people of allah - Envy 2

Envy 2



We talked last issue about envy as one of the most dispraised habits. We also talked about the envier and what would be prepared for him of torture due to his envy, disobedience for Allah Almighty's orders, and for not having the good manners that keeps us away from such bad dispraised manners. One of the good manners, that makes us invulnerable to envy, is what Allah described about the companions of the generous Messenger, sayyduna Mohammad [PPBUH], where He says [and those who had established their home in this city before them and had accepted faith, love those who immigrated to them, and find not in their breasts any desire for that which is given them, but prefer the refugees to themselves, even though poverty be their own lot. And whoso is rid of the covetousness of his own self, it is these who will be successful] al-Hashr 59:9.

These are their attributes; all of them. This verse was descended for Ansar, people of Madina. Allah first described them by [love those who immigrated to them]. Love is a noble meaning that takes man away from vice to virtue. Love made Ansar share equally with Muhajirin [the immigrants] their money, their homes and even wives for those who had two wives. So one Ansar would divorce one of his wives for one of Muhajirin to marry her. This love in the hearts of Ansar, to their brothers Muhajirin, came because of their immigration, their love for faith and support for religion.

They never found in their hearts any bad feelings towards the needs of Muhajirin. Out of generous selves, they willingly gave them all their needs. Therefore, Allah described them as [prefer the refugees to themselves]. They prefer Muhajirin to themselves [even though poverty be their own lot]. When the Prophet won the money of Bany Al-Nadir, he said to Ansar (You have two options: either to share with Muhajirin your houses and money and, in return, share with them the spoils of war or to keep your houses and money, and, in return, not to share with them the spoils of war). Ansar chose to share with Muhajirin their houses and money, and, at the same time, not to share with them the spoils of war. So when this verse was descended it described their. They preferred Muhajirin to themselves, and this means that the worldly life came out of their hearts. When the worldly life comes out of one's heart, his heart does not look for what it missed or love what it had. One generously gives what he had, even if he needs it.

This verse indicates the purity of their hearts and the generosity of their selves. This was the description of all the Prophet's companions. With these two attributes, they excelled all other people. These are also the manners of the Imams of Sufi people of Allah at all times. What good manners! If people nowadays entertain those attributes, no man will be hungry or poor. But the cursed Satan doesn't leave man alone. By time, he took us away from these two attributes which would have left no place for envy, hatred, or enmity among us. Preferring your brother to yourself closes in front of Satan a very important door. The door is: why do not I have what my brother has?

These were the companions of the best human being; the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]'s companions, giving an example of self-denial to all human beings. So did we get their advice?!

The Prophet has warned us against these bad attributes; he said (My nation will have the disease of all nations). They asked "what is this disease?" He replied (Forgetting Allah, getting busy with reproduction, competition in the worldly life and envy, until there will be oppression then chaos). In another hadith, he said (There are enemies to the gifts of Allah). They said "who are they?" He replied (Those who envy people for what Allah has given them).

Al-Imam Al-Sayouti wrote, in Jama' al-Jawami', a speech narrated by ibn Mas'oud: The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said (Be careful of arrogance! It was the reason Satan refused to fall prostrate to Adam. Be careful of greediness! It was the reason Adam ate from the tree. Be careful of envy! It was the reason Adam's son killed his brother. These are the root of all sins).

Abo Bakr ibn Abdullah narrated that there was a man who used to come to a king, and stand in front of him and say "Reword whoever is good to you, by being good to him. But don't punish whoever is bad to you, as his badness will do that for you"! Another man envied this man for his speech and his standing with the king, so he went to the king and said "the man who stands before you and say those words is saying that your mouth has a bad smell". The king wondered how this could be true. The envier said "Bring him close to you, and you will see him put his hand over his mouth in order not to smell your bad mouth smell". The king told the eniver to leave until he see that, so he left the king, invited the man to his house and introduced to him some food that contained garlic. The man left and went to the king as usual, and said his words "Reword whoever is good to you, by being good to him. But don't punish whoever is bad to you, as his badness will do that for you"! The king asked him to get closer, so the man put his hand over his mouth in order for the king not to smell the garlic. This made the king believe what was said to him. The king, who used not write with his hand anything but a reword, wrote with his hand a letter and gave it to him and told him to give it to one of his servants. The king wrote in the letter "If the carrier of this letter comes to you, slaughter him, skin him, stuff his skin with hay, and send it back to me". The man left, carrying the letter, and, on his way, he met the envier who asked about what he was carrying. He told the envier that it was a gift written by the king himself and sent to one of his servants. The envier asked the man to let him have that king's reword. The man gave the envier the letter, as a gift from himself. The envier carried the letter to the servant, and therefore, the servant told him what was written in the letter. The envier said that it was not his letter and that the servant should wait and ask the king. The servant said that the king's letter is not to be checked. Then the servant killed the envier, skinned him, stuffed him, and sent him back. The man returned to the king as usual and said what he used to say. The king wondered and asked him what he has done with the letter. The man said: "The so-and so man met me - he named the envier - and asked me for your gift, so I gave it to him". The king said: "That man told me that you said my mouth smells". The man said: "I did not". The king asked him: "Then why did you put your hand over your mouth"? The man said: "Because he fed me some food that contained garlic, and I hated that you may smell it". The king said "You are right! You come back to your place. As the badness of the bad man saved us his trouble".

See where envy led the envier to! May Allah save us from envy and all the bad things.



Written by Abdel-Sattar al-Feqy

Translated by Nahed Aboel-Hasan
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