The Fire Within

[ummtaalib]

The Fire Within
 

 

It is a major cause of suspicions, malice, enmity and hatred. It often leads to gossip, slander, character assassination and even murder. It is the fire within…the fire called JEALOUSY. It was the first sin committed on earth when the son of Hazrath Aadam (AlaihisSalaam), Qabil, became jealous over his brother Habil. It eventually lead him to murder Habil. Therefore, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has severely warned against this malady of the heart which destroys the fabric of society.

HOPE HE HAS AN ACCIDENT

Hasad (jealousy) occurs when one sees another person bestowed with some bounty and desires that the person should be deprived of it. For instance, one sees someone who has more wealth, beauty, intelligence or any other such bounty and begins to “burn” within his heart over the person who has been blessed. He then wishes that the blessing be snatched away from him in some way. He hopes that the person has an accident, or that someone should rob him of his wealth, etc. Much worse than this is to desire that a person be deprived from any bounty of Deen. For instance a person is pious, or he is blessed with the Qur’an in his heart or the knowledge of Deen, or he has been blessed with making some efforts for Deen. Upon witnessing these blessings upon him one now desires that they should be snatched away from him. This is a grave crime.

OBJECTION AGAINST ALLAH TA’ALA

To desire that somebody be deprived of the blessings which Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon him is tantamount to a direct objection against Allah Ta’ala. The jealous person is actually objecting against Allah Ta’ala, that the person who was granted that blessing was not deserving of it, so why was it given to him? It should rather have been given to the objector! The severity of this crime is thus evident.

Hence Rasulullah (sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said: “Hasad destroys one’s good deeds just as fire consumes wood.” In another narration it is described as something that “shaves off” one’s good deeds.

MISERABLE

Hasad does not only destroy one’s Hereafter. The immediate punishment in this world is that the jealous person is constantly ‘burning” from within. He simply cannot see the next person happy, hence he is always miserable. Happiness remains far away from him. Hasad is therefore among the most foolish crimes to commit. One destroys his happiness in this world and his rewards in the hereafter, yet he gains nothing in return. One desires the destruction of another person but in the process only brings destruction to oneself.

Having realised that hasad is a serious disease, one should treat this malady with utmost urgency. Among the ways of removing hasad from the heart are the following:

- Ponder over the harm you are doing to yourself and the utter foolishness of your action. The only thing that you will achieve is misery. Your evil desire is not going to change anything except to make you burn from within and to destroy your good deeds.

- Praise the person you are jealous over in front of others. Do this even though you have to force yourself to do it.

- Make dua for the person you are jealous of as much as possible. Ask Allah Ta’ala to protect the person’s bounties for him, increase it and grant him barakah therein.

- Make salaam to him often

- Occasionally give him some gift.

Insha Allah by adopting the above remedies, the terrible evil of jealousy will be cleaned from one’s heart. One will also find happiness in this world and one’s good deeds will not be destroyed.

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