What is envy, and how does the mechanism of being afflicted by it occur? Can the evil eye harm something righteous by looking at it and breaking it, or afflict a healthy person and make him sick or break him?

It is most probable that the intended meaning of envy (hasad) is the evil eye (ayn). Ibn Hajar defined it as "a gaze of admiration mixed with envy from an evil nature, which causes harm to the person being looked at." Ibn al-Qayyim elaborated on how affliction by the evil eye occurs, mentioning that the rational people among nations do not deny the evil eye, even if they differ on its cause. There are three opinions regarding how it affects:

1. The soul of the gazer (al-a’in) adapts, and a poisonous force emanates from their eye, harming the person being gazed upon (al-mayun), similar to a venomous snake. 2. Subtle, invisible essences emanate from the gazer's eye, penetrating the pores of the body of the person being gazed upon, thereby causing harm. 3. Allah creates the harm when the gazer's eye meets the one being gazed upon. This is the view of those who deny secondary causes.

The correct view is that Allah has created in bodies and souls different forces and natures, and some of them have influential properties and qualities. An example of this is what Malik and Ibn Hibban narrated about Amir ibn Rabiah, who afflicted Sahl ibn Hanif with the evil eye. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded him to perform ghusl (ritual bath) for him, and Allah healed him.