al-Ayn Haqq - Muhammad ibn Abd al-Mu'ti - (44)

al-Ayn HaqqMuhammad ibn Abd al-Mu'ti

Scholarly Views on the Evil Eye and Its Effects

Al-Hāfiz Ibn Kathīr said in his Tafsīr: Being struck by the evil eye, and the effect it produces, are realities by the command of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

Al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajar said: The evil eye is, in essence, a gaze of admiration tinged with envy from a person of malicious nature, through which the person gazed upon suffers harm. (1)

Ibn al-Athīr said: It is said that so-and-so was struck by the evil eye when an enemy or envious person looks at him and affects him, causing him to fall ill as a result. In Arabic, the verb means “to strike someone with the evil eye”; its active participle denotes the person who casts it, while the passive term denotes the person afflicted by it. Hence the hadith: “The person who cast the evil eye would be ordered to perform ablution, after which the afflicted person would wash with that water.” Another hadith states: “There is no ruqyah except for the evil eye or a venomous sting.” Singling out the evil eye and venomous stings does not preclude the permissibility of ruqyah for other illnesses, for the Prophet commanded ruqyah without restriction and performed it for some of his Companions for ailments other than these two. Rather, it means that no ruqyah is more appropriate or beneficial than ruqyah for the evil eye or a venomous sting. (2)

Shams al-Haqq al-Azīmābādī said: “The evil eye”—that is, its effect—“is real.” The explanation is that nothing is struck by the evil eye until it has reached perfection, and everything perfect is followed by decline. Since the divine decree becomes manifest after the evil eye, it is attributed to it. This was stated by al-Qārī. In Fath al-Wadūd, it states: “The evil eye is real, not in the sense that it possesses any efficacy of its own, but in the sense that it is a customary cause like all other customary causes: when a person looks at something with admiration, Allah Most High creates whatever pain or destruction He wills.” End quote. (3)

Abd al-Raūf al-Manāwī (4) said: “The evil eye is real” means that the harm resulting from it is actual and frequent; only an obstinate person denies it. He illustrated this with the example of a menstruating woman who places her hand in a vessel of milk, causing it to spoil,

(1) Fath al-Bārī. (2) Al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Athar (3:332), published by al-Maktabah al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut. (3) Awn al-Mabūd (10:259). (4) This al-Manāwī was a Sufi given to superstitious notions. He espoused Sufi beliefs concerning the aqtāb (spiritual poles), wahdat al-wujūd (unity of being), and other such doctrines. I quote those of his statements that accord with the truth, while also pointing out his creed and deviation so that people may be wary of him. The man was an extremely prolific author, although some of his works contain lengthy passages quoted from his predecessors. Students of knowledge should therefore take heed of this, for this knowledge is religion; a person must consider from whom he acquires it, as Ibn Sīrīn, may Allah have mercy on him, said.

أقوال العلماء فى مسألة العين وتأثيرها قال الحافظ ابن كثير فى التفسير: العين إصابتها وتأثيرها حق بأمر الله عزوجل. وقال الحافظ حجر: حقيقة العين نظر باستحسان مشوب بحسد من خبيث الطبع يحصل للمنظور منه ضرر. (١) وقال ابن الأثير: يقال أصابت فلانا إذا نظر إليه عدو أو حسثود فأثرت فيه فمرض بسببها يقل عانه يعينه عضينا فهو عائن إذا اصابه بالعين والمصاب معين ومنه الحديث كان يؤمر العائين فيتوضأ ثم يغتسل من المعين ومنه الحديث لا رقية إلا من عين أو حمضة تخصيصه العين والحمة لا يمنع جواز الرقية في غيرهما من المراض لأنه أمر بالرقية مطلقا ورقى بعض أصحابه من غيرهما وإنما معناه لارقية أولى وأنفع من رقية العين والحمة. (٢) وقال شمس الحق العظيم أبادي: " والعين " أي أثرها " حق " وتحقيقه أن الشيء لا يعان إلا بعد كماله وكل كامل يعقبه النقص، ولما كان ظهور القضاء بعد العين أضيف ذلك إليها قاله القارى وفي فتح الودود: والعين حق لا بمعنى أن لها تأثيرا؛ بل بمعنى أنها سبب عادي كسائر الأسباب العادية يخلق الله تعالى عند نظر العائن إلى شيء وإعجابه ما شاء من ألم أو هلكة انتهى. (٣) وقال عبد الرؤوف المناوى (٤): (العين حق) يعني الضرر الحاصل عنها وجودي أكثري لا ينكره إلا معاند وقرب ذلك بالمرأة الحائض تضع يدها في إناء اللبن فيفسد

(١) فتح البارى (٢) النهاية فى غريب الأثر (٣/ ٣٣٢) ط المكتبة العلمية - بيروت (٣) عون المعبود (١٠/ ٢٥٩) (٤) المناوى هذا صوفى مخرف يقول بعقيدة المتصوفة فى الأقطاب ووحدة الوجود وغيرها وأنا أنقل من كلامه ما وافق الحق وأنبه على عقيدته وانحرافه ليحذره الناس فقد كان الرجل مكثرا جدا من التصانيف وإن كان فى بعضها نقل مطول عمن سبقوه فلينتبه إلى هذا طلاب العلم فإن هذا العلم دين فلينظر المرء عمن يأخذه كما قال ابن سيرين ﵀.