'Let it be known that Allah's people always do good deeds' (qasida 62:11)

This is the motto of this section, which is for talking about the the people of Allah who are the people who are constantly preoccupied with Allah

You can find all special expressions in the Glossary. We need your comments to develop this site for you.

Envy

One of the most dispraised habits, that Allah, Almighty, and His noble Messenger [PPBUH] has always warned us about, is envy. So what is envy? and what is its harms and consequences? We will try to discuss that in the following words:

The true meaning of envy is: feeling sorry for the good things that someone has, and wishing that it would be removed from him. But if you wish for the same good thing while keeping it with its owner; that is ardor, and it is commended; like in science, work, status, and taste or gustatory sense.

Envy is a bad character, but no one is purified of it unless he becomes a Siddiq [a steadfast affirmer of truth]. And all those who has some residues of envy, will not be able to smell the knowledge of Allah. Because when someone finds the divine knowledge of Allah, he will not find no one worthy of envy. They also say: An envious will never prevail. In Hadith, the Prophet [PPBUH] said (envy eats good deeds like when fire eats wood). Imam Fakhreddin [AAH] said:

[The enviers of gifts does not have any escape

in the land we live on, or the sky that covers us] (1/270)

They say that Allah says [The envier is the enemy of my gifts. He unsatisfied with my distribution, that I did between my slaves]. They also recite:

[Verily, say to whoever is envier

Do you know to whom you have been impolite?]

[You have wronged Allah in his doing

since you do not approve what gave me]

[Your retribution, from Him, is the increase for me

and you will not get what you ask for]

The enmity of an envier does not end, and he cannot be cured. He is an unjust but complaining like a victim of injustice. It is true when someone said:

[All enmity may be removed            except for that from envy]

the wise poet said:

[The most unjust of all people, is he who becomes envier

for someone who gave him all his welfare to live in]

Another one said:

[I pity my enviers for how much

their chests contain of grudges]

[They looked at what Allah has done to me, so their eyes

are in heaven while their hearts are in hell]

In the Hadith. the Prophet said (The eye is real. Verily the eye would make a camel enter the the pot, and make the man enter the grave), which is a characteristic of some bad selves.

Imam ibn Ajeeba said in his interpretation "the Expanded Sea": Nothing will help the people of envy and obduracy, not even a miracle or an example. The people of care and faith would not need a miracle, but it would support and insure them more. On the other hand, a miracle would repel the people of envy and obduracy even more.

He also said: the people of envy and obduracy will not be benefited from what we may see of miracles, because envy would cover the light of the insight. So one should leave them in their heedlessness, confusion, and the their thick cover until they would be struck by death. Then they will know the truth, but when this knowledge can not help them, and then there will be regret and sorrow, and of course the eternal torture. They also live in straits all their life with sadness, grief, restlessness, and fright, but most of them do not realize that, because they do not see except those who are like them. And whoever increased his knowledge circle and lived with basil and soul, then he will be absent from them, and they will not be aware of his rank and position.

You should know that only two characteristics that prevent people from goodness, which are: pride and envy. So, whoever purifies his heart of envy, became humble to everyone, will get honor and high rank from Allah in this worldly life and in the hereafter. Allah will not put His special secrets except in a pure humble heart that would make its owner ducks his head to the feet of the men [of Allah], and humbles himself to the people of completeness and purity. In this context the poet says:

[He who blames the drink of love                              Tell him from me, that it is lawful]

[Whoever wants to drink a lot from it,            he lets his chick down to the feet of men]

[I lowered my head with its grey hair       so, the sponsors gave me the fresh pure drink]

The same way Allah knew who to get His message, He also knows whom to get his secrets of saints, who are the humble souls purified from depravities of the selves; like the envy, pride and all the dispraised characteristics.

Some wise men said that the envier harms himself three time:

One is committing sins, as envying is a sin.

Second is the impoliteness with Allah, because an envy in reality is hating Allah's gifts to others, and objection to Allah's doing.

Third is his continuous pain in the heart and lots of sadness and grief.

May Allah guards us against all that, as an envier will be held in the fire of being veiled and the grief of reckoning. On the other hand, getting rid of envy will let you in the paradise of content and submission in the closeness of the beloved, which is the place of rest and safety in both worlds, and the shady shadow. So if you found someone whom Allah granted gifts that was not given to you, you should not envy him, rather you should be satisfied with what you have.

Written by Abdel-Sattar al-Feqy 

Translated by Mohamed

Whoever wants to get more about this, can browse the pages of Sufism in the official site of tariqa Burhaniya.

The Editors Team