One should therefore consult works that transmit authentic, firmly established hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), avoiding the innovated litanies invented by deluded Sufis of their various orders. The same applies to Hasan al-Bannā’s al-Ma’thūrāt, which contains cobbled-together remembrances that are not from the Sunnah. Well-known reliable abridgements include Tuhfat al-Akhyār by Shaykh Ibn Bāz (may Allah have mercy on him), Hisn al-Muslim by Shaykh Sa‘īd al-Qahtānī, Sahīh al-Adhkār by Shaykh al-Adawī, and Mukhtasar al-Nasīha by Shaykh al-Muqaddam. As for the major foundational compilations, such as the Sunan collections and works on the practices of the day and night, these are references for specialists and require scholarly verification, since they contain both sound material and material that is not. By Allah’s grace, verified editions are now available. They include Sahīh al-Kalim al-Tayyib by Shaykh al-Albānī (may Allah have mercy on him), Shaykh al-Arna’ūt’s hadith sourcing and verification of al-Nawawī’s Adhkār, Sahīh Adhkār al-Nawawī by Shaykh Salīm al-Hilālī, and many others. These are sufficient.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Zād al-Ma‘ād: “Whoever has experience of supplications and invocations of refuge knows the extent of their benefit and how urgently they are needed. They prevent the effects of one who casts the evil eye from reaching a person and repel them after they have reached him, in proportion to the strength of the reciter’s faith, the strength and preparedness of his soul, the strength of his reliance upon Allah, and the steadfastness of his heart. They are a weapon, and a weapon is only as effective as the one who wields it.” End quote.

This demonstrates his profound understanding—may Allah Most High shower him with abundant mercy. Few people grasp this: a weapon is only as effective as its wielder, in accordance with the strength of the faith of the one reciting the ruqyah.

Muhammad ibn Muflih said: “The person afflicted by the evil eye should also be treated with protective recitations drawn from the Quran and Sunnah, invocations seeking refuge, and supplication.” (1)

Shaykh Abdullah al-Jibrīn (may Allah preserve him) said: “One reason so many people suffer from these afflictions—meaning epilepsy, sorcery, the evil eye, and envy—is their failure to protect themselves through remembrance of Allah, regular devotions, and prescribed supplications.” (2)

Another means of protection is what the person who casts the evil eye should do: he should pray for anyone whom he fears may be harmed by