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The question

What is the ruling on saying "Masha'Allah" to a non-Muslim out of fear of the evil eye or due to their beauty?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

We have not found any statements from jurists regarding this issue, but it is believed that the concept of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: "If one of you sees something admirable in his brother, he should supplicate for blessings for him..." may not be intended, as causing someone to be afflicted by the evil eye is a harm to them. Since harming a non-belligerent disbeliever (one with whom a treaty exists, or a dhimmi) is not permissible, and because the Sunnah indicates the permissibility of performing ruqyah for a disbeliever, it is permissible for a Muslim to say "Masha'Allah, La Quwwata Illa Billah" (What Allah wills, there is no power except with Allah) if he sees something admirable in a non-belligerent disbeliever, as a way of averting affliction from him in the first place.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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