[Based on Mufti Taqi Usmani’s writings]
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Beware of envy, for it devours good deeds just as fire devours wood or grass.”
(Abu Dāwūd 4903; grade-Sahih)
Imam Ibn al-Malak commented, “Envy distracts one from engaging in good deeds, or the envier is not content with the decree of Allah, so perhaps he is overtaken by envy, malice, and enmity until he utters words of ingratitude, thereby invalidating his good deeds.” (Sharḥ al-Maṣābīḥ 5/327)
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ عنه said, “Do not be an enemy to the blessings of Allah.” It was said, “Who is an enemy to the blessings of Allah?” Ibn Mas’ud said, “Those who envy people for what Allah has given them by His grace.”
Imam al-Qurtubi commented, “Allah Almighty said in some of His scriptures: The envier is an enemy of My blessings, resentful of My decree, and not pleased with My distribution.” (Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī 4:54)
What is Hasad?
In the terminology of Shariah, Hasad means being so jealous of another person that if he sees that person happy or in comfort, then he feels really upset and unhappy, wishes for him to lose that happiness and comfort, and wants his good fortunes to be reversed.
Hasad is Haraam (unlawful).
The Psychology of Hasad: Why does Hasad arise?
Imam Ghazali Rh has written that Hasad usually arises either from Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity); the person thinking that it was his ‘right’ that all good things should have come to him, and how come did this other person get them? Or, from crookedness of his heart or enmity towards another person, that he feels miserly towards Allah’s blessings, and thinks that just like he does not give anything good to anyone, similarly, Allah Ta’ala should not have given anything good to anyone.
The three degrees of Hasad
Hadhrat Thanavi Rh has said that there are three degrees or stages of Hasad.
- The first stage of Hasad is just an unhappy feeling in the heart that a person develops when he sees something good befalling someone he has an enmity with. To some extent this is beyond a person’s control, and is not a sin as long as the person does not actively start thinking about it.
- The second stage of Hasad is that the thoughts are not passive anymore, rather a person actively starts thinking bad thoughts that why did these good things happen to this person, I wish he loses all these good things, I wish he comes to harm, meaning he now intentionally wants this person to come to harm. This is clearly a sin.
- The third stage of Hasad is that a person not only wants bad things to happen to the person he has an enmity with, but he also starts acting on such thoughts, for example, he starts backbiting against him in front of people to ruin his reputation, plotting to make him lose his job or be denied a promotion, or takes more practical steps to cause him harm.
Treatment of Hasad:
Hasad has a cognitive and a behavioural treatment.
- Cognitive (thought) treatment of Hasad
The cognitive treatment of Hasad is that the jealous person should reflect on the fact that his Hasad is harming only him, it is not causing any harm to the person he is jealous of. Rather, the other person is getting the thawab of the good deeds of the jealous person without making any effort. On the other hand, the jealous person is both miserable and unhappy in this world, and is harming his Aakhirat as well.
The harm to the jealous person’s Deen is that it destroys his good deeds, he loses the thawab of his other Ibadat to the person he is jealous of, and Allah Ta’ala is greatly displeased with him because he is being miserly with Allah Ta’ala’s blessings and does not want anyone else to share Allah Ta’ala’s blessings with him.
- Practical treatment of Hasad (jealousy)
The behavioural treatment of Hasad is that even though his heart desires to malign the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone and bring them harm, but he should suppress this urge ad do the exact opposite of what his Nafs (inner self) wants him to do. He should praise the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone, he should behave with humility in front of him, he should express happiness and pleasure at all the blessings the other person has been granted by Allah Ta’ala, and he should pray regularly that Allah Ta’ala grants the other person even more blessings. When he does all of these initially, he would feel that his heart is being crushed, but when he keeps doing these for a period of time, then he would develop positive feelings for the person he was jealous of, and as his feelings of enmity towards the other person subside, the Hasad will subside too.
