Years ago, I attended a Quran memorization class at a local mosque. By Allah’s permission, I was making good progress, memorizing at a good pace.
One day, I bumped into a colleague from the Quran class. He asked about my memorization progress. When I shared how far I’d advanced, his face changed. He looked me straight in the eye and said three words I’ll never forget: “I envy you.”
I was taken aback. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, hoping he meant it positively.
After that encounter, I couldn’t memorize a single verse for an entire week! Not one. My teacher was surprised. I had been one of his quickest learners, and suddenly I was struggling with passages I’d previously mastered.
That’s when I reflected on the incident with my colleague. Perhaps I had been affected by the evil eye, and I needed to take serious spiritual steps to heal myself.
The Hidden Productivity Killer
In our productivity-obsessed culture, we analyze everything: our systems, habits, and environment. We track our output, optimize workflows, and measure performance. But one factor rarely makes it onto our productivity checklist: the spiritual dimension of our struggles.
The evil eye (al-‘ayn) and envy (hasad) are real forces that can derail our best efforts, cloud our judgment, and drain our energy in ways that no amount of coffee or calendar restructuring can resolve.
The Quran and Sunnah don’t treat these as mere superstitions. Allah SWT commands us to seek refuge from “the evil of the envier when he envies” (Quran 113:5), and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
The evil eye is real. If anything could overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye.
(Muslim)
Yet many of us dismiss these spiritual realities as “superstitious” or “old tales,” especially professionals trying to “fit in” with secular workplaces.
I want us to understand this topic from a balanced perspective. There are usually two extremes: those obsessed and anxious about “nazar” and being envied, and those who dismiss such claims and expose themselves to the harm of the evil eye.
What’s the difference between Evil Eye and Envy?
The Evil Eye occurs when someone intensely admires a blessing you have. It may accompany a feeling of deprivation, but it doesn’t mean they wish you harm. It can come from someone who loves you. A colleague or family member might admire your promotion and unknowingly affect you. You might even give yourself the evil eye when you’re amazed by your own success but forget to say “Masha’Allah.”
When the companion ‘Amir ibn Rabi’ah saw his fellow companion Sahl’s beautiful skin during a bath, he exclaimed in amazement. Sahl immediately collapsed. There was no malice, just overwhelming admiration without remembering Allah.
Envy, on the other hand, is darker. It’s the malicious desire for someone else’s blessing to be removed and given to the envier. When your colleague doesn’t just admire your success but actively wishes for your downfall, that’s envy.
How Evil Eye and Envy Impacts Your Professional Life
We often think of the impact of the evil eye and envy on our personal lives—unexplained fatigue, relationship conflicts, or when something we cherish suddenly breaks.
I want to explore the effect of the evil eye and envy on your professional life. Here are some ways:
- A Sudden Drop in Performance: You’re doing great at work, consistently hitting targets. Then suddenly you can’t concentrate. Projects that were easy now feel difficult. Your boss and colleagues wonder what happened to the “star performer.”
- You Lose Motivation or Unexplained “Burnout”: You launch a successful business or project, share your excitement on social media, then wake up the next day with no desire to continue. You feel a heaviness or tightness in your heart and can’t explain it.
- Unexpected Team Conflicts: You have an amazing team you’ve been with for years, but now you’re arguing over trivial matters or can’t stand working with them. The collaborative team spirit you once relied on has mysteriously evaporated.
- Mental Block: You’re writing a report, building an app, or developing a course. Progress is steady, then ideas stop flowing suddenly, and you question everything about your work and simply can’t continue.
- The Technology Troubles: I’ve experienced this firsthand. My presentation was ready, the tech setup was working perfectly fine during rehearsal, then mysteriously technical difficulties arose right before the start of the workshop. These tech issues aren’t always random.
How do you protect yourself?
Alhamdulillah, we’re given Prophetic guidance on protecting ourselves from the evil eye and envy. Here are 4 ways:
1. Keep It Private
Don’t announce every success or blessing. Share your achievements selectively. That promotion, new business idea, or family milestone doesn’t need to be broadcast to everyone in your network.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Seek help in fulfilling your needs by keeping them private, for everyone who has been blessed is envied.”
2. Protect Yourself and Others from Your Evil Eye
Don’t think you’re immune from affecting others with an evil eye, even if you’re a “good person”. When you admire something -in yourself or others – say:
Masha’Allah la quwwata illa billah
(What Allah wills! There is no power except with Allah)
When you admire something in a colleague, add:
Allahumma barik lahu/laha
(O Allah, bless them with it).
This isn’t just politeness; it’s spiritual etiquette to avoid harming each other.
3. Don’t Forget Your Daily Wird (Litany)
Your morning and evening athkar are your best spiritual shield from the evil eye and envy. If you don’t know them by heart, get the small remembrance books like Hisnul Muslim and make it a point to read the morning/evening remembrances after Fajr and after Asr. They’ll take 10-15 mins and provide daily protection..
4. Boost Your Spiritual Armor for Important Events
Before important presentations, interviews, or launches where you’ll be in the spotlight, perform ruqyah on yourself:
- If you have time, recite Surat Al-Baqarah the morning of the presentation.
- Be in a state of Wudhu when presenting.
- Increase your remembrance that day and ask Allah for protection.
What if you got affected? What’s the solution?
If you suspect you’ve been hit by evil eye or envy due to a sudden performance drop, loss of motivation, or mysterious obstacles, perform ruqyah on yourself by reciting the recommended Quranic verses on a bottle of water and drinking it. You can find Ruqya dua books online or at islamic bookstores. Do this regularly until Allah relieves you from this harm.
In my case, once I realized that my colleague might have hit my Quran memorization with an evil eye, I remember reciting Surat Al-Baqarah and reciting Ruqya verses and duas. Alhamdulillah, within a few days, my memorization ability returned.
Final advice
I hesitated to write this post because some might obsess over this topic, hindering their growth.
Remember there’s balance: acknowledge these spiritual realities without becoming paranoid. Not every setback is due to the evil eye or envy. Sometimes your productivity drops because you’re genuinely overworked, stressed, or need a break.
The key is to have your spiritual shields on. Just as you’d maintain physical strength by exercising, maintain spiritual strength.
Remember Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ advice to the young companion, when he said:
O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.
(Tirmdhi)
Yes, the evil eye is real, and envy exists, but Allah’s protection is stronger than both. Work with Ihsan, share your work when needed, maintain your spiritual defenses, and trust that what Allah has written for you can’t be prevented by a jealous glance or envious heart.
May Allah protect us all from the evil eye and envy and grant Barakah in all that we do.