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ENVY WITHOUT MALICE
Gipta,
means to want to get the blessing and bounty which other
one has without any jealousy. It is allowed in religion
that it drives people to competition and rivalry and it
makes the development and progress of society easier. In
the Noble Quran in Chapter Mutaffifin, after it is stated
that believers will reach to high degrees and will be in
fascinating favors, in the 26th verse it is declared:
“The
seal thereof will be Musk: and for this let those aspire
who have aspirations:”
From this verse we understand
that competition to attain the good things is allowed in
religon even approved. Because the Arabic equivalent of
competition, the word “ münafese” comes
from the root “nefaset”-beauty-, that means
to compete for attaining a beautiful favor. Again in the
Noble Quran it is declared:
“One
Day shalt thou see the believing men and the believing women
how their Light runs forward before them and by their right
hands: (their greeting will be): "Good News for you
this Day! Gardens beneath which flow rivers! To dwell therein
for aye! this is indeed the highest Achievement!" (1)
Our Prophet-peace be
upon him- said: “To envy others is never right. Only
it is allowed to envy two people. One who spends the wealth
given by Allah in True way? And the person who practices
the knowledge given by Allah and teach it to others”
(2)
To envy implied here is envy without malice.
In another Hadith this
matter is expressed more clearly: “The situation of
this Umma-Muslims- are similar to those four people: “A
person that Allah has given property and knowledge to him,
he uses his wealth according to his knowledge. Such a person
whom Allah has granted knowledge to him but not wealth.
He prays to Allah: “O My Lord, If I had richness like
that person I would also do like him.” He also acquires
the merit of the first one, they become equal in merit.
And such a person that Allah has given wealth to him but
not knowledge. He spends his richness in the way of rebel
to Allah. And such a person that Allah has given neither
wealth nor knowledge to him. He tells Allah that: “If
I had wealth like that person I would also spent it for
sinful acts like him.” So two of them become equal,
in committing sin.” (3)
Those hadiths express
that envy without malice is allowed and good. To envy others
is good unless it reaches to the limit of asking the loss
of the favor in the hand of someone else. But when it comes
to that point it ceased to envy without malice but it turns
to be covetousness and this is one of the bad habits.
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(1) Chapter Hadid, 57/12.
(2) Buhâri, Muslim, Ibn Mâce.
(3) Ibn Mâce, Tirmizi.
If the favor that is
envied is a religious duty like ritual worship-namaz-, giving
alms and Pilgrimage to Mecca, it is a due to compete in
that matter. It’s necessary to ask being able to do
the worship that others do and try to succeed it. Because
not to ask it, means not to ask the practicing of Allah’s
commands, this is forbidden. If the favor is about the pious
deeds that bring more merits and virtue like spending money
in good ways, giving alms, then to envy for it is laudable
in religion. If the favor is something useful then to envy
it is allowed. The purpose of this competition is to catch
the owner of the favor and become equal to him. There is
nothing bad in it. Naturally it is not bad trying to attain
goodness, virtue and kindness.
There are two basic
reason of envying others: The first one is the ease of the
one who possess the favor and second one is, to regard the
person who envies deprived of that favor and back from the
other person. The person who envies other doesn’t
consider the first reason but for the second, he doesn’t
want him to be back and wants to catch the other one. There
is no drawback in asking his own progress and catch the
other person, and asking to be completed his defects in
favors. But concerning the favors allowed in religion, although
it is tolerated to envy the favors of others by thinking
that he is back from other people, this is a deficiency
in virtue and it is against pious asceticism, piety and
consent. At the same time this is an obstacle for the person
to attain high spiritual degrees. But it is not a rebel
or something requires rebellion either. (1)
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(1) Ihya.
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