The Extent of the Evil Eye’s Effect on Its Victim

There is no limit to the effect the evil eye may have on its victim. It may cause only slight harm—and some evils are less severe than others—or its effect may intensify and damage him partially or entirely. A machine or other possession may be struck by the evil eye and become permanently damaged, making it impossible to repair; or one or more of its parts may be damaged. Likewise, a house or building may be struck by the evil eye and collapse, or it may quickly be afflicted by some blight that later passes, allowing it to return to its former condition.

A man may be struck by the evil eye and become unwell, suffer a fever, have one of his bodily organs become diseased, or have some of his mental faculties impaired. His illness may persist until it kills him, or he may die immediately at the outset.

It was stated earlier in the hadith that the evil eye can cause a man to plunge from a mountain, bringing him down from a high peak or from the lofty reaches of the mountains. Similarly, Jābir ibn Abd Allah al-Ansārī—may Allah be pleased with him—reported that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Most of those from my nation who die, after what Allah Almighty has written, decreed, and predestined, die because of the evil eye.” This was recorded by al-Tayālisī, al-Bazzār, and others, and its chain of transmission is good and acceptable, Allah Most High willing.