Ill effects of Jealousy and Envy — Ustaadh Abdul Hakeem Mitchell

One of the illnesses that may afflict the heart is hasad (jealousy/envy). Ibn Taymiyyah made a distinction between “Hasad” and “Ghibtah”:

• Hasad refers to hatred or dislike of good towards one who has a blessing. The one with hasad intends for that good to be removed from the one with the blessing.

• Ghibtah refers to a person hoping for a blessing themselves without hoping for it to be removed from someone else.

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Hasad can also be said to be of two types:

1.An envious person dislikes the blessing bestowed on someone else absolutely. They find happiness and enjoyment when that blessing is removed from another person, even though they themselves do not benefit from that blessing being removed. This is blameworthy.

2.An envious person dislikes that someone has something that is better than what they have.

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The Hadīth of Ibn Umar mentions that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

“There is no acceptable jealousy except in two affairs — a man who is given the Qurān such that he recites, by night and day, and a man who is given wealth such that he spends in charity, by night and day.”

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Shaykh Fawzan حفظه الله تعالى:

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned “that the destructive illnesses of the nations who came before you has started to spread among you: envy and enmity.”

Jealousy and envy first occurred amongst the Shaytaan when Allaah commanded him to prostrate towards Ādam عليه السلام. He refused due to his jealousy and so Allaah cursed him.

— “So, the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together." (15:30)
— "Except Iblees. he refused to be from those who prostrate" (7:11)

— "He refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers” (2:34)

He claimed that he was better because he was created from fire whilst Ādam عليه السلام was created from clay. This is a false assumption as clay is better than fire - it brings about vegetation and many other good things whereas fire only destroys and ruins.

So Allaah rejected Shaytaan, cursed him, distanced him, and sent him down from the heavens to the earth and made him leader of everything khabeeth (evil). All of that was a result of his hasad (jealousy). If he did not have hasad, he would have prostrated and so would have been upon nobility.

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Another example of the effects of jealousy:

— “And recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam [Hābil and Qābil] in truth; when each offered a sacrifice (to Allaah), it was accepted from the one but not from the other..” (5:27)

Allaah accepted from one who was pious and not from one who was not.

— “The latter [Qābil] said to the former: "I will surely kill you." (5:27)

This was out of envy.

— “The former [Hābil] said: ‘Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqun.’” (5:27)

— “If you do stretch your hand against me to kill me, I shall never stretch my hand against you to kill you, for I fear Allaah; the Lord of the worlds.” (5:28)

— “So, the Nafs (self) of the other [Qābil] encouraged him and made fair-seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers.” (5:30)

Firstly, this led to the breaking of family ties. Secondly, he envied his own brother due to his brother’s sacrifice being accepted.

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Another example is the affair of the Jews when Allaah sent the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم - the seal and best of the Prophets and Messengers - when they saw that he was from the offspring of Ismaeel عليه السلام, this caused them to envy.

So, they envied the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم as they wanted him to be from Banī Isrā’īl and they disbelieved in him even though they knew he was the Messenger of Allaah.

— “Those to whom We gave the Scripture recognise him as they recognise their sons.” (2:146)

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We can see how jealousy leads a person to killing. How it can lead to Kufr which is greater. Or how it can lead to the curse of Allaah like Iblees.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Do not be envious.” If a person sees a blessing for his brother, then he should not envy him, but rather ask Allaah to bless him.

— “And wish not for the things in which Allaah has made some of you to excel others. For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned and ask Allaah of His Bounty. Surely, Allaah is Ever All-Knower of everything.” (4:32)

Ask Allaah to give you the same blessing He gave to your brother. For Allaah is al-Jawwād, al Kareem (the Most Kind and Generous), and if you ask, He will give you. But to have envy and jealousy of your brother, this would be turning away from Allaah, and may lead to cutting the ties of kinship, or cutting ties between you and your brother.

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So from the cures for hasad (jealousy) is:

• To ask Allaah for His bounty as Allaah is واسع عليم (Expansive and All knowing)

• For an individual to strengthen in knowledge and belief of the Qadr because your brother has only attained something by the permission of Allaah. Do not say that so-and-so is not deserving of something because Allaah knows best who is deserving of what.

• To supplicate for your brother and his blessings, rather than to hope that it disappears from him. This does not harm you, rather it benefits you.

• To exert yourself in attaining rizq (provisions) and taking the means in doing so. As for sitting down and being lazy while envying those who seek provisions, this is blameworthy.

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The Hadeeth narrated by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhī mentions that "hasad takes from the good deeds, like fire eats away at firewood", so beware of this.

Thus, seek refuge in Allaah from hasad, and ask Allaah for his bounty, hope for your brothers good and supplicate for their blessings. As Allaah mentions, “He gives it to whom he wills” (3:73)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned: "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself". Consider your brother upon the same station as yourself – empathise! If a person truly wants good for his brother, like he wants goodness for himself, he will not find himself in a situation where he wants removal of blessings from his brother.

May Allaah protect us from hasad and make us from those who love for our brothers what we love for ourselves. Aameen.