Nazar and keeping children indoors at sunset
| Fatwa #912 | Category: Miscellaneous | Country: Zambia | Date: 29th September 2023 |
| Fatwa #912 | Date: 29th September 2023 |
| Category: Miscellaneous | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
Assalamualaikum wb
Hope mufti saheb is in the best of health
Question 1 :
What is nazar?
Why is it that an innocent person is affected by nazar i.e. the evil eye
Can you give a detailed answer
Question 2
What is the Islamic ruling on keeping the children indoors during the time of sunset
What are the benefits
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The evil eye can be defined as looking at something desirable with envy, due to which Allah creates some sort of harm in that thing.
Our understanding and belief of the evil eye comes directly from Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It is through the various ahadith on the subject that we are aware of this concept. Consider the following.[1]
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: العين حق
Translation: Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: “The evil eye (and its effects) is true”
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَوْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ سَابَقَ القَدَرَ لَسَبَقَتْهُ العَيْنُ
Translation: Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: “If there were to be something that could supersede taqdeer (predestiny) it would have been the evil eye.”
As is the case with everything else in this world, Almighty Allah in His infinite wisdom has created a system of cause and effect. All aspects of our lives fundamentally come down to this. For example, a person stabs another person and thereby kills him. On the other hand, someone might look at something beautiful with ill intention and harm it in the process. The only difference between the two is that as humans, we can physically see one cause (stab-murder) and we cannot see the other cause except the aftermath.
Just as one would take precaution against perceivable threats against ones life and family, similarly, one should seek protection from the unperceived harms of society. That is precisely why we have been taught to read certain duas for protection from that which we cannot see.
Consider the following,[2]
Abdullah ibn Abbas Radiyallahu Anhuma reports that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to seek Allahs protection for Hasan and Husayn Radiyallahu Anhuma with the following words:
اعيذكما بكلمات الله التامة من كل شيطان و هامة و من كل عين لامة
Translation: “I seek refuge with the perfect words of Allah from every devil and poisonous creature and from every evil eye.”
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam then told Hasan and Husayn Radiyallahu Anhuma that your fore father (Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam) use to also seek Allah’s protection with these words for Ismail and Ishaq Alayhimas Salaam.
As for keeping the children indoors from sunset till after dark, consider the following hadith.[3]
عن جابر رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: إذا استجنح الليل، أو قال: جنح الليل، فكفوا صبيانكم ، فإن الشياطين تنتشر حينئذ، فإذا ذهب ساعة من العشاء فخلوهم، وأغلق بابك واذكر اسم الله، وأطفئ مصباحك واذكر اسم الله، وأوك سقاءك واذكر اسم الله، وخمر إناءك واذكر اسم الله، ولو تعرض عليه شيئا
Translation: Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: “When night falls, then prevent your children (from going outside). For indeed the devils are abundant at that time. When a period of Isha passes then let them go. Lock your doors and mention Allah’s Name. Put out your lights and mention Allah’s Name. Cover your utensils (even by just putting a stick over it) and mention Allah’s Name.”
The commentators have stated that since this is a time when the devils roam around in abundance, it is likely they would get ahold of vulnerable children and harm them. Therefore, the best protection is to keep them indoors.[4]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad IV Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
5740 – حدثنا إسحاق بن نصر، حدثنا عبد الرزاق، عن معمر، عن همام، عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «العين حق» ونهى عن الوشم
سنن الترمذي ت بشار (3/ 465)
2062 – حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الحَسَنِ بْنِ خِرَاشٍ البَغْدَادِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الحَضْرَمِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ طَاوُوسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَوْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ سَابَقَ القَدَرَ لَسَبَقَتْهُ العَيْنُ، وَإِذَا اسْتُغْسِلْتُمْ فَاغْسِلُوا
سنن الترمذي ت بشار (3/ 464) [2]
2060 – حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، وَيَعْلَى، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنِ الْمِنْهَالِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَوِّذُ الحَسَنَ وَالحُسَيْنَ يَقُولُ: أُعِيذُكُمَا بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ، وَيَقُولُ: هَكَذَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يُعَوِّذُ إِسْحَاقَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ
حَدَّثَنَا الحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الخَلاَّلُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، وَعَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، نَحْوَهُ بِمَعْنَاهُ
هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
3280 – حدثنا يحيى بن جعفر، حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله الأنصاري، حدثنا ابن جريج، قال: أخبرني عطاء، عن جابر رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: ” إذا استجنح الليل، أو قال: جنح الليل، فكفوا صبيانكم [ص:124]، فإن الشياطين تنتشر حينئذ، فإذا ذهب ساعة من العشاء فخلوهم، وأغلق بابك واذكر اسم الله، وأطفئ مصباحك واذكر اسم الله، وأوك سقاءك واذكر اسم الله، وخمر إناءك واذكر اسم الله، ولو تعرض عليه شيئا “
الكواكب الدراري في شرح صحيح البخاري (13/ 201) [4]
(كفوا صبيانكم) أي امنعوهم من الخروج ذلك الوقت لأنه يخاف عليهم من إيذاء الشياطين لكثرتهم وانتشارهم،