The Reality of the Evil Eye and the Misconception of Shirk
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, p.204
❖ Question
Does the evil eye (nazar bad) truly affect a person? Please explain in detail.
❖ Proof of the Evil Eye from Hadith
- The evil eye is real, and its existence is established through authentic ahadith.
- In Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah and Mishkāt, it is narrated that a man in the time of the Prophet ﷺ was afflicted by the gaze of a non-Muslim and became seriously ill.
- The Prophet ﷺ instructed that the person who cast the evil eye perform ghusl, and its water be poured over the afflicted one. When this was done, he recovered.
❖ Misunderstanding the Evil Eye as Shirk
- Benefit and harm are indeed only in the hands of Allah.
- However, to declare the belief in the evil eye as shirk is incorrect.
- The world is an “ʿĀlam al-Asbāb” (realm of causes), where Allah has created means for results.
❖ Example of Rizq (Provision)
Allah says:
﴿وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا﴾
"There is no creature on earth whose provision is not upon Allah."
[Hūd: 6]
- Yet, humans are commanded to work and adopt means for earning provision.
- Result: Allah is the Provider, but He has placed provision within means.
❖ Relationship Between Means and Results
- Results are in Allah’s hands, but man is responsible for adopting means.
- Example:
- If someone kills another, the victim dies, though true life and death are with Allah.
- If one were to call the evil eye shirk, then a murderer could not be called guilty, since “Allah is the giver of death.”
- But in reality, the murderer is held accountable for using a means leading to death.
❖ Allah’s Law of Means
Allah has created natural laws in the world:
- Whoever drinks poison will die.
- Whoever uses medicine may recover.
- Whoever shoots may cause death—but only if Allah wills.
- Sometimes, despite poison or bullets, one survives, proving the ultimate decision is with Allah.
❖ The Evil Eye and Sin
- The evil eye is also one of the causes of harm Allah has created.
- If caused by envy or malice, the one casting it is sinful, whether harm occurs or not.
- If it happens unintentionally, without envy, then there is no sin.
- A person may even cast the evil eye on his own children or possessions out of admiration.
Solution taught in hadith:
When one sees something admirable, he should say:
ما شاء الله لا قوة إلا بالله، بارك الله فيها
so that no evil eye occurs.
❖ Evil Eye Compared to Magic
- Magic is also a cause of harm Allah has created.
- The Jews cast magic upon the Prophet ﷺ, which caused him physical discomfort for a period.
- Qur’an confirms:
﴿وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ﴾
"They cannot harm anyone through it except by Allah’s permission."
[al-Baqarah: 102]
- Thus, magic and the evil eye only affect by Allah’s will, but the doer of these acts is sinful.
❖ Summary
- The evil eye is real, proven from authentic ahadith.
- It is not shirk, but a created cause of harm.
- Man uses causes; the outcome depends on Allah’s will.
- To deny it as shirk would mean denying all human accountability, including murder.
- True understanding: man adopts means, but Allah controls results.
ھذا ما عندی واللہ أعلم بالصواب
