Reasons for Hasad (1/2)

1. Enmity and Hatred

When one is hurt by another for any reason or he goes against his interests, then he hates him and will have malice for him in his heart. Malice produces the urge for revenge. When he sees the other person undergoing a hardship, he enjoys it and further thinks that Allah has done it to him as an ell.il reward.

Anytime the person is blessed with a gift he grieves. So, Hasad produces enmity and hatred. When you hate a person, it is impossible that you would care if that person is having a good time or a bad time.

2. Arrogance and Conceit

A good example of this is when a person attains wealth or a good position and another would hate that, and fear that the former would get ahead of him or would have a degree over him. So he envies him and has too much pride to see the other equal to or above him. This is similar to the Hasad of the disbelievers in the Prophet (Peace be upon him), as Allah said:

"And they say: 'Why is not this Qur'an sent down to some great man of the two towns?'" (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:31)

And similar to what was said about the believers:

"Is it these that Allah has favoured from amongst us?" (Surah Al-An’am 6:53)

Another Ayah states:

"You are only human beings like ourselves." (Surah Ya-Sin 36:15)

And in Surah Al-Mu'minum:

"If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily, you indeed would be losers." (Surah Al-Mu'minum 23:34)

These people were conceited and had too much pride to see others receiving the Message, and as a result envied those receiving the Message.

3. Love of Leadership and Glory

This is like a person who wants to be at the top in a certain field as he is overwhelmed with love for praise. Because of the praise received, he thinks that he is the best ever in what he does. When he learns of someone similar to him even in another comer of the world, he is disturbed and wishes that the other person dies or loses the bounty that he shares with him, whether it be knowledge, bravery, wealth, profession or even an act of worship. This is a result of the love of being without peer and incomparable. The scholars amongst the Jews used to deny the knowledge of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and didn't believe in him as a result of their fear of losing leadership.

4. Selfish Evil and Misery

Some people may not have pride and do not look for leadership, but when they hear about good things happening to others, they grieve and become sad. And when they learn about hardships or adversities, they enjoy that. They always love to see people in a bad state as if the people are taking the wealth or the gifts from their properties or treasures. A scholar once said:  "The Bakhil is the one who is stingy with his wealth and the Shahih is the one who is stingy with other people's wealth." The cure for this kind of defect is very hard because this quality has no reason except the evil nature of the person and it is difficult to cure.

My dear Muslim brother, Hasad can be present for any of these reasons. It usually occurs among peers, kith and kin etc., because people with a commonness may compete, which in tum may result in a mutual repulsion and hatred.

The 'Fruits' of Hasad

When anger has to be repressed because of an incapability of taking revenge at the time of the occurrence, it builds inside and becomes malice. Malice, in tum, produces eight things:

1. Hasad: for malice drives one to wish that the gift be removed from another. The Hasid grieves when another is blessed with a gift and has joy when the other is touched with an adversity. Such is the act of hypocrites.

2. There is an increase of Hasad within the self so that one rejoices when the other person undergoes a hardship.

3. Abandoning and detaching oneself from the other person even if he comes seeking friendship.

4. Turning away from him, disregarding him and putting him down. One usually sees people of knowledge; he envies them and not the mere worshippers. Worshippers envy other worshippers, not people of knowledge. The businessman envies other businessmen, carpenters envy other carpenters. One profession where envy is less likely is in tailors, unless there is another reason for the envy. This is because tailors have the same goal.

The primary reason for enmity is that a horde of people are working towards the same goal. A goal does not usually bring people together that have nothing in common. For example, if there is no relationship between two individuals in two different countries, they would not envy one another except for the person that seeks fame and glory. The latter is usually any person that may think others would compete with him in a specific quality or characteristic. This person is generally quite boastful of this quality, as well.

The reason for these feelings is love of this worldly life. This life is not large enough to hold all of the competitors. The Hereafter, on the other hand, is spacious with no limits.

If Hasad were only an attitude towards peers, relatives and friends, it would be considered a low, disgraceful quality and it would be an excellent reward to be free of it. But Hasad is worse than that. Hasad hurts the Hasid and destroys him, however, it usually does not harm the envied person.

Learn that Hasad is according to the status of the person and the appearance of  the blessing on him. When a person is good and is blessed with things, he will have many people envious of him. But when he has less blessings, he has less people to envy him.

5. To speak about something that is not permissible, such as Kadhib (lying), Ghibah (backbiting), or disclosing a secret or uncovering something that should not be uncovered.

6. To make mockery of a person.

7. To harm a person physically.

8. To deprive a person of their rights, or from keeping good relationships with relatives, and these are Haram.

The least degree of malice is to avoid all eight of these evils and to avoid committing a sin because of malice. This might include hating a person in the heart, not treating him kindly, not meeting with him to remember Allah and enjoining the good, not helping him, not praying for him, etc. All of these would decrease one's Faith and hinder one from reaching a better state or obtaining a great reward, even though they may not subject you to Allah's punishment.

(Continued)