Warding Off Evil Eye

Is it allowed to enter into an employment contract for publicity of products?

Question 1: What have Islamic scholars ruled on the following matter? I have made an agreement with a company on publicizing their permissible products by sending, for example, two hundred emails, two hundred messages and one hundred Whatsapp messages daily. The quantity of the content and the pay has also been decided. While preparing and publicizing the advertisement through the above means, I have to spend some time and money. Is this employment of mine permissible? 

Questioner: Muhammad Shafiq (Iqbal town Lahore)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Answer: To prepare the advertisement of permissible things in a permissible way and to publicize it through permissible means is such a job that employment can be made for. Therefore, according to Shari’ah, your employment, as stated in the question, is permissible on the grounds that the type of work, i.e. the publicity of the permissible products of a company and the pay have both been predetermined. It is important to remember that even in this case the pay must not exceed a normal pay given for such a job and the quantity of the advertisement content, etc. must also be decided in advance so that there will be no conflict. Respected Islamic Jurists have declared that a normally given pay for writing agreements, affidavits, letters, etc. is permissible; provided that the quantity of the content and papers is already decided.

Ambiguity: This job of sending messages, etc. entails only a little hardship and one can do it through a smart phone or computer while sitting at home. Therefore, employment of such work which entails only a little hardship should not be permissible. This aspect of the situation is causing ambiguity. 

Clarification: Hardship is not the only factor that determines pay. In fact, pay also depends upon the importance and need of the job as well as upon the required skills. Therefore, even if this work involves only a little hardship, the worker is entitled to pay. For this reason, ‘Allamah Ibn ‘Aabideen Shaami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه has declared that pay will be given on the basis of established norms [for such a job] rather than hardship.

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered by: Muhammad Noor-ul-Mustafa Attari Madani

Verified by: Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari

Warding off evil eye by using red chillies is not wastefulness

Question 2: What have Islamic scholars ruled on the following matter? In order to ward off the evil eye, chillies are moved around the affected person and are burned. What is Shar’i ruling on it? Will it be categorized as wastefulness?

Questioner: Muhammad Bilal (Lahore)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Answer: For the purpose of warding off the evil eye, it is permissible to move chillies around the affected person and to burn them. In the light of Shari’ah, the popular remedies which are not contrary to Shari’ah are valid. Moreover, the action of warding off the evil eye by chillies is not classed as wastefulness on the grounds that this action is performed for the benefit of people. Almighty Allah has created all things for the benefit of people. Therefore, using something beneficial for the benefit of man is not wastefulness. However, it should be remembered that it is preferable to cure the harm of the evil eye by means of the prayers stated in the Holy Quran and Ahadees.

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari

Is it allowed to illegally live in a foreign country and to do business there?

Question 3: Some people live in a foreign country illegally, i.e. secretly and do business over there, earning income. What have Islamic scholars ruled on going to and living in a foreign country illegally as well as on the earning mentioned above?

Questioner: Muhammad Nafees (Faisalabad)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Answer: To go abroad illegally is impermissible and a sin according to Shari’ah. In fact, this leads to exposing oneself to disgrace and endangering one’s life. If caught, one is confronted with severe disgrace and dishonour. Sometimes, the police of the foreign country open fire on such people, killing them. These types of news are often published in newspapers, etc. The Blessed Shari’ah has prohibited the action that brings ruin, disgrace and dishonour.

As far as such earnings are concerned, the earnings are permissible provided that the business is itself permissible. On the contrary, if the business is Haraam, earnings from such a business are also Haraam. However, even if the income is permissible, how can blessings and goodness be expected in the income that a person earns by disobeying Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and His Rasool صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم?

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari

Are men allowed to wear embroidered clothing?

Question 4: What have Islamic scholars ruled on the following matter? According to Shari’ah, are men allowed to get slight embroidery done with simple thread on the front of the Qamees^[1], collar and cuffs as well as on the bottoms of their Shalwar [a type of loose trousers]?

Questioner: Muhammad Khalid Hasan Madani (Distt: Pak Pattan Shareef)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Answer: According to Shari’ah, men are allowed to get slight embroidery done with simple thread on the front of the Qamees, cuffs and collar as well as on the bottom of their Shalwar [a type of loose trousers]. There is no harm in it. Respected Islamic Jurists have even allowed silk embroidery that does not cover the area of more than four-fingers at any place. As per the clarification made in the question, there is no silk embroidery but rather it is simple thread embroidery for which there is no condition of four-fingers-space as well.

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered by: Muhammad Irfan Madani

Verified by: Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari