{"_id":"668d9fea0b76658b4c232900","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"How harmful is nazar and how can one protect themselves from it?\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Many people talk about the evil eye (nazar) a lot in Islam. I know that it truly exists, but some take it to the extreme and blame every misfortune in their lives on supposed nazar. Because of their overemphasis on nazar, I sometimes find myself diminishing it. For example, if nazar is so powerful as to cause all the failures in a person's life, why do other people - famous people - become successful and live happily? I know this may be a simplification, but inshaAllah you see my point. I wish to know what is the correct understanding that one should have about nazar? And how can we go about attributing misfortune or other circumstances to the jealousy of others?\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"People have a strong fascination with the paranormal, particularly evident nowadays with Hollywood often glamorizing jinn possessions and the evil eye. However, while these phenomena are indeed real, they occur less frequently than commonly imagined. It's essential to dial down such discussions and avoid overemphasizing these matters, as they tend to fuel paranoia and heightened anxiety. While the world is undoubtedly fraught with various dangers, Islam does not advocate spending excessive time worrying about or anticipating them. Instead, Islam offers a straightforward and practical approach: incorporating habits into our daily lives to seek protection from harm, and then carrying on with our affairs.\\n\\nIn a well-known hadith, Prophet Muhammad advised a man to tie his camel securely before placing his trust in Allah. In essence, this teaches us to take necessary precautions and then trust in Allah without undue worry. A modern-day illustration would be locking your car or fastening your seatbelt before relying on Allah's protection. Placing our trust in Allah brings tranquility by alleviating our fears, be it concerning the evil eye or any other potential source of harm.\\n\\nTo safeguard others, it's highly recommended to utter \\\"Ma-sha-Allah\\\" when admiring something, like a baby, child, car, or house, to counteract the potential effects of the envious gaze, which underpins the evil eye. For personal protection, we should seek Allah's refuge and regularly recite the last three chapters of the Quran, along with Ayat al-Kursi. I strongly encourage adopting a daily practice of reciting a structured litany, such as the one compiled by Imam Nawawi (see [1], [2], [3], and [4] below).\\n\\nWhen confronted with misfortune, our initial assumption should not automatically be jinn or the evil eye. Often, these are the default explanations for marital problems or job loss. However, it's statistically improbable for every marital issue to stem from jinn or the evil eye. Rushing to these conclusions hinders us from reflecting on our own actions and their consequences, which are frequently the root cause. I believe we should only consider jinn and the evil eye after exploring all other plausible explanations. We should prioritize introspection before attributing blame to others, as the answers often reside within ourselves.\\n\\n\\n[1] \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5835313c6a4963bb18246ee9/t/61841ef9abce594ec6018f35/1636048633169/The+Litany+of+Imam+al-Nawawi+_+Musa+Furber.pdf\"},\"insert\":\"The Litany of Imam al-Nawawi (Translated by Musa Furber\"},{\"insert\":\")\\n[2] \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://soundcloud.com/taqwasingapore/wird-al-nawawi\"},\"insert\":\"Audio of Wird Al-Nawai\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n[3] \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://daralhadith.org.uk/shaykh-al-buti-on-the-blessings-of-the-wird-al-nawawi/\"},\"insert\":\"Shaykh al-Buti On The Blessings Of The Wird al-Nawawi\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n[4] \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/452743\"},\"insert\":\"A copy of Hizb Al-Nawawi from the Ottoman Period\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe30b76658b4c232823","tag":"Worship: Remembrance","count":40},{"_id":"668d9fea0b76658b4c2328f9","tag":"Unseen: Jinn","count":12},{"_id":"668d9fea0b76658b4c2328fc","tag":"Unseen: Evil Eye","count":11}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:39:06.795Z"}