Dua for the evil eye: beliefs and source context

Which dua to protect from the evil eye is reported in the hadith?

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, reports that the Prophet used to seek refuge with Allah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both. He said that "your father" used to seek refuge by these words for Ismail and Ishaq, peace be upon them. The sunnah.com English names that father as Ibrahim, peace be upon him; the Arabic says only "your father". The words ask for refuge in Allah's perfect words from every devil, from every hammah and from every 'aynin lammah. The sunnah.com English renders those two as "poisonous pests" and "evil, harmful, envious eye" (source 1).

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3371

The report gives no number of repetitions, no time or place and no promised result. It says nothing about an object, a written item or an amulet, and none is offered here. It does not state their ages or say who else may use the words, and it does not call the words a charm. The report describes a supplication the Prophet used to make for two people.

The English glosses of hammah and lammah are sunnah.com's; they are not defined here, and no dictionary or commentary was consulted. No transliteration or audio of the supplication or the verses is given here; learn the pronunciation from a qualified teacher or reciter. The few Arabic terms in Latin letters are labels, not pronunciation guides.

Which surah mentions seeking refuge from an envier?

Surah Al-Falaq ends by asking for refuge from the evil of an envier when he envies (113:5). The Arabic uses the word for an envier and the verb for envying. It has no word for the eye (al-'ayn). So the verse names envy, and with no source that ties it to the evil eye, it is not tied to the evil eye here. The general meaning of hasad (envy) has its own page, coming soon (source 6).

The sources cited give no single dua for protection from the evil eye and jealousy together. Sahih al-Bukhari 3371 asks refuge from a harmful eye (source 1), and Al-Falaq 113:5 from an envier (source 6). No report here calls Al-Falaq the surah for the evil eye, and the verse does not identify anyone as the source of harm.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports in Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 (sahih by inclusion) a bedtime practice that includes reciting Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas. That report does not mention the evil eye, a reward or a protection, so it is not presented here as a dua for the evil eye. See dua before sleeping and Al-Falaq and An-Nas (source 5).

5AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 5017

What do the hadith say about the evil eye in Islam?

Two reports cited here say the eye is real. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports in Sahih al-Bukhari 5740 (sahih by inclusion) that the Prophet said al-'ayn haqq, which the sunnah.com English renders as the effect of an evil eye being a fact (source 3). Ibn Abbas reports the same opening words in Sahih Muslim 2188 (sahih by inclusion), followed by a conditional and a last clause (source 2).

2AuthenticSahih Muslim 2188

3AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 5740

The wording is conditional: it does not say that anything does outrun the decree. The reports do not describe how the eye works, what it does to a person or who may have it. The last clause says only "when you are asked to wash, wash". It does not say who asks, who washes or what the washing involves, and the bracketed "as a cure" in the sunnah.com English is not in the Arabic. So no washing instruction is given here. Explanations of the clause by named scholars are outside the sources used here.

What does the ruqyah report say about the evil eye?

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports in Sahih Muslim 2195a (sahih by inclusion) that the Prophet used to command her to seek ruqyah from the eye. Ruqyah is the word in the report; the sunnah.com English renders it "invocation" (source 4).

4AuthenticSahih Muslim 2195a

The report gives no words for this ruqyah, no number and no result, and the "for curing" in the English is not in the Arabic. It is not a diagnosis, it does not say how to know whether anyone needs it, and it does not replace medical assessment.

What do the sources not say about signs, symptoms or a suspected person?

The verse and the reports cited list no signs or symptoms of the evil eye, and none gives a way to tell whether it has affected someone. So no signs are listed here, and nothing here helps anyone identify the evil eye in a person. A doctor is the person to assess any symptom.

The reports do not name a person as the cause of an illness or a loss, so none is named here either, and nothing here should be used to blame a relative, neighbour or friend. No method for removing the evil eye and no sure protection is given here, and the reports promise no recovery beyond their wording. The reports name no object, charm, written item or product, and no ritual for a house or a possession. No advice about any of them is given here.

What about nazar, nazar ki dua and nazar dua?

Many readers arrive searching for nazar ki dua or nazar dua. The reports cited use the Arabic al-'ayn, the eye, and 'aynin lammah, a harmful eye; none of them uses the word nazar. The text here is in English, with the Arabic from the sources and a meaning in brief. No Urdu rendering, pronunciation or audio is given, and nazar is not defined from a dictionary. The supplication reported from the Prophet here is the one in Sahih al-Bukhari 3371.

Practice

1. Which report holds the supplication made for al-Hasan and al-Husayn? Sahih al-Bukhari 3371 (source 1).
2. Does Sahih Muslim 2188 say that anything outruns the decree? No. It is a conditional: if anything could, the eye would (source 2).
3. Does Al-Falaq 113:5 name a person behind an illness? No. It asks refuge from an envier when he envies (source 6).

Where can I get personal advice?

For any symptom, see your GP. For a question about your own situation, ask a scholar you trust. Neither question is answered here.