Back to search

Is it permissible to be pessimistic about visiting someone whose visits are consistently accompanied by breakdowns and damages, and is this considered envy, especially if the visitor's financial situation is inferior?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible to be pessimistic about someone's visit merely because some harm occurred, as ṭīrah (superstitious belief in omens) is polytheism (shirk) and a bad opinion of Allah. If you feel pessimistic, say: "O Allah, there is no good except Your good, and no bird (omen) except Your bird (what You have ordained), and there is no god other than You." Do not prevent a person from visiting for this reason unless it becomes clear to you that they are an envier (ʿāʾin).

If the person is an envier, try to conceal what might attract their attention or sit in a place where there is nothing that draws attention. You must also protect yourself with the Quran and supplications. Every envier is a jealous person (ḥāsid), and seeking refuge from the jealous person includes the envier.

The envier should be advised to say "Mā shāʾ Allāh" (what Allah wills) or "Tabārakallāh" (blessed be Allah) if something pleases them. If they persist in their harmful behavior, it is permissible to prevent them from visiting. Some scholars have even gone so far as to say that an envier, if known as such, may be imprisoned.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy