Is the evil eye real?

It is possible for one person to affect another through the power of the mind, but it is very rare. Whoever suspects the evil eye behind every illness lives in superstition. The right response is treatment and prayer for God's protection.

In many countries fear of the evil eye is widespread. When a child falls ill, someone soon says it must have been struck by an envious look. What should one make of this?

That one person's mind can affect another's is not pure invention. The first verse above shows this with Pharaoh's magicians. They held the eyes of the people spellbound, so that they saw things that were not there. Someone who has this ability and uses it with ill intent can, in rare cases, actually harm another person.

But this is one very small possibility among a hundred others. Children fall ill because they ate something wrong, because they fall over, or because they breathe polluted air. Whoever sees the evil eye behind every misfortune turns life into a life of fear. That is superstition.

So the answer is simple. A sick child is treated. If the child gets better, it was simply an ordinary illness. And whoever is still convinced that something else lies behind it seeks refuge with God in prayer. The story of Moses (as) shows this too. He felt fear, but God told him not to be afraid, and God's power was stronger than all the magic.

What God did for Moses (as), He can do for anyone who asks Him for help. A believer needs nothing more.