How can one share good news without invoking the evil eye?

Question

Where I live, in our culture the evil eye can get to you if you share good news e.g. if I get a job, I tell my siblings and family with a good gesture, but people might be jealous or envy you or may become too happy for you that you get evil eye. Hence people say not to share something because of the evil eye. If that is true, then what can a person do to share his good news or share new job etc. How can one tell if someone has evil eye on him and how will they remove it?

Answer 1

There's a hadith which goes as follows:

“Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet, for everyone who is blessed with something is envied.”

and which is more known among people in the following wording:

“Seek help for success or victory of your needs by being quiet. For verily,everything that has a ni'imah in it is envied.”

This hadith was compiled by a-Tabarni in his three books, al-Bayhaqi in Sho'ab al-Iman, abu Na'im in al-Hilya, ibn Qutayba in 'Oyon al-Akhbar, a-Sahmi in Tarikh Jorjan, ibn Hebban in Rawdat al-Oqala' ibn 'Ady in al-Kamil and al-'Uqayli in his du'afa' (literally "the weak narrators")... . The last book title gives already a kind of qualification: the hadith was considered as munkar (rejected) by ibn Abi Hatem and fabricated by ibn al-Jawzi, Imam Ahmad and Yahya ibn Ma'yn, da'if (weak) by al-'iraqi, a-Suyuti and al-'Aljuni.

Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaid (8/195): It was narrated that Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet, for everyone who is blessed with something is envied.”
This was narrated by al-Tabarani in his three (Mu’jams), but its isnad (chain of narrators) includes Sa’eed ibn Salam al-‘Attar. Al-‘Ajali said there is nothing wrong with him, but Ahmad and others described him as a liar. The rest of its men are thiqat (trustworthy) except that Khalid ibn Mi’dan did not hear it from Mu’adh. (fatwa and also in Arabic)

Al-Albani qualified this hadith as sahih. Note that the number of narrations and sahaba on whom's authority it was narrated seem to support al-Albani's opinion at least to a level where one could say it is hassan or weak because of the different issues with the narrators.

Even if this hadith is weak it is allowed to follow it as it is allowed to apply a teaching from a weak hadith in the virtues deeds. This means for example it is not recommended to share an information (about something which may appeal jealousy) with foreigners or people whom it shouldn't concern unless it is obvious.

Therefore one is "recommended" to discretion as the evil eye is said to be real in the hadith and described in (113:5).
On the other hand quran also says:

Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector." And upon Allah let the believers rely. (9:51)

and

But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it]. (93:11)

This means -to make a compromise between the hadith and this last verse- one should avoid telling about Allah's favor for oneself to people who are known for their jealousy. If a jealous person sees you thanking Allah for general favors you avoid them from envying you for them. And there are some ahadith telling us about supplications (dua's) to help us stay safe from evil eyes and envies: for example it is recommended to recite the two mu'awidat (surahs 113 and 114) after each prayer and before sleeping and in the morning and evening and also being discrete is again recommended to thank Allah for His favors. And the last verse doesn't mean you should go out and tell, but you can let people who are close to you know about it.

(For details read this fatwa)