Sadaqah, the Evil Eye and Sihr: Where to Draw the Line

The main book of this series contains some incidents in which there are hints of the evil eye (nazar lagā) or sihr (magic) behind an illness. In one incident the evil eye is mentioned, and in another there is the story of a necklace with a magic object hidden inside it, in the throat. After reading these two incidents, a reader may very naturally tend to jump to a conclusion: "So if it is the evil eye or magic, sadaqah is the remedy!" The purpose of this article is to draw a boundary exactly at this point, because the actual picture found in the research is far more specific and important than that.

It is good to state clearly: this article is not a complete discussion of diagnosing the evil eye or sihr and their detailed methods of treatment (that is an entirely different subject and deserves separate attention). It answers only one question here: what is the real, limited role of sadaqah in these two specific problems, and why is it wrong to put it in the place of ruqyah?

This kind of over-extension happens very naturally. When a book tells stories of relief from all kinds of hardship through sadaqah, and among them are examples of frightening and familiar problems such as the evil eye and magic, the reader's mind naturally builds a simplified equation: "Since this book speaks of solving these problems with sadaqah, then sadaqah must be the prescribed treatment for them." This simplification is exactly what this article carefully examines, because something appearing to work in one incident, and its being a prescribed, named remedy in the Islamic Shariah, are not the same thing.

What the Fatwa Sites Actually Say About the Evil Eye

Several fatwas on the evil eye and hasad (envy) were found on Arabic fatwa sites — IslamWeb fatwa no. 19782, consultation no. 2401923, and fatwa no. 303682 ("علاج العين والحسد" — the treatment of the evil eye and hasad). All three fatwas fully agree on one point — what is repeatedly mentioned as the remedy for the evil eye and hasad is ruqyah: reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas, the Mu'awwidhatayn (Surah Al-Falaq and An-Nas), Ayat al-Kursi and Surah Al-Baqarah. Alongside this, a specific practical method is also mentioned — if the person who cast the evil eye can be identified, he is made to bathe, and that water is used on the body of the affected person (a well-known method instructed by the Prophet ﷺ).

What is worth noting is that none of these fatwas mentions sadaqah as the main or named, specific remedy for the evil eye. In the research, a direct mention of a sadaqah–evil eye connection was found in only one place: a video clip by Sheikh Dr. Aziz bin Farhan Al-Anazi on drosuae.com, titled "هل الصدقة تبعد العين والحسد؟" (Does sadaqah keep away the evil eye and hasad?). But it must be honestly acknowledged here that, apart from the title of this video, it was not possible to verify what its actual answer or position is. So it cannot be used as a basis for any definite claim such as "sadaqah is the remedy for the evil eye." This is a genuine research gap, and this article does not hide it.

In brief, on the evil eye: The position of the established fatwa sites is ruqyah-centered. Sadaqah does not appear there as a named, specific remedy; apart from the title of one unverified scholar's clip, no direct sadaqah–evil eye connection was found.

An Important, Specific Correction Regarding Sihr

The most important piece of information found in the research about sihr, or magic, is truly an instructive example of how a baseless new rule can come into being even from a good intention.

On IslamQA (islamqa.info, answer no. 301600) there is a direct fatwa titled "تخصيص الصدقة بوقت السحر بدعة" (Fixing the giving of sadaqah at the time of sahar for magic/sihr is an innovation). Here there is a wonderful Arabic wordplay: the Arabic word "sahar" (سحر) has two completely different meanings: one meaning is "magic/sihr", the other is "the last part of the night, just before dawn". Some people have mixed up these two meanings and created a common practice: giving sadaqah specifically at that "sahar" time before dawn in order to be protected from magic (sihr).

IslamQA states clearly that this practice is a bid'ah (innovation). The virtue of the time before dawn mentioned in the Qur'an (the verses about the virtue of those who seek forgiveness) is about istighfar, not about sadaqah. That is, a person may make istighfar before dawn; there is evidence for that. But making up a specific rule such as "to be protected from magic, sadaqah must be given at exactly this time" is a wrong connection created from a similarity of words, and it has no basis in the Shariah.

This fatwa is very important for a reason: it shows that there is a real tendency among people to involve sadaqah in folk practices about sihr, and that the world of fatwa felt the need to correct it, having become aware of this tendency. This is not an approval of sadaqah as a remedy for sihr; rather, it is a warning against binding sadaqah to sihr in a specific, conditional rule (at a specific time).

On the general methods of treating sihr, IslamWeb fatwa no. 116797 ("طرق علاج السحر", the methods of treating sihr) and fatwa no. 1543 on Ibn Baz's website (binbaz.org.sa; may Allah have mercy on him) were also found. However, this research could not verify the full content of these two fatwas by reading them directly. It is understood only from the titles that they are general discussions of methods of treating sihr, which are usually ruqyah-centered. This too is an acknowledged limitation: it cannot be said with certainty exactly how much role of sadaqah is stated in these two fatwas.

In brief, on sihr: In the research, no fatwa site presents sadaqah as the main or named, specific remedy for sihr. Rather, the one direct fatwa that was found (IslamQA 301600) is in fact correcting a particular common form of the sadaqah–sihr connection as wrong, an innovation.

So Where Is the Real Place of Sadaqah?

An important distinction needs to be understood here, so that this article does not give the wrong message that "sadaqah has no value." As shown in detail in the other parts of this series, a well-established and widely supported position in the world of fatwa is that sadaqah is, in general, an amal (practice) that removes calamities (daf' al-bala'). According to the well-known teaching of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), sadaqah has a "wonderful effect" in repelling calamity. But this teaching refers to calamities in general, not to the evil eye or sihr specifically.

So it is not correct either that sadaqah is completely irrelevant to the evil eye or sihr. The real distinction is like this:

• When a person who fears being afflicted by the evil eye or sihr is in distress, anxiety or fear, giving sadaqah can stand by him as a generally beneficial amal that guards against calamity, just as sadaqah helps as a general amal in any time of hardship.
• But this is not a named, specific, established remedy for the evil eye or sihr, in the way that ruqyah (recitation of the Qur'an) and using the bathing water of the person who cast the evil eye are the methods specifically established for these two.

This distinction is important, because anyone who suspects that he is truly afflicted by the evil eye or sihr should turn his attention first and foremost to ruqyah, and not just sit back giving sadaqah, thinking, "This is the prescribed remedy."

Practical Advice: What to Do and What Not to Do

If you or a loved one is truly worried about the evil eye or sihr, the main message to take from this article is:

1. The main and first step: ruqyah. Regularly recite, or have recited, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas, Ayat al-Kursi and Surah Al-Baqarah, in a way that accords with the Shariah.
2. If the person who cast the evil eye is identified, the method mentioned in the fatwa may be followed — using the water of his bath.
3. Continue giving sadaqah alongside — it is a generally beneficial amal, a means of reward, and a source of peace of mind and comfort. But do not regard it as a "targeted cure" for the evil eye or sihr.
4. Do not invent any special rule that magic will be broken if sadaqah is given at a particular time. IslamQA has clearly called this kind of time-specific common practice a bid'ah.
5. Avoid over-simplification — do not refrain from ruqyah, the necessary duas, or, when needed, seeking the help of a qualified raqi, out of the thought that "giving sadaqah alone is enough."

After reading the incidents about the evil eye and sihr in this book, the temptation to think of sadaqah as the "solution" to these two problems is natural. But the actual position of the fatwa sites found in the research asks us to draw an honest, humble boundary: ruqyah is the named, specific remedy; sadaqah is a general, supportive, beneficial amal to be done alongside. If the two are confused, there is only one harm: the risk that attention to the main remedy (ruqyah) will decrease.

In the other parts of this series, the main message of almost all the incidents of the book that were discussed is about the virtue of sadaqah, in the context of illness, poverty or general hardship. The incidents of the evil eye and sihr are merely one more context for that same general message, not a different special rule. So if someone, after reading these two incidents, thinks that the book presents a specialized method of treatment for the evil eye or sihr, that would be going further than the book's own claim, and the purpose of this article is exactly to caution the reader against that extra step.

References

Explanations by Scholars

• Sheikh Dr. Aziz bin Farhan Al-Anazi — a video clip on drosuae.com, titled "هل الصدقة تبعد العين والحسد؟" (Does sadaqah keep away the evil eye and hasad?). Admission: Only the title was found; it was not possible to verify the video's actual content, answer or position. This article does not claim any specific opinion of his.

Other Reliable Sources

• IslamWeb fatwa no. 19782, consultation no. 2401923, fatwa no. 303682 — "علاج العين والحسد" (the treatment of the evil eye and hasad): mentions ruqyah (Al-Ikhlas, the Mu'awwidhatayn, Ayat al-Kursi, Surah Al-Baqarah) and using the bathing water of the person who cast the evil eye as the main remedy
• IslamQA (islamqa.info) answer no. 301600 — "تخصيص الصدقة بوقت السحر بدعة" (giving sadaqah at a specific "sahar" time to protect against magic is a bid'ah) — original fatwa verified directly
• IslamWeb fatwa no. 116797 — "طرق علاج السحر" (methods of treating sihr) — a general idea was obtained from the title; the full content was not verified by reading it directly
• Bin Baz (binbaz.org.sa) fatwa no. 1543 — "طريقة العلاج من السحر وحكم الساحر" (the method of treating sihr and the ruling on the magician) — a title-based reference; verification of the full content is incomplete
• The general teaching of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) (Al-Wabil as-Sayyib) — the general effect of sadaqah in repelling calamities and hardships (discussed in detail in part 3 of this series; mentioned here only within the relevant limits)

Note: The full content of fatwa no. 116797 and Bin Baz fatwa no. 1543 was not verified by reading it directly in this research stage; the general trend was understood only from the titles and search snippets. No named, detailed fatwa directly connecting sadaqah with the evil eye (apart from a video clip on drosuae.com) could be found — this remains a genuine research gap, and it has not been filled with any assumption.

This article was prepared on the basis of multilingual fatwa research.