Envy [Hasad]

Envy (Hasad) means resenting the blessings of Allah that are enjoyed by the one who is envied, and wishing that it be taken away. In other words, the envier wishes that the blessing be taken away from the one whom he envies, whether the blessing comes to him or not.

So the envier resents the blessing of Allah and wishes that it be taken away, and he may even make efforts to take it away.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah sallallau alaihe wassallam said: “My Ummah will be stricken with the disease of the other nations.” They said: “What is the disease of the other nations?” He sallallau alaihe wassallam said: “Insolence, arrogance, accumulation (of wealth), competition in worldly gains, mutual hatred and envy, until there will be wrongdoing and then killing.”

The issue of the evil eye includes all people, even those who are righteous if they do not pay attention to it, whereas envy is limited to certain people. Hence the envious person has certain characteristics by which he/she may be distinguished, such as the way he/she looks and smiles, the expression on his/her face, and the way he/she speaks. All of that points to what is in his/her heart. Whatever a person conceals in his/her heart will inevitably show on his/her face and through slips of the tongue, in the way he/her looks and smiles, and in all his movements and expressions.

By His wisdom, Allah has made man’s face a mirror which reflects the thoughts that are hidden in his mind and heart. The effects of sickness are seen in the sick man’s face, and the sorrow of one who is grieving and depressed shows on his face, and the good health of one who is sound is reflected on his face. If a person is happy and content, his hidden thoughts show on his face and through slips of the tongue. If a believer is true and sincere in his faith and humble before the Most Merciful, and reads the Qur’an frequently, that joy and light will show on his face; his nature will be humble and kind, and his speech will be polite and noble. The opposite is also true: the effects of an evildoer’s immoral actions and sin will be reflected in his face and in slips of the tongue, even if he outwardly resembles those who are righteous.

By the same token, the envier who resents the good things that people have and wishes that the blessings of Allah be taken away, is sick at heart and lacking in faith. No matter how much he tries to conceal what he feels inwardly, he will soon let out the envy that he feels.

So how to recognize the envier? Well we will discuss this in the next email insha Allah.

May Allah SWT protect all of us.

By: Sister Zakia Usmani – Author of “The Path to Successful Relationships” and “Let’s do the right thing!”