If you were raised as I was, you might instinctively shudder when you hear the word “‘ayn” or “nazr.” In Arabic and Urdu, respectively, these words mean “the eye,” referring to “the evil eye,” a colloquialism for jealousy. This concept is even in William Shakespeare’s Othello, where he called it “the green-eyed monster.” Your own culture might have its own phrase as well, but the concept is the same: when a person looks at another person with jealousy, the subject of an envious gaze may suffer consequences.

Those consequences can range from sudden car trouble to an acne breakout. All of these incidents and more could be blamed on someone’s jealousy towards an aspect of another’s life. In our modern internet age where it has become second-nature to (over)share online, this has led many Muslims into considering leaving social media altogether or being more private about what they choose to show the world. I’ve seen many Muslim women wearing copious amounts of clothing to deter others from noticing a pregnancy, and Muslim men not announce their brides until long after the wedding has passed, all to mitigate the jealousy of others. Some will hide the accomplishments of their children to avoid attention and envy. “Hasad!” they warn. 

And they can be correct—more often than we’d like to admit, we might find ourselves comparing our dull weekend after a hard work week to yet another Instagram photo dump of an influencer’s luxurious trip somewhere. Or we might be on the receiving end, fearing someone else’s green-eyed monster will roar when we celebrate a graduation, promotion, or other milestone on our socials.

But in a world where it’s almost impossible to keep things entirely to yourself, how do we understand jealousy? Can we become better stewards of our eyes? Are we totally helpless against the sentiments of others? Should we abandon social media altogether, even if it means losing our connections with others, and staying updated with our communities? Islam has answered all of this for us.

Evil Eye Is Real—But So Are Protective Measures

The Prophet ﷺ said, “If one of you sees something from his brother, or in himself, or in his wealth which impresses him, then supplicate for him to be blessed in it. Verily, the evil eye of envy is real.” (Musnad Ahmad)

This hadith shows a cure and a confirmation.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ acknowledges the reality of jealousy in other people; however, leaves room for us to also have responsibility for the jealousy we might recognise within ourselves.

The envy epidemic starts with us—and we can begin to apply it as soon as the next time we scroll. I’ve often come across a phrase on social media (ironically, the source of much of our unspoken jealousy) that goes like this: “Until it’s my turn, I will keep clapping for others,” and it’s a helpful reminder in our age of constant comparison.

For Muslims, we can go further than this: our hands can make dua, as well as clap. I have found that challenging myself each time I log in to a social media account—if someone announces a full-ride scholarship, and I’m still paying off my loans, or if someone is on holiday somewhere I’ve always dreamed of visiting, I make heartfelt dua for them. It’s not always easy, but I try to be joyous that they don’t have to be in the same draining predicament that I might be. And then I rest assured, content that when I make dua for them without their knowledge, the angels say “ameen, and for you” to whatever I say. (Sunan Abi Dawud)

The second part of the hadith, after asking us to be more supportive, also tells us to be more preventative. I’ve taken this to mean that I should examine my screen time within my phone settings, and even considered setting a limit within my device, or within the social media app itself. 

In the past, I’ve done social media fasts for Ramadan, but I haven’t always considered how I can revive that tradition within my daily life. Journalling my mood and overall thoughts, however, has revealed something sobering.

I seem to be less concerned about everyone else’s accomplishments when I spend less time on social media, and that’s a trend I notice when speaking to others doing the same too.

We find ourselves more preoccupied with our own studies, work, or hobbies; less interested in comparison and more attuned to enriching our own life in myriad ways that don’t need to be expressed in a social media post. 

It’s not just about cutting social media out of our lives altogether, though. That’s not necessarily doable – or even best – for all of us. We might use it for anything from work to recipe ideas, outfit inspiration to Islamic reminders. There are probably loved ones that we don’t want to lose contact with by deactivating forever. But by doing things like muting a certain word or phrase for some time, or hiding certain posts from our feeds, unfollowing or blocking specific accounts altogether, can be especially helpful for brands that promote a certain body image, or an influencer asking us to purchase their product to make us feel better about our own lives.

I’m the first to admit it can be difficult, but even a simple thing like commenting ‘masha Allah,’ on a photo announcing good news that we’ve been yearning for in our own lives, can make all the difference in our mindset – and reduce the likelihood of envy or comparison seeping in.

It may seem insincere at first, but I like to remind myself that the habit of reciting this dhikr on the tongue will eventually make it a practice of the heart and mind, as well. 

The more we attribute this blessing to a brother or sister of ours as a gift from Allah ﷻ, we can find ourselves less inclined to be upset about the recipient or the Giver—and, also be reminded that gifts are not far off from our own fate, as well. Allahﷻ is Al-Wahhab, the Giver of Gifts, and He surely loves to give.

Should I Not Talk About My Own Blessings?

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, Allah Almighty loves to see the traces of blessings on his servant. He does not love one who wallows in misery and pessimism.” (al-Mu’jam al-Kabir 5167)  

But is there a way to show those blessings, in a way that isn’t showing off? This is a question I’ve been grappling with, especially in this social media era where it can often feel like there’s no goal to sharing good news other than reaping the praise and attention of others.

Yes, according to Maariful Quran, a famous tafsir by Muhammad Shafi. He writes in his exegesis of Surah Ad-Duhaa (The Early Hours): “It is obligatory to offer gratitude to Allah on every favour He has bestowed. If Allah has granted a person wealth, a part of that wealth may be spent with sincerity in Allah’s way. If Allah has given a person a strong body, his bodily strength may be utilised in fulfilling Divine obligations. If Allah has granted a person Divine knowledge, he should impart it to others. [Mazhari].” 

The verse in question is verse 11 of the aforementioned surah: “And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.” This is after a series of verses in which Allah reminded the Prophet ﷺ, after an ongoing series of hardships, of the blessings that followed him. 

So, if saying “Alhamdulillah!” is the first step, the next step can be in alignment with the blessing.

Donating our time, money, or expertise—all of these are blessings that can be shared and also multiplied. Gratitude is obligatory, but the way of offering gratitude may be different.

I’ve learned that there’s no harm in proclaiming on social media something wonderful or exciting that has happened to us. But, crucially, this natural anxiety felt by many of us about sharing can be lessened by reflecting on our intention first.

Whatever it is – if we’ve earned a degree from a competitive university despite all odds, are we intending to inspire others to submit their applications too? What about if we’ve conceived after years of battling infertility—are we telling others not to give up in their duas and treatments? We might even hesitate to post photos of our wedding, knowing that so many are struggling to get married. While there are a few who might find these photos depressing, others could find those albums to be inspiring. “If it could happen to you,” they might think, “it can happen to me.” This could allow them to be more diligent about waking up for tahajjud or resuming their marriage search.

Another practice I’ve found helpful is gratitude journaling. Setting aside private moments from the public ones to thank Allah for all He’s given me is an incredibly grounding part of my day now and reminds me to constantly revisit my intentions and remain grateful to my Creator. A few journals, such as The Dua Journal, allow for daily time to reflect on the small and large blessings of our day. My favourite is the “Dear Allah,” because it allows me to get social with Al-Mujeeb (The Responder) after being on social media. There are plenty of ways to cultivate muraqabah (mindfulness), even without a specific journal. This article offers a guide to cultivating muraqabah through creative journaling

As well as making dua for others, we must never forget to make dua for ourselves. If I come across something on social media that invokes feelings of sadness or regret in my heart, I try to blink the tears away, close my eyes, and pour my heart out in supplication. I might plead, “O Allah, give me the opportunity to invite them to my wedding, too,” or “Ya Rabb! Grant me a promotion or a new position, so that I may better serve my family and friends who are unemployed.”

Anything that allows me to really consider my intention in wanting a blessing, and reframe why exactly I’d like to earn it.

But I Don’t Want To Become Arrogant…

If you have a LinkedIn account, you may have seen more than one humblebrag. The platform has a reputation for building up one’s reputation, rather than one’s career. While it’s always important to take into account how our demeanour might be perceived by others, I’ve been reflecting recently on the following hadith, where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ clarified what it meant to appreciate blessings and to appear boastful:

The Prophet ﷺ said, “No one who has the weight of a seed of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” 

A man said, “But a man likes to have nice clothes and nice shoes.” 

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, Allah is beautiful, and He loves beauty. Arrogance is to disregard the truth and to look down upon people.” (Sahih Muslim 91)

As mentioned in that hadith,

there’s no need to continuously put ourselves down when we receive a gift from God, or to feel ashamed for wanting or having a good life. Nor should we make others feel bad for what they don’t have. Like with most things in Islam, there’s a balance.

I find it helpful to think how I’d respond if a friend gave me something. How would they feel if I responded with, “Oh, I don’t deserve this!” or “Your money is better spent elsewhere!” Likewise, it also wouldn’t be right to say “Good, this is exactly what I should have!” or “I’ll look so much better than others with this!” if someone had extended that generosity to me.

Of course, Allah won’t have these same emotional reactions to our responses, but this metaphor has allowed me to shift my mindset. Ultimately,  what we are given is whatever is in our qadr, and that, of course, is divinely decreed by Allah. 

This hadith also teaches us that there is a difference between arrogance and pride. Arrogance is a practice of Shaytan, who was upset that Allah asked the angels to bow down to Adam AS. The Pharaoh in Moses AS’s time was also arrogant, declaring that he was more worthy of worship than Allah was.

Remember how Yusuf AS described his qualifications for becoming a minister. He called himself “reliable and adept” in the 55th verse of Surah Yusuf to people, and in the 101st verse, he says, “My Lord! You have surely granted me authority and taught me the interpretation of dreams. O Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die as one who submits, and join me with the righteous.”

Notice how Yusuf AS doesn’t boast about his skills to the king, who already has a favourable view of him. The king says: “Today you are highly esteemed and fully trusted by us.” (Surah Yusuf 12:54) Yusuf AS merely explains why he’s the best person to do something, but not in a prideful way. He acknowledges his noble lineage and the gifts that Allah  has given him, and wants to put them to work to help others, a desire that Allah fulfilled.

There’s no harm then in acknowledging and utilising the blessings we have in life, as long as we correctly attribute them to Allah rather than our own talents or worthiness.

Allah ﷻ Ordains, And The World Obeys

“… And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by…” (Hadith 19, 40 Hadith al-Nawawi)

Muslims believe that humans have free will, but that everything is predestined. This may seem contradictory, as technology has made us believe that everything must follow a specific outcome when going through specific patterns. 

However, I’d like to think of it as a video game that we might play. Are we not in control of the decisions we make, and the end result already planned out based on what options we choose? This example might be silly, but it’s not unlike the life we live. We don’t need to fear people’s jealousy. Rather, we should be aware of Allah’s decree.

‘Ayn can only occur if it was part of qadr. The evil eye can truly be a scary thing, and there are plenty of horror stories about it to go around. But we can’t let that paranoia control our lives, especially our digital presences.

While social media isn’t perfect and is highly addictive, it’s still a tool that is becoming increasingly more difficult to escape if we wish to be part of the world around us. However, it’s best to be mindful about what we share, and whether we’re oversharing. We can ask ourselves before posting something: “Is this something the entire world needs to know?” If not, consider only telling a few people privately. We may think we only have a small circle following us, but if we have a public account, it’s wise to act with the assumption that anyone who comes across that platform has access to our lives. 

We should also break the habit of attributing every hardship that befalls us to ‘ayn or nazr. Imagine if we were to blame a person who wasn’t as excited about our good news as we were. They could’ve been tired, grieving something we didn’t know about, or received poor feedback from a colleague. Our ill assumption could cost us their friendship, and in a more extreme sense, our sanity. To think that everyone is out to get us is not a correct frame of mind to be in, especially as a believer. Having a good opinion of everyone will allow us to share information to others with peace, and not paranoia. 

Can We Stop Evil Eye, If At All?

There are two surahs known as al-mu’awwidhatayn, “the two protectors.” Those two are Surah Al-Falaq (The Daybreak):

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ، مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

Bismillahi ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

Qul a’udhu bi-Rabbi-l-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharri-n-naffathati fi-l-ʿuqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ I seek protection of the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil of what He has created, and from the evil of the darkening night when it settles, and from the evil of the blowers in knots, and from the evil of the envier when he envies.” (Surah Al-Falaq 113:1-5)

and Surah An-Nas (The People):

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

 قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ، مَلِكِ النَّاسِ ، إِلٰهِ النَّاسِ ، مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ ، اَلَّذِيْ يُوَسْوِسُ فِيْ صُدُوْرِ النَّاسِ ، مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

Qul aʿudhu bi-Rabbi-n-nas. Maliki-n-nas. Ilah-hin-nas. Min sharri-l-waswasi-l-khannas. Al-ladhi yuwaswisu fi suduri-n-nas. Mina-l-jinnati wa-n-nas.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ I seek protection of the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws, who whispers in the hearts of mankind, whether they be Jinn or people.” (Surah An-Nas 114:1-6)

The Prophet ﷺ would recite these two surahs nightly,

“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would lie down for sleep, he would blow into his hands, recite the two chapters of refuge, al-Falaq and al-Nas, and he would wipe his hands over his body.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Another powerful dua to repeat is in Surah Al-Mu’minun (The Believers), and is in verses 97-98:

 رَّبِّ اَعُوۡذُ بِكَ مِنۡ هَمَزٰتِ الشَّيٰطِيۡنِۙ‏ وَاَعُوۡذُ بِكَ رَبِّ اَنۡ يَّحۡضُرُوۡنِ‏ 

Rabbi a’ūdhu bika min hamazāti ash-shayāṭīn.Wa a’udhu bika rabbi an yahdhurun.

“My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the suggestions of the devils. And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they may attend (or come near) me.”

To offset any negative feelings that might arise, I’ve gotten into the habit of trying to say “masha Allah” or “masha Allah tabarakAllah,” any time I see someone’s blessing, no matter how small, on social media or not. This helps to remind me, even subconsciously, that all blessings come from Allah, and that He may dispense them as He sees fit.

Ultimately, our Lord is One without limit. And if He can do something for our friend, then He can do so – and more – for us. 

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References:

• Malik, Sidra. “A Guide to Cultivating Muraqabah Through Creative Journaling.” Amaliah.
• Shafi, Muhammad. Maariful Quran.
• Yaqeen Institute. “Are You Addicted to Social Media?” | Real Talk ft. Dr. Tesneem Alkiek. 
• Begum, Bina. “The Etiquettes of Making Dua: How to Get Your Prayers Answered.” Amaliah.