How Should You Handle Jealousy and Envy?

4 min read

Jealousy causes us to ignore the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us. It causes us to focus on what others have rather than what Allah has provided us. We must remind ourselves that gratitude is an essential component of Islam.

A Negative Feeling

Jealousy has long been recognised as a damaging emotion that should be kept in check or avoided entirely.

Nowadays, life and motivational coaches tell their pupils that jealousy can take you away from your goals. We Muslims understand this because we are constantly confronted with situations and circumstances that appear to be designed to lead us away from God and His commands.

Sometimes we must fight Satan, but other times it is our own ego that causes us to feel envious and therefore lose sight of our place in the world.

A feeling of anger toward someone because of their success or advantages is defined as jealousy. There are two types of jealousy in Islam, and we must distinguish between them.

“Do not envy one another; do not hate one another; do not turn your back on one another, but be slaves of Allah as brothers.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

1- Appropriate Jealousy

There is jealousy that is beneficial and protective, and there is envy.

Good jealousy, or ghibtah in Arabic, is characterised by protectiveness and, at times, by a desire for something that someone else has but not intending to deprive the other person of God’s blessings.

Prophet Muhammad said jealousy of those who are pious or those who have great wealth and are charitable, is a good thing. (Sahih Bukhari)

Assuming, of course, that the envy is completely withThis is providing that the jealousy is totally without malice.

2- Envy

Envy, on the other hand, is the animosity that arises when we want something that legitimately belongs to someone else. It is called in Arabic as hasad. We’re envious of them because they have it and we don’t.

It could be used to describe anything from things to wealth to family to respect to love.

Envy has been described as a heart and soul disease as well as a blight on faith. Prophet Muhammad warned his companions about the pernicious nature of jealousy, warning them to beware of hasad, which would destroy good actions in the same way as fire destroys wood. [3]

One of the things that drew Satan away from God was Hasad. It’s a corrosive mood.

Prophet Muhammad had firsthand experience with the damaging effects of hasad and urged others to be wary of the harm that hasad may cause to both the envier and the envied.

Envy is mentioned in verse five of the second final chapter of the Quran, The Daybreak, as one of the things we should seek God’s protection from. Hasad is one of the most awful things that may affect humans, and it is covered in this chapter.

Burchard tells us to recall and focus on the things that excite us or remind us of what we want to achieve in his lectures.

Read: A Powerful Piece of Advice for High Achievers
Believers desire an eternal place in Paradise, and allowing our feelings of jealousy and envy to run wild will obstruct our unique destinies.

When we are envious of what others have, we are more likely to engage in the most damaging sins, such as backbiting and slander.

Backbiting and slander are two different things, according to Prophet Muhammad:

If what you’ve claimed about your brother is accurate, you’ve backstabbed him. You have slandered him if what you stated about him is false. [4]

Slander is the act of making a false statement; it is a serious crime that should be punished severely. In the Quran, God says:

Those who unjustly defame believing men and women are guilty of slander and committing a clear sin. (33:58)

Envy motivates people to act in ways that they are often aware are not acceptable. It can be difficult for some people to keep their words in check, but it is a trait that we should all strive to avoid.

According to Prophet Muhammad:

A man may say anything without considering the consequences, but as a result, he will be thrown into Hellfire for a distance greater than the distance between east and west. (Sahih Bukhari)

Mistrust Envy is a common source of suspicion. It will cause a person to accumulate sins rather than benefits. Prophet Muhammad forewarned us against such actions, which all stem from or lead to jealousy. He stated, “

Suspicion should be avoided at all costs, as it is the most deceptive of words. Do not listen in on one another’s conversations; do not spy on one another; do not envy one another; do not abandon one another; do not despise one another. (Sahih Muslim)

And God himself urged us to be wary of mistrust.

Suspicion should be avoided at all costs; in fact, some suspicions are sins. And don’t look for it… (49:12 in the Quran)

Envious persons should be avoided, according to Islamic scholars, and we may spot them by their actions. They backbite those they envious while claiming to be glad for them, and they rejoice when the person they envious is in difficulty or misery.

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What Should You Do?

Burchard, a motivational coach, suggests that we deal with jealous or envious people in one of two ways.

Recognize their insecurities and work to overcome them.

If the person who is jealous of you is someone you care about, you can try to validate them by acknowledging their insecurities, as jealousy is a result of insecurities.

Envious people are often wondering why they don’t have what others do. Is it true that I am not attractive? Is it possible that I’m not good enough? You could tell them how important they are to you and how delighted you are to share your good fortune with them, for example. You might also express your love or admiration for them once again.

Ignore them and proceed to walk away.

Second, as previously mentioned, his counsel is to ignore their terrible behaviour and go away.

However, Islam instructs us to despise the sin rather than the sinner. According to Prophet Muhammad:

Whoever wishes to be saved from Hellfire and reach Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treating others as he would like to be treated. (Sahis Muslim)

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