It is also narrated by him—through a report traced back to the Prophet—from ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir: “Whoever hangs a talisman, may Allah never bring his affair to completion; and whoever hangs a cowrie shell, may Allah never grant him ease.” (1) In another wording: “Whoever hangs a talisman has committed shirk.” (2)

— ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir: ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī was a well-known Companion, a distinguished jurist, and served as governor of Egypt under Muʿāwiyah for three years; he died shortly before 60 AH.

— “It is also narrated”: i.e. Imām Aḥmad transmitted this report as well.

— “Hangs a talisman”: that is, he fastens it to himself or to someone else while believing in its power. A talisman was a string of beads the pre-Islamic Arabs would hang on their children to ward off the evil eye.

— “May Allah never bring his affair to completion”: a supplication that his matters remain unfinished.

— “Cowrie shell”: a marine object resembling a small shell that they used as protection from the evil eye.

— “May Allah never grant him ease”: meaning, may Allah not leave him in peace and serenity, or may He not lighten the harm he fears.

— “In another wording”: i.e. Imām Aḥmad narrated the same meaning through a different chain.

Overall purport of the two hadiths: the Prophet ﷺ invokes a curse upon anyone who employs talismans believing they repel harm, asking Allah to thwart his objective and leave his affairs incomplete, just as