الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينة ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا ، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن سيدنا محمداً عبده ورسوله ، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه  ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين 

Allah teaches us that the perquisite to success in the Day of Judgment is having a pure and sound heart as He says:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

“At that day neither wealth nor progeny shall be of benefit, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Al-Shuara 26:88-89)

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

ألا أن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله ألا وهي القلب

“Surely, in the body there is a lump of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and surely it is the heart.” [Bukhari]

The heart has both physical and spiritual existence and as much as the physical heart can suffer from diseases, the spiritual heart can also suffer from diseases.  Therefore, it is important to ensure than we have a healthy heart both physically and spiritually.  This talk and may be the next one will, inshallah, discuss the diseases that inflict the spiritual heart and their treatments.  The treatments are intended to ensure that we maintain a sound heart that is pure and transparent, free from character defects and spiritual blemishes.

Regarding the physical heart that is centered slightly to the left of our bodies and houses our spiritual heart, it beats about 100,000 times per day, pumps about 100 gallon of blood per hour to be transported through a vascular system that is about 100,000 miles long which is four times the earth circumference.   The physical heart starts beating before the brain is fully developed and the heartbeat is self-initiating, it is not initiated by the nervous system.  The human heart has intelligence; it contains more than 40,000 neurons that sends messages to the brain to act upon. This is the design of Allah who perfects everything He does. Allah reminds us of this reality by saying:

ذَٲلِكَ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (٦) ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقَهُ

“Such is He (Allah), the knower of unseen and the seen, the All-Mighty, the Merciful (6) He Who has made perfect everything which He has created.” (Al-Sajda 32:7)

لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحۡسَنِ تَقۡوِيمٍ۬ (٤(

“Surely We have created man of the best mold.” (Al-Tin 95:4)

Regarding the spiritual heart, the Quran teaches us that the seeing and the hearing of truth is the heart’s function and those who reject faith, reject it because their hearts are blind, deaf and stupid.  Allah says in surah Al-Araf regarding those who have diseased spiritual heart that leads them to the Hellfire:

وَلَقَدۡ ذَرَأۡنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ ڪَثِيرً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ‌ۖ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٌ۬ لَّا يَفۡقَهُونَ بِہَا

“And surely, We have created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts wherewith they do not understand.” (Al-Araf 7:179)

Allah also says in Surat Al-Hajj that the eye of the disbelievers is not blind, but their heart is the one that is blind.

أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٌ۬ يَعۡقِلُونَ بِہَآ أَوۡ ءَاذَانٌ۬ يَسۡمَعُونَ بِہَا‌ۖ فَإِنَّہَا لَا تَعۡمَى ٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ َلَـٰكِن تَعۡمَى ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ

“Have they not travelled through the land, so that they should have had hearts to understand with, or ears to hear with? Verily, it is not the eyes that turn blind, but what turns blind is the hearts contained in the chests.” (Al-Hajj 22:46)

When a person commits a sin for the first time, his heart is agitated, and this stresses his whole body.  But if the person continues in committing sins, he will reach a point that his heart becomes dead and no longer reacts to sins.  The prophet (PBUH) said:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَة قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : { إنَّ الْمُؤْمِن إذَا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا كَانَتْ نُكْتَة سَوْدَاء فِي قَلْبه , فَإِنْ تَابَ وَنَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ صَقَلَ قَلْبه , فَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ حَتَّى يُغْلَف قَلْبه ; فَذَلِكَ الرَّان الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّه جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ : { كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبهمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ } 83 14 فَأَخْبَرَ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ الذُّنُوب إذَا تَتَابَعَتْ عَلَى الْقُلُوب أَغَلَفَتْهَا , وَإِذَا أَغَلَفَتْهَا أَتَاهَا حِينَئِذٍ الْخَتْم مِنْ قِبَل اللَّه عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالطَّبْع , فَلَا يَكُون لِلْإِيمَانِ إلَيْهَا مَسْلَك , وَلَا لِلْكُفْرِ مِنْهَا مَخْلَص

“When a believer commits a sin, a black spot is placed on his heart, and if he repents and asks Allah’s forgiveness his heart is polished.  But if he continues to sin, more black spots will be placed on his heart until the heart become rusted and this is the rust that Allah Almighty said regarding it ( in surah Al-Mutaffifin)

كَلَّا‌ۖ بَلۡۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ

“No, but that which they have earned is rust upon their hearts.” (Al-Mutaffifin 83:14)

The Prophet (PBUH) continued:

 When the person reaches this stage, Allah dispenses with him, so belief will not enter his heart and disbelief will not leave it”. 

There are two terms that the Quran uses for the English word heart.  These are Al-Qalb” (القلب) and Al-Foad” (الفؤاد). The term “Al-Qalb” (القلب) and its plural Qoloub (قلوب) are the ones most often used, they are used 130 times while the term Al-Foad” (الفؤاد) and its plural “AfIdah” (أفئدة) are only mentioned 16 times. The two terms can come in the same verse as the following one regarding the mother of Prophet Musa (Moses), Allah says:

وَأَصۡبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ فَـٰرِغًا‌ۖ إِن ڪَادَتۡ لَتُبۡدِى بِهِۦ لَوۡلَآ أَن رَّبَطۡنَا عَلَىٰ قَلۡبِهَا لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ( القصص(

“And the heart of the mother of Moses became restless, and she was about to disclose him (his location) had We not secured her heart, to remain among the believers.” (Al-Qasas 28: 10)

To appreciate the subtle differences between the two terms, you need to assemble the verses that mention “Qalb” (قلب) and its plural “Qoloub” (قلوب) and those that mention “Foad” (فؤاد) and its plural “AfIdah” (أفئدة) and examine their uses. Obviously, you can read about the differences, but I guarantee you, will gain far more appreciation and knowledge by doing the analysis yourself.

General Classification of the Heart

When you examine the Quran, you will note that it mentions 20 kinds of hearts, 8 are good and 12 that are evil.  Let us review some of the verses that mention these types:

The 8 Good Hearts

1. Sound heart (القلب السّليم):

يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

“At that day neither wealth nor progeny shall be of benefit, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Al-Shuara 26:88-89)

2. The Contrite (Repentant) Heart (القلب المُنيب)

مَّنۡ خَشِىَ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنَ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَجَآءَ بِقَلۡبٍ۬ مُّنِيبٍ (٣٣)

‘”The One who fears the Most Gracious (Al-Rahman) in secret and comes with a contrite (repentant) heart.’” (Qaf 50:33)

3. The Humble Heart (القلب المُخبت)

وَلِيَعۡلَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِهِۦ فَتُخۡبِتَ لَهُ ۥ قُلُوبُهُمۡ‌ۗ (٥٤)

“And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from their Lord, so that they may believe in it and their hearts may become humble unto Him.” (Al-Hajj 22:54)  

4. The Fearing Heart (القلب الوَجل)

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوبُہُمۡ

“Certainly, the believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe (fear) when Allah is mentioned” (Al-Anfal 8:2)

5. The Devoted Heart (القلب التقيّ)

ذَٲلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمۡ شَعَـٰٓٮِٕرَ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقۡوَى ٱلۡقُلُوبِ (٣٢)

“That (is the command). If one magnifies the offerings sanctified by Allah, such emanates from the devotion of the Hearts,” (Al-Hajj 22:32) 

6. The Guided Heart (القلب المَهدي)

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَہۡدِ قَلۡبَهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ (التّغَابُن )

“No calamity befalls but by Allah’s leave. And whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things” (Al-Taghabun 64:11)

7. The Resting Heart (القلب المطمئنّ)

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ أَلَا بِذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ (٢٨)

“Those who believed and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (Al-Rad 13:28) 

8. The Alive Heart (القلب الحيّ)

إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَذِڪۡرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُ ۥ قَلۡبٌ أَوۡ أَلۡقَى ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ۬ (٣٧)

“Indeed, there is a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear (to the truth) attentively.” (Qaf 50:37)

The 12 Evil Hearts

1. The Sick Heat (القلب المريض)

فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ۬ فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضً۬ا‌ۖ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمُۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡذِبُونَ (١٠)

“In their hearts is a disease and Allah has increased their disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies.” (Al-Baqara 2:10) 

2. The Blind Heart (القلب الأعمى)

فَإِنَّہَا لَا تَعۡمَى ٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ َلَـٰكِن تَعۡمَى ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ

“Verily, it is not the eyes that turn blind, but what turns blind is the hearts contained in the chests.” (Al-Hajj 22:46)

3. The Heedless (Preoccupied) Heart (القلب اللاّهي)

لَاهِيَةً۬ قُلُوبُهُمۡ‌ۗ وَأَسَرُّواْ ٱلنَّجۡوَى

“Their hearts are heedless (preoccupied). And they confer in secret.” Al-Anbiya 21:3)

4. The Sinful Heart (آلقلب الآثم)

وَلَا تَكۡتُمُواْ ٱلشَّهَـٰدَةَ‌ۚ وَمَن يَڪۡتُمۡهَا فَإِنَّهُ ۥۤ ءَاثِمٌ۬ قَلۡبُهُ ۥ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢٨٣)

“And do not conceal testimony. Whoever conceals it, his heart is surely sinful. Allah is All-Aware of what ye do.” (Al-Baqara 2: 283) 

5. The Arrogant Heart

ٱلَّذِينَ يُجَـٰدِلُونَ فِىٓ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ بِغَيۡرِ سُلۡطَـٰنٍ أَتَٮٰهُمۡۖ ڪَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعِندَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْۚ كَذَٲلِكَ يَطۡبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ ڪُلِّ قَلۡبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ۬ جَبَّارٍ۬ (٣٥)

“Those who dispute about the revelations of Allah, without any authority that has come to them, it is terribly hateful to Allah and to those who believe. Thus, Allah seals up the heart of every arrogant, tyrant.” (Ghafer 40:35)

6. The Harsh Heart (القلب الغليظ)

فَبِمَا رَحۡمَةٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمۡ‌ۖ وَلَوۡ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّواْ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَ‌ۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ وَشَاوِرۡهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَمۡرِ‌ۖ

“It is through the mercy of Allah that you are lenient with them. Had you been stern and harsh hearted they would have dispersed from round you. So, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them upon the conduct of affairs.” (Al-Emran 3:159) 

7. The Sealed Heart (القلب المختوم)

أَفَرَءَيۡتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ ۥ هَوَٮٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمٍ۬ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمۡعِهِۦ وَقَلۡبِهِ

“Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his god? and Allah has let him astray and sealed his hearing and his heart.” (Al-Jathiya 45:23) 

8. The hard Heart (القلب القاسي)

فَبِمَا نَقۡضِہِم مِّيثَـٰقَهُمۡ لَعَنَّـٰهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَا قُلُوبَهُمۡ قَـٰسِيَةً۬‌ۖ

“So, because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard.” (Al-Maeda 5:13)

9. The Heedless Heart (القلب الغافل)

وَلَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ أَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهُ ۥ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمۡرُهُ ۥ فُرُطً۬ا (٢٨)

“And obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, and who follows his own lusts and whose behavior has exceeded the limits.” (Al-Kahf 18:28)

10. The Veiled Heart (الَقلب الأغلف)

وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلۡفُۢ‌ۚ بَل لَّعَنَہُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُفۡرِهِمۡ فَقَلِيلاً۬ مَّا يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٨٨)

“And they say, “Our hearts are veiled.” Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe.” (Al-Baqara 2:88)

11. The Deviated Heart (القلب الزّائغ)

فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمۡ زَيۡغٌ۬ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـٰبَهَ مِنۡهُ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ وَٱبۡتِغَآءَ تَأۡوِيلِهِۦ‌ۗ

“So those in whose hearts there is a deviation they follow that which is ambiguous thereof, seeking to cause dissension, and seeking its interpretation,” (Al-Emran 3: 7)

12. The Doubtful Heart (القلب المريب)

إِنَّمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِ وَٱرۡتَابَتۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ فِى رَيۡبِهِمۡ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ (٤٥)

“Only those who ask you to be excused do not believe in Allah and in the Last Day, and whose hearts are in doubt, so in their doubt they waver.” (Al-Tawba 9:45)

Allah has created the human heart to be in a state of calm.  If the heart falls into a state of agitation and turmoil, it becomes vulnerable to diseases.  The key treatment to regaining and maintaining the state of calmness is the remembering of Allah, as Allah said:

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ أَلَا بِذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ (الرعد

“The ones who believe and their hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah.  Most surely, by the remembrance of Allah, hearts find rest.” (Al-Raad 13:28)

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن أبي موسى الأشعري -رضي الله عنه- عن النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال: «مثل الذي يذكر ربه والذي لا يذكره مثل الحي والميت»

“The likeness of the one who remembers Allah and the one who does not remember Him, is the like of the living and the dead.” 

Through purification of the heart, we can develop better character and help ourselves transform our doubt to certainty, our ostentation and pretension to sincerity and modesty, our heedlessness to remembrance, our desires for this world to desires for the Hereafter, our arrogance to humbleness and our bad nature to excellent one.

Diseases of the Heart

There are many diseases for the heart, and these include envy, anger, heedlessness, miserliness, showing off and several other.  I plan to discuss the nature of some of them and how to treat them. In this talk, I’ll address, Insha’Allah, envy

Envy (Hasad)

The disease of envy is progressive, it starts by desiring the blessings that another person has, advances to the conviction that the other person does not deserve the blessings he has, and then progresses to the worst stage of desiring that the other person lose the blessings that he has. 

Envy is reprehensible and forbidden because it is a manifestation of objection to and questioning the wisdom of Allah’s decision since all blessings are from Allah.  Envy was the cause of the first case of disobedience to Allah’s commands.  Envy was the cause for Iblis’s (Satan’s) refusal to obey Allah’s command to bow to Adam.  When Iblis was confronted with his disobedience, he refused to seek forgiveness because enviers develop a mindset that makes it impossible for them to admit they are wrong.  The Prophet (PBUH) provided a strong warning against envy as he said:

عن أبي هريرة – رضي الله عنه – عن النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – قال : ” إياكم والحسد ; فإن الحسد يأكل الحسنات كما تأكل النار الحطب ” . رواه أبو داود

 “Beware of Envy, envy devours good deeds the way fire devours dry wood.”

There are several causes for envy:

1. Harboring feeling of animosity toward others.
2. Vying for the affection or love of others
3. Arrogance by seeing that the person who is advancing is not worthy of such advancement
4. Low self-esteem by feeling that one’s worth is compromised when another person gains more. 
5. Love of leadership and fearing that any person who achieves some prominence will result in a change in the equilibrium of power.

Envy is caused by combination of arrogance and possible low self-esteem.  These were the causes why the disbelievers in Quraysh refused to follow the Prophet (PBUH) as they said:

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ

“If only this Quran had been sent down to a great man from one of the two cities (Mecca and Taif)” (43:31)

The rhetoric of envy may sound as follows:

1. He does of deserve this position
2. I don’t know what people like about him
3. They are squandering the Muslims’ money (this does not mean that criticism of leaders of Islamic organizations is not allowed, but it must be constructive).

Envy of others can be destructive, and it can cause depression and resentment.  Shunning envy will allow the person to maintain positive attitude and motivates him to excel.

Envy is disease and it can be treated, the following are four steps that can help getting rid of envy:

1. Consciously oppose your caprice “hawa”.  The Quran repeatedly warns against following one’s caprice and praises those who resist the caprice of their souls, Allah says:

 وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from his caprice. (40) Verily, Paradise will be his abode” (Al-Naziat 79:40-41)

1. Know with certainty that holding envy against another person will only bring harm to you. It is easier for a person to repel negative feelings when he realizes that these feelings hurt him.
2. Know with certainty that whatever people attain in terms of material wealth or prestige is from Allah and He is the All Knowing the All Wise and we are not. 
3. Contradict your temptations by supplicating to Allah to give more blessings to the person that you feel envy toward and by praising the person toward whom you feel the urge of slander.   This is not hypocrisy, but it is a mean to starve the envy of the negative thoughts that fuel it.

All forms of envy are manifestation of a diseased heart except for two that are described by the following two hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) who said:

روى البخاري ومسلم من حديث ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: « لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ، رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالًا فَسُلِّطَ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْحِكْمَةَ فَهُوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا “There should be no envy except in two (cases): A man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a man whom Allah has given wisdom and he judges according to it and teaches it to others.”

وروى البخاري ومسلم في صحيحيهما من حديث سالم عن أبيه عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه، أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ، رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْقُرْآنَ، فَهُوَ يَقُومُ بِهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ، وَآنَاءَ النَّهَارِ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالًا، فَهُوَ يُنْفِقُهُ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ، وَآنَاءَ النَّهَارِ»

“There should be no envy except in two (cases): a man whom Allah has given (knowledge of) the Qur’an, and he recites it during the night and day, and a man whom Allah has given wealth, and he spends it during the night and day (in a rightful way).  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim with its two versions]

Another disease that is related to envy is the evil eye. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : العين حق . متفق عليه ، زاد مسلم : ولو كان شيء سابق القدر سبقته العين 

” The evil eye is real and if there anything that overtakes the divine decree, it would be the evil eye.

Some people may simply have the evil eye, which may be some type of psychic power that many not necessarily require envy.  Therefore, the issue is what a person can do with the evil eye?  This needs to be addressed from two angles: 1) preventing himself from having an evil eye and 2) protecting himself from the evil eye of others.  

To prevent yourself from having an evil eye when you see something that you admire is to say what Allah teaches us in Surah Al-Kahf. 

وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

“If only, when he entered his garden, he would have said: That is what Allah wills, there is no power but from Allah” (Al-Kahf 18:39)

If you say the words (ما شاء الله لا قوة إلا بالله) “This is what Allah wills, there is no power but from Allah”, you will not cause harm to anything or anybody by your evil eye and as important you will not cause concern to the person to whom what you admire belongs.  The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said:

أخرج أحمد والحاكم عن سهل بن حنيف قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ما يمنع أحكم إذا رأى من أخيه ما يعجبه في نفسه وماله فليُبَرِّك عليه، فإن العين حق. معنى فليُبَرِّك عليه: يدعو له بالبركة

“What prevents you when you see something belonging to his brother that he admires in him or his wealth to bless and pray of its blessings it, because the eye is real.”

The second concern of an evil eye is how can you protect yourself and loved ones from it from it.  The Prophet (PBUH) used to perform Ruqyah to his grandchildren, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein, by saying:

أَعُوذُ بكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ، مِن كُلِّ شيطَانٍ وهَامَّةٍ، ومِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ

“I seek refuge for you in the perfect words of Allah, from the devil and from every poisonous reptile and from the envy of the evil eye” 

The Prophet (PBUH) also said that Sayedna Ibrahime used to say these words in the Ruqyah to Isaac and Ishmael.

The Prophet (PBUH) taught his companions that before their sleep to blow air in their hands and recite the last three surah’s of the Quran (Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas), each three times and wipe all parts of their bodies that they can reach.   This should protect you from any envious evil eye.

But at the end, our heart should be confident that no harm can ever come to us unless Allah willed it.  Hence, the evil eye shouldn’t be a cause of paranoid and obsession of fear from anyone.  But we should also follow the Prophet’s recommendations.

We pray to Allah to cleanse our heart from envy and protect us and others from the evil eye.

DUA