Jinn’s Envy of Humans and Treatment Through Ruqyah
Authored by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha حفظہ اللہ
❖ Question:
Do the jinn also envy human beings?
❖ Answer:
Yes.
It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها that the Noble Prophet ﷺ saw a girl in her house who had “safʿah” on her face, so he ﷺ said:
«استرقوا لها الله بها النظرة »
“Perform ruqyah (spiritual cure) for her, for she has been afflicted by the evil eye.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth no. 76]
- Safʿah means that there was a certain discoloration on her face that was not natural.
- Naẓrah refers to being afflicted by the evil eye from the jinn. The same term is also used for the evil eye from human beings. The correct opinion is that this word is general and includes both.
Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله, regarding Allah’s statement in Sūrah al-Falaq:
«وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ ﴿٥﴾ »
said: This word ḥāsid (envier) is general and includes both jinn and humans, because Shayṭān and his followers envy the believers for what Allah has granted them, just as Iblīs envied our father Ādam عليه السلام. He is also an enemy of the children of Ādam, as Allah Almighty said:
«إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ»
“Indeed, Shayṭān is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy.”
[Fāṭir: 6]
- Whispering (waswasah) is specific to the jinn devils.
- Envy (ḥasad) is specific to human devils.
- However, in common usage, both whispering and envy are used in a broader sense to include both categories.
[Tafsīr al-Muʿawwidhatayn, Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 62]
