Part 25

having the ability that they can affect sight and abort pregnancy. Some types of snakes have a negative effect on people by their mere sight, because of the viciousness of such creatures and the effect of this viciousness on people.

These effects that we mentioned are not restricted to physical contact, as some of those who have little knowledge in the natural world and the religion think. Rather, these effects could be caused by physical contact, sight, the soul directing its power to the victim, through imagination and evil omens, and so forth.

The envious person might be blind, yet when something is described to him or her, his envious soul affects the described object and harms it even though the blind person cannot see it. Allah said to His Prophet b :

"And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes (through hatred) when they bear the Reminder (the Qura'an) ..."(69:51)

Say: "I seek refuge with (Allah), the Lord of the daybreak, From the evil of what He has created. And from

the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as ft sets or goes away), And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots. And from the evil of the envier when he envies."

Every person who touches others by the evil eye is an envious person, but not vise versa. Since envy includes the evil eye in its general meaning, seeking refuge from it includes seeking refuge from the evil eye In addition,

The evil eye includes throwing arrows of envy that depart the envious heart and soul in the direction of the envied person, sometimes falling on its target. If the envied person is unarmed and unprepared, the evil eye will cause him harm. If the envied person is prepared and armed, the arrows might tum back on the one who threw them. This is similar to what actually occurs when one shoots real arrows. The resemblance is that this occurs through the soul while the arrows are shot in the material world, The evil eye starts when the envious person likes something then follows it with his evil thoughts and desires and then the evil eye touches the envied object.

Sometimes a person might even touch his own self with the evil eye, which is one of the worst types of envy. Sometimes one might touch others with the evil eye just by his envious nature. Some of our scholars say that such envious people should be imprisoned and should be given

what they need of sustenance until they die.

The Prophetic medicine for treating sorcery (the evil eye) was of several types

Abu Dawood narrated that Sahl ibn Hunaif said:

"We: come by a water spot and I went in it and took a bath, but when I finished I came down with a fever. When the Messenger of Allah b was informed, he said, ‘Command Abu Thabit to

seek refuge (with Allah for Sahl) with an Islamic prayer formula.' I said, 'O my master! Does an Islamic prayer formula bring about benefit?’ He said, 'There is no Islamic prayer formula except to

fend off an evil eye and against fever and a (snake or a scorpion) bite." [In addition, AI-Hakim narrated this Hadith].

There are several types of Islamic prayer formulas, such as reciting the first chapter in the Qura'an, the Mu'awwithatan (chapters113 and I 14 of the Qura'an) and Ayat Al-Kursi (2:255).

In addition, there are several types of Prophetic Islamic prayer formulas. For instance, one might recite:

"I seek refuge with Allah's Prefect Words from the 205

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evil of what He has created." In addition, one could recite:

"I seek refuge with Allah's Prefect Words from every devil and evil soul and from every evil eye."

In addition, one might recite,

"I seek refuge with Allah's Prefect Words, which no righteous or evil soul could ever encompass (or supercede), from the evil of what He has created, made and started; from the evil of whatever descends from the sky and whatever ascends to it; from the evil of what He has created on the earth and what comes out of it; from the evil of the trials of the night and the day; and from what comes by at night or during the day, except whoever comes with a righteous matter. O Merciful One!"

In addition, this includes the supplication:

"I seek refuge with Allah's Perfect Words from His anger and torment, from the evil of His slaves and from the whispers of the devils or that they might attend me."

In additicn, one might say the following supplication:

"O Allah! I seek refuge with Your I Honorable Face 206

and Your Prefect Words from the evil of every creation that is only in your grasp (or control). O Allah! You expel the sins and loss. O Allah! Your soldiers will never be defeated nor will Your Promise ever be broken. All praise and glorification is due to You."

In addition, one might supplicate:

"I seek refuge with Allah's Most Exalted Face which is greater

than everything else. And with His Perfect Words that no righteous or evil being could ever overcome; and with Allah's Most Prefect Names, those which I know and those which I have no knowledge of, from the evil of what He has created, shaped and made. From the evil of every creation that I cannot overcome and from the evil of every evil creation that only You control (or grasp its forelock). Certainly, my Lord is on a Straight Path."

In addition, the Prophetic Islamic prayer formulas include:

"O Allah! You Are my Lord, there is no deity worthy of worship except You. I depend on You (for every thing). You are the Lord of the Mighty Throne. What Allah wills, occurs, and what He does not will to happen, will never exist. There is no power or strength except with Allah. I know that Allah is Able to do

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everything, that His Knowledge has encompassed everything and that He has kept count of everything. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the evil within myself, from the evil and the Shirk (polytheism) of Satan, and from the evil of every creation that only You grasp its forelock. Surely, my Lord is on the Straight Path."

Or, one might recite the following supplication,

"I seek refuge with Allah, other than Whom there is no god. He is my God and the God of everything. I seek refuge with my Lord and the Lord of everything. I depend on the Ever-Living Who never dies. I seek to fend off the evil with: no power or strength except from Allah.' Allah is enough of a supporter for me, and indeed, what an Excellent Helper. Allah is enough for me from the slaves. The Creator is enough for me from the creation. The Sustainer is enough for me from the sustained. Allah is indeed enough for me.

He Who owns everything. Who grants refuge while no one can ever grant refuge against Him is indeed sufficient for me. Allah is sufficient for me. Allah's hearing who ever supplicates to Him is In addition sufficient for me. There is no goal to reach greater than

Allah. Allah, other than Whom there is no god, is sufficient for me, I depend on Him (for each and everything), and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.”

Those who try these different types of supplication and Islamic prayer formulas will surely understand their great value and benefit, and consequently, will recognize the great need for them. These supplications will shield one from the effects of the evil eye and will fend off its harm if the evil eye touched them, but according to the degree of Faith, strength of soul, degree of reliance (on Allah) and strength of heart of whoever recites them. These supplications are types of weapons, and their effectiveness depends on the skill of whoever uses them.

If the person fears that he might touch other people by the evil eye, let him fend off its harm by

saying: The Prophet b commanded Amir bin Rabi'ah,

"Why did you not say Tabrik [Baraka Allah, (may Allah bless it)] for him?"

Further, saying "Ma sha’ Allah (what Allah has willed), la quw‘ata il'a bil'ah (There is no power except from Allah)" In addition helps fend off the evil eye. Hisham bin 'Urwah narrated that his father used to say, "What Allah wilis will certainly come to pass, there is no power except from Allah," upon seeing something that he likes and upon entering one of his gardens.

In addition, Jibril once said an Islamic prayer

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formula for the Prophet b_ which Mus'im narrated in his sound book:

"In the Nome of Allah I say Islamic prayer formulas for your benefit, from every illness that mght harm you and from the evil of every evil soul or envious person's eye. Allah will cure you, in the Name of Allah I say Islamic prayer formulas for your benefit." [AtTermezey and An-Nasa'y]

Some of our rightly guided ancestors stated that there is no harm 7f some Ayat (Verse) from the Qura’an were written in ink and then washed with water and that the sick person drinks that water. Mujahid issued a statement to that effect, and so did Abu Qilabah. It was In addition reported that Ibn Ab'ass once commanded that two verses from the Qura'an to be written for a woman who had hard pregnancies and that the Verses were then washed with water and she was to drink the water. In addition, Ayub said, "I saw Abu Qilabah write some Verses from the Qura'an, wash it with water and then give the water to a person who was suffering from some type of illness to drink it."

In addition, the person who touches other people with the evil eye should be commanded to wash his limbs and the end of his garments, or his sexual organ according to one opinion, from the right side. He then pours the water on the head of the person whom he touched with

the evil eye from behind him without notice. This is a type of cure that the doctors cannot produce with their medicine. In addition, those who reject such type of Islamic prayer fcrmulas would never benefit from it because they do not believe that the Islamic prayer formulas carry any benefit.

Since the doctors cannot explain many natural occurrences in the world, why would the hypocrites among them reject such powers and effects that the religion produces? Added to this is the fact that washing up with the water has a real benefit, experience testifies to its usefulness. Similarly, the anger will be washed away from the heart if one places his hand on the angry person's chest. This is similar to confronting a man who is carrying a lit torch that he wants to throw at you, but you keep pouring water on it while it is still in his hand until you extinguish it. This is why the Prophet si commanded the person who touches people by the evil eye to ask Allah to bless whatever he has envied, so that the evil thoughts that he feels go away and are replaced by the supplication, which is a type of good charity. The cure should be compatible to the disease so that it has an affect on it. It is possible that when one touches others by the evil eye that a certain power appears on the end of his garment, or his sexual organ as we stated, and that it is then transferred to the affected person or object. When it is washed by water, the evil power will be removed. Yet again, and as we