Section: The Concept of the Evil Eye (ayn)
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A person who afflicts others by the evil eye is known as “Al-A’in” and a person affected by the evil eye is called “Al-Ma’yoon”. Ibn Al Qayyim (R) said in his book Zaad al Ma’ad: “It is the arrow that is taken out from the soul of the envious individual, the one whom causes the affliction of the evil eye, and then it is fired upon the subject of the evil eye. This individual can be affected sometimes and manage to escape it at other times. If one encounters this and is exposed to it then there will be no protection from its effect, however it then becomes imperative if one encounters this to take care and prepare themselves with the best defence and not allow it to be implanted upon them. It is in this manner that a person can protect themselves from the envious individual and not be affected by them. Sometimes these arrows return to the one whom they belong and this archery makes the envious individual feel the same negativity in his life like the negatively he tried to push on the subject.Allah (ﷻ) says: وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ ﴿٥١﴾ Translation: “And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message and they say, "Indeed, he is mad.’” (Al-Qalam: 51)Ibn Katheer (R) uses this verse as evidence to show that the evil eye is real and that it has the ability to affect people since Allah (ﷻ) mentions ‘those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message’.An incident which is narrated from the time of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) saw Quraish ask some people who were known to give the evil eye to another person which could cause illness, death or some other effect to put it on the Prophet (ﷺ). However, Allah (ﷻ) protected the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) from those who were intent on destroying him with Ayn.Ibnul Qayyim (R) mentioned in his book Zaad al Ma’ad that some people have denied the effects of Ayn; and he describes these people as arrogant with no knowledge.According to some scholars the concept of effecting a person with the evil eye (Ayn) can be likened to the effect of when a person walks into a room and they feel embarrassment or shyness due to people looking at them, perhaps causing the face to change colour. Another example could be where someone sees someone they fear and they become pale in the face.Ibnul Qayyim (R) describes it as a physical or spiritual effect that leaves the eye and affects the human being.