Let’s be honest with ourselves. We all Fall a Victim of Envy or Hasd or Jealousy in Islam; daily or at some point in our lives. And we also wonder what is Hasd, jealousy or Envy in Islam and we also keep wondering what are the symptoms of Hasd.
Here are some examples of Envy –
1) A Woman is envious of another Woman for her Beauty.
2) A man is full of jealousy for of his coworker for his Success in the office.
3) Parents showing symptoms of Envy for the success of their relatives’ children in academics.
4) A girl having symptoms of jealousy for her classmate for her getting more attention for her ostensible outlook.
4) A boy getting jealous of his friend for he is more popular in sports. etc
5) A mother getting jealous of another woman for the success/beauty or abundance of another woman’s children.
6) A man jealous of another man for the beauty his spouse or by the success of his relationship.
They may sound harsh cases but let’s be cognizant of the reality that we feel such baser emotions, despite how much we detest and dislike them.
After all, we are all humans and ” To Err is Human & to forgive Divine”.
So all of us Err and one or other time in our lives become a victim of what we call jealousy in Islam and then show symptoms of hasad.
Can you relate to any of these cases we stated above?
How Serious of a Problem is Hasad?
Hasad is a very serious problem for both the Sufferer and the Victim. The one suffering from hasad keeps on bulldozing his inner peace and keeps boiling and embroiling in an endless chain of fit and rage. While, on the other hand, the person who is a victim of jealousy ( one who is being Envied ) can become a Victim of EVIL EYE.
Let’s Study a Few Narrations in understanding it deeper –
Prophet Muhammad ( Saw) said :
“There has come to you the disease of the nations before you, jealousy and hatred. This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer); I do not say that it shaves hair, but that it shaves (destroys) faith. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of that which will strengthen love between you? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves.” (A hasan hadeeth. Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi, 2434).
5 Emotions Which are the Root Cause of Envy / Jealousy in Islam
Certain emotions lead us into the habit of Envy. Hence we need to keep a check if we are struggling with one or more of these emotions.
Pride In Arabic, pride is termed as ” Kibr”. A person suffering from ” unchecked Ego ” or pride cannot handle the success and blessings of another person and falls a victim of Hasad or Ego.Imam Ali (a) said: “Envy is a great trap of Satan.” (Al-Amadi, Gharar al-Hakam wa darar al-Kalam,
hadith no. 1133)
Enmity: Enmity caused by deep-seated feelings of anger, revenge or some unsettled emotional turmoil can verily lead to jealousy.
Viciousness Of Nature A Person sometimes gives into his Naf-e-Ammarah ( lower Self ) or submits to the commands of the Devil which in turn makes him a carrier of Hasd.
Fear: The envious man ( Hasud) holds a grudge in his heart for the person being Envied ( Mashud) and is afraid that he shall be inflicted with some pain, punishment. As a result of fear, he envies the status, post, or stature which the Mashhud enjoys and wants him to be strip off his position.
Wonder: Sometimes a person gets embroiled in the sickness of Jealousy by an unsettling condition of WONDER. He wonders how the other person is enjoying this Respect or popularity or Acceptance while I am the one who should be in possession of these gifts. This state of Awe & Wonder slips him into the blind valley of envy.
How to Check if a Person is a Hasid?
Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (a) said that Luqman (a) said to his son: “There are three signs of a Hasid:
(1) He is a backbiter at the back
(2) He is a flatterer in front and
(3) He is happy when a misfortune befalls (the envied).
(Al-Saduq, Al-Khisal, p. 121, hadith no. 113)
Cure For Jealousy in Islam
1) Always make this Dua in your prayers and ask Allah ( swt) to rid you from this disease
“Wa’hdi qalbi wa’slul sakheemata sadri
(guide my heart and remove ill will from my breast).”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say the same du’aa in his prayers.
2) Understand that Allah (swt ) gives whomever he Wills and we are nobody to question that division of blessings and gifts. Sometimes the riches and blessings are a Form of test from Allah (swt) and if that person fails in that test, then he shall be held accountable for that. Let’s try to understand it further from the below ayaat –
That is the Grace of Allaah which He bestows on whom He wills
[al-Maa’idah 5:54]
“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
[al-Zukhruf 43:32]
3) Always Say Masha-Allah when you see a person enjoying a blessing and if some ill thought passes your mind. Try to be happy for them. If you can are not able to do this, then send gifts to them. Shower them with mercy, love, and compassion. This shall slowly take the rancor and ill feelings away from your heart and fill you with love and compassion for the person you are envying.
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of that which will strengthen love between you? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves.” (Narrated by Muslim, 81).
4) Try to spot his virtues and think that these are gifts of Allah on him. In the start, you may have to fake doing it. You shall feel artificial at doing this but you need to keep doing it. Remeber, your goal is to rectify yourself, so you must do anything which strikes your Nafs. Slowly but surely you shall gain command over your affinity to get jealous and envious from others Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Shake hands, for this will dispel rancor, and exchange gifts and love one another, for this will dispel hatred.” (Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’, 1413).
5) Remember Every one faces and struggles with such feelings . Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “Nobody is free from hasad, but the noble person hides it whilst the base person shows it.” (Amraad al-Quloob).
If you ever find yourself struggling with such feelings then seek Refuge in Allah (swt) from the ill doings of Shaytan. And try to engage yourself in positive activities rather. Don’t let your mind stay idle for an Idle Mind is a devil’s playground.
Remember, A person will not be Judged or punished by Allah for whatever crosses his mind, but he will be brought to justice only for what he says and does. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Allaah will forgive my ummah for their mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 2033).
Permissible Forms of Envy in Islam / Hasad in Islam
There are a few cases in which envy is allowed in Islam. Let’s take a closer look.
1) Envy from the Generous & a Preacher of Good Deeds
As narrated by Abdullah Ibn Masud, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“Only these two people should be envied:
One is the person who spends all the wealth Allah gave him on the path of righteousness, and the other is the person who judges with the knowledge Allah gave him and teaches it to others.” (Buhari, İlim 15)
2) Protective Jealousy of a Man towards His Wife / Females in his family
Saad bin Ubada, a companion of The Prophet, said, “If I saw a man with my wife, I would strike him (behead him) with the blade of my sword.”
This news reached Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) who then said, “You people are astonished at Saad’s Ghirah. By Allah, I have more Ghirah than he, and Allah has more Ghirah than I, and because of Allah’s Ghirah, He has made unlawful shameful deeds and sins (adultery) done in open and in secret.
It is in the nature of a man to feel concerned and envied when he sees the honor of his family at stake. This form of protective jealousy is allowed in Islam and is actually an inborn quality in men on account of being delegated with the role of protectors of the family by the divine.
Here is another Authentic Hadees which sheds light on the Permission of Ghirah
Asma bint Abu Bakr narrates, “When az-Zubayr married me, he had neither land nor wealth nor slave”, so Asma had to do all the household stuff . “And I used to carry on my head,” she says, “the date-stones from the land of az-Zubair which Allah’s Messenger had endowed him and it was a distance of two miles from Madinah.
One day, as I was carrying the date-stones upon my head, I happened to meet Allah’s Messenger, along with a group of his Companions. He (pbuh) called me and told the camel to sit down so that he (pbuh) could make me ride behind him. I felt shy to go with men and I remembered az-Zubair and his Ghirah and he was a man having the most Ghirah. The Messenger of Allah understood my shyness and left.
I came to az-Zubair and said, “The Messenger of Allah met me as I was carrying date-stones upon my head and there was with him a group of his Companions. He told the camel to kneel so that I could mount it, but I felt shy and I remembered your Ghirah.”
So Asma declined the offer made by The Prophet (pbuh). Upon this az-Zubair said, “By Allah, the thought of you carrying date-stones upon your head is more severe a burden on me than you riding with him.” ~ Bukhari 67/157