In Surah Falaq we seek refuge from the hasid (envious person).
113:5 “And from the evil of the envious when he envies.” وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ (Wa min sharri hasidin iza hasad).
Prophet Mohammad (SAW) said, “the influence of an evil eye is a fact” (Sahih Bukhari).
Having travelled a little bit across South Asia and the West, the prime difference I have noticed is that the level of jealousy in South Asia is astounding. People swearing and cursing under their breath after looking at a person’s new clothes, muttering obscenities after hearing of someone’s success, breaking the lights or putting scratches on a new bike, breaking the windows or headlights of a new car, and the list is endless.
People are distressed more by other people’s happiness than their own sadness. Other people’s gain hurts more than their own loss. Therefore, being affected by the evil eye is common in South Asian countries. Evil eye has existed since centuries but has never been a topic of real discussion. Since black magic is thought of to be dangerous, it takes the spotlight. However, the damage that the evil eye can do should not be underestimated.
One thing to be understood is that the evil eye can be through a look, through words, and also through thoughts. Also, it can be though a human and also through a jinn. Furthermore, anything be affected by the evil eye. Humans, animals, objects, food, plants, marriage, health, etc.
People often say Mashallah when they hear, talk about, or see something good. That is to avoid the effects of the evil eye. The common method for protection from evil eye and black magic is to read the 3 Quls (Surah Ikhlaas, Surah Falaq, Surah Nas) 3 times, blow on the palms and rub all over the body. However, there are some duas from the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) specifically to ward off the evil eye. Below is one of them.
Image: Taqawa Life
