In most cases envy occurs
between contemporaries, peers, brothers and cousins, because of the
conflicting goals (or aims) of everyone which lead to discord and
enmity. And due to this, you will find a scholar envying another
scholar, but he will not envy a worshipper; a worshipper envying
another worshipper, but he will not envy a scholar; a trader envying
another trader and a cobbler envying another cobbler etc… because
they have conflicting goals (or aims). The basis of this affair is
due to love of the worldly things, for indeed the worldly things are
restricted for those who compete for it; but as for the afterlife,
there is no restriction within it, for indeed the one who loves
knowledge and awareness of Allah, knowledge and awareness regarding
Allah’s angels, Allah’s Prophets and Allah’s Mighty Dominion
over the heavens and the earth, he will not envy others after being
acquainted with these affairs, because they (i.e. those who are
acquainted with these affairs) are not restricted by one another;
rather one particular individual scholar is known by thousands of
scholars and they rejoice due to the understanding he has.
This is why there is no
envy between the (upright) scholars of the religion, because their
aim is to acquire knowledge and awareness of Allah, which is a vast affair. Their
(i.e. the upright scholars) goal is to acquire a high status in the
sight of Allah and that which Allah has kept in the afterlife is
unlimited, because Allah’s loftiest blessing is the pleasure of
meeting Him, which can neither be prevented nor restricted, nor can
some competitors in the affair make it restricted for others; rather
harmony increases as the competitors increase; but if wealth and
status becomes the goal of the scholars, they will envy one another.
The difference between
knowledge and wealth is that wealth does not remain in the hands of
one person; but as for knowledge, it settles in the heart of a
scholar and in the heart of the one taught by the scholar, whilst
still remaining in the heart of the scholar. Therefore, whoever
contemplates on the Greatness of Allah and His Mighty Dominion (i.e.
by pondering upon what Allah has created and the revelation He has
sent down), it will become the greatest pleasure for him than every
other blessing, because neither can he be prevented nor restricted in
that. And he will not harbour any envy in his heart towards anyone,
because if others were acquainted with what he is acquainted with, it
will still not reduce his pleasure in the affair.
You do not find people
overcrowding to view the beauty of the sky because it is vast and
unrestricted; therefore, if you are merciful to yourself, then it is
obligated on you to seek after a bliss in whose path there is no
obstruction and a pleasure that will not cease (i.e. the competition
for this worldly life is restricted for its competitors and will come
to an end, whereas the afterlife is unrestricted). And this cannot be
found in this worldly life, except by acquainting oneself with
knowledge and awareness of Allah and the amazing nature of His
Dominion (over everything).
However, if you do not
yearn to acquaint yourself with knowledge and awareness of Allah and
your desire is weak, then neither will you find it nor its pleasure.
Therefore, you’re not man enough, because this affair is that of
men, for indeed yearning for something occurs after experiencing (or
tasting) it. The one who has not tasted will not know, the one who
does know will not yearn, the one who does not yearn will not seek,
the one who does not seek will not find (anything), and the one who
does not find (anything) will be amongst those who are deprived.
Know that envy is a great
disease of the hearts and the diseases of the hearts are not cured
except with knowledge and action. The beneficial knowledge for curing
envy is to know that in reality envy is harmful to your Religious and
worldly affairs, and the envied one is neither harmed in his
Religious nor worldly affairs; rather he is benefited by it.
Blessings do not cease from the person you envy.
And
even if you were not a
believer in the resurrection, this would still have necessitated a
realization–if you are sensible–to be mindful of envy due to the
pain it brings to the heart as well as (having) no benefit; then how
about when you know of its punishment in the afterlife.
And the clarification of
our statement: Indeed the envied one is neither harmed in his
Religious nor worldly affairs, rather he is benefited by it in his
Religious and worldly affairs: That is because the blessings Allah
has decreed for him will continue until the end of his lifespan and
there is no harm upon him in the hereafter (due to being envied)
because he has not committed any sin in that; rather he is benefited
by it because he is someone receiving oppression from you, especially
if the envy comes out through speech and action.
As for the benefit in the
worldly life (i.e. the benefits of being envied), it is because the
most important aim of the creation is (to witness) the grief of an
enemy and there is no punishment greater than the (blameworthy) envy
you find in yourself. If you contemplate on what we have mentioned,
you will know that you are indeed an enemy to yourself– a friend of
your enemy (within yourself). Your likeness is nothing other than
that of a person who threw a stone at his enemy to kill him, but he
could not harm him and the stone bounced back on his right eye and
plucked it out. So his anger increased and he -again- threw a stone
harder than the first one, but it bounced back on his other eye and
plucked it out. So his rage increased and he threw a third stone, but
it bounced back on his head and broke it, whilst his enemy is safe
and laughing at him. This is a knowledge base cure (for envy). If a
person reflects upon this, the inferno of envy will be extinguished
from his heart.
As for beneficial action
(to help cure envy), then it is to make binding upon oneself to
destroy what envy commands one to do. If it arouses him towards
hatred and defamation of the one who is envied, he should make it
binding upon himself to praise and extol him. If it makes him
arrogant, he should make it binding upon himself to be humble towards
him (i.e. the one envied); and if it makes him block favours from
reaching him, he should make it binding upon himself to increase in
giving him favours. And there were a group of the Salaf who whenever
it reached them that a person backbit them, they would give him (i.e.
the back bitter) a gift. These are very beneficial remedies for envy.
[An excerpt from:
Mukhtasar Minhaajil Qaasideen]
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said:
Allah said: “The mutual rivalry for
piling up of worldly things diverts you, Until you visit the graves
(i.e. till you die).” [102:1-2]
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim stated
about this mutual rivalry: It is everything a slave piles up in
rivalry against others (with regards to things of) the worldly life,
such as wealth, prestige, (ownership) of slaves, construction of
buildings or growing crops; or knowledge by way of which Allah’s
Face is not sought; or deeds through which (one does not seek) to get
close to Allah. All this is from mutual rivalry in piling up of
worldly things, which diverts (a person) from Allah and the home of
the Afterlife.
[Source: ( بدائع
التفسير الجامع لما فكره الإمام ابن قيم
الجوزية) Vol 3. pg. 355]
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