Short answer
If you know who gave the eye, the Sunnah is to ask them to wash and pour that water over the affected person. Otherwise, do ruqyah: recite al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi and the last surahs, blow lightly over the person, and say the duas the Prophet ﷺ taught. The Hanafi school and the other schools agree, and medical care continues alongside.
Treating the evil eye with ruqyah from the Quran and authentic duas is sunnah, and so is the washing taught in the hadith of Sahl ibn Hunayf. Beads, charms and 'amils who use unknown words are not allowed.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that the evil eye is real, and that when you are asked to wash for it, you should wash. He told Aishah to seek ruqyah for the eye, and when he saw a girl with a dark mark on her face, he said an eye had struck her and told her family to have ruqyah done for her.
When you know who gave the eye. When Amir ibn Rabi'ah admired Sahl ibn Hunayf and Sahl collapsed, the Prophet ﷺ asked why one of them would kill his brother, and said he should have prayed for blessing. He had Amir wash his face, his hands to the elbows, his knees and the inside of his lower garment in a vessel, and the water was poured over Sahl from behind. If you suspect someone, ask politely. A believer should agree, since it costs nothing. Do not accuse or quarrel.
When you do not know. Do ruqyah yourself, or ask a trustworthy person:
- recite al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and al-Nas, then blow lightly over the person, or into your hands and wipe over them
- say the words Jibril said over the Prophet ﷺ: Bismillahi arqik, min kulli shay'in yu'dhik, min sharri kulli nafsin aw aynin hasid, Allahu yashfik
- place your hand on the place of pain and say the dua for healing
- recite into water for them to drink or wash with (see ruqyah over water)
Keep it up for some days, alongside any treatment a doctor gives. Many symptoms blamed on nazar are ordinary illness, so do not skip the doctor. For protection in future, see dua against the evil eye and is the evil eye real.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Falaq 113:1-5
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ ﴿١﴾ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ﴿٢﴾ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ ﴿٣﴾ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ ﴿٤﴾
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak From the evil of that which He created And from the evil of darkness when it settles And from the evil of the blowers in knots ...
Al-Falaq is the Quran's refuge from envy, the root of the evil eye.
Quran, Surah Al-Qalam 68:51
وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ ﴿٥١﴾
And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message, and they say, "Indeed, he is mad."
Commentators explain this as the harm of the eye.
Sahih Muslim 2188
Sahih... العين حق ولو كان شيء سابق القدر سبقته العين وإذا استغسلتم فاغسلوا ...
"The eye is real. If anything could outrun destiny, the eye would. And when you are asked to wash, then wash."
The evil eye is real, and the one who gave it should wash when asked.
Sunan Ibn Majah 3509
Grading to be checked... علام يقتل أحدكم أخاه إذا رأى أحدكم من أخيه ما يعجبه ...
"Why would one of you kill his brother? When one of you sees something in his brother that pleases him, let him pray for blessing for him."
The washing method comes from this hadith, which then describes Amir washing for Sahl.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5739
Sahih... استرقوا لها فإن بها النظرة ...
"Seek ruqyah for her, for she has been struck by an eye."
Ruqyah is the sunnah treatment for the evil eye.
Sahih Muslim 2186
Sahih... باسم الله أرقيك من كل شيء يؤذيك ...
"In the name of Allah I perform ruqyah for you, from everything that harms you."
The ruqyah Jibril made for the Prophet when he was ill.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on treatment and remedies (al-tadawi wa al-mu'alajat). Ruqyah with the Quran and known duas is permitted for the eye and other illness.
- Sharh Sahih Muslim (al-Nawawi), Kitab al-Salam, chapter on the evil eye. Explains the washing of the one who gave the eye and how the water is poured.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.