Source: Khutbāt Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Isḥāq Zāhid – Compiled by: Tauheed.com
✦ Envy (Ḥasad): A Destructive Spiritual Disease
Envy (ḥasad) is one of the most dangerous and destructive spiritual diseases of the heart. A person afflicted with it can never live a peaceful life. As some wise men have said:
ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا يَهْنَأُ لِصَاحِبِهَا عَيْشٌ: الْحِقْدُ، وَالْحَسَدُ، وَسُوءُ الْخُلُقِ
“Three things prevent a person from living a pleasant life: hatred, envy, and bad character.”
Ḥasad does not come alone — it gives birth to numerous other spiritual and psychological diseases, such as hatred, hostility, sorrow, grief, anxiety, mental stress, and even anger towards Allah’s decree.
❖ Definition of Ḥasad
Scholars have defined envy (ḥasad) as:
(تَمَنِّي زَوَالِ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْ صَاحِبِهَا)
“To wish for the removal of a blessing from someone.”
(كُرْهُ النِّعْمَةِ عِندَ الْغَيْرِ وَتَمَنِّي زَوَالِهَا)
“To dislike a blessing possessed by someone and desire its loss.”
❖ Practical Examples of Ḥasad
✿ Desiring that someone’s nice watch or clothing be taken away
✿ Wishing someone’s beautiful vehicle be ruined
✿ Feeling irritated at a student’s academic excellence
✿ Being displeased with a scholar, reciter, or businessman’s success
✿ Envying a woman for her beauty or adornments
These examples reveal that ḥasad is essentially a dislike for Allah’s blessings upon others.
❖ Difference Between Ḥasad and Ghibṭah (Admiration)
① Ḥasad:
To wish the blessing be removed from someone — regardless of whether one receives it or not.
② Ghibṭah (Righteous Envy):
To wish for the same blessing without wanting it removed from the other person.
❖ Valid Forms of Ghibṭah (Admiration)
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ…))
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 815]
“Envy is not permitted except in two cases:
① A person whom Allah has given the Qur’an, and he recites it day and night.
② A person whom Allah has granted wealth, and he spends it by day and night.”
This hadith clearly distinguishes between permissible ghibṭah and forbidden ḥasad.
❖ Condemnation of Ḥasad in the Qur’an
﴿أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَىٰ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ﴾
[Surah an-Nisā’: 54]
“Or do they envy others because of what Allah has given them from His bounty?”
﴿وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ…﴾
[Surah al-Baqarah: 109]
“Many of the People of the Book wish to turn you back into disbelievers after you have believed — out of envy from within themselves, even after the truth has become clear to them.”
❖ Condemnation of Ḥasad in Hadith
The Prophet ﷺ said:
((لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا…))
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2563]
“Do not envy one another, do not hate one another… Be brothers, O servants of Allah!”
He ﷺ further described ḥasad as a disease that destroys faith from its roots.
❖ Envy: A Destructive Force With Deadly Consequences
Ḥasad can lead a person to major sins, even to murder — as in the story of Qābīl and Hābīl.
◈ The Story of Qābīl and Hābīl
﴿وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ…﴾
[Surah al-Mā’idah: 27–30]
Allah accepted Hābīl’s sincere sacrifice but not Qābīl’s. Consumed by envy, Qābīl threatened:
﴿لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ﴾
“I will surely kill you.”
Hābīl replied:
﴿إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ﴾
“Indeed, Allah accepts only from the righteous.”
Despite this, Qābīl followed his ego and killed his brother.
❖ Causes of Ḥasad
① Discontent with Allah’s Distribution of Provision
“Allah expands provision for whom He wills…”
[Surah al-ʿAnkabūt: 62]
② Arrogance and Self-Admiration
The envious person feels they deserve the blessing, not others.
③ Hatred in the Heart
Personal dislike leads to wishing ill for others.
④ Inability to Accept Others’ Superiority
Failure to reach another’s rank or talent triggers envy.
⑤ Love of Prestige and Position
Status-based envy — as seen in the case of Abdullāh ibn Ubayy and Quraysh chieftains toward the Prophet ﷺ.
⑥ Love for Wealth
“And indeed, he is severe in love of wealth.”
[Surah al-ʿĀdiyāt: 8]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If the son of Ādam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third…”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6436, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1048]
❖ Harms of Ḥasad
➊ Angering Allah
The envious one expresses dissatisfaction with Allah’s decree.
➋ Constant Depression and Restlessness
His own heart burns before harming others.
Poet says:
“Be patient with the plot of the envious — your patience will kill him.”
➌ Loss of Honor
“The envious can never lead.”
➍ Broken Relationships
Envy ruins families and friendships, like in the case of Yūsuf (ʿalayhis salām).
➎ Hypocrisy
As seen in the heart of Abdullāh ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites.
➏ Leads to Major Sins
Including murder, as in the case of Qābīl and Hābīl.
➐ Cause of Evil Eye
The Prophet ﷺ said:
((الْعَيْنُ حَقٌّ))
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2188]
“The evil eye is real…”
❖ Protection from Evil Eye and Ḥasad
✔ Reciting al-Muʿawwidhatayn (Surah al-Falaq & an-Nās)
✔ Ruqyah (Healing Supplications)
((بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ…))
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2186]
“In the name of Allah, I perform ruqyah upon you…”
((بِسْمِ اللَّهِ يُبْرِيكَ…))
“In the name of Allah, may He cure you…”
❖ Effective Ways to Protect Against the Envious
① Seeking Refuge in Allah
﴿وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ﴾
[Surah al-Falaq: 5]
“And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”
② Adopting Taqwā (Piety)
③ Tawakkul (Reliance) Upon Allah
﴿وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ﴾
[Surah at-Ṭalāq: 3]
④ Being Patient
⑤ Avoid Overthinking About the Envious
⑥ Giving Charity
⑦ Responding With Good Conduct
﴿ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ﴾
[Surah Fuṣṣilat: 34–35]
“Repel evil with what is better…”
⑧ Concealing Blessings
﴿لَا تَقْصُصْ رُءْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ﴾
[Surah Yūsuf: 5]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
((استعينوا على إنجاح الحوائج بالكتمان))
[as-Silsilah aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1453]
“Seek help in fulfilling your needs by concealing them.”
❖ Faith and Envy Cannot Coexist
The Prophet ﷺ said:
((لَا يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ: الْإِيمَانُ وَالْحَسَدُ))
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ: 7620]
“Faith and envy cannot exist together in a servant’s heart.”
✅ Conclusion
If we desire success in this life and the next, we must purify our hearts from envy, hatred, and malice. A true believer is one whose heart is clean, tongue is truthful, and intentions are sincere.
May Allah cleanse our hearts from envy and fill them with love and brotherhood.
Āmīn.
