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has destined for us.} [9:51] {...Had it been your Lord’s Will, they would not have done such a thing. So leave them and their deceit,} [6:112] Our certainty (Yaqīn) in Allah must be strong as Muslims.
— Al-Shaykh Al-Muḥaddith Musṭafā Al-ʿAdawī (audio)
~ Galandān