Analyzing the Quranic and Hadith (narrative) Foundations of Belief in the Effect of the Verse "En Yakad" to Prevent the Evil Eye

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction

Verses 51 and 52 of Surah Qalam are famous and common among people. These verses are known as "En Yakad" verses. He says in these verses: And the Unbelievers would almost trip thee up with their eyes when they hear the message; and they say: "Surely he is possessed!" But it is nothing less than a Message to all the world.
Most people believe that this verse prevents the evil eye. Therefore, this verse has become famous among people. This article examines the origin of this belief and its validity. To achieve this goal, this verse has been examined from three perspectives.

Literature Review

Most commentators have considered this verse to be related to the evil eye. This verse is also used in books and articles related to the evil eye. But this issue has received less attention independently. Ali Akbar Kalantari in the article "Interpretative study of the relationship between the verse and En-Yakad and the problem of the bad eye" (Tafsir al-Studies, Summer 2017) considered the connection of this verse with the problem of the bad eye without sufficient reason, and Fatemeh Qurbani Laktarashani and Habibullah Halimi Jellodar in the article "Credit the evaluation of Hasan Basri's narration on the effectiveness of the verse and An-e-Kad in warding off the evil eye" (Hadith Pazhuhi, Spring and Summer 2019) also rejected the effect of this verse in warding off the evil eye. In this article, more information has been collected and analyzed, and various narrations about the revelation of the verse have been extracted. In addition to that, the documentary review and evaluation of the credibility of the hadiths have also been done. In the analysis and review stage, several evidences and reasons have been presented regarding the criticism of the famous interpretation and the presentation of other interpretations of the verse.

Methodology

In the present article, with the descriptive-analytical method, Shia and Sunni traditions about the story of the revelation of the verse have been analyzed and examined, then different views on the interpretation of the verse have been examined, and finally, the use of the verse as a warding off the evil eye has been examined.

Results

4-1- Investigating the reason for issuing the verse
In Shiite books, there is a story about the revelation of this verse. This narration has a chain of authentic narrators. There are other narrations in this context.
These hadiths say that this verse was revealed in Ghadir Khum. On this day, the Prophet chose Imam Ali (PBUH) as his successor. When the Prophet took the hand of Ali (PBUH) and raised it, some people were upset.
One of the people said: Look at the Prophet's eyes, which move like the eyes of a madman. At this time Gabriel brought these verses.
Another story is narrated in Sunni books. Wahidi (468 AH) says: This verse was revealed when the Quraysh wanted to kill the Prophet. He narrates from Kalbi that: There was a person who did not eat anything for three days, and when he looked at the herd of camels, he said, "I have never seen a more beautiful herd today."Some of them would die soon. The infidels asked this person to harm the Prophet with the evil eye, but God protected the Prophet and this verse was revealed. Kolbi (140 or 146 AD) did not quote the chain of narrators for his narration.
4-2- Interpretation of the verse
Most commentators have associated this verse with the evil eye.
It is very likely that believing in the influence of the evil eye and the story that Kalbi narrated caused such an interpretation of the verse.
Influence
Some commentators have considered the meaning of the verse as an "angry and hostile look" and have denied the connection of the verse with the issue of "evil eye". This view has been proposed since the first Islamic centuries and is compatible with literary rules. The term "Ezlaq bi-al-absar" is not used among Arabs for the evil eye.
Based on this, the interpretation of the verse, as mentioned by Zamakhshari, is that they will slide you from your place or destroy you by the intensity of their sharp gaze with eyes full of anger and malice. This interpretation is derived from the saying of the Arabs who say: He looked at me in such a way that he was about to knock me to the ground and was about to eat me, that is, if he could knock me to the ground and destroy me with his gaze or eat me, he would definitely do this.
4-3-Using this verse to avoid the evil eye
One of the uses of this verse is to use it as a charm against the evil eye.
In the Shiite sources, no authentic narrations and reasons were found to show that this verse is effective for warding off sore eyes.
  The only reason for this belief is Hassan Basri's statement, which has been mistakenly attributed to Imam Hassan (a.s.) in some late Shiite sources.
In Sunni sources, Hassan Basri is quoted as saying that the cure for an evil eye is to read this verse. Tha'labi (427 AH) is the oldest source that narrated this report. People like Tabari (310 AH) who quoted the words of the commentators of the Sahaba and Tabi'in with a chain of transmission about this verse, did not mention the words of Hassan Basri in this regard.
On the assumption of accepting the attribution of this saying to Hasan Basri, it seems that this saying of Hassan Basri is due to the interpretation that has been presented for this verse, because Hassan Basri did not attribute this saying to the Prophet (PBUH) or even the Companions in any source.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

 
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