The Fire Within

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the All-Compassionate
“May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You”

Praise be to Allah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam ‘ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu

It is a major cause of suspicions, malice, enmity, and hatred. It often leads to gossip, slander, character assassination, and even murder. It is the fire within…the fire
called JEALOUSY.

It was the first sin committed on earth when the son of Prophet Aadam (AlaihisSalaam), Qabil, became jealous of his brother Habil. It eventually led him to murder Habil. Therefore, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has severely warned against this malady of the heart, which destroys the fabric of society.

Hope He Has An Accident
Hasad (jealousy) occurs when one sees another person bestowed with some bounty and desires that the person should be deprived of it. For instance, one sees someone who has more wealth, beauty, intelligence, or any other such bounty and begins to “burn” within his heart over the person who has been blessed. He then wishes that the blessing be snatched away from him in some way.

He hopes that the person will have an accident or that someone will rob him of his wealth, etc. Much worse than this is to desire that a person be deprived of any bounty of Deen.

For instance, a person is pious, or he is blessed with the Quran in his heart or the knowledge of Deen, or he has been blessed with making some efforts for Deen. Upon witnessing these blessings upon him, one now desires that they should be snatched away from him. This is a grave crime.

Objection Against Allah Taala
To desire that somebody be deprived of the blessings which Allah Taala has bestowed upon him is tantamount to a direct objection against Allah Taala. The jealous person is actually objecting against Allah Taala, that the person who was granted that blessing was not deserving of it, so why was it given to him? It should rather have been given to the objector! The severity of this crime is thus evident.

Hence Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Hasad destroys one’s good deeds just as fire consumes wood.” [Abu Dawood]

In another narration, it is described as something that “shaves off” one’s good deeds.

Miserable
Hasad not only destroys one’s Hereafter. The immediate punishment in this world is that the jealous person is constantly ‘burning’ from within. He simply cannot see the next person happy, hence he is always miserable. Happiness remains far away from him.

Hasad is, therefore, among the most foolish crimes to commit. One destroys his happiness in this world and his rewards in the hereafter, yet he gains nothing in return. One desires the destruction of another person, but in the process only brings destruction to oneself.

Having realized that hasad is a serious disease, one should treat this malady with utmost urgency. Among the ways of removing hasad from the heart are the following:

• Ponder over the harm you are doing to yourself and the utter foolishness of your action. The only thing that you will achieve is misery. Your evil desire is not going to change anything except to make you burn from within and to destroy your good deeds.

• Praise the person you are jealous of in front of others. Do this even though you have to force yourself to do it.

• Make dua for the person you are jealous of as much as possible. Ask Allah Taala to protect the person’s bounties for him, increase them, and grant him barakah therein.

• Make salaam to him often

• Occasionally give him some gift.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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).

“Whoever finds in himself any hasad towards another has to try to neutralize it by means of taqwa (piety, consciousness of Allah) and sabr (patience). So he should hate that (the feeling of hasad) in himself…

But the one who does wrong to his brother by word or deed will be punished for that.

The one who fears Allah and is patient, however, is not included among the wrongdoers, and Allah will benefit him by his taqwa.”

Insha Allah, by adopting the above remedies, the terrible evil of jealousy will be cleansed from one’s heart. One will also find happiness in this world, and one’s good deeds will not be destroyed.