What Is Envy (Hasad) in Islam? Definition, Ruling, and Hadiths
A Qur'anic Verse About Envy:
وَمِنْ
شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ اِذَا حَسَدَ
Translation:
"And from the evil of the
envier when he envies."
(Surah Al-Falaq, Verse 5)
What Is Envy
Definition
Envy (Hasad) means that when a
person sees a blessing with someone else, he wishes that the blessing should be
taken away from that person, even if he does not receive it himself. If he has
the power to take that blessing away, he would do so. Therefore, Allah Almighty
has commanded us to seek protection from envy.
The
Difference Between Envy and Positive Jealousy (Ghibtah) and Their Rulings:
If a person sees a blessing with
someone else and wishes that the other person keeps that blessing while Allah
Almighty also grants the same blessing to him, this is called Ghibtah
(positive jealousy).
Ghibtah is permissible, while envy
(Hasad) is forbidden (Haram).
Hadiths:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be
pleased with him) narrated that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) said:
"Avoid envy, for envy consumes
good deeds just as fire consumes wood."
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 4903)
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be
pleased with him) also narrated that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) said:
"The dust raised in the cause
of Allah and the heat of Hell will never be combined in the stomach of a
believer, and faith and envy will never be together in the heart of a servant
of Allah."
(Sunan An-Nasa'i, Hadith No. 3106)
The
First Sin:
Envy was the first sin committed in
disobedience to Allah in the heavens, and it was also the first sin committed
in disobedience to Allah on the earth.
Iblis envied Hazrat Adam (peace be
upon him), and Qabil envied Habil.
Satan's
Envy of Hazrat Adam (Peace Be Upon Him)
Verse
وَ
اِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلٰٓىٕكَةِ اسْجُدُوْا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوْۤا اِلَّاۤ
اِبْلِیْسَؕ-قَالَ ءَاَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِیْنًاۚ
Translation:
"And remember when We said to
the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam.' They all prostrated except Iblis. He said,
'Shall I prostrate to one whom You created from clay?'"
(Surah Al-Isra, Verse 61)
Satan said that he was created from
fire, while Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) was created from clay. Therefore,
he believed that he was better than Adam and refused to prostrate before him.
Allah Almighty had honored Hazrat
Adam (peace be upon him) by making him His vicegerent (Khalifah) on earth.
Satan could not bear this honor and became envious of Hazrat Adam.
Qabil's
Envy of Habil:
Verse
فَطَوَّعَتْ
لَهٗ نَفْسُهٗ قَتْلَ اَخِیْهِ فَقَتَلَهٗ فَاَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخٰسِرِیْنَ
Translation:
"Then his soul encouraged him
to kill his brother, so he killed him and became one of the losers."
(Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 30)
In the same way, Qabil killed his
brother Habil because of envy.
The
Harms Caused by Envy:
- An envious person feels envy toward everyone who has
been blessed with any favor.
- An envious person is not pleased with the way Allah has
distributed His blessings.
- An envious person dislikes Allah's favor upon others,
even though Allah grants His favor to whomever He wills.
- An envious person wishes that the blessings of the
friends of Allah (Awliya Allah) should be taken away from them.
- An envious person follows the path of Iblis.
Source:
Tibyan al-Qur'an, Commentary on Surah
Al-Falaq.
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