Fatwā

QUESTION

With regards to evil eye, please may you clarify from the Qur’ān and Sunnah what one should say when complimenting others and what one should say if they see something within themselves that they like.

We are confused as many different scholars are saying different things (e.g., you should only say Allāhuma bārik and anything other than this is invalid, or you should only say Māshā’Allāh etc.).

ANSWER

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Imām al-Nawawī mentions in his, Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn, that for the one who fears he may inflict the evil eye upon another, it is mustaḥabb for him to say both:

《 مَا شَاءَ اللهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِااللهِ 》

and

《 الّلهُمَّ بَارِكْ فِيْهِ وَ لَا تِضُرَّهُ 》

قال في (روضة الطالبين): ويستحب للعائن أن يدعو للمعين بالبركة، فيقول: اللهم بارك فيه ولا تضره، وأن يقول: ما شاء الله لا قوة إلا باالله.

(٣٤٨/٩)

This ruling is derived from several hadith transmitted by Imām Abū Bakr ibn al-Sunnī in his, ʿAmal
al-Yawm wal-Laylah. Some of these are:

• from Anas ibn Mālik (R.A), that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whosoever sees something remarkable to him and says, ‘As Allah pleases; no good is acquired except that it is owing to Allah’, no evil eye shall afflict him.”

قال في (عمل اليوم والليلة): عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُلوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ:《 مَنْ رَأَى شَيْئاً فَأَعْجَبَهُ، فَقَالَ: مَا شَاءَ اللهُ، لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ، لَمْ يَضُرُّهُ الْعَيْنُ 》. يَعْنِي: لَا يُصِيْبُهُ الْعَيْنُ.

(حديث ٢٠٧)

• from Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām, that whenever the Prophet ﷺ feared inflicting the evil eye upon something, he ﷺ would say, “O Allah, place your blessings upon it, and do not bring harm to it.”

وقال: …عَنْ أَبِيْ رَزِيْنٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ حِزامَ بْنَ حَكِيْمِ بْنِ حِزامٍ، يَقُولُ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا خَافَ أنْ يُصِيبَ شَيْئًا بِعَيْنِهِ قَالَ:《 الَّلهُمَّ بَارِكْ فِيهِ ولَا تَضُرَّهُ 》. يَعْنِي: لَا يُصِيْبُهُ الْعَيْنُ.

(حديث ٢٠٨)

وﷲ تعالى أعلم

And Allah knows best

Y Karaan
DUAI Fatwa Department