Forms for Protection From the Evil Eye

The evil eye is very much real and can affect various people. Hence, Muslims must be vigilant and recite regular duas against evil as a form of protection. If afflicted with it, there are sunnah methods of gaining protection from the evil eye as well.

One of the methods of curing the evil eye relates to taking a bath. The person who afflicts the evil eye, the causer, must perform wudu, and the water must be saved. Then, someone must pour the water used for the wudu over the afflicted person and if Allah wills, He will cure the person.

Reciting the various forms of ruqyah is one of the best ways of gaining protection and being cured of the evil eye. This involves the recitation of various short surahs including al-Fatiha and al-Ikhlaas, combined with Ayat al-Kursi, etc. Then, the person must blow onto their hands and rub them over themselves. With Allah’s will, this will help cure the person. There are some general duas for protection against evil as well, which we should regularly recite surah for evil eye protection from the Quran to be safe.

Every Muslim is the recipient, guardian, and executor of God's will on earth; his responsibilities are all-encompassing. A Muslim's duty to act in defense of what is right is as much part of his faith as is his duty to oppose wrong. The Prophet once said, “If someone among you sees wrong he must right it by his hand if he can (deed, conduct, action). If he cannot, then by his tongue (speak up, verbally oppose); if he cannot, then by his gaze (silent expression of disapproval); and if he cannot, then in his heart. The last is the minimum expression of his conviction (faith, courage).”

What is the evil eye?

The Arabic word al-‘ayn (translated as the evil eye) refers to when a person harms another with his eye. It starts when the person likes a thing, then his evil feelings affect it by means of his repeated looking at the object of his jealousy.

It’s not for nothing that Allah taught His Prophet to seek refuge with Him from the evil of the envier in a surah you should use yourself for protection: Wa min Sharri haasidin idhaa hasad— And from the evil of the envier when he envies. [Quran.113:5]

Accepting the presence of the 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.

Evidence for the Different Types of Evil Eyes

Ayn

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake Qadr (divine decree), it would have been the evil eye…”. This alludes to the speed of the evil eye and expresses that if anything was to overtake the decree of Allah it would have been the evil eye, i.e. in its speed.

Hasad

Iblees envied Adam (AS) as he disliked his creation and the fact he was ordered to prostrate to him. He thought he was better because he was made from fire and Adam (AS) was created from clay. Therefore it was only envied that pushed iblees to transgress and disobey the order of Allah (SWT).

Nafs

The Prophet ﷺsaid:

“Whoever among you sees something in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessings for it because the evil eye is real.”

Narrated by Ibn al-Sunni, Al-Haakim and classed as Saheeh by Al-Albaani 243.

Nathara

This originates from the evil eye of a Jinn. The evidence for this is the narration of Umm Salamah (RAA) who said the Prophet ﷺ saw in her house a slave girl with discoloration on her face so he said:

“Perform Ruqya for her, for she has been afflicted by the eye of a Jinn.”

Duas against the Evil Eye

The Verse of Evil Eye (Arabic: آیه وَإِن يَكَادُ‎) is verse 51 and 52 of Al-Qalam Surah in the Quran. It is usually recited for protection from the evil eye. It states: “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.

That said, here are some dua's from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) that serve as a form of protection for us against the evil eye.

SELF-RUQYA TREATMENT

Narrated from Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RAA) that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake the divine decree it would have been the evil eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.” (Muslim, Ahmad and Tirmidhi) – Bath for Ayn

The Sunnah method is to wash from the water of the wudhu of the person who gave you the ayn if the identity of the person is known.

Narrated Aisha (RAA), she said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to tell me to recite Ruqya for protection against the evil eye. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Recite Surat Al-Baqarah, Ayat ul Kursi, and 4 Quls daily; minimum once but more if possible. For those of us that struggle with the recitation itself or with difficulty completing the recitation during one session, it is advised to listen to the audio recitation and put your finger on the words of the Mushaf as you following the recitation.

Conclusion

The evil eye is very real, and Muslims must understand this and do what they can to avoid its effects. The effects of the evil eye can be extremely harmful. Hence, if we look at the Quran and Sunnah, we can see this topic discussed. We should take the guidance available in the Sunnah and utilize it in our everyday lives. There are many Quranic verses and duas that we can recite for protection from the evil eye.

Quran (Surah At-Tauba, 51)

“Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.” And upon Allah let the believers rely”