Rituals | Nazar

A ritual in Pakistan to ward off the evil eye involves using dried red chillies. The practitioner holds the chillies in their fist while both they and the affected person recite the Kalma or Ayat al-Kursi.

The practitioner then touches the person’s head with the chillies and moves their fist in a circular motion around them seven times. Afterwards, the chillies are burned.

It is believed that if the chillies burn unusually quickly or produce an immediate puff of black smoke, it indicates that the person had indeed been affected by nazar (the evil eye).