The Vile Character Of Envy

The Vile Character Of Envy

Sheikh Abu Bakar Jabir Al-Jaza’iry

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.

Envy is not is not a character of a righteous person. It is not part of the Muslim characteristic and it will not befit as a Muslim. A Muslim should have a love of good for others and behaves unselfishly. Envy is a contradiction to the love of good for others and selflessness. A Muslim does not condone envy but detest the one who practices it. One must acknowledged the distribution of favors by Allāh Subhānahu Wa Ta’ala unto His creatures.

Allāh the Exalted and Glorious says:

"Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord? It is We, Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world. And We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work." (Az-Zukhruf, 43:32)

There are two types of envy, the first is when one person hopes that another person will lose his blessings, and that they will be acquired by him. These blessings may be in his wealth, his knowledge, his status, his power or otherwise. The second type of envy is when he hopes the person loses his blessings, and he does not desire them for himself.

However, wishing to have the like of what someone else has, or to be like somebody else without any harm coming to their blessings is not a form of envy. Allāh's Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

"There should be no envy except of two: a man whom Allāh gives wealth enabling him to spend in the truth, and a man to whom Allāh gives wisdom and he judges with it and teaches others." (Al-Bukhari)

The meaning of wisdom in this Hadith is the Noble Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah. So it is not allowed for anyone to envy anyone else with true envy.

Allāh the Exalted and Glorious says:

"Or do they envy men for what Allāh has given them of His bounty?" (An-Nisa,’ 4:54)

"Out of envy from themselves." (Al-Baqarah, 2:109)

"From the mischief of the envious one when he practices envy." (Al-Falaq, 113:5)

Allāh has categorically condemned the vile quality of envy and strictly prohibited it. Allāh's Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

"Do not harbor a grudge against one another, nor envy one another, nor show enmity; and do not show your backs to one another; be a brotherhood of servants of Allāh. It is not lawful for a Muslim to shun his brother beyond three days."

"Beware of envy because envy consumes the virtues just as the fire consumes the firewood." or he said (grass.) (Abu Dawud)

If a Muslim senses envy within himself, he should attempt to remove it to protect himself and he should feel a sense of rejection for it so that it does not motivate him or influence his behavior. For if he was to speak or act according to it then it will ruin him. If he is amazed by something, he says:

Masha Allāh, lā quwwata illā billāh. "What Allāh wills, there is no strength except of Allāh."

Allāh Knows best.

[Exerpted from “Minhaj al Muslim” published by Darussalam; Via Islamic Network]

The Danger of Envy

Ibn Abdallah

Envy refers to the desire that a person feels for the destruction or removal of a blessing that another person has – a destruction which the bearer of this feeling would himself carry out if he had the power to. This is quite different to wanting such blessings for one while not wishing for them to be removed from others, for that is, indeed, a positive and commendable desire that leads to competition. Competition is not considered blameworthy in general, rather it is considered to be praiseworthy if it is in pursuit of righteousness.

Allah Says: "Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. On adorned couches, observing…You will recognise in their faces the radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete.” [Al-Mutaffifin, 83:22-26].

Allah mentions in the Quran the envy of the disbelievers, the hypocrites and people in general. Speaking about the unbelievers, Allah Says:

“Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from them [even] after the truth has become clear to them…” [Al-Baqarah, 2:109]

Allah also says: “Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?” [An-Nisa, 4:54]

Envy is an evil disease of the heart that leads to foul conduct and bad behaviour. It leads to animosity, thinking evil of the intentions of others, backbiting, tale-bearing, lying, and the abandonment of other Muslims. It may lead its possessor to inflict physical harm on the person whom he envies and can even lead to murder. It is considered to be among the most dangerous and destructive of internal diseases and is the most destructive to a person's religion and worldly life.

The Messenger of Allah SAW said: "Do not envy one another; do not hate one another; do not turn your back on one another (in discontent); (but) be slaves of Allah as brothers." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim].

Allah orders the believers to seek refuge from the evil of the envious person and envy in general when He says:

"And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Al-Falaq, 113:5].

The Messenger of Allah SAW also said: “Indeed envy swallows up good deeds just as fire consumes firewood.” [Ahmad].

There are many stories in the Quran that highlight the dangers and evils of envy. When we read the story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) AS and his brothers, we realise the danger of envy, how it blinds, how it snatches mercy away from the heart, and how it drives its possessor to inflict terrible physical pain on the envied person. Allah Says:

"When they [i.e., the brothers of Yusuf] said: 'Yusuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than we, while we are a clan. Indeed, our father is in clear error. Kill Yusuf or cast him out to [another] land; the countenance [i.e., attention] of your father will [then] be accessible to you, and you will be, after that, righteous people.'" [Yusuf, 12:8-9].

Another story that shows the danger of envy is the story of Habil and Qabil: The Quran tells us about the first son of Adam AS who murdered his brother out of envy, which constituted the first crime ever in which blood was spilt. He envied him because Allah accepted his brother's sacrifice but not his; Allah says:

"And recite to them the story of Adam’s two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter]: 'I will surely kill you.' Said [the former]: 'Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear him]. If you should raise your hand against me to kill me - I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.'… And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers." [Al-Maidah, 5:27-28 & 30].

The blameworthy type of envy is an unrestricted dislike of the blessings bestowed upon the envied. Therefore, when one despises something, he is hurt and grieved by its very existence, and this becomes a sickness in his heart, to the extent that he derives pleasure from the removal of the blessings from the envied - even if this does not result in any benefit to him except having the pain that was in his soul removed.
This pain is not removed except as a result of the envier continuously monitoring the envied so that he would find relief when the blessing is removed, but it can become more severe, as is the case of the one who is suffering from a physical sickness, in that the blessing, or one similar to it, may return to the envied.

The Prophet SAW said: "I swear by the One in whose Hands is my soul! None of you will believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim].

He SAW also said: "There is to be no envy except the desire to attain in the two cases of: a person to whom Allah has granted wisdom, and who rules by this and teaches it to the people; and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property along with the power to spend it in the cause of the Truth." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim].

Ibn `Umar RA added to this from his own narration: "(And) a person to whom Allah has given the Quran and who recites it night and day, and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property from which he gives in charity by night and day."

Envy may occur as a result of enmity, pride, and self-admiration, love of leadership or impurity of the soul. Of these, enmity is the most serious cause, as it leads to malevolence and this, in turn, causes man to thirst for revenge and drives him to gloat over any calamity that may afflict his enemy.

Imam Al-Ghazali said in his book Al-Ihya': "Be aware that envy is one of the deadliest diseases of the hearts, and there is no medicine for the diseases of the heart except through knowledge and deeds. The knowledge that will treat the disease of envy is to know, without any doubt, that envy is lethal for a person's worldly life as well as his religion, and that there is no danger from it to the envied person regarding his life or his religion; on the contrary, the envied person will actually benefit from it. The fact is that envy is actually dangerous for the envier's religion because it is through this envy that he hated Allah’s predestination and the blessings that He divided among his slaves; he also hated His justice that He established in His world due to His Wisdom; therefore, the envier contested that and objected to it. This is contrary to belief in the Oneness of Allah. Additionally, the envier would share with Satan and the rest of the disbelievers a love for crises to befall the believers and for blessings to leave them. These are evils in the heart that devour good deeds and erase them like the night erases the day. The person who suffers from envy in his life is tortured by it, and will always be in sorrow every time he sees the blessings of Allah upon the envied person."

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