Evidence from the Sunnah for the Effect of the Evil Eye
- The hadith of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him).
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted ruqyah for the evil eye, venomous stings, and the skin eruption known as al-namlah.” (1)
Another narration reads: “He said, ‘Permission was granted for venomous stings, the al-namlah eruption, and the evil eye.’” (2) The verb rukhkhisa (“permission was granted”) begins with a damma, while its doubled second consonant takes a kasra; it is in the passive voice.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There is no ruqyah except for the evil eye, a venomous sting, or bleeding to be staunched.” (3)
- The hadith of Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her).
Umm Salama, wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), further related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a young girl in the home of Umm Salama, wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with a discoloration on her face. He said: “She has been afflicted by the evil eye, so have ruqyah performed for her”—meaning that her face had a yellowish hue. (4)
(1) *Sahīh* (authentic): Muslim (2196/5687–58), Ahmad (12194, 12215, 12304), al-Tirmidhī (2056), Ibn Mājah, Ibn Hibbān, al-Nasā'ī in *al-Kubrā* (7541), and Ibn Abī Shaybah in *al-Musannaf* (23526), through various chains from Sufyān, from Āsim al-Ahwal, from Yūsuf ibn Abd Allāh, from Anas.
(2) *Sahīh* (authentic): Recorded by Muslim (5687).
(3) *Hasan li-ghayrihi* (sound due to corroborating evidence): Recorded by Abū Dāwūd (3889), through Sharīk, from al-Abbās ibn Dharīh, from al-Sha'bī, from Anas. Sharīk ibn Abd Allāh al-Qādī was among Muslim’s narrators, but his memory deteriorated after he was appointed judge. The hadith has corroborating reports.
(4) *Muttafaq alayh* (agreed upon): Recorded by al-Bukhārī (5407), Muslim (2197), al-Hākim in *al-Mustadrak* (7486), and al-Bayhaqī in *al-Sunan al-Kubrā* (9:348), through various chains from Muhammad ibn Harb, who said: Muhammad ibn al-Walīd al-Zubaydī narrated to us; al-Zuhrī informed us, from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, from Zaynab bint Abī Salamah, from Umm Salamah. Al-Hākim said: “This hadith is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs, though they did not record it.” I say: Yet they both recorded it through this very chain, as shown above. This is one of al-Hākim’s errors, notwithstanding the breadth of his knowledge. May Allah have mercy on him. Al-Hākim also recorded it (8276) and graded it authentic according to their criteria, through Ibn Shihāb, who said: Urwah informed me, from A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw [the afflicted girl] in Umm Salamah’s house… Ibn Abī Shaybah also recorded in *al-Musannaf*, from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him): “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Umm Salamah’s house and found a child there who was suffering…” Its chain as far as Urwah is *hasan*, but the report is *mursal*, since Urwah did not witness the incident.