MUSLIM VILLA - QURAN ONLY

Category 5 => Commentary / Tafsir of specific Quranic Verses or Quran topics with detailed discussions => Topic started by: Ruhi_Rose on May 10, 2020, 05:50:01 am



Title: Jealousy (حسد)
Post by: Ruhi_Rose on May 10, 2020, 05:50:01 am



(https://i.imgur.com/5MnOjaY.jpg)


As-Salam Alaykum dear all.


Briefly put, jealousy is one of the most negative traits which occurs when people forget to count their own blessings, and instead count the blessings of others. 
 
"And covet not the thing in which Allah hath made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allah of His bounty.   Indeed! Allah is ever Knower of all things."  (4:32).

In Surah Al-Falaq, The Almighty says:

Say, "I seek refuge in the Rab of daybreak, from the evil of that which He created, and from the evil of darkness when it intense, and from the evil of the malignant witchcraft, and from the evil of the envier when he envies." [113: 1-5] 

Jealousy not only destroys the soul of the jealous person, it can also harm the victim from the acts of those who harbor jealousy against them.  This has clearly been highlighted in Surah Al-Falaq, that one of the things regarding which we should seek protection and refuge in Allah is the jealousy that dwells in the hearts of people.  It proves how dangerous and destructive the attitude and approach of a jealous person can be.

In Surah Al-Baqra,  Allah Almighty mentions in at least three Verses:
   
"Neither those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture nor the idolaters love that there should be sent down unto you any good thing from your Rab.   But Allah chooses for His mercy whom He will, and Allah is of Infinite Bounty."  (2:105). 

"Many of the people of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth has become manifest unto them.  Forgive and be indulgent (toward them) until Allah give command.   Indeed! Allah is Able to do all things."  (2:109). 

"Mankind were one community, and Allah sent (unto them) prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed therewith the Scripture with the truth that it might judge between mankind concerning that wherein they differed.   And only those unto whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it, after clear proofs had come unto them, through jealous animosity one of another.   And Allah by His Will guided those who believe unto the truth of that concerning which they differed.   Allah guides whom He will unto a straight path."   (2:213). 


In the light of the above verses, we understand that jealousy is an egoistic trait that originates from inner fear and insecurity.  The fear of losing authority, popularity, recognition, benefits or the self image one cares to portray leads to ego-centrism and consequently resenting the success or the blessings of others.   It could also cause an insecure person to feel threatened by the knowledge and awareness of others.   When jealously gets the better of a person, they tend to stubbornly insist on their view point even if it's proven illogical or wrong.

"And they were not divided until after the knowledge came unto them, through rivalry among themselves;  and had it not been for a Word that had already gone forth from your Rab for an appointed term, it surely had been judged between them."   (42:14).  

Allah Almighty instructs us in the Noble Quran to refrain from jealousy of any kind. 
 
"And strain not your eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoy, the flower of the life of the world, that We may try them thereby.  The provision of your Rab is better and more lasting."   (20:131). 

"O you who believe!  Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), nor let women (deride) women who may be better than they are;  And do not insult one another and do not call each other by (offensive) nicknames.  Wretched is the name of disobedience after Faith."   (49:11). 

A lecture on this topic was also delivered live on Youtube by Usman Qamar of Islamic Foundation of Toronto in the first week of Ramadan this year, explaining the causes of jealousy.   

1)  Enmity:  
One may have animosity against a person or group and not wish well for them. Not necessarily because that person has more money or better home or better job or better clothes etc.  It can also happen just because of one's dislike for another person based on mutual  incompatibility.  

2) Ambition:  
It hurts some folks to see others as more successful than them.  Someone is ambitious and is competing with someone else, and that person achieves the goal but the ambitious one doesn't.   This results in jealousy.  The jealous person sees the prosperity of another person as his or her own loss.   It usually happens in the case of someone you know, that is, someone close to you who achieves something which you don't.   If someone unknown achieves your kind of ambition, you'll rarely feel jealous.  

3) Pride and Arrogance:  
A conceited person whose heart is embedded in pride and arrogance feels jealous to see anyone else going ahead of them or doing better than them.   In this case a person may feel jealous of others even if he or she has achieved their goal yet desire to keep the attention and acknowledgement of others for themselves.   They don't want to see anyone else achieving as much as them or even less than them.  They prefer to see others dumb and foolish.  They want to view everyone else as their trainees or subordinates.  Sharing success is not a part of their agenda because they are afraid of someone else getting smarter than them. 

4) Astonishment:  
Sometimes people are too surprised, too astonished, to realize that someone else has done better than them.  They are often confused and ask themselves, "how come?"   It's a situation that can spark jealousy in them, unless they carefully guard themselves against this evil.   Sometimes a person may not expect to make a success of their own lives;  then suddenly they may learn that someone else has achieved something remarkable (like an excellent job, admission to a renowned academic institute, unexpected & sudden fame or popularity and so on).  They tend to compare themselves with the successful person, observing that they haven't achieved even a fraction of what the other person has acquired probably at a much younger age and in a much shorter time.  Astonishment leads to confusion and they feel uncontrollably jealous.

5) Fear:  
This is like a future cause for jealousy, the fear within an insecure person that someone else might achieve some success.   The jealous person may not be ambitious.  They may not be aspiring for anything in particular nor competing with anyone.  They simply may want a few good things of mundane life, and silently or subconsciously fear within themselves the possibility of someone else getting any of those simple benefits of life.   Such a thought basically arises from a feeling of jealousy and insecurity, and it results in being resentful towards that person.  It's a jealousy that stems from fear beforehand, even if the other person hasn't achieved anything nice.
   
6)  Desire for power & prestige:  
Can also be referred to as narcissism, when a person desires greatness and recognition all for themselves by putting others down.   It's not rare to find people with a strong desire to be powerful and obsessed over attracting the attention of others and getting their respect.  Such people don't hesitate to deride, defame, accuse (tohmat) and backbite (ghibat) to make themselves look better than others.  It's an attitude driven purely by jealousy.

7)  Evil nature and avarice of the heart:  
Some folks just do not want to see others happy and joyous, they just don't enjoy hearing good news, they prefer to see the entire world in misery except themselves.  It's a very strange trait of the mind that exists in some individuals and it definitely sprouts from the underlying aspect of jealousy.  This aspect has also been explained in the Noble Quran in another way, when Allah says:  "And show not favor, seeking worldly gain!"  (74:6).   This is a tendency in several people that comes from the avarice or greed in their hearts.  They would go to any lengths for material prosperity, even showing unnecessary or undeserved favor to others for self benefit.

Thus, one can imagine how many different kinds of transgressions and sins jealousy can lead to. 
 
Jealousy is most common among those with close association in profession, occupation, relation and living vicinity.  For e.g. you won't see a corporate chief or a powerful politician jealous of a factory worker.  This isn't meant to be a condescending statement.  In the Sight of Allah, the factory worker might be much higher with far greater rewards awaiting him on the Day of Judgement.  But the worldly perception of humans is very limited.  Their fears and sense of competition are primarily linked with those of similar status or close relations.   An influential or powerful politician may only develop a feeling of rivalry concerning an ordinary person, if the latter  begins to rise to fame, raising fear in the envious heart of the former.   Needless to say, it's a common scenario in politics today. 

This is one of the important reasons that makes jealousy so dangerous because it deals with the people around you, close to you.  It's the most significant cause why jealousy is so destructive, it destroys relations.   

It's a huge blessing from The Almighty to have selfless families, relatives and close friends who do not harbor jealousy and wish well for all. 

Purification of the heart from jealousy is one of the top requirements for acquiring righteous conduct.  As we strive to improve the quality of our souls, it's incumbent upon us to cleanse it by eradicating the causes of jealousy, replacing those causes with acts of righteousness.  Liberating one's heart from jealousy is truly a feeling of freedom and independence from worldly needs.   Consequently dumping pride and striving for plenty of humility comes with a profoundly comforting feeling of self elevation.   If we help ourselves to purify our souls, Allah Almighty helps to purify us. 

The Almighty mentions the removal of resentment from the hearts of believers as one of their gifts in Paradise:  "And We remove whatever resentment may be in their breasts.  As brethren, face to face, (they rest) on couches raised."  (15:47).  



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Title: Re: Jealousy (حسد)
Post by: Zainab_M on May 12, 2020, 05:59:58 am


This topic is really something to focus on for too many folks out there.  Hasad just ruins relations, a scourge that leeches on to the envier.   I would mention one more cause for hasad, that is, when people are embedded in this dunya disregarding the fact that its temporary and are unable to look beyond this world.  If one's approach is such that for them this world feels the only place they have, their greed for money, power, attention and the best things in life will deepen.  They will be in a rush to grab everything, because they think once earthly life is over there's nothing beyond that.   It will also create feelings of competitiveness with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues and jealousy will become  a common feature of their mentality at every step of their lives.   One often needs to handle such folks carefully, making sure you don't give them any good news concerning yourself or others. 

May we seek protection in Allah Almighty from the scourge of hasad.