You finally got the job. Or the wedding photos went up and everyone loved them. Or the house was bought, the baby arrived, the business started to grow. People said lovely things.

And then, almost from that week, something changed. Tiredness that sleep does not touch. A run of small accidents. A business that suddenly went quiet. An illness that the doctors cannot quite explain.

It is natural to wonder whether it is nazar. The Sunnah takes that question seriously, and it also gives you a clear, simple way to deal with it.

The evil eye is real

This is not superstition, and it is not only a cultural belief. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The evil eye is real." — Sahih al-Bukhari 5740

"The evil eye is real. If anything were to overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye." — Sahih Muslim 2188

Nazar does not need bad intentions. It can come from envy, but it can also come from admiration, even from someone who loves you, and even from yourself, when a person admires something without remembering Allah. That is why the remedy begins with words of blessing, not with suspicion of the people around you.

What the Sunnah does not teach is that every difficulty is nazar. Illness, loss and hard months are also simply part of life. We have written about how to tell nazar, sihr and anxiety apart, and it is worth reading before you decide anything.

Signs people commonly report in adults

These are patterns people describe. They are not proof, and no honest person will claim to diagnose nazar with certainty:

  • The timing. A change that began soon after being praised, admired or envied, or after good news became widely known
  • The target. Things going wrong in exactly the area that was admired: the new business, the marriage, the health, the looks, the children
  • Heaviness during recitation. Strong yawning, watering eyes, sudden sleepiness or restlessness when the Quran is recited over you
  • Unexplained tiredness or illness that medical tests do not account for
  • A sudden loss of interest in work, study or things you used to enjoy, with no clear life cause
  • Repeated small misfortunes clustered together in a short period

If the symptoms are steady and there is no link to praise or admiration, or if they began with a clear life event, please see a doctor first. Anaemia, thyroid problems and depression can feel exactly like this.

Social media and the evil eye

For families in the UK, Europe and the USA, much of the admiring now happens online. Many scholars hold that nazar can occur through seeing a picture, since the harm is from the eye of the one who looks and admires. Whatever view you follow, a few habits from the Sunnah apply directly:

  • Share less of what you most want to protect. A new pregnancy, a big contract, a child's achievements. Not everything good needs an audience.
  • When you see something good, say the words of blessing, in a comment or to yourself. That protects the other person from you.
  • When you post, make dua for protection, and keep your own adhkar.

How to remove the evil eye: what the Prophet taught

1. Ruqyah with the Quran.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) told people to seek ruqyah for the evil eye (Sahih al-Bukhari 5738). When he saw a girl with a dark mark on her face, he said: "Seek ruqyah for her, for she has been affected by the eye" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5739).

The core is Al-Fatiha, Ayat al-Kursi, and the last two surahs, Al-Falaq and An-Nas. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to seek refuge from the jinn and the evil eye in various ways, and when these two surahs were revealed he took them and left everything else (Jami at-Tirmidhi 2058).

You do not need anyone else. Recite into your cupped hands, blow lightly, and wipe over your body. The full method of ruqyah at home is here.

2. The ruqyah Jibreel recited over the Prophet.

You can recite it over yourself or over someone you love.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ، مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنِ حَاسِدٍ، اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ، بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ

Bismillahi arqika, min kulli shay'in yu'dhika, min sharri kulli nafsin aw 'ayni hasidin, Allahu yashfika, bismillahi arqika.

"In the name of Allah I perform ruqyah over you, from everything that harms you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye. May Allah cure you. In the name of Allah I perform ruqyah over you." — Sahih Muslim 2186

3. The refuge the Prophet sought for Hasan and Husayn.

أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ

A'udhu bikalimatillahit-tammah, min kulli shaytanin wa hammah, wa min kulli 'aynin lammah.

"I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and every harmful creature, and from every evil eye." — Sahih al-Bukhari 3371

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said it over his grandsons in the form u'idhukuma ("I seek refuge for you both"). Over one other person you can say u'idhuka.

4. If you know who it came from: the ghusl.

This is the remedy from the Sunnah when the person is known. A Companion, Sahl ibn Hunayf, collapsed after another admired him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: "Why would one of you kill his brother? Why did you not pray for blessing?" He told the one who had looked to wash, and the water was poured over Sahl, who recovered (Sunan Ibn Majah 3509). He also said: "If you are asked to wash, then wash" (Sahih Muslim 2188).

This only applies when someone is genuinely known and willing. It is not a licence to suspect relatives, and it should never be used to accuse anyone. If you do not know, ruqyah and dua are complete on their own.

How to protect yourself and others

  • Say "Ma sha Allah, la quwwata illa billah" when you admire something, your own or someone else's (Quran 18:39), or "Barak Allahu laka/laki", "may Allah bless it for you". This is the exact thing the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the Companion to do.
  • Keep the morning and evening adhkar, especially Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas three times each.
  • Recite Ayat al-Kursi after each prayer and before sleep.
  • For children, the signs and remedies are slightly different, and we have written about nazar on children separately.

What we will not do

We will not tell you who put nazar on you. No one can know that. We do not read situations from names, and we do not use hanging chillies, lemons, black threads or any other practice that has no source in the Sunnah.

What we will do is read what you write about your situation, give you the recitations and duas with their sources so you can check them yourself, and tell you plainly when something sounds like it needs a doctor first. If you would like that, you can describe it privately here.

Sources

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 5740, Sahih Muslim 2188 — the evil eye is real
  • Sahih al-Bukhari 5738, 5739 — seeking ruqyah for the evil eye
  • Jami at-Tirmidhi 2058 — Al-Falaq and An-Nas
  • Sahih Muslim 2186 — the ruqyah of Jibreel
  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3371 — refuge for Hasan and Husayn
  • Sunan Ibn Majah 3509 — Sahl ibn Hunayf and the ghusl
  • Quran 18:39 — Ma sha Allah, la quwwata illa billah