9. Riyayatu li Huquqillah: Keeping the rights of God by Al Muhasibi part 9

الرِّعَايَةُ لِحُقُوقِ اللَّهِ

Al-Riʿāyatu li-ḥuqūqi Allāhi

Envy and the Discipline of the Seeker

Printed pages 605–667

الْحَارِثُ بْنُ أَسَدٍ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ

Al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī

Source page 605

كِتَابُ الْحَسَدِ

Kitābu al-ḥasadi

The Book of Envy

Source page 607

بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ الْحَسَدِ وَوَصْفِهِ وَتَفْسِيرِ مُحَرَّمِهِ مِنْ مُبَاحِهِ

Bābun fī dhikri al-ḥasadi wa-waṣfihi wa-tafsīri muḥarramihi min mubāḥihi

Chapter: Discussing and Describing Envy, and Distinguishing Its Forbidden and Permitted Forms

قُلْتُ : مَا الْحَسَدُ ؟ وَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ؟

Qultu : mā al-ḥasadu ? Wa-mā al-dalīlu ʿalayhi mina al-ʿilmi ?

I said: What is envy? What evidence concerning it is found in religious learning?

قَالَ : إِنَّ الْحَسَدَ فِي الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ عَلَى وَجْهَيْنِ ، وَهُمَا مَوْجُودَانِ فِي اللُّغَةِ .

Qāla : ʾinna al-ḥasada fī al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati ʿalā wajhayni , wa-humā mawjūdāni fī al-lughati .

He said: Envy has two senses in the Book and the Sunna, both of which also exist in the language.

فَأَحَدُهُمَا غَيْرُ مُحَرَّمٍ ، فَبَعْضُهُ فَرْضٌ ، وَبَعْضُهُ فَضْلٌ ، وَبَعْضُهُ مُبَاحٌ ، وَبَعْضُهُ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى النَّقْصِ وَالْحَرَامِ .

Fa-ʾaḥaduhumā ghayru muḥarramin , fa-baʿḍuhu farḍun , wa-baʿḍuhu faḍlun , wa-baʿḍuhu mubāḥun , wa-baʿḍuhu yakhruju ʾilā al-naqṣi wa-al-ḥarāmi .

One is not inherently forbidden: some of it is obligatory, some meritorious, some permitted, and some leads to deficiency and what is unlawful.

وَأَمَّا الْوَجْهُ الْآخَرُ فَمُحَرَّمٌ كُلُّهُ ، وَلَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا إِلَى مَا لَا يَحِلُّ .

Wa-ʾammā al-wajhu al-ʾākharu fa-muḥarramun kulluhu , wa-lā yakhruju ʾillā ʾilā mā lā yaḥillu .

The other sense is entirely forbidden and leads only to what is unlawful.

قُلْتُ : فَمَا الْحَسَدُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ بِمُحَرَّمٍ ؟ .

Qultu : fa-mā al-ḥasadu alladhī laysa bi-muḥarramin ? .

I said: What is the envy that is not forbidden?

قَالَ : الْمُنَافَسَةُ .

Qāla : al-munāfasatu .

He said: Emulation.

قُلْتُ : مَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُنَافَسَةَ حَسَدٌ ؟ .

Qultu : mā al-dalīlu ʿalā ʾanna al-munāfasata ḥasadun ? .

I said: What is the evidence that emulation is envy?

قَالَ : قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ .

Qāla : qawlu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla : wa-fī dhālika fa-l-yatanāfasi al-mutanāfisūna .

He said: The words of God, mighty and majestic: “For this let those who compete vie with one another.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ .

Wa-qāla taʿālā : sābiqū ʾilā maghfiratin min rabbikum .

He also said, exalted is He: “Race toward forgiveness from your Lord.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ .

Wa-qāla taʿālā : wa-sāriʿū ʾilā maghfiratin min rabbikum .

He also said, exalted is He: “And hasten toward forgiveness from your Lord.”

وَلَا تَكُونُ الْمُسَابَقَةُ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُسَابِقَ غَيْرَهُ .

Wa-lā takūnu al-musābaqatu mina al-ʿabdi ʾillā ʾan yusābiqa ghayrahu .

A servant can race only by racing against someone else.

وَقَالَ عَلِىٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ، وَذَكَرَ الْعَامِلَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَقَالَ : « وَيُبَاهِى الْعِبَادَ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ » يَعْنِى يُنَافِسُهُمْ وَيُسَابِقُهُمْ ، كَمَا يَرَى الْعَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عَبِيدِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا يَتَبَاهَيَانِ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُمَا أَلَّا يُخْطِئَ أَحَدُهُمَا قَبْلَ الْآخَرِ ؛ جَزَعًا أَنْ يَسْبِقَهُ إِلَى مَحَبَّةِ مَوْلَاهُ وَيَقْصُرَ هُوَ عَنْهَا ، فَتَكُونَ مَنْزِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُ أَحْسَنَ مِنْ مَنْزِلَةِ الْآخَرِ ،

Wa-qāla ʿAliyyun ʿalayhi al-salāmu , wa-dhakara al-ʿāmila li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-qāla : « wa-yubāhī al-ʿibāda bi-ʿibādati rabbihi » yaʿnī yunāfisuhum wa-yusābiquhum , ka-mā yarā al-ʿabdayni min ʿabīdi ʾahli al-dunyā yatabāhayāni ʿinda mawlāhumā ʾallā yukhṭiʾa ʾaḥaduhumā qabla al-ʾākhari ; jazaʿan ʾan yasbiqahu ʾilā maḥabbati mawlāhu wa-yaqṣura huwa ʿanhā , fa-takūna manzilatuhu ʿinda mawlāhu ʾaḥsana min manzilati al-ʾākhari ,

ʿAlī, peace be upon him, spoke of the person who works for God, mighty and majestic, saying: “He vies with the servants through worship of his Lord.” He means that he emulates them and races against them, just as one sees two slaves belonging to people of this world vying before their master, each striving not to be the first to make a mistake, anxious lest the other gain their master's love before him while he falls short of it, so that the other's standing with their master is better than his own,

Source page 608

نَفَاسَةً أَنْ يَسْبِقَهُ إِلَى الْحُظْوَةِ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُ ، وَلَا يَنَالَ هُوَ الْحُظْوَةَ مَعَهُ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُ ، كَمَا نَالَهَا هُوَ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُ .

Nafāsatan ʾan yasbiqahu ʾilā al-ḥuẓwati ʿinda mawlāhu , wa-lā yanāla huwa al-ḥuẓwata maʿahu ʿinda mawlāhu , ka-mā nālahā huwa ʿinda mawlāhu .

unwilling that the other should precede him in gaining favor with his master while he fails to share in that favor with his master, as the other has attained it with his master.

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ » فَنَهَى عَنِ الْحَسَدِ وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، إِلَّا فِيهِمَا ، فَقَوْلُهُ : إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ أَيِ الْحَسَدُ فِيهِمَا جَائِزٌ .

Wa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama : « lā ḥasada ʾillā fī ithnatayni » fa-nahā ʿani al-ḥasadi wa-ʾakhbara ʾannahu lā yajūzu ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , ʾillā fīhimā , fa-qawluhu : ʾillā fī ithnatayni ʾayi al-ḥasadu fīhimā jāʾizun .

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “There is no envy except in two cases.” He thus forbade envy and stated that it is not permissible with God, mighty and majestic, except in those two cases. His words “except in two cases” mean that envy in those two cases is permitted.

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ : رَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَالًا فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ ، وَرَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِلْمًا فَهُوَ يَعْمَلُ بِهِ وَيُعَلِّمُهُ النَّاسَ » .

Wa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama : « lā ḥasada ʾillā fī ithnatayni : rajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla mālan fa-sallaṭahu ʿalā halakatihi fī al-ḥaqqi , wa-rajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿilman fa-huwa yaʿmalu bihi wa-yuʿallimuhu al-nāsa » .

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “There is no envy except in two cases: a man whom God, mighty and majestic, has given wealth and empowered to spend it all in the cause of truth, and a man whom God, mighty and majestic, has given knowledge, who acts upon it and teaches it to people.”

ثُمَّ فَسَّرَ فِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ لِأَبِى كَبْشَةَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْهُ كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ الْحَسَدُ ؟

Thumma fassara fī ḥadīthin ʾākhara li-ʾAbī Kabshata al-ʾAnṣāriyyi ʿanhu kayfa dhālika al-ḥasadu ?

Then, in another report transmitted from him by Abū Kabsha al-Anṣārī, he explained what that envy is like.

فَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « مَثَلُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ مَثَلُ أَرْبَعَةٍ : رَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالًا وَلَمْ يُؤْتِهِ عِلْمًا ، وَرَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِلْمًا وَلَمْ يُؤْتِهِ مَالًا ، فَيَقُولُ رَبُّ الْعِلْمِ : لَوْ أَنَّ لِي مِثْلَ مَالِ فُلَانٍ كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ فِيهِ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ ، فَهُمَا فِي الْأَجْرِ سَوَاءٌ ،

Fa-qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama : « mathalu hādhihi al-ʾummati mathalu ʾarbaʿatin : rajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu mālan wa-lam yuʾtihi ʿilman , wa-rajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿilman wa-lam yuʾtihi mālan , fa-yaqūlu rabbu al-ʿilmi : law ʾanna lī mithla māli fulānin kuntu ʾaʿmalu fīhi bi-mithli ʿamalihi , fa-humā fī al-ʾajri sawāʾun ,

He said, may God bless him and grant him peace: “This community is like four people: a man whom God has given wealth but not knowledge, and a man whom God, mighty and majestic, has given knowledge but not wealth. The man with knowledge says, ‘If I had wealth like so-and-so's, I would use it as he does,’ and the two are equal in reward.

وَيَقُولُ رَبُّ الْمَالِ : لَوْ أَنَّ لِي مِثْلَ عِلْمِ فُلَانٍ كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ فِيهِ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ » .

Wa-yaqūlu rabbu al-māli : law ʾanna lī mithla ʿilmi fulānin kuntu ʾaʿmalu fīhi bi-mithli ʿamalihi » .

And the man with wealth says, ‘If I had knowledge like so-and-so's, I would act upon it as he does.’”

فَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْحَسَدُ الَّذِي هُوَ مُنَافَسَةٌ ، أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَلْحَقَ بِهِ ، وَغَمَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ دُونَهُ ، وَلَمْ يُحِبَّ لَهُ شَرًّا ، وَقَدْ تُسَمِّى الْعَرَبُ الْحَسَدَ الْمُحَرَّمَ مُنَافَسَةً ، لِأَنَّهُمَا جَمِيعًا فِي اللُّغَةِ حَسَدٌ ، فَيَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ : نَفِسْتَ عَلَىَّ : أَيْ حَسَدْتَنِى .

Fa-dhālika huwa al-ḥasadu alladhī huwa munāfasatun , ʾaḥabba ʾan yalḥaqa bihi , wa-ghammahu ʾan yakūna dūnahu , wa-lam yuḥibba lahu sharran , wa-qad tusammī al-ʿarabu al-ḥasada al-muḥarrama munāfasatan , li-ʾannahumā jamīʿan fī al-lughati ḥasadun , fa-yaqūlu al-rajulu li-al-rajuli : nafista ʿalayya : ʾay ḥasadtanī .

That is the envy that constitutes emulation: he wants to catch up with the other person, is distressed to be below him, and wishes him no harm. The Arabs may also call forbidden envy emulation, since in the language both are envy. One man says to another, “You begrudged me,” meaning, “You envied me.”

Source page 609

وَقَالَ قُثَمُ بْنُ الْعَبَّاسِ وَالْمُطَّلِبُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ - لَمَّا أَرَادَا أَنْ يَأْتِيَا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَيَسْأَلَاهُ أَنْ يُؤَمِّرَهُمَا عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ - لِعَلِىٍّ رَضِىَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - حِينَ قَالَ لَهُمَا : لَا تَذْهَبَا إِلَيْهِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُؤَمِّرُكُمَا عَلَيْهَا - فَقَالَا : مَا ذَا إِلَّا نَفَاسَةٌ مِنْكَ ، وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ زَوَّجَكَ ابْنَتَهُ فَمَا نَفِسْنَا ذَلِكَ عَلَيْكَ .

Wa-qāla Quthamu bnu al-ʿAbbāsi wa-al-Muṭṭalibu bnu Rabīʿata - lammā ʾarādā ʾan yaʾtiyā al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-yasʾalāhu ʾan yuʾammirahumā ʿalā al-ṣadaqati - li-ʿAliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu - ḥīna qāla lahumā : lā tadh-habā ʾilayhi fa-ʾinnahu lā yuʾammirukumā ʿalayhā - fa-qālā : mā dhā ʾillā nafāsatun minka , wa-Allāhi la-qad zawwajaka ibnatahu fa-mā nafisnā dhālika ʿalayka .

Qutham ibn al-ʿAbbās and al-Muṭṭalib ibn Rabīʿa spoke to ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, when they wanted to go to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and ask him to appoint them over the alms. He had told them, “Do not go to him, because he will not appoint you over them.” They said, “This is nothing but jealousy on your part! By God, he married his daughter to you, and we did not begrudge you that.”

أَيْ هَذَا مِنْكَ حَسَدٌ وَمَا حَسَدْنَاكَ عَلَى تَزْوِيجِكَ فَاطِمَةَ .

ʾAy hādhā minka ḥasadun wa-mā ḥasadnāka ʿalā tazwījika Fāṭimata .

That is: This is envy on your part, while we did not envy you your marriage to Fāṭima.

قُلْتُ : فَفَسِّرْ لِي هَذَا الْحَسَدَ الَّذِي هُوَ مُنَافَسَةٌ تَفْسِيرًا تُمَيِّزُ بِهِ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْحَسَدِ الْمُحَرَّمِ .

Qultu : fa-fassir lī hādhā al-ḥasada alladhī huwa munāfasatun tafsīran tumayyizu bihi baynahu wa-bayna al-ḥasadi al-muḥarrami .

I said: Explain this envy that constitutes emulation in a way that distinguishes it from forbidden envy.

قَالَ : هُوَ أَنْ يَرَى بِغَيْرِهِ نِعْمَةً فِي دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا ، فَيَغْتَمَّ أَلَّا يَكُونَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ تِلْكَ النِّعْمَةِ ، فَيُحِبَّ أَنْ يَلْحَقَ بِهِ وَيَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ ، لَا يَغْتَمُّ مِنْ أَجْلِ الْمُنْعَمِ عَلَيْهِ نَفَاسَةً مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ ، وَلَكِنْ غَمًّا أَلَّا يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ .

Qāla : huwa ʾan yarā bi-ghayrihi niʿmatan fī dīnin ʾaw dunyā , fa-yaghtamma ʾallā yakūna ʾanʿama Allāhu ʿalayhi bi-mithli tilka al-niʿmati , fa-yuḥibba ʾan yalḥaqa bihi wa-yakūna mithlahu , lā yaghtammu min ʾajli al-munʿami ʿalayhi nafāsatan minhu ʿalayhi , wa-lākin ghamman ʾallā yakūna mithlahu .

He said: It is seeing another person with a blessing in religion or worldly life and feeling distressed that God has not bestowed the like of that blessing on oneself. He wants to catch up with that person and be like him. His distress is not caused by begrudging the recipient his blessing, but by sorrow that he is not like him.

فَهَذَا الْحَسَدُ الَّذِي هُوَ مُنَافَسَةٌ .

Fa-hādhā al-ḥasadu alladhī huwa munāfasatun .

This is the envy that constitutes emulation.

فَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي رَأَى بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ قِيَامًا بِفَرْضِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَانْتَهَى عَمَّا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَحَسَدَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ وَتَمَنَّى ذَلِكَ وَسَأَلَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ذَلِكَ ، كَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ فَرْضًا وَاجِبًا أَنْ يُحَاسِدَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لِيُؤَدِّىَ فَرْضَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ، لِأَنَّهُ إِنْ لَمْ يَغْتَمَّ وَيَحْزَنْ بِتَخَلُّفِهِ عَمَّنْ قَامَ بِفَرْضِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ ،

Fa-ʾin kāna alladhī raʾā bi-ghayrihi mina al-niʿami qiyāman bi-farḍi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , wa-intahā ʿammā ḥarrama Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-ḥasada ʿalā dhālika , wa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yakūna mithlahu wa-tamannā dhālika wa-saʾala Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla dhālika , kāna dhālika ʿalayhi farḍan wājiban ʾan yuḥāsidahu ʿalā dhālika li-yuʾaddiya farḍa Allāhi taʿālā , li-ʾannahu ʾin lam yaghtamma wa-yaḥzan bi-takhallufihi ʿamman qāma bi-farḍi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi ,

If the blessing he sees in another is fulfillment of what God, mighty and majestic, has made obligatory, and that person refrains from what God, mighty and majestic, has forbidden, and he envies him for this, wants to be like him, wishes for it, and asks God, mighty and majestic, for it, then it is a binding obligation upon him to envy him in this way, so that he may fulfill what God, exalted is He, has made obligatory. For if he is not distressed and saddened at falling behind someone who has fulfilled the obligation laid upon him by God, mighty and majestic,

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وَاجْتَنَبَ مَا نَهَى عَنْهُ ، وَلَمْ يُحِبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ ؛ كَانَ عَاصِيًا مُقِيمًا عَلَى تَضْيِيعِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَرُكُوبِ الْمَحَارِمِ ، وَلَا يَغْتَمُّ بِتَرْكِهَا ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، كَمَا أَطَاعَهُ الْوَرِعُونَ فِي الْقِيَامِ بِحَقِّهِ .

Wa-ijtanaba mā nahā ʿanhu , wa-lam yuḥibba ʾan yakūna mithlahu ; kāna ʿāṣiyan muqīman ʿalā taḍyīʿi al-farāʾiḍi wa-rukūbi al-maḥārimi , wa-lā yaghtammu bi-tarkihā , wa-lā yuḥibbu ʾan yuṭīʿa Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla , ka-mā ʾaṭāʿahu al-wariʿūna fī al-qiyāmi bi-ḥaqqihi .

and avoided what He forbade, and does not want to be like him, he is disobedient, persisting in neglecting obligations and committing forbidden acts. He feels no distress at leaving those obligations unfulfilled and does not want to obey God, mighty and majestic, as the scrupulous have obeyed Him in fulfilling what is due to Him.

وَإِنْ كَانَ مَا رَأَى بِغَيْرِهِ مِنْ نِعَمِ الدِّينِ فَضْلًا وَتَطَوُّعًا ، فَاغْتَمَّ أَنْ يَقْصُرَ عَنْ مَنْزِلَتِهِ ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَلْحَقَ بِهِ وَيَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ ، فَذٰلِكَ فَضْلٌ مِنْهُ وَتَطَوُّعٌ ، إِذْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَتَقَرَّبَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، كَمَا تَقَرَّبَ غَيْرُهُ ، وَاغْتَمَّ أَنْ يَقْصُرَ عَنِ الْقُرْبَةِ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، بِمَا يُحِبُّ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ .

Wa-ʾin kāna mā raʾā bi-ghayrihi min niʿami al-dīni faḍlan wa-taṭawwuʿan , fa-ightamma ʾan yaqṣura ʿan manzilatihi , wa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yalḥaqa bihi wa-yakūna mithlahu , fa-dhālika faḍlun minhu wa-taṭawwuʿun , ʾidh ʾaḥabba ʾan yataqarraba ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , kamā taqarraba ghayruhu , wa-ightamma ʾan yaqṣura ʿani al-qurbati ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , bi-mā yuḥibbu min ṭāʿatihi .

If the religious blessings he sees in someone else consist of additional virtue and voluntary devotion, and he feels distressed at falling short of that person's standing and wants to catch up with him and be like him, this is additional virtue and voluntary devotion on his own part. He wants to draw near to God, mighty and majestic, just as someone else has drawn near, and feels distressed at falling short in drawing near to God, mighty and majestic, through the obedience to Him that he loves.

وَإِنْ كَانَ مَا رَأَى بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ مُبَاحًا لَهُ فِيمَا يَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ مِنْ لَذَّتِهِ وَنَعِيمِهِ بِالْفُضُولِ فِيمَا أُحِلَّ لَهُ ، فَاغْتَمَّ أَلَّا يَكُونَ لَهُ مِثْلُهُ ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يُلْحِقَهُ بِهِ ، فَيُوَسَّعَ عَلَيْهِ كَمَا وُسِّعَ عَلَى مَنْ نَافَسَهُ ، وَأَنْ يَلْحَقَ بِهِ فَيَكُونَ مُتَنَعِّمًا مِثْلَهُ ، فَذٰلِكَ مُبَاحٌ لَهُ ، وَلَيْسَ بِمُحَرَّمٍ عَلَيْهِ ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ نَقْصٌ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ وَمِنَ الزُّهْدِ ،

Wa-ʾin kāna mā raʾā bi-ghayrihi mina al-niʿami mubāḥan lahu fīmā yataqallabu fīhi min ladhdhatihi wa-naʿīmihi bi-al-fuḍūli fīmā ʾuḥilla lahu , fa-ightamma ʾallā yakūna lahu mithluhu , wa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yulḥiqahu bihi , fa-yuwassaʿa ʿalayhi kamā wussiʿa ʿalā man nāfasahu , wa-ʾan yalḥaqa bihi fa-yakūna mutanaʿʿiman mithlahu , fa-dhālika mubāḥun lahu , wa-laysa bi-muḥarramin ʿalayhi , ʾillā ʾannahu naqṣun mina al-faḍli wa-mina al-zuhdi ,

If the blessings he sees in someone else are permissible, consisting of the pleasure and comfort he enjoys through an abundance of lawful things, and he feels distressed at not having the same, wants God to bring him up to that person's level and grant him abundance just as the person he seeks to emulate has been granted abundance, and wants to catch up with him and enjoy the same comfort, this is permissible for him and is not forbidden. It does, however, diminish his virtue and his detachment from worldly things,

إِلَّا أَنْ يَخْرُجَ إِلَى السُّخْطِ عَلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَيَكُونَ السُّخْطُ عَلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ ؛ لَا أَنَّ السُّخْطَ مُنَافَسَةٌ ، لِأَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ السَّعَةَ وَالتَّنَعُّمَ بِحَلَالِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ . وَلَيْسَ مَحَبَّتُهُ تِلْكَ بِسُخْطٍ ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ نَقْصًا مِنَ الْفَضْلِ .

ʾIllā ʾan yakhruja ʾilā al-sukhṭi ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-yakūna al-sukhṭu ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lā yaḥillu lahu ; lā ʾanna al-sukhṭa munāfasatun , li-ʾannahu yuḥibbu al-saʿata wa-al-tanaʿʿuma bi-ḥalāli Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla . Wa-laysa maḥabbatuhu tilka bi-sukhṭin , wa-ʾin kānat maḥabbatuhu naqṣan mina al-faḍli .

unless it leads to displeasure with God, mighty and majestic. Displeasure with God, mighty and majestic, is then unlawful for him. This does not mean that displeasure is emulation, for he loves abundance and enjoyment of what God, mighty and majestic, has made lawful. That love of his is not displeasure, even though it diminishes his virtue.

وَإِنْ كَانَ مَا يَرَى مِنْ غَيْرِهِ مُحَرَّمًا لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ ، كَاكْتِسَابِ الْحَرَامِ وَإِنْفَاقِهِ الْمَالَ فِيمَا لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ ، وَالْعَمَلِ بِالْمَعَاصِي فِي التَّلَذُّذِ بِهَا ، فَاغْتَمَّ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ ، وَيُصِيبَ مِنَ الْمَالِ وَاللَّذَّةِ مِثْلَ مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ ، فَذٰلِكَ مِنْهُ لَا يَجُوزُ لَهُ ، وَلَمْ يَحْسُدْهُ الْحَسَدَ الْمُحَرَّمَ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْغِشِّ لَهُ ،

Wa-ʾin kāna mā yarā min ghayrihi muḥarraman lā yaḥillu lahu , ka-iktisābi al-ḥarāmi wa-ʾinfāqihi al-māla fīmā lā yaḥillu lahu , wa-al-ʿamali bi-al-maʿāṣī fī al-taladhdhudhi bihā , fa-ightamma ʾan lā yakūna mithlahu , wa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yakūna mithlahu , wa-yuṣība mina al-māli wa-al-ladhdhati mithla mā ʾaṣāba min dhālika , fa-dhālika minhu lā yajūzu lahu , wa-lam yaḥsudhu al-ḥasada al-muḥarrama min qibali al-ghishshi lahu ,

If what he sees someone else doing is forbidden and unlawful, such as earning illicitly, spending money on unlawful things, or committing sins to enjoy them, and he feels distressed at not being like him and wants to be like him, acquiring as much wealth and pleasure as he has acquired, this is not permissible for him. Yet his envy is not the forbidden envy that consists in ill will toward the other person;

وَلٰكِنْ حَسَدَهُ حَسَدَ مُنَافَسَةٍ فِي الْحَرَامِ ، الَّذِي لَوْ كَانَ مَا نَافَسَهُ فِيهِ حَلَالًا أَوْ طَاعَةً لَجَازَ ذٰلِكَ الْحَسَدُ لَهُ ، وَإِنَّمَا أَتَى مَا لَا يَجُوزُ لَهُ مِنْ قِبَلِ مَحَبَّتِهِ لِلْحَرَامِ ، لَا مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّهُ حَسَدَهُ حَسَدًا غِشًّا لَهُ وَحُبًّا لِلشَّرِّ ، وَكَرَاهَةَ الْخَيْرِ أَنْ يَرَاهُ بِهِ .

Wa-lākin ḥasadahu ḥasada munāfasatin fī al-ḥarāmi , al-ladhī law kāna mā nāfasahu fīhi ḥalālan ʾaw ṭāʿatan la-jāza dhālika al-ḥasadu lahu , wa-ʾinnamā ʾatā mā lā yajūzu lahu min qibali maḥabbatihi li-al-ḥarāmi , lā min qibali ʾannahu ḥasadahu ḥasadan ghishshan lahu wa-ḥubban li-al-sharri , wa-karāhata al-khayri ʾan yarāhu bihi .

rather, he envies him in the sense of seeking to emulate him in what is unlawful. Had the object of his emulation been lawful or an act of obedience, that envy would have been permissible for him. He has done something impermissible only because he loves what is unlawful, not because he envies the other person out of ill will, a love of harm, or an aversion to seeing him enjoy something good.

وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ ذٰلِكَ الْحَسَدُ لَا يَجُوزُ مِنْ قِبَلِ تَمَنِّيهِ لِلْحَرَامِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ لَهُ .

Wa-ʾinnamā kāna dhālika al-ḥasadu lā yajūzu min qibali tamannīhi li-al-ḥarāmi wa-maḥabbatihi lahu .

That envy is impermissible only because he wishes for what is unlawful and loves it.

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وَكَذٰلِكَ يَرْوِى أَبُو كَبْشَةَ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : « وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللّٰهُ مَالًا فَهُوَ يُنْفِقُهُ فِي مَعَاصِي اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَرَجُلٌ لَمْ يُؤْتِهِ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَالًا فَيَقُولُ : لَوْ أَنَّ لِي مِثْلَ مَالِ فُلَانٍ كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ فِيهِ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ ، فَهُمَا فِي الْوِزْرِ سَوَاءٌ » .

Wa-kadhālika yarwī ʾAbū Kabshata al-ʾAnṣāriyyu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla : « wa-rajulun ʾātāhu Allāhu mālan fa-huwa yunfiquhu fī maʿāṣī Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , wa-rajulun lam yuʾtihi Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla mālan fa-yaqūlu : law ʾanna lī mithla māli fulānin kuntu ʾaʿmalu fīhi bi-mithli ʿamalihi , fa-humā fī al-wizri sawāʾun » .

Thus Abū Kabsha al-Anṣārī reports that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “And a man to whom God has given wealth spends it in disobedience to God, mighty and majestic. Another man, to whom God, mighty and majestic, has not given wealth, says, ‘If I had as much wealth as so-and-so, I would use it just as he does.’ The two are equal in their burden of sin.”

فَذَمَّهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ قِبَلِ تَمَنِّيهِ الْحَرَامَ ، لَا مِنْ قِبَلِ حَسَدِهِ لِلْمُسْلِمِ ؛ غِشًّا لَهُ وَكَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَرَى بِهِ خَيْرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا .

Fa-dhammahu al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min qibali tamannīhi al-ḥarāma , lā min qibali ḥasadihi li-al-muslimi ; ghishshan lahu wa-karāhiyata ʾan yarā bihi khayran mina al-dunyā .

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, condemned him for wishing for what is unlawful, not for envying a Muslim out of ill will toward him and an aversion to seeing him enjoy worldly good.

فَهٰذَا أَحَدُ الْوَجْهَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ ، وَهُوَ كَرَاهَةُ التَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ مَنْزِلَةِ غَيْرِهِ وَمَحَبَّةُ الْمُسَاوَاةِ وَاللُّحُوقِ بِهِ ، مَعَ تَرْكِ التَّمَنِّي أَنْ يَزُولَ عَمَّنْ نَافَسَهُ حَالُهُ الَّتِي هُوَ عَلَيْهَا .

Fa-hādhā ʾaḥadu al-wajhayni mina al-ḥasadi , wa-huwa karāhatu al-taqṣīri ʿan manzilati ghayrihi wa-maḥabbatu al-musāwāti wa-al-luḥūqi bihi , maʿa tarki al-tamannī ʾan yazūla ʿamman nāfasahu ḥāluhu al-latī huwa ʿalayhā .

This is one of the two forms of envy: disliking falling short of another person's standing and wanting to equal him and catch up with him, without wishing that the person one seeks to emulate should lose his present condition.

وَأَمَّا الْوَجْهُ الثَّانِي فَهُوَ الْمُحَرَّمُ كُلُّهُ ، قَدْ ذَمَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَالرَّسُولُ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي سُنَّتِهِ ، وَاجْتَمَعَ عُلَمَاءُ الْأُمَّةِ عَلَيْهِ .

Wa-ʾammā al-wajhu al-thānī fa-huwa al-muḥarramu kulluhu , qad dhammahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī kitābihi wa-al-rasūlu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī sunnatihi , wa-ijtamaʿa ʿulamāʾu al-ʾummati ʿalayhi .

The second form is forbidden in its entirety. God, mighty and majestic, has condemned it in His Book, and the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, in his Sunna, and the community's scholars are agreed on this.

قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ .

Qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla : wadda kathīrun min ʾahli al-kitābi law yaruddūnakum min baʿdi ʾīmānikum kuffāran ḥasadan min ʿindi ʾanfusihim .

God, mighty and majestic, said: “Many of the People of the Book wish they could turn you back into unbelievers after your faith, out of envy arising within themselves.”

وَقَالَ : أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ .

Wa-qāla : ʾam yaḥsudūna al-nāsa ʿalā mā ʾātāhumu Allāhu min faḍlihi .

And He said: “Or do they envy people for what God has given them of His bounty?”

وَقَالَ : كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً إِلَى قَوْلِهِ : وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ . قِيلَ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ : حَسَدًا .

Wa-qāla : kāna al-nāsu ʾummatan wāḥidatan ʾilā qawlihi : wa-mā ikhtalafa fīhi ʾillā al-ladhīna ʾūtūhu min baʿdi mā jāʾathumu al-bayyinātu baghyan baynahum . Qīla fī al-tafsīri : ḥasadan .

And He said: “Humankind was one community,” through to His words, “None differed over it except those who had been given it, after clear proofs had come to them, out of mutual aggression.” In the commentary, this is explained as envy.

وَقَالَ : وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ .

Wa-qāla : wa-mā tafarraqū ʾillā min baʿdi mā jāʾahumu al-ʿilmu baghyan baynahum .

And He said: “They divided only after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual aggression.”

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فَأَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْعِلْمَ لِيَجْمَعَهُمْ وَيُؤَلِّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ ، فَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَجْتَمِعُوا بِالْعِلْمِ وَيَتَأَلَّفُوا بِهِ ، وَلَا يَتَفَرَّقُوا ، فَتَحَاسَدُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا وَتَفَرَّقُوا ؛ حَسَدًا بَيْنَهُمْ ، كُلٌّ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ الرِّفْعَةُ وَالرِّيَاسَةُ ، وَأَلَّا يَكُونَ تَابِعًا لِغَيْرِهِ . وَأَنْ يُقْبَلَ قَوْلُهُ مِنْهُ وَيُتَّبَعَ ، وَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَزُولَ غَيْرُهُ عَنِ الرِّفْعَةِ ، وَكَرِهَ رِفْعَةَ الْمَنْزِلَةِ لَهُ ، فَرَدَّ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ ،

Fa-ʾanzala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla al-ʿilma li-yajmaʿahum wa-yuʾallifa baynahum ʿalā ṭāʿatihi , fa-ʾamarahum ʾan yajtamiʿū bi-al-ʿilmi wa-yataʾallafū bihi , wa-lā yatafarraqū , fa-taḥāsadū wa-ikhtalafū wa-tafarraqū ; ḥasadan baynahum , kullun ʾarāda ʾan yakūna lahu al-rifʿatu wa-al-riyāsatu , wa-ʾallā yakūna tābiʿan li-ghayrihi . Wa-ʾan yuqbala qawluhu minhu wa-yuttabaʿa , wa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yazūla ghayruhu ʿani al-rifʿati , wa-kariha rifʿata al-manzilati lahu , fa-radda baʿḍuhum ʿalā baʿḍin ,

God, mighty and majestic, sent down knowledge to bring them together and unite them in obedience to Him. He commanded them to unite through knowledge and find harmony through it, without dividing. Instead they envied one another, disagreed, and divided out of mutual envy. Each wanted eminence and leadership for himself, rather than to be someone else's follower. He wanted his own words accepted and followed, and wanted someone else to lose his eminence, resenting his elevated standing. So they refuted one another,

وَخَالَفَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا بَغْيًا ، كَمَا قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَتَرَكُوا الْحَقَّ وَعَانَدُوهُ حَسَدًا بَيْنَهُمْ .

Wa-khālafa baʿḍuhum baʿḍan baghyan , kamā qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-tarakū al-ḥaqqa wa-ʿānadūhu ḥasadan baynahum .

and opposed one another out of aggression, as God, mighty and majestic, said. They abandoned the truth and stubbornly resisted it out of mutual envy.

قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ : كَانَتِ الْيَهُودُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُبْعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا قَاتَلُوا قَوْمًا قَالُوا :

Qāla Ibnu ʿAbbāsin : kānati al-yahūdu qabla ʾan yubʿatha al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʾidhā qātalū qawman qālū :

Ibn ʿAbbās said: Before the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was sent, whenever the Jews fought a people, they would say:

نَسْأَلُكَ بِالنَّبِيِّ الَّذِي وَعَدْتَنَا أَنْ تُرْسِلَهُ وَبِالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي تُنْزِلُهُ ، إِلَّا مَا نَصَرْتَنَا .

Nasʾaluka bi-al-nabiyyi al-ladhī waʿadtanā ʾan tursilahu wa-bi-al-kitābi al-ladhī tunziluhu , ʾillā mā naṣartanā .

“We appeal to You by the prophet whom You promised to send us, and by the Book that You send down: grant us victory!”

فَكَانُوا يُنْصَرُونَ ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَعَرَفُوهُ كَفَرُوا بِهِ ، بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَتِهِمْ بِهِ أَنَّهُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَسْتَنْصِرُونَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ فَقَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَكَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ مَا عَرَفُوا كَفَرُوا بِهِ فَلَعْنَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ . بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ بَغْيًا .

Fa-kānū yunṣarūna , fa-lammā jāʾa al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min waladi ʾIsmāʿīla wa-ʿarafūhu kafarū bihi , baʿda maʿrifatihim bihi ʾannahu al-ladhī kānū yastanṣirūna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla bihi fa-qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla : wa-kānū min qablu yastaftiḥūna ʿalā al-ladhīna kafarū fa-lammā jāʾahum mā ʿarafū kafarū bihi fa-laʿnatu Allāhi ʿalā al-kāfirīna . Biʾsamā ishtaraw bihi ʾanfusahum ʾan yakfurū bi-mā ʾanzala Allāhu baghyan .

They were granted victory. Then, when the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, came from Ishmael's descendants and they recognized him, they disbelieved in him, despite knowing him to be the one through whom they had sought victory from God, mighty and majestic. God, mighty and majestic, said: “Previously they had sought victory over those who disbelieved. Yet when what they recognized came to them, they disbelieved in it. God's curse is upon the unbelievers. How wretched is the price for which they sold themselves: that they should disbelieve in what God sent down, out of aggression.”

أَيْ حَسَدًا بَيْنَهُمْ .

ʾAy ḥasadan baynahum .

That is, out of mutual envy.

وَقَالَتْ صَفِيَّةُ بِنْتُ حُيَىٍّ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « جَاءَ أَبِى وَعَمِّى يَوْمًا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ، فَقَالَ أَبِى لِعَمِّى : مَا تَقُولُ فِيهِ ؟ قَالَ : أَقُولُ : إِنَّهُ النَّبِيُّ الَّذِي بَشَّرَ بِهِ مُوسَى ، قَالَ : فَمَا تَرَى ؟ قَالَ : أَرَى مُعَادَاتَهُ أَيَّامَ الْحَيَاةِ » .

Wa-qālat Ṣafiyyatu bintu Ḥuyayyin li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama : « jāʾa ʾabī wa-ʿammī yawman min ʿindika , fa-qāla ʾabī li-ʿammī : mā taqūlu fīhi ? Qāla : ʾaqūlu : ʾinnahu al-nabiyyu al-ladhī bashshara bihi Mūsā , qāla : fa-mā tarā ? Qāla : ʾarā muʿādātahu ʾayyāma al-ḥayāti » .

Ṣafiyya bint Ḥuyayy said to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “One day my father and my paternal uncle returned from seeing you. My father asked my uncle, ‘What do you say about him?’ He replied, ‘I say that he is the prophet whom Moses foretold.’ He asked, ‘Then what do you think we should do?’ He replied, ‘I think we should oppose him for as long as we live.’”

وَبِذٰلِكَ وَصَفَهُمُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّهُمْ عَلَى عِلْمٍ كَفَرُوا بِهِ ، قَالَ :

Wa-bi-dhālika waṣafahumu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʾannahum ʿalā ʿilmin kafarū bihi , qāla :

This is how God, mighty and majestic, described them: they disbelieved in him knowingly. He said:

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يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ ، وَقَالَ : لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ .

Yaʿrifūnahu kamā yaʿrifūna ʾabnāʾahum , wa-qāla : la-yaktumūna al-ḥaqqa wa-hum yaʿlamūna .

“They recognize him as they recognize their own sons.” And He said: “They certainly conceal the truth, knowingly.”

وَرَوَى وَهْبُ بْنُ مُنَبِّهٍ : إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ : « الْحَاسِدُ عَدُوٌّ لِنِعْمَتِى ، رَادٌّ لِقَضَائِى ، سَاخِطٌ لِرِزْقِى الَّذِي قَسَمْتُ لِعِبَادِي غَيْرُ نَاصِحٍ لَهُمْ » .

Wa-rawā Wahbu bnu Munabbihin : ʾinna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla qāla li-Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu : « al-ḥāsidu ʿaduwwun li-niʿmatī , rāddun li-qaḍāʾī , sākhiṭun li-rizqī al-ladhī qasamtu li-ʿibādī ghayru nāṣiḥin lahum » .

Wahb ibn Munabbih reported that God, mighty and majestic, said to Moses, peace be upon him: “The envious person is an enemy of My blessing, a rejecter of My decree, displeased with the provision I have allotted to My servants, and lacking goodwill toward them.”

وَأَمَّا السُّنَّةُ فِي ذٰلِكَ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : « لَا تَحَاسَدُوا ، وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا ، وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا ، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللّٰهِ إِخْوَانًا » يَرْوِيهِ عَنْهُ عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ وَأَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ .

Wa-ʾammā al-sunnatu fī dhālika fa-ʾinna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla : « lā taḥāsadū , wa-lā tabāghaḍū , wa-lā tadābarū , wa-kūnū ʿibāda Allāhi ʾikhwānan » yarwīhi ʿanhu ʿAbdu Allāhi bnu ʿUmara wa-ʾAbū Hurayrata .

As for the Sunna on this matter, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Do not envy one another, hate one another, or turn your backs on one another. Be brothers, servants of God.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar and Abū Hurayra report this from him.

ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَهُمْ أَنَّ الْحَسَدَ سَيَكُونُ فِيهِمْ كَمَا كَانَ فِي الْأُمَمِ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « دَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ دَاءُ الْأُمَمِ : الْحَسَدُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ » .

Thumma ʾakhbarahum ʾanna al-ḥasada sa-yakūnu fīhim kamā kāna fī al-ʾumami min qablihim , fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama : « dabba ʾilaykum dāʾu al-ʾumami : al-ḥasadu wa-al-baghḍāʾu » .

Then he told them that envy would arise among them as it had among the nations before them. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “The disease of the nations has crept into you: envy and hatred.”

فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ فِيهِمْ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ مَا كَانَ فِي الْأُمَمِ ، وَأَنَّهُ دَاءُ الْأُمَمِ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ مِنْهُ أُتُوا ، وَبِهِ هَلَكُوا ، وَلَمْ يَزَلْ ذٰلِكَ فِي الْكَافِرِينَ مِمَّنْ مَضَى وَفِي بَعْضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ .

Fa-ʾakhbara ʾannahu sa-yakūnu fīhim mina al-ḥasadi mā kāna fī al-ʾumami , wa-ʾannahu dāʾu al-ʾumami min qablihim wa-ʾannahum minhu ʾutū , wa-bihi halakū , wa-lam yazal dhālika fī al-kāfirīna mimman maḍā wa-fī baʿḍi al-muʾminīna .

He told them that the envy found among earlier nations would arise among them, that it was the disease of the nations before them, and that through it they had been undone and by it they had perished. This has always existed among the unbelievers of the past and among some believers.

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وَقَدْ رُوِىَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ : أَيَكُونُ الْمُؤْمِنُ حَسُودًا .

Wa-qad ruwiya ʿani al-Ḥasani ʾannahu qīla lahu : ʾa-yakūnu al-muʾminu ḥasūdan .

It is reported that al-Ḥasan was asked, “Can a believer be envious?”

قَالَ : لَا أَبَا لَكَ ! مَا أَنْسَاكَ بَنِى يَعْقُوبَ فَعَلُوا بِأَخِيهِمْ مَا فَعَلُوا .

Qāla : lā ʾabā laka ! Mā ʾansāka banī Yaʿqūba faʿalū bi-ʾakhīhim mā faʿalū .

He said: “May you have no father! What made you forget Jacob's sons? They did what they did to their brother.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو قِلَابَةَ : مَا قَتَلُوا عُثْمَانَ ، رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ، إِلَّا حَسَدًا .

Wa-qāla ʾAbū Qilābata : mā qatalū ʿUthmāna , raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu , ʾillā ḥasadan .

Abū Qilāba said: “They killed ʿUthmān, may God be pleased with him, only out of envy.”

وَرَوَى الْحَسَنُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : « ثَلَاثَةٌ فِي الْمُؤْمِنِ » فَذَكَرَ إِحْدَاهُنَّ الْحَسَدَ .

Wa-rawā al-Ḥasanu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʾannahu qāla : « thalāthatun fī al-muʾmini » fa-dhakara ʾiḥdāhunna al-ḥasada .

Al-Ḥasan reported that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Three things are found in the believer,” and named envy as one of them.

وَالْحَسَدُ الْمُحَرَّمُ الَّذِي ذَمَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كِتَابِهِ ، وَالرَّسُولُ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي سُنَّتِهِ ، كَرَاهَةُ النِّعَمِ أَنْ تَكُونَ بِالْعِبَادِ وَمَحَبَّةُ زَوَالِهَا .

Wa-al-ḥasadu al-muḥarramu al-ladhī dhammahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī kitābihi , wa-al-rasūlu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī sunnatihi , karāhatu al-niʿami ʾan takūna bi-al-ʿibādi wa-maḥabbatu zawālihā .

The forbidden envy condemned by God, mighty and majestic, in His Book and by the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, in his Sunna is resenting the blessings that people enjoy and wanting those blessings to disappear.

قُلْتُ : وَكَيْفَ ذٰلِكَ ؟ .

Qultu : wa-kayfa dhālika ? .

I said: How does that happen?

قَالَ : أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ إِذَا رَأَى بِعَبْدٍ مُسْلِمٍ نِعْمَةً فِي دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا ، أَوْ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّهَا بِهِ كَرِهَهَا ، وَسَاءَتْهُ وَأَحَبَّ زَوَالَهَا عَنْهُ .

Qāla : ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu ʾidhā raʾā bi-ʿabdin muslimin niʿmatan fī dīnin ʾaw dunyā , ʾaw balaghahu ʾannahā bihi karihahā , wa-sāʾathu wa-ʾaḥabba zawālahā ʿanhu .

He said: When a servant sees a Muslim servant enjoying a religious or worldly blessing, or hears that he enjoys one, he resents it, is troubled by it, and wants him to lose it.

وَمِمَّا بَيَّنَ ذٰلِكَ : قَوْلُ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ .

Wa-mimmā bayyana dhālika : qawlu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla : wadda kathīrun min ʾahli al-kitābi law yaruddūnakum min baʿdi ʾīmānikum kuffāran ḥasadan min ʿindi ʾanfusihim .

This is made clear, for example, by the words of God, mighty and majestic: “Many of the People of the Book wish they could turn you back into unbelievers after your faith, out of envy arising within themselves.”

فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُمْ يَوَدُّونَ أَنْ تَزُولَ نِعْمَةُ الْإِيمَانِ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ .

Fa-ʾakhbara ʾannahum yawaddūna ʾan tazūla niʿmatu al-ʾīmāni ʿani al-muʾminīna .

He thus tells us that they wish the believers to lose the blessing of faith.

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ .

Wa-qāla taʿālā : ʾin tamsaskum ḥasanatun tasuʾhum .

And He, exalted is He, said: “If something good touches you, it troubles them.”

قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ : هٰذَا فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ ، وَقِيلَ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ : هٰذَا الْحَاسِدُ .

Qāla Ibnu ʿAbbāsin : hādhā fī ghazwati Tabūka , wa-qīla fī al-tafsīri : hādhā al-ḥāsidu .

Ibn ʿAbbās said: “This concerns the expedition to Tabūk.” In the commentary, it is said: “This is the envious person.”

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وَإِنْ تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَا ، قِيلَ : هٰذَا الشَّامِتُ .

Wa-ʾin tuṣibkum sayyiʾatun yafraḥū bihā , qīla : hādhā al-shāmitu .

“But if something bad befalls you, they rejoice in it.” It is said: “This is the person who gloats over another's misfortune.”

وَقَالَ : مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ .

Wa-qāla : mā yawaddu al-ladhīna kafarū min ʾahli al-kitābi wa-lā al-mushrikīna ʾan yunazzala ʿalaykum min khayrin min rabbikum .

And He said: “Neither the unbelievers among the People of the Book nor the polytheists wish any good to be sent down to you from your Lord.”

قَالَ : وَدُّوا لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُوا فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَاءً .

Qāla : waddū law takfurūna kamā kafarū fa-takūnūna sawāʾan .

He said: “They wish that you would disbelieve as they disbelieved, so that you would be alike.”

ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَكَ عَنْ إِخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ حِينَ حَسَدُوا ، فَعَبَّرُوا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ عَمَّا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مِنْ حَسَدِهِ ، فَقَالُوا : لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِنَّ أَبَانَا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ .

Thumma ʾakhbaraka ʿan ʾikhwati Yūsufa ḥīna ḥasadū , fa-ʿabbarū bi-ʾalsinatihim ʿammā fī qulūbihim min ḥasadihi , fa-qālū : la-Yūsufu wa-ʾakhūhu ʾaḥabbu ʾilā ʾabīnā minnā wa-naḥnu ʿuṣbatun ʾinna ʾabānā la-fī ḍalālin mubīnin uqtulū Yūsufa ʾawi iṭraḥūhu ʾarḍan yakhlu lakum wajhu ʾabīkum wa-takūnū min baʿdihi qawman ṣāliḥīna .

Then He told you about Joseph's brothers when they became envious. They gave voice to the envy of him in their hearts, saying: “Joseph and his brother are certainly dearer to our father than we are, though we are a strong band. Our father is clearly mistaken. Kill Joseph, or cast him out into some land, and your father's attention will be yours alone. Afterward you can become righteous people.”

فَكَرِهُوا خُصُوصِيَّةَ أَبِيهِ لَهُ بِالْحُبِّ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمْ ، وَأَرَادُوا أَنْ يُزِيلُوا حُبَّ أَبِيهِ لَهُ ، وَبِرَّهُ وَتَفْضِيلَهُ إِيَّاهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ، بِأَنْ يُغَيِّبُوهُ عَنْهُ ، فَيُقْبِلَ بِالْحُبِّ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالْبِرِّ ، وَيَزُولَ ذٰلِكَ عَنْ يُوسُفَ ، فَقَالُوا : يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ إِذَا غَابَ ، حَسَدًا لَهُ عَلَى حُبِّ أَبِيهِ وَبِرِّهِ وَتَفْضِيلِهِ إِيَّاهُ .

Fa-karihū khuṣūṣiyyata ʾabīhi lahu bi-al-ḥubbi min baynihim , wa-ʾarādū ʾan yuzīlū ḥubba ʾabīhi lahu , wa-birrahu wa-tafḍīlahu ʾiyyāhu ʿalayhim , bi-ʾan yughayyibūhu ʿanhu , fa-yuqbila bi-al-ḥubbi ʿalayhim wa-al-birri , wa-yazūla dhālika ʿan Yūsufa , fa-qālū : yakhlu lakum wajhu ʾabīkum li-yakūna lahum ʾidhā ghāba , ḥasadan lahu ʿalā ḥubbi ʾabīhi wa-birrihi wa-tafḍīlihi ʾiyyāhu .

They resented his father's singling him out from among them for love. They wanted to remove his father's love for him, his kindness, and his preference for him over them by making him disappear from his sight. Their father would then turn his love and kindness toward them, and Joseph would lose them. So they said, “Your father's attention will be yours alone,” wanting it to belong to them once he was gone, out of envy of his father's love, kindness, and preference for him.

وَقَوْلُ أَبِى قِلَابَةَ : مَا قَتَلُوا عُثْمَانَ إِلَّا حَسَدًا . أَيْ حَسَدُوهُ عَلَى الْخِلَافَةِ ، فَأَحَبُّوا أَنْ يُزِيلُوهَا عَنْهُ .

Wa-qawlu ʾAbī Qilābata : mā qatalū ʿUthmāna ʾillā ḥasadan . ʾAy ḥasadūhu ʿalā al-khilāfati , fa-ʾaḥabbū ʾan yuzīlūhā ʿanhu .

And Abū Qilāba's statement, “They killed ʿUthmān only out of envy,” means that they envied him for the caliphate and wanted to take it away from him.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، حِينَ ذَكَرَ الْأَنْصَارَ : وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا .

Wa-qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla , ḥīna dhakara al-ʾAnṣāra : wa-lā yajidūna fī ṣudūrihim ḥājatan mimmā ʾūtū .

God, mighty and majestic, said when speaking of the Anṣār: “They find no resentment in their hearts over what the others have been given.”

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أَيْ لَا تَضِيقُ صُدُورُهُمْ ، وَلَا يَغْتَمُّونَ بِمَا أُوتُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ ؛ حَسَدًا لَهُمْ ، فَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِمْ بِذٰلِكَ .

ʾAy lā taḍīqu ṣudūruhum , wa-lā yaghtammūna bi-mā ʾūtū min khayrin ; ḥasadan lahum , fa-ʾathnā ʿalayhim bi-dhālika .

That is, their hearts do not tighten, nor do they feel distressed at the good the others have been given, out of envy toward them. He praised them for this.

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بَابٌ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَلَيْسَ بِالْحَسَدِ بِعَيْنِهِ

Bābun mina al-ḥasadi wa-laysa bi-al-ḥasadi bi-ʿaynihi

Chapter: What arises from envy but is not envy itself

وَمِنَ الْحَسَدِ - وَلَيْسَ بِهِ بِعَيْنِهِ - الْمَحَبَّةُ أَلَّا يَصِيرَ إِلَى مَنْ يَحْسُدُهُ خَيْرٌ ، كَمَا قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ .

Wa-mina al-ḥasadi - wa-laysa bihi bi-ʿaynihi - al-maḥabbatu ʾallā yaṣīra ʾilā man yaḥsuduhu khayrun , kamā qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla : mā yawaddu al-ladhīna kafarū min ʾahli al-kitābi wa-lā al-mushrikīna ʾan yunazzala ʿalaykum min khayrin min rabbikum .

Arising from envy, though not identical with it, is the desire that no good should come to the person one envies. As God, mighty and majestic, said: “Neither the unbelievers among the People of the Book nor the polytheists wish any good to be sent down to you from your Lord.”

فَالْمَحَبَّةُ بِأَلَّا يَصِيرَ إِلَيْهِ خَيْرٌ وَالتَّمَنِّي لَهُ الْبَلَاءَ ، فِعْلٌ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ يَكُونُ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ ، فَإِنْ طَلَبَ عِلْمًا لَمْ يُحِبَّ أَنْ يَتِمَّ لَهُ ، وَكَذٰلِكَ إِنْ طَلَبَ خَيْرًا مِنْ خَيْرِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ لَمْ يُحِبَّ أَنْ يَتِمَّ لَهُ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ شَيْءٌ ، وَذٰلِكَ قَبْلَ نُزُولِ النِّعَمِ بِالْعَبْدِ .

Fa-al-maḥabbatu bi-ʾallā yaṣīra ʾilayhi khayrun wa-al-tamannī lahu al-balāʾa , fiʿlun mina al-ʿabdi yakūnu ʿani al-ḥasadi , fa-ʾin ṭalaba ʿilman lam yuḥibba ʾan yatimma lahu , wa-kadhālika ʾin ṭalaba khayran min khayri al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati lam yuḥibba ʾan yatimma lahu min dhālika shayʾun , wa-dhālika qabla nuzūli al-niʿami bi-al-ʿabdi .

Wanting no good to come to him and wishing affliction upon him is an act of the servant arising from envy. If the other person seeks knowledge, he does not want him to succeed; likewise, if he seeks any good of this world or the next, he does not want any of it to come to fruition for him. This occurs before the servant receives the blessings.

وَأَمَّا الْحَسَدُ : فَكَرَاهَةُ النِّعَمِ وَحُبُّ زَوَالِهَا ، بَعْدَمَا يُمَنُّ بِالنِّعَمِ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ ، فَيَعْلَمُ الْحَاسِدُ بِالنِّعَمِ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَيَغْتَمُّ لَهَا حِينَئِذٍ ، وَيُحِبُّ زَوَالَهَا .

Wa-ʾammā al-ḥasadu : fa-karāhatu al-niʿami wa-ḥubbu zawālihā , baʿdamā yumannu bi-al-niʿami ʿalā al-ʿabdi , fa-yaʿlamu al-ḥāsidu bi-al-niʿami ʿalayhi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-yaghtammu lahā ḥīnaʾidhin , wa-yuḥibbu zawālahā .

Envy itself is resenting blessings and wanting them to disappear after they have been bestowed upon a servant. The envious person learns of the blessings God, mighty and majestic, has granted him, then feels distressed by them and wants them to disappear.

قُلْتُ : فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْحَسَدِ الَّذِي هُوَ مُنَافَسَةٌ مِمَّ يَكُونُ ؟ .

Qultu : fa-ʾakhbirnī ʿani al-ḥasadi al-ladhī huwa munāfasatun mimma yakūnu ? .

I said: Tell me, then, what gives rise to the envy that is emulation?

قَالَ : مَا كَانَ فِي الدِّينِ فَمِنْ حُبِّ طَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَالْعَزْمِ عَلَى الْقِيَامِ بِهَا لَوْ أُعْطِىَ أَسْبَابَهَا الَّتِي بِهَا يُنَالُ ، وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ دُنْيَا فَمِنْ حُبِّهِ الدُّنْيَا وَحُبِّ سَعَتِهَا وَالنُّعْمِ بِهَا .

Qāla : mā kāna fī al-dīni fa-min ḥubbi ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , wa-al-ʿazmi ʿalā al-qiyāmi bihā law ʾuʿṭiya ʾasbābahā al-latī bihā yunālu , wa-mā kāna min dunyā fa-min ḥubbihi al-dunyā wa-ḥubbi saʿatihā wa-al-nuʿmi bihā .

He said: In religious matters, it comes from love of obedience to God, mighty and majestic, and the resolve to fulfill it if one were given the means by which attainment is possible. In worldly matters, it comes from loving this world, loving its abundance, and taking pleasure in it.

قُلْتُ : فَمِمَّ يَكُونُ الْحَسَدُ الْمُحَرَّمُ ؟ .

Qultu : fa-mimma yakūnu al-ḥasadu al-muḥarramu ? .

I said: What, then, gives rise to forbidden envy?

قَالَ : يَكُونُ مِنَ الْكِبْرِ وَالْعُجْبِ ، وَالْحِقْدِ ، لِلْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْبَغْضَاءِ وَالرِّيَاءِ وَحُبِّ الْمَنْزِلَةِ وَالرِّيَاسَةِ أَنْ يَعْلُوَهُ غَيْرُهُ ، وَشُحِّ النَّفْسِ بِالْخَيْرِ غَمًّا يَجِدُهُ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ ، إِذَا رَأَى النِّعَمَ بِغَيْرِهِ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ مِنْ قَرَابَتِهِ أَوْ أَشْكَالِهِ أَوْ أَمْثَالِهِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِثْلُهُ وَفَوْقَهُ وَدُونَهُ ، لَا تَسْخُو نَفْسُهُ بِالْخَيْرِ لَهُمْ .

Qāla : yakūnu mina al-kibri wa-al-ʿujbi , wa-al-ḥiqdi , li-al-ʿadāwati wa-al-baghḍāʾi wa-al-riyāʾi wa-ḥubbi al-manzilati wa-al-riyāsati ʾan yaʿluwahu ghayruhu , wa-shuḥḥi al-nafsi bi-al-khayri ghamman yajiduhu al-ʿabdu ʿalā qalbihi , ʾidhā raʾā al-niʿama bi-ghayrihi fī kathīrin mina al-nāsi min qarābatihi ʾaw ʾashkālihi ʾaw ʾamthālihi wa-ghayrihim mimman huwa mithluhu wa-fawqahu wa-dūnahu , lā taskhū nafsuhu bi-al-khayri lahum .

He said: It comes from arrogance and self-admiration, from rancor born of enmity and hatred, from ostentation and the love of standing and leadership when someone else rises above one, and from the self's begrudging good: a distress the servant feels in his heart when he sees blessings in someone else, among the many people who are his relatives, his peers, his equals, or others like him, above him, or below him. His self cannot generously wish them well.

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قُلْتُ : فَبَيِّنْ لِي ذٰلِكَ كُلَّهُ .

Qultu : fa-bayyin lī dhālika kullahu .

I said: Explain all of that to me.

قَالَ : أَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْكِبْرِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْنَفُ أَنْ يَعْلُوَهُ مَنْ كَانَ دُونَهُ أَوْ يُسَاوِيَهُ ، أَوْ يَعْلُوَهُ مَنْ هُوَ مِثْلُهُ فِي دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا ، كَمَا قَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ : غُلَامٌ يَتِيمٌ : وَقَالُوا : لَوْ لَا نُزِّلَ هٰذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ .

Qāla : ʾammā mā kāna mina al-kibri fa-ʾinnahu yaʾnafu ʾan yaʿluwahu man kāna dūnahu ʾaw yusāwiyahu , ʾaw yaʿluwahu man huwa mithluhu fī dīnin ʾaw dunyā , kamā qālat Qurayshun : ghulāmun yatīmun : wa-qālū : law lā nuzzila hādhā al-qurʾānu ʿalā rajulin mina al-qaryatayni ʿaẓīmin .

He said: As for what comes from arrogance, he disdains the prospect that someone below him should rise above him or become his equal, or that someone his equal in religious or worldly matters should rise above him. Thus Quraysh said, “An orphan boy!” And they said: “Why was this Qur'an not sent down to a great man from one of the two towns?”

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى يَصِفُ كُفَّارَ قُرَيْشٍ : لِيَقُولُوا أَ هٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا .

Wa-qāla Allāhu taʿālā yaṣifu kuffāra Qurayshin : li-yaqūlū ʾa hāʾulāʾi manna Allāhu ʿalayhim min bayninā .

God, exalted is He, said, describing the unbelievers of Quraysh: “So that they would say, ‘Are these the ones whom God has favored from among us?’”

فَإِذَا أَنِفَ مِنْهُ وَازْدَرَاهُ وَرَّثَهُ ذٰلِكَ الْحَسَدَ لَهُ ، فَأَحَبَّ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَةُ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، غَمًّا أَنْ يَرَاهَا بِمَنْ لَا يَسْتَأْهِلُهَا عِنْدَهُ ، وَأَنَفًا أَنْ يَكُونَ مَنْ دُونَهُ مِثْلَهُ أَوْ فَوْقَهُ ، فَيُحِبُّ لِذٰلِكَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ النِّعْمَةُ الَّتِي فُضِّلَ بِهَا ؛ لِئَلَّا يَصِيرَ إِلَى الْمَنْزِلَةِ الَّتِي يَعْلُوهُ بِهَا أَوْ يُسَاوِيهِ ؛ حُقْرِيَّةً لَهُ وَازْدِرَاءً لَهُ ،

Fa-ʾidhā ʾanifa minhu wa-izdarāhu warrathahu dhālika al-ḥasada lahu , fa-ʾaḥabba ʾan tazūla ʿanhu niʿmatu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , ghamman ʾan yarāhā bi-man lā yastaʾhiluhā ʿindahu , wa-ʾanafan ʾan yakūna man dūnahu mithlahu ʾaw fawqahu , fa-yuḥibbu li-dhālika ʾan tazūla ʿanhu al-niʿmatu al-latī fuḍḍila bihā ; li-ʾallā yaṣīra ʾilā al-manzilati al-latī yaʿlūhu bihā ʾaw yusāwīhi ; ḥuqriyyatan lahu wa-izdirāʾan lahu ,

When he disdains and despises someone, this breeds envy toward him. He wants that person to lose the blessing of God, mighty and majestic, distressed to see it in someone he considers unworthy of it and too proud to let someone below him become his equal or superior. He therefore wants him to lose the blessing by which he has been favored, so that he will not reach a standing at which he surpasses or equals him. This is out of contempt and disdain for him,

لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَأْهِلُ عِنْدَهُ تِلْكَ النِّعْمَةَ وَلَا تِلْكَ الْمَنْزِلَةَ ، وَيَحْمِلُهُ الْحَسَدُ لَهُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ الْحَقَّ ، حَسَدًا أَنْ يَعْلُوَهُ بِهِ فَيَرْفَعَهُ عَلَيْهِ .

Li-ʾannahu lā yastaʾhilu ʿindahu tilka al-niʿmata wa-lā tilka al-manzilata , wa-yaḥmiluhu al-ḥasadu lahu ʾan yarudda al-ḥaqqa , ḥasadan ʾan yaʿluwahu bihi fa-yarfaʿahu ʿalayhi .

because, in his view, the other person deserves neither that blessing nor that standing. His envy of him drives him to reject the truth, out of envy at the prospect that the other person might surpass him through it and that it might elevate him above him.

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بَابُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ عَلَى الرِّيَاسَةِ وَحُبِّ الْمَنْزِلَةِ

Bābu mā yakūnu mina al-ḥasadi ʿalā al-riyāsati wa-ḥubbi al-manzilati

Chapter: Envy over leadership and love of standing

وَأَمَّا الرِّيَاسَةُ وَالْمَنْزِلَةُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ بِالْعِلْمِ ، فَإِنَّهُ يُورِثُ رَدَّ الْحَقِّ وَتَرْكَهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ ، كَمَا تَفَرَّقَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ ؛ حَسَدًا بَيْنَهُمْ أَنْ يَعْلُوَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا فِي الْعِلْمِ ، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ يَحْسُدُ صَاحِبَهُ عَلَى الرِّيَاسَةِ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ دُونَهُ .

Wa-ʾammā al-riyāsatu wa-al-manzilatu ʿinda al-nāsi bi-al-ʿilmi , fa-ʾinnahu yūrithu radda al-ḥaqqi wa-tarkahu ʿalā ʿilmin , kamā tafarraqa ʾahlu al-kitābi ; ḥasadan baynahum ʾan yaʿluwa baʿḍuhum baʿḍan fī al-ʿilmi , kullu wāḥidin minhum yaḥsudu ṣāḥibahu ʿalā al-riyāsati ʾan takūna lahu dūnahu .

As for leadership and standing among people through knowledge, envy of these leads to rejecting the truth and knowingly abandoning it. Thus the People of the Book divided out of mutual envy, resenting one another's superiority in knowledge. Each envied his companion for possessing leadership that he himself lacked.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْمَنْزِلَةُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ ، فَرَدَّ الْحَقَّ أَنْ يَقْبَلَهُ ، وَابْتَدَعَ فَقَالَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ، لِيَتَّبِعَهُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَوْلٍ هُوَ خِلَافُ قَوْلِ مَنْ يَحْسُدُهُ ، وَخَطَّأَهُ فِيمَا يَقُولُ وَإِنْ كَانَ حَقًّا ، وَأَظْهَرَ أَنَّ الْحَقَّ فِي غَيْرِهِ ، لِيَصُدَّ النَّاسَ عَنْهُ ، وَيُطْفِئَ نُورَهُ ، حَسَدًا أَنْ تَرْتَفِعَ مَنْزِلَتُهُ ، أَوْ يَخْضَعَ لَهُ فَيَكُونَ عَلَيْهِ رَئِيسًا .

Wa-kadhālika al-manzilatu ʿinda al-nāsi , fa-radda al-ḥaqqa ʾan yaqbalahu , wa-ibtadaʿa fa-qāla bi-ghayri al-ḥaqqi , li-yattabiʿahu al-nāsu ʿalā qawlin huwa khilāfu qawli man yaḥsuduhu , wa-khaṭṭaʾahu fīmā yaqūlu wa-ʾin kāna ḥaqqan , wa-ʾaẓhara ʾanna al-ḥaqqa fī ghayrihi , li-yaṣudda al-nāsa ʿanhu , wa-yuṭfiʾa nūrahu , ḥasadan ʾan tartafiʿa manzilatuhu , ʾaw yakhḍaʿa lahu fa-yakūna ʿalayhi raʾīsan .

The same applies to standing among people. He rejects the truth rather than accepting it, introduces an innovation, and asserts something untrue so that people will follow him in a view opposed to that of the person he envies. He declares what the other person says mistaken, even when it is true, and presents the truth as lying elsewhere, to turn people away from him and extinguish his light. He envies the rise in his standing, or resents submitting to him and having him as his leader.

كَمَا كَفَرَتْ عُلَمَاءُ الْيَهُودِ بِالنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، وَهُمْ يَعْرِفُونَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ جَاءَ بِالْحَقِّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، حَسَدًا أَنْ يُرَئِّسُوهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ، وَتَذْهَبَ رِئَاسَتُهُمْ فِي الْيَهُودِ ، فَيَكُونُوا أَتْبَاعًا بَعْدَمَا كَانُوا مَتْبُوعِينَ .

Kamā kafarat ʿulamāʾu al-yahūdi bi-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama , wa-hum yaʿrifūna ʾannahu qad jāʾa bi-al-ḥaqqi min ʿindi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , ḥasadan ʾan yuraʾʾisūhu ʿalayhim , wa-tadhhaba riʾāsatuhum fī al-yahūdi , fa-yakūnū ʾatbāʿan baʿdamā kānū matbūʿīna .

Thus the Jewish scholars disbelieved in the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, though they knew that he had brought the truth from God, mighty and majestic. Envy made them resent appointing him as their leader and losing their own leadership among the Jews, becoming followers after having been followed.

وَكَذٰلِكَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَتَرَأَّسَ بِهَا فَوْقَهُ ، وَيُعَظَّمَ عَلَيْهِ ، فَيَقَعُ الْعَالِمُ فِي الْعَالِمِ وَالْعَابِدُ فِي الْعَابِدِ ؛ خَوْفًا أَنْ يَتَرَأَّسَ عَلَيْهِ ، أَوْ يَكُونَ فَوْقَهُ ، أَوْ يُعَظِّمَهُ النَّاسُ ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَهْتِكَ اللّٰهُ سِتْرَهُ ، وَأَنْ يَعْصِىَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَيَفْتَضِحَ بِذٰلِكَ ، وَأَنْ يُخْطِئَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي دِينِهِ ، وَيَقُولَ عَلَيْهِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ،

Wa-kadhālika fī al-ʿibādati yakrahu ʾan yataraʾʾasa bihā fawqahu , wa-yuʿaẓẓama ʿalayhi , fa-yaqaʿu al-ʿālimu fī al-ʿālimi wa-al-ʿābidu fī al-ʿābidi ; khawfan ʾan yataraʾʾasa ʿalayhi , ʾaw yakūna fawqahu , ʾaw yuʿaẓẓimahu al-nāsu , wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yahtika Allāhu sitrahu , wa-ʾan yaʿṣiya Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-yaftaḍiḥa bi-dhālika , wa-ʾan yukhṭiʾa ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī dīnihi , wa-yaqūla ʿalayhi bi-ghayri al-ḥaqqi ,

The same applies to worship: he resents someone attaining leadership above him through it and being more highly esteemed. So one scholar disparages another, and one worshipper disparages another, afraid that the other will become his leader, rise above him, or win people's esteem. He wants God to strip away the protection concealing the other's faults, wants him to disobey God, mighty and majestic, and be disgraced by it, and wants him to make erroneous claims about God, mighty and majestic, in His religion and say what is untrue about Him,

لِئَلَّا تَثْبُتَ لَهُ رِئَاسَةٌ ، وَلِئَلَّا تَقُومَ لَهُ مَنْزِلَةٌ ، فَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِ كُلُّ مَا فِيهِ زَوَالُ الرِّئَاسَةِ عَنْهُ وَالتَّعْظِيمِ مِنَ النَّاسِ .

Li-ʾallā tathbuta lahu riʾāsatun , wa-li-ʾallā taqūma lahu manzilatun , fa-yuḥibbu ʾan yanzila bihi kullu mā fīhi zawālu al-riʾāsati ʿanhu wa-al-taʿẓīmi mina al-nāsi .

so that no leadership will be established for him and no standing secured. He wants everything to befall him that would deprive him of leadership and people's esteem.

وَكَذٰلِكَ فِي الرِّئَاسَةِ وَالْمَنْزِلَةِ فِي غَيْرِ الْعَامَّةِ ، يَتَحَاسَدُ الصَّاحِبَانِ فِي الْحُبِّ وَالْمَنْزِلَةِ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَصْحَبَانِهِ ، فَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُهُمَا أَلَّا يُفَضِّلَهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي عَمَلٍ وَلَا عِلْمٍ ، وَلَا يَرْفَعَهُ عَلَيْهِ ، فَيُخَطِّئُهُ فِيمَا يَقُولُ ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَهْتِكَ سِتْرَهُ عِنْدَ صَاحِبِهِ ، وَيَقَعُ فِيهِ ، وَيُفَطِّنُهُ إِلَى سُوءِ الظُّنُونِ فِيهِ ، وَيَضَعُ أَمْرَهُ ؛ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ ،

Wa-kadhālika fī al-riʾāsati wa-al-manzilati fī ghayri al-ʿāmmati , yataḥāsadu al-ṣāḥibāni fī al-ḥubbi wa-al-manzilati ʿinda man yaṣḥabānihi , fa-yuḥibbu ʾaḥaduhumā ʾallā yufaḍḍilahu ʿalayhi fī ʿamalin wa-lā ʿilmin , wa-lā yarfaʿahu ʿalayhi , fa-yukhaṭṭiʾuhu fīmā yaqūlu , wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yahtika sitrahu ʿinda ṣāḥibihi , wa-yaqaʿu fīhi , wa-yufaṭṭinuhu ʾilā sūʾi al-ẓunūni fīhi , wa-yaḍaʿu ʾamrahu ; li-ʾallā yakūna ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi minhu ,

The same applies to leadership and standing outside the public sphere. Two companions envy one another over the affection and standing they enjoy with the person whose company they both keep. One does not want that person to prefer the other to him in practice or knowledge, or to elevate him above him. He therefore declares his statements mistaken, wants to expose his faults before their companion, disparages him, prompts their companion to suspect the worst of him, and diminishes his importance, so that the other will not be dearer to their companion than he is,

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وَأَنْ يَكُونَ الْحُبُّ وَالْمَنْزِلَةُ لَهُ عِنْدَهُ دُونَ صَاحِبِهِ .

Wa-ʾan yakūna al-ḥubbu wa-al-manzilatu lahu ʿindahu dūna ṣāḥibihi .

and so that the affection and standing with him will belong to him rather than to his companion.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الشُّجَاعَانِ فِي الْحَرْبِ يُجَبِّنُ أَحَدُهُمَا الْآخَرَ وَيَقَعُ فِيهِ ، لِئَلَّا يَعْلُوَهُ فِي الْمَنْزِلَةِ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَعْرِفُهُمَا ، فَيُعَظَّمَ بِذٰلِكَ دُونَهُ ، فَيَقَعُ فِيهِ حَسَدًا ، أَوْ يُبَغِّضُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ ، وَيُجَبِّنُهُ عِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ فِي الْحُرُوبِ .

Wa-kadhālika al-shujāʿāni fī al-ḥarbi yujabbinu ʾaḥaduhumā al-ʾākhara wa-yaqaʿu fīhi , li-ʾallā yaʿluwahu fī al-manzilati ʿinda man yaʿrifuhumā , fa-yuʿaẓẓama bi-dhālika dūnahu , fa-yaqaʿu fīhi ḥasadan , ʾaw yubaghghiḍuhu ʾilā ghayrihi , wa-yujabbinuhu ʿinda al-liqāʾi fī al-ḥurūbi .

Likewise, of two brave men in war, one calls the other a coward and disparages him, so that the other will not surpass him in standing among those who know them both and be esteemed instead of him. He disparages him out of envy, or makes others dislike him and calls him a coward when they meet the enemy in battle.

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بَابُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ عَنِ الْحِقْدِ وَالْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْبَغْضَاءِ

Bābu mā yakūnu mina al-ḥasadi ʿani al-ḥiqdi wa-al-ʿadāwati wa-al-baghḍāʾi

Chapter: Envy arising from rancor, enmity, and hatred

وَأَمَّا مَا كَانَ عَنِ الْحِقْدِ وَالْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْبَغْضَاءِ فَهُوَ أَشَدُّ الْحَسَدِ ، وَذٰلِكَ مَا وَصَفَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنِ الْكُفَّارِ وَعَدَاوَتِهِمْ وَبُغْضِهِمْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ : وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا عَضُّوا عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ قُلْ مُوتُوا بِغَيْظِكُمْ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ . إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ .

Wa-ʾammā mā kāna ʿani al-ḥiqdi wa-al-ʿadāwati wa-al-baghḍāʾi fa-huwa ʾashaddu al-ḥasadi , wa-dhālika mā waṣafahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿani al-kuffāri wa-ʿadāwatihim wa-bughḍihim li-al-muʾminīna fa-qāla : wa-ʾidhā laqūkum qālū ʾāmannā wa-ʾidhā khalaw ʿaḍḍū ʿalaykumu al-ʾanāmila mina al-ghayẓi qul mūtū bi-ghayẓikum ʾinna Allāha ʿalīmun bi-dhāti al-ṣudūri . ʾIn tamsaskum ḥasanatun tasuʾhum .

Envy arising from rancor, enmity, and hatred is the fiercest envy. This is what God, mighty and majestic, described concerning the unbelievers and their enmity and hatred toward the believers. He said: “When they meet you, they say, ‘We believe.’ But when they are alone, they bite their fingertips in rage at you. Say, ‘Die in your rage!’ God knows what lies within hearts. If something good touches you, it troubles them.”

فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُمْ مُبْغِضُونَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، يَسُوؤُهُمْ مَا يَرَوْنَ بِهِمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ ؛ حَسَدًا لَهُمْ ، لِبُغْضِهِمْ وَعَدَاوَتِهِمْ ، فَأَخْرَجَتْهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ إِلَى الْحَسَدِ وَالشَّمَاتَةِ ، وَكَذٰلِكَ وَصَفَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قُلُوبَ الْمُبْغِضِينَ . قَالَ : وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ . قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ : يَوَدُّونَ مَا عَنِتُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ .

Fa-ʾakhbara ʾannahum mubghiḍūna li-al-muʾminīna , yasūʾuhum mā yarawna bihim min niʿmatin ; ḥasadan lahum , li-bughḍihim wa-ʿadāwatihim , fa-ʾakhrajathumu al-ʿadāwatu wa-al-baghḍāʾu ʾilā al-ḥasadi wa-al-shamātati , wa-kadhālika waṣafa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla qulūba al-mubghiḍīna . Qāla : waddū mā ʿanittum . Qāla Ibnu Jurayjin : yawaddūna mā ʿanitū fī dīnihim qad badati al-baghḍāʾu min ʾafwāhihim .

He tells us that they hate the believers, and that the blessings they see them enjoying trouble them, out of envy born of hatred and enmity. Enmity and hatred have led them to envy and to gloating over misfortune. This is how God, mighty and majestic, described the hearts of those who hate. He said: “They wish for your hardship.” Ibn Jurayj said: “They wish hardship upon the believers in their religion.” “Hatred has already appeared from their mouths.”

وَكَذٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى : إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ . قِيلَ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ :

Wa-kadhālika qawluhu taʿālā : ʾin tamsaskum ḥasanatun tasuʾhum . Qīla fī al-tafsīri :

Likewise, His words, exalted is He: “If something good touches you, it troubles them.” In the commentary it is said:

هُوَ الْحَاسِدُ . وَإِنْ تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَا .

Huwa al-ḥāsidu . Wa-ʾin tuṣibkum sayyiʾatun yafraḥū bihā .

“This is the envious person.” “But if something bad befalls you, they rejoice in it.”

فَالْمُبْغِضُ لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَى بِمَنْ يُبْغِضُ نِعْمَةً عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَاهُ بِأَسْوَأِ الْحَالِ فِي الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا ، فَإِنْ نَزَلَتْ بِهِ نِعْمَةٌ سَاءَتْهُ وَكَرِهَهَا ، وَلَوْ قَدَرَ أَنْ يُزِيلَهَا عَنْهُ لَأَزَالَهَا ، فَيَتَمَنَّى لِمَنْ يُعَادِيهِ وَيُبْغِضُهُ الْبَلَايَا ، وَيَكْرَهُ مَا بِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَزُولَ عَنْهُ ، وَيَفْرَحُ بِمَا نَزَلَ بِهِ مِنْ بَلَاءٍ أَوْ ضُرٍّ .

Fa-al-mubghiḍu lā yuḥibbu ʾan yarā bi-man yubghiḍu niʿmatan ʿalayhi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yarāhu bi-ʾaswaʾi al-ḥāli fī al-dīni wa-al-dunyā , fa-ʾin nazalat bihi niʿmatun sāʾathu wa-karihahā , wa-law qadara ʾan yuzīlahā ʿanhu la-ʾazālahā , fa-yatamannā li-man yuʿādīhi wa-yubghiḍuhu al-balāyā , wa-yakrahu mā bihi mina al-niʿami wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yazūla ʿanhu , wa-yafraḥu bi-mā nazala bihi min balāʾin ʾaw ḍurrin .

Someone who hates does not want to see the person he hates enjoying a blessing from God, mighty and majestic. He wants to see him in the worst possible condition in religion and worldly life. If a blessing comes to that person, it troubles him and he resents it; if he could take it away, he would. He wishes afflictions on the person he opposes and hates, resents the blessings he enjoys and wants him to lose them, and rejoices at any affliction or harm that befalls him.

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وَالْمُبْغِضُ الْمُعَادِى لَا يَنْفَكُّ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَالشَّمَاتَةِ ، إِلَّا مَنْ عَصَمَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ الَّذِي عَنِ الْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْبَغْضَاءِ الْقَتْلُ ، وَأَخْذُ الْمَالِ ، وَالسِّعَايَةُ بِمَنْ يَحْسُدُهُ ، وَهَتْكُ سِتْرِهِ ، وَغَيْرُ ذٰلِكَ ، فَالْمُبْغِضُ حَسَدُهُ أَعْظَمُ الْحَسَدِ وَأَشَدُّهُ .

Wa-al-mubghiḍu al-muʿādī lā yanfakku mina al-ḥasadi wa-al-shamātati , ʾillā man ʿaṣama Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla , wa-qad yakūnu ʿani al-ḥasadi al-ladhī ʿani al-ʿadāwati wa-al-baghḍāʾi al-qatlu , wa-ʾakhdhu al-māli , wa-al-siʿāyatu bi-man yaḥsuduhu , wa-hatku sitrihi , wa-ghayru dhālika , fa-al-mubghiḍu ḥasaduhu ʾaʿẓamu al-ḥasadi wa-ʾashadduhu .

The person who hates and bears enmity cannot escape envy and gloating, except for those whom God, mighty and majestic, protects. Envy born of enmity and hatred may lead to killing, taking property, maliciously informing against the person one envies, exposing his faults, and other such things. The envy of someone who hates is thus the greatest and fiercest envy.

Source page 623

بَابُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ عَنْ حُبِّ ظَاهِرِ الدُّنْيَا

Bābu mā yakūnu mina al-ḥasadi ʿan ḥubbi ẓāhiri al-dunyā

Chapter: Envy arising from love of this world's outward attractions

وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا : أَنْ يَنَالَ مَا يَرَى بِغَيْرِهِ مِنْ حُبٍّ أَوْ بِرٍّ مِنْ قَرَابَةٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ ، كَالْإِخْوَةِ يَتَحَاسَدُونَ ، أَوْ أَخٍ يُحَاسِدُ الْأَخَ عِنْدَ أَبِيهِمَا أَوْ أُمِّهِمَا أَوْ قَرَابَتِهِمَا .

Wa-mā kāna min ḥubbi al-dunyā : ʾan yanāla mā yarā bi-ghayrihi min ḥubbin ʾaw birrin min qarābatin ʾaw ghayrihi , ka-al-ʾikhwati yataḥāsadūna , ʾaw ʾakhin yuḥāsidu al-ʾakha ʿinda ʾabīhimā ʾaw ʾummihimā ʾaw qarābatihimā .

Envy arising from love of this world involves wanting to obtain the affection or kindness one sees another person receiving from a relative or someone else. Brothers, for example, envy one another, or one brother competes enviously with another for favor with their father, mother, or relatives.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الصَّاحِبَانِ أَوِ الشَّرِيكَانِ ، فَيَحْسُدُهُ عَلَى مَا يَرَى مِنْ حُبِّ أَبِيهِمَا أَوْ أُمِّهِمَا أَوْ بِرِّهِمَا أَوْ مَنْ صَحِبَهُمَا أَوْ شَارَكَهُمَا ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْثَرَ بِذٰلِكَ دُونَهُ ، فَيَحْسُدُهُ فَيَقَعُ فِيهِ وَيُبَغِّضُهُ ، لِيَصْرِفَ وَجْهَ أَبِيهِ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ إِلَيْهِ بِالْبِرِّ وَالْحُبِّ .

Wa-kadhālika al-ṣāḥibāni ʾawi al-sharīkāni , fa-yaḥsuduhu ʿalā mā yarā min ḥubbi ʾabīhimā ʾaw ʾummihimā ʾaw birrihimā ʾaw man ṣaḥibahumā ʾaw shārakahumā , wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yuʾthara bi-dhālika dūnahu , fa-yaḥsuduhu fa-yaqaʿu fīhi wa-yubaghghiḍuhu , li-yaṣrifa wajha ʾabīhi ʾaw ghayrihi ʾilayhi bi-al-birri wa-al-ḥubbi .

The same applies to two companions or partners. One envies the other for the affection he sees from their father or mother, their kindness, or the affection and kindness of someone who keeps company or has a partnership with them both. He wants to be singled out for it instead. So he envies the other, disparages him, and makes him disliked, to turn his father's attention, or someone else's, toward himself in kindness and affection.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْمَرْأَتَانِ وَالضَّرَّتَانِ .

Wa-kadhālika al-marʾatāni wa-al-ḍarratāni .

The same applies to two women and to two co-wives.

وَذٰلِكَ كَمَا وَصَفَ عَنْ إِخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ حِينَ حَسَدُوهُ فِي حُبِّ أَبِيهِ لَهُ دُونَهُمْ ، وَإِيثَارِهِ إِيَّاهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ، إِذْ قَالُوا لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَبِينَا مِنَّا وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : اقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَوْمًا صَالِحِينَ .

Wa-dhālika kamā waṣafa ʿan ʾikhwati Yūsufa ḥīna ḥasadūhu fī ḥubbi ʾabīhi lahu dūnahum , wa-ʾīthārihi ʾiyyāhu ʿalayhim , ʾidh qālū la-Yūsufu wa-ʾakhūhu ʾaḥabbu ʾilā ʾabīnā minnā wa-naḥnu ʿuṣbatun ʾilā qawlihi taʿālā : uqtulū Yūsufa ʾawi iṭraḥūhu ʾarḍan yakhlu lakum wajhu ʾabīkum wa-takūnū min baʿdihi qawman ṣāliḥīna .

This is like His account of Joseph's brothers when they envied him for his father's love for him rather than them, and his preference for him over them: “When they said, ‘Joseph and his brother are certainly dearer to our father than we are, though we are a strong band,’” through to His words, exalted is He: “Kill Joseph, or cast him out into some land, and your father's attention will be yours alone. Afterward you can become righteous people.”

وَكَذٰلِكَ بَنُو الْأُمِّ وَبَنُو الْعَمِّ ، يَتَحَاسَدُونَ لِيَحْظَى أَحَدُهُمْ دُونَ الْآخَرِ .

Wa-kadhālika banū al-ʾummi wa-banū al-ʿammi , yataḥāsadūna li-yaḥẓā ʾaḥaduhum dūna al-ʾākhari .

Likewise, brothers who share a mother and paternal cousins envy one another so that one may win favor instead of the other.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الرَّجُلَانِ يُجْرِى عَلَيْهِمَا قَرَابَةٌ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ ، فَيَتَحَاسَدَانِ ، وَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا يَحْسُدُ صَاحِبَهُ ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ تَتَّضِعَ مَنْزِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ مَنْ يُجْرِى عَلَيْهِمَا أَوْ يَصِلُهُمَا .

Wa-kadhālika al-rajulāni yujrī ʿalayhimā qarābatun ʾaw ghayruhu , fa-yataḥāsadāni , wa-kullu wāḥidin minhumā yaḥsudu ṣāḥibahu , wa-yuḥibbu ʾan tattaḍiʿa manzilatuhu ʿinda man yujrī ʿalayhimā ʾaw yaṣiluhumā .

The same applies to two men whom a relative or someone else supports regularly. They envy one another: each envies his companion and wants his standing to fall with the person who provides for them both or gives them gifts.

وَقَدْ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى الْحَسَدِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ مِنْ حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا كَالْمُلْكِ وَالشَّرَفِ حَتَّى يَقْتَتِلُوا فَيَقْتُلَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا ، حَسَدًا أَنْ يَنَالَ مِنْ مُلْكِ الدُّنْيَا أَوْ شَرَفِهَا أَوْ عِزِّهَا أَوْ إِكْرَامِ أَهْلِهَا مَا لَا يَنَالُ صَاحِبُهُ .

Wa-qad yakhruju ʾilā al-ḥasadi al-ladhī yakūnu min ḥubbi al-dunyā ka-al-mulki wa-al-sharafi ḥattā yaqtatilū fa-yaqtula baʿḍuhum baʿḍan , ḥasadan ʾan yanāla min mulki al-dunyā ʾaw sharafihā ʾaw ʿizzihā ʾaw ʾikrāmi ʾahlihā mā lā yanālu ṣāḥibuhu .

It may develop into envy arising from love of worldly things such as power and honor, until they fight and kill one another, envious that one should attain worldly power, honor, glory, or esteem among its people that his companion does not attain.

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وَكَذٰلِكَ التَّاجِرَانِ وَالصَّانِعَانِ ، يَحْسُدُ أَحَدُهُمَا الْآخَرَ وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَزُولَ عَنْهُ الْمُبَايِعُ وَالْمُسْتَأْجِرُ فَيُبَايِعَهُ دُونَ صَاحِبِهِ وَيَسْتَأْجِرَهُ ، فَيُحِبُّ أَنَّ حُرَفَاءَهُ صَارُوا إِلَيْهِ وَتَرَكُوهُ ، وَأَنَّ مَنْ يُبَايِعُهُ أَوْ يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ يَدَعُهُ وَيَنْصَرِفُ إِلَيْهِ ، فَيَقَعُ فِيهِ أَوْ فِي مَتَاعِهِ أَوْ صِنَاعَتِهِ ؛ لِيُبَغِّضَهُ إِلَى مَنْ يُعَامِلُهُ فَيَنْصَرِفَ إِلَيْهِ وَيَدَعَهُ .

Wa-kadhālika al-tājirāni wa-al-ṣāniʿāni , yaḥsudu ʾaḥaduhumā al-ʾākhara wa-yuḥibbu ʾan yazūla ʿanhu al-mubāyiʿu wa-al-mustaʾjiru fa-yubāyiʿahu dūna ṣāḥibihi wa-yastaʾjirahu , fa-yuḥibbu ʾanna ḥurafāʾahu ṣārū ʾilayhi wa-tarakūhu , wa-ʾanna man yubāyiʿuhu ʾaw yastaʿmiluhu yadaʿuhu wa-yanṣarifu ʾilayhi , fa-yaqaʿu fīhi ʾaw fī matāʿihi ʾaw ṣināʿatihi ; li-yubaghghiḍahu ʾilā man yuʿāmiluhu fa-yanṣarifa ʾilayhi wa-yadaʿahu .

The same applies to two merchants or two craftsmen. One envies the other and wants the other's buyer and employer to leave him and instead buy from and hire the envious man. He wishes that the other's customers would come to him and abandon the other, and that anyone who buys from or employs the other would leave him and turn to the envious man. He disparages the other person, his merchandise, or his craft to make those who deal with him dislike him, so that they turn to him and leave his rival.

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بَابُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ عَنِ الْعُجْبِ

Bābu mā yakūnu mina al-ḥasadi ʿani al-ʿujbi

Chapter: Envy arising from self-admiration

وَأَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ عَنِ الْعُجْبِ ، فَمَا أَخْبَرَنَا عَنِ الْأُمَمِ الْمَاضِيَةِ فَقَالُوا لِلرُّسُلِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ : مَا أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُنَا ، وَقَوْلُهُمْ : أَ نُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا ، وَقَوْلُهُمْ : وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَرًا مِثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ .

Wa-ʾammā mā kāna mina al-ḥasadi ʿani al-ʿujbi , fa-mā ʾakhbaranā ʿani al-ʾumami al-māḍiyati fa-qālū li-al-rusuli ʿalayhimu al-salāmu : mā ʾantum ʾillā basharun mithlunā , wa-qawluhum : ʾa nuʾminu li-basharayni mithlinā , wa-qawluhum : wa-la-ʾin ʾaṭaʿtum basharan mithlakum ʾinnakum ʾidhan la-khāsirūna .

As for envy arising from self-admiration, there is what He told us about past nations, who said to the messengers, peace be upon them: “You are only human beings like us.” There is also their statement, “Are we to believe two human beings like ourselves?” and their statement, “If you obey a human being like yourselves, you will certainly be losers.”

فَجَزِعُوا أَنْ يُفَضِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ بَشَرًا مِثْلَهُمْ ، فَحَسَدُوهُ وَرَدُّوا الْحَقَّ ، وَقَالُوا : وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَرًا مِثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ . جَزَعًا وَتَعَجُّبًا أَنْ يَفْضُلَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَنْ هُوَ مِثْلُهُمْ فِي الْخِلْقَةِ وَالنَّسَبِ ، فَقَالُوا يَتَعَجَّبُونَ : أَ بَعَثَ اللّٰهُ بَشَرًا رَسُولًا ؟ ، وَقَالُوا : لَوْ لَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةُ ؟ .

Fa-jaziʿū ʾan yufaḍḍila ʿalayhim basharan mithlahum , fa-ḥasadūhu wa-raddū al-ḥaqqa , wa-qālū : wa-la-ʾin ʾaṭaʿtum basharan mithlakum ʾinnakum ʾidhan la-khāsirūna . Jazaʿan wa-taʿajjuban ʾan yafḍula ʿalayhim man huwa mithluhum fī al-khilqati wa-al-nasabi , fa-qālū yataʿajjabūna : ʾa baʿatha Allāhu basharan rasūlan ? , wa-qālū : law lā ʾunzila ʿalaynā al-malāʾikatu ? .

They were distressed that He should favor a human being like themselves above them. They envied him, rejected the truth, and said: “If you obey a human being like yourselves, you will certainly be losers.” They were distressed and astonished that someone like them in physical creation and lineage should surpass them. In astonishment they said: “Has God sent a human being as a messenger?” And they said: “Why have angels not been sent down to us?”

تَعَجُّبًا وَإِنْكَارًا أَنْ يَفْضُلَهُمْ مَنْ هُوَ مِثْلُهُمْ .

Taʿajjuban wa-ʾinkāran ʾan yafḍulahum man huwa mithluhum .

They were astonished and refused to accept that someone like themselves should surpass them.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْ قَوْلِ نُوحٍ وَهُودٍ لِقَوْمِهِمَا : أَ وَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ ؟ .

Wa-qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿan qawli Nūḥin wa-Hūdin li-qawmihimā : ʾa wa-ʿajibtum ʾan jāʾakum dhikrun min rabbikum ʿalā rajulin minkum ? .

God, mighty and majestic, reported the words of Noah and Hūd to their peoples: “Are you astonished that a reminder from your Lord has come to you through a man from among you?”

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فَحَسَدُوهُ فَرَدُّوا الْحَقَّ وَعَانَدُوا الْإِيمَانَ .

Fa-ḥasadūhu fa-raddū al-ḥaqqa wa-ʿānadū al-ʾīmāna .

They envied him, rejected the truth, and stubbornly resisted faith.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْحَسَدُ فِي الْأَشْكَالِ وَالْأَمْثَالِ ، فِي النَّسَبِ أَوْ فِي الْقَدْرِ أَوْ فِي الْغِنَى أَوْ فِي التِّجَارَةِ أَوْ فِي الصِّنَاعَةِ أَوْ فِي الْوِلَايَةِ ، يَتَحَاسَدُ بَنُو الْأُمِّ وَالْأَبِ وَبَنُو الْأَعْمَامِ وَالْإِخْوَةُ أَكْثَرَ ذٰلِكَ دُونَ سَائِرِ النَّاسِ ، فَيَحْسُدُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا وَلَا يَكَادُونَ يَحْسُدُونَ غَيْرَهُمْ مِنَ الْغُرَبَاءِ .

Wa-kadhālika al-ḥasadu fī al-ʾashkāli wa-al-ʾamthāli , fī al-nasabi ʾaw fī al-qadri ʾaw fī al-ghinā ʾaw fī al-tijārati ʾaw fī al-ṣināʿati ʾaw fī al-wilāyati , yataḥāsadu banū al-ʾummi wa-al-ʾabi wa-banū al-ʾaʿmāmi wa-al-ʾikhwatu ʾakthara dhālika dūna sāʾiri al-nāsi , fa-yaḥsudu baʿḍuhum baʿḍan wa-lā yakādūna yaḥsudūna ghayrahum mina al-ghurabāʾi .

The same applies to envy among peers and equals in lineage, standing, wealth, trade, craft, or office. Sons of the same mother and father, paternal cousins, and brothers most often direct their envy toward one another rather than toward other people. They envy one another and seldom envy outsiders.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْعَالِمُ يُحَاسِدُ الْعَالِمَ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُحَاسِدُ غَيْرَهُ .

Wa-kadhālika al-ʿālimu yuḥāsidu al-ʿālima wa-lā yakādu yuḥāsidu ghayrahu .

Likewise, a scholar competes enviously with another scholar and seldom with anyone else.

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْعَابِدُ يَحْسُدُ الْعَابِدَ وَلَا يَكَادُ يَحْسُدُ الْعَالِمَ ، بَلْ يَخْضَعُ لَهُ يَذِلُّ ، وَيَحْسُدُ الْمُتَعَبِّدَ مِثْلَهُ لِأَنَّ الْعَالِمَ لَيْسَ مِثْلَهُ فَيَحْسُدَهُ .

Wa-kadhālika al-ʿābidu yaḥsudu al-ʿābida wa-lā yakādu yaḥsudu al-ʿālima , bal yakhḍaʿu lahu yadhillu , wa-yaḥsudu al-mutaʿabbida mithlahu li-ʾanna al-ʿālima laysa mithlahu fa-yaḥsudahu .

Likewise, a worshipper envies another worshipper but seldom envies a scholar. Rather, he submits to him and humbles himself. He envies a devotee like himself, since the scholar is not his peer for him to envy.

وَكَذٰلِكَ أَهْلُ التِّجَارَاتِ ، يُسْرِعُ الْحَسَدُ مِنْ أَهْلِ كُلِّ تِجَارَةٍ إِلَى مَنْ شَارَكَهُمْ فِيهَا دُونَ سَائِرِهِمْ مِنَ التُّجَّارِ ، كَالْبَزَّازِينَ ، يَحْسُدُ الْبَزَّازُ الْبَزَّازَ مِثْلَهُ ، يَسُوءُهُ وَيَغُمُّهُ مَا يَرَى مِنْ نَفَاقِ سُوقِهِ وَأَرْبَاحِهِ ، وَلَا يَكَادُ يَحْسُدُ الْجَزَّارِينَ وَالصَّيَارِفَةَ وَسَائِرَ الْبَاعَةِ ، وَمَنْ ضَامَّهُ فِي سُوقِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ تِجَارَتِهِ كَانَ الْحَسَدُ مِنْهُ إِلَيْهِ أَسْرَعَ مِمَّنْ تَبَاعَدَ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ تِجَارَتِهِ .

Wa-kadhālika ʾahlu al-tijārāti , yusriʿu al-ḥasadu min ʾahli kulli tijāratin ʾilā man shārakahum fīhā dūna sāʾirihim mina al-tujjāri , ka-al-bazzāzīna , yaḥsudu al-bazzāzu al-bazzāza mithlahu , yasūʾuhu wa-yaghummuhu mā yarā min nafāqi sūqihi wa-ʾarbāḥihi , wa-lā yakādu yaḥsudu al-jazzārīna wa-al-ṣayārifata wa-sāʾira al-bāʿati , wa-man ḍāmmahu fī sūqihi min ʾahli tijāratihi kāna al-ḥasadu minhu ʾilayhi ʾasraʿa mimman tabāʿada ʿanhu wa-ʾin kāna min ʾahli tijāratihi .

The same applies to people in different trades. The envy of those in each trade quickly reaches those who share it, rather than other merchants. A cloth merchant, for example, envies another cloth merchant like himself. The brisk business and profits he sees the other enjoying trouble and distress him. He seldom envies butchers, money changers, or other sellers. His envy reaches someone in his own trade who shares his marketplace more quickly than someone far away, even if the distant person practices the same trade.

وَكَذٰلِكَ مَنْ دَنَا مِنْهُ مِنَ الْقَرَابَةِ أَسْرَعُ إِلَيْهِ بِالْحَسَدِ مِمَّنْ تَبَاعَدَ عَنْهُ .

Wa-kadhālika man danā minhu mina al-qarābati ʾasraʿu ʾilayhi bi-al-ḥasadi mimman tabāʿada ʿanhu .

Likewise, a relative close to him is quicker to envy him than one farther away.

وَمِنْ ذٰلِكَ مَا رُوِىَ أَنَّ عُمَرَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِى مُوسَى : إِنَّ الْأَقْرِبَاءَ يَتَزَاوَرُونَ وَلَا يَتَجَاوَرُونَ .

Wa-min dhālika mā ruwiya ʾanna ʿUmara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kataba ʾilā ʾAbī Mūsā : ʾinna al-ʾaqribāʾa yatazāwarūna wa-lā yatajāwarūna .

An example is the report that ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, wrote to Abū Mūsā: “Relatives should visit one another, but not live next door to one another.”

وَمِنْ ذٰلِكَ : أَنَّ أَهْلَ نَجْرَانَ أَتَوْا عُمَرَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ، فَقَالُوا : إِنَّا قَدْ تَجَاوَرْنَا فَفَسَدَ مَا بَيْنَنَا فَأَجْلِنَا عَنْ بِلَادِنَا .

Wa-min dhālika : ʾanna ʾahla Najrāna ʾataw ʿUmara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu , fa-qālū : ʾinnā qad tajāwarnā fa-fasada mā baynanā fa-ʾajlinā ʿan bilādinā .

Another example is that the people of Najrān came to ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, and said: “We have lived next to one another, and our relations have deteriorated. Relocate us from our land.”

فَالْقُرْبُ مِنَ الْمُجَاوَرَةِ وَغَيْرِهِ فِي الْحَسَدِ أَسْرَعُ ، وَالْأَشْكَالُ وَالْأَمْثَالُ : الْحَسَدُ مِنْ بَعْضِهِمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ أَسْرَعُ مِنْهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِمْ ، يَحْسُدُ الْقَوْمُ عَالِمَهُمْ وَيُعَظِّمُونَ الْعَالِمَ الْغَرِيبَ ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَلَا يُسَاوِيهِمْ فِي النَّسَبِ أَوِ الْجِوَارِ .

Fa-al-qurbu mina al-mujāwarati wa-ghayrihi fī al-ḥasadi ʾasraʿu , wa-al-ʾashkālu wa-al-ʾamthālu : al-ḥasadu min baʿḍihim ʾilā baʿḍin ʾasraʿu minhu ʾilā ghayrihim , yaḥsudu al-qawmu ʿālimahum wa-yuʿaẓẓimūna al-ʿālima al-gharība ; li-ʾannahu laysa mithlahum wa-lā yusāwīhim fī al-nasabi ʾawi al-jiwāri .

Proximity through living nearby or other ties thus hastens envy. Among peers and equals, envy travels from one to another more quickly than it does to outsiders. A people envy their own scholar while esteeming a scholar from elsewhere, because the outsider is not one of their peers and does not share their lineage or neighborhood.

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وَمِنْ ذٰلِكَ مَا يُرْوَى : أَنَّ كَعْبًا قَالَ لِأَبِى مُسْلِمٍ الْخَوْلَانِيِّ : كَيْفَ أَنْتَ فِي قَوْمِكَ ؟ قَالَ : مُطَاعٌ ، قَالَ : كَذَبَتْنِي إِذًا التَّوْرَاةُ ، مَا مِنْ حَكِيمٍ فِي قَوْمٍ إِلَّا حَسَدُوهُ وَكَبَّرُوا عَلَيْهِ .

Wa-min dhālika mā yurwā : ʾanna Kaʿban qāla li-ʾAbī Muslimin al-Khawlāniyyi : kayfa ʾanta fī qawmika ? Qāla : muṭāʿun , qāla : kadhabatnī ʾidhan al-tawrātu , mā min ḥakīmin fī qawmin ʾillā ḥasadūhu wa-kabbarū ʿalayhi .

Another example is the report that Kaʿb asked Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī, “How do you fare among your people?” He replied, “I am obeyed.” Kaʿb said, “Then the Torah has lied to me! There is no wise man among a people without their envying him and speaking ill of him.”

وَمِنْ ذٰلِكَ مَا يَرْوِى هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ : كَانَ يَقُولُ لَنَا : يَا بَنِىَّ إِنَّهُ كَانَ يُقَالُ : إِنَّ أَزْهَدَ النَّاسِ فِي الْعَالِمِ أَهْلُهُ ، فَقَدْ يَكُونُ ذٰلِكَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَيَكُونُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَقَدْ يَزْهَدُ الْقَوْمُ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ مِنْهُمْ ؛ حَسَدًا لَهُ ، فَيَحْسُدُ الْقَوْمُ الْعَالِمَ مِنْهُمْ إِنْكَارًا وَتَعَجُّبًا ، كَيْفَ يَفْضُلُهُمْ مَنْ هُوَ مِثْلُهُمْ وَمِنْهُمْ ؟ .

Wa-min dhālika mā yarwī Hishāmu bnu ʿUrwata ʿan ʾabīhi qāla : kāna yaqūlu lanā : yā baniyya ʾinnahu kāna yuqālu : ʾinna ʾazhada al-nāsi fī al-ʿālimi ʾahluhu , fa-qad yakūnu dhālika mina al-ḥasadi wa-yakūnu min ghayrihi wa-qad yazhadu al-qawmu fī al-rajuli yakūnu minhum ; ḥasadan lahu , fa-yaḥsudu al-qawmu al-ʿālima minhum ʾinkāran wa-taʿajjuban , kayfa yafḍuluhum man huwa mithluhum wa-minhum ? .

Another example is what Hishām ibn ʿUrwa reports from his father. He said: He used to tell us, “My sons, it used to be said that the people least interested in a scholar are his own family.” This may arise from envy or from something else. A people may show little interest in a man among them because they envy him. They envy their own scholar in denial and astonishment: how can someone like them, and from among them, surpass them?

وَكَذٰلِكَ الشُّرَكَاءُ ، وَكَذٰلِكَ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ الضَّرَائِرُ ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُ أُمِّ رُومَانَ لِعَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ لَهَا لَمَّا رَمَاهَا أَهْلُ الْإِفْكِ : يَا بُنَيَّةُ ، خَفِّضِى عَلَيْكِ الشَّأْنَ - أَيْ هَوِّنِي عَلَيْكِ هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ - فَإِنَّهُ قَلَّ امْرَأَةٌ وَضِيئَةٌ عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ لَهَا ضَرَائِرُ إِلَّا أَكْثَرْنَ عَلَيْهَا .

Wa-kadhālika al-shurakāʾu , wa-kadhālika mina al-nisāʾi al-ḍarāʾiru , wa-minhu qawlu ʾUmmi Rūmāna li-ʿĀʾishata qālat lahā lammā ramāhā ʾahlu al-ʾifki : yā bunayyatu , khaffiḍī ʿalayki al-shaʾna - ʾay hawwinī ʿalayki hādhā al-ʾamra - fa-ʾinnahu qalla imraʾatun waḍīʾatun ʿinda rajulin lahā ḍarāʾiru ʾillā ʾaktharna ʿalayhā .

The same applies to partners, and among women, to co-wives. An example is what Umm Rūmān said to ʿĀʾisha when those responsible for the slander accused her: “My little daughter, do not let the matter weigh so heavily on you,” meaning, make this matter easier on yourself, “for seldom is there a beautiful woman married to a man, with co-wives, without their speaking a great deal against her.”

وَكَذٰلِكَ الْمُشْتَرَكَاتُ فِي عَامَّةِ الْأَشْيَاءِ ، مِنَ النَّسَبِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ وَالْبِضَاعَةِ وَالشَّجَاعَةِ وَالْجَمَالِ وَالْقُوَّةِ وَالصَّوْتِ وَالْعَمَلِ وَالْعِلْمِ ، يُسْرِعُ الْحَسَدُ مِنْ بَعْضِهِمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ مَا لَا يُسْرِعُ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى غَيْرِهِمْ .

Wa-kadhālika al-mushtarakātu fī ʿāmmati al-ʾashyāʾi , mina al-nasabi wa-al-tijārati wa-al-biḍāʿati wa-al-shajāʿati wa-al-jamāli wa-al-quwwati wa-al-ṣawti wa-al-ʿamali wa-al-ʿilmi , yusriʿu al-ḥasadu min baʿḍihim ʾilā baʿḍin mā lā yusriʿu minhum ʾilā ghayrihim .

The same applies to shared circumstances in things generally: lineage, trade, merchandise, courage, beauty, strength, voice, practice, and knowledge. Envy moves from one such person to another with a speed it does not have toward outsiders.

فَهٰذِهِ مَذَاهِبُ الْحُسَّادِ .

Fa-hādhihi madhāhibu al-ḥussādi .

These, then, are the ways of the envious.

فَجُمْلَةُ الْحَسَدِ الْمُحَرَّمِ مِنَ الْحَاسِدِ : كَرَاهَةُ مَا يَرَى مِنْ غَيْرِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ ، وَحُبُّ زَوَالِهَا عَنْهُ .

Fa-jumlatu al-ḥasadi al-muḥarrami mina al-ḥāsidi : karāhatu mā yarā min ghayrihi mina al-niʿami , wa-ḥubbu zawālihā ʿanhu .

Forbidden envy, in summary, consists in the envious person's resenting the blessings he sees someone else enjoying and wanting him to lose them.

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وَجُمْلَةُ الْحَسَدِ الَّذِي لَيْسَ بِمُحَرَّمٍ - إِلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَعْمِلَ الْحَاسِدُ بَعْضَهُ فِيمَا لَا يَحِلُّ ؛ كَالْمُنَافَسَةِ فِي الْحَرَامِ - وَهِيَ الْمُنَافَسَةُ فِي خَيْرِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ : أَنْ يُحِبَّ مَا يَرَى بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَهُ مِثْلُهُ ، وَأَنْ يَنَالَهُ مَا نَالَهُ ، غِبْطَةً مِنْهُ لَهُ ، فَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ فِيمَا يَغْبِطُهُ ، وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ دُونَهُ فِي الْخَيْرِ ،

Wa-jumlatu al-ḥasadi al-ladhī laysa bi-muḥarramin - ʾillā ʾan yastaʿmila al-ḥāsidu baʿḍahu fīmā lā yaḥillu ; ka-al-munāfasati fī al-ḥarāmi - wa-hiya al-munāfasatu fī khayri al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati : ʾan yuḥibba mā yarā bi-ghayrihi mina al-niʿami ʾan yakūna maʿahu mithluhu , wa-ʾan yanālahu mā nālahu , ghibṭatan minhu lahu , fa-ʾaḥabba ʾan yakūna mithlahu fīmā yaghbiṭuhu , wa-yakrahu ʾan yakūna dūnahu fī al-khayri ,

The envy that is not forbidden, unless the envious person directs some of it toward something unlawful, such as emulating another in wrongdoing, is emulation in the good of this world and the next. In summary, it is wanting to possess the same blessings one sees in someone else, and to receive what he has received, out of a desire to emulate him. One wants to be like him in the matter one admires, and dislikes falling below him in good,

وَلَا يَكْرَهُ لَهُ مَا يَرَى بِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ ، إِنَّمَا يَكْرَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ أَنْ يَصْغُرَ بِهِ دُونَهُ ، فَيُحِبُّ اللَّحَاقَ بِهِ ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ زَوَالَ النِّعَمِ عَنْهُ .

Wa-lā yakrahu lahu mā yarā bihi mina al-niʿami , ʾinnamā yakrahu li-nafsihi ʾan yaṣghura bihi dūnahu , fa-yuḥibbu al-laḥāqa bihi , wa-lā yuḥibbu zawāla al-niʿami ʿanhu .

without resenting the blessings one sees him enjoying. One dislikes only being diminished in comparison with him in that respect, and so wants to catch up with him, without wanting him to lose his blessings.

وَأَمَّا شُحُّ النَّفْسِ وَقِلَّةُ سَخَائِهَا بِالْخَيْرِ لِلْعِبَادِ فَذٰلِكَ شَرُّ الْحَاسِدِينَ ، وَلَا يَحْسُدُ لِمَعْنَى عَدَاوَةٍ وَلَا غَيْرِهَا ، أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنَّهُ لَا تَسْخُو نَفْسُهُ لِلْعِبَادِ بِمَا مَنَّ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِمْ ، غَمًّا يَجِدُهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ أَنْ رَأَى بِغَيْرِهِ نِعْمَةً ، لِغَيْرِ عَدَاوَةٍ يَعْرِفُهَا وَلَا غَيْرِ ذٰلِكَ ، أَكْثَرَ مِنْ شُحِّ نَفْسِهِ بِالْخَيْرِ لَهُمْ ؛ نَفَاسَةً مِنْهُ أَنْ يَصِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَيْرٌ .

Wa-ʾammā shuḥḥu al-nafsi wa-qillatu sakhāʾihā bi-al-khayri li-al-ʿibādi fa-dhālika sharru al-ḥāsidīna , wa-lā yaḥsudu li-maʿnā ʿadāwatin wa-lā ghayrihā , ʾakthara min ʾannahu lā taskhū nafsuhu li-al-ʿibādi bi-mā manna Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhim , ghamman yajiduhu ʿalā qalbihi ʾan raʾā bi-ghayrihi niʿmatan , li-ghayri ʿadāwatin yaʿrifuhā wa-lā ghayri dhālika , ʾakthara min shuḥḥi nafsihi bi-al-khayri lahum ; nafāsatan minhu ʾan yaṣila ʾilayhim khayrun .

As for the self's stinginess and its lack of generosity in wishing people well, such a person is the worst of the envious. He does not envy out of enmity or any other particular motive, beyond his self's inability to wish people freely what God, mighty and majestic, has bestowed upon them. He feels distress in his heart at seeing a blessing in someone else, without any enmity he can identify or any other reason beyond his self's begrudging good to them: he begrudges them the arrival of anything good.

قُلْتُ : فَبِمَ يُنْفَى الْحَسَدُ الْمُحَرَّمُ الَّذِي يَكْرَهُ صَاحِبُهُ مَا يَرَى مِنَ النِّعَمِ بِغَيْرِهِ وَيُحِبُّ زَوَالَهَا عَنْهُ ؟ .

Qultu : fa-bi-ma yunfā al-ḥasadu al-muḥarramu al-ladhī yakrahu ṣāḥibuhu mā yarā mina al-niʿami bi-ghayrihi wa-yuḥibbu zawālahā ʿanhu ? .

I said: How, then, can one drive out forbidden envy, in which a person resents the blessings he sees someone else enjoying and wants him to lose them?

قَالَ : بِيَسِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ ، أَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّكَ قَدْ غَشَشْتَ مَنْ تَحْسُدُهُ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ، وَتَرَكْتَ نَصِيحَتَهُ ، وَشَارَكْتَ أَعْدَاءَهُ إِبْلِيسَ وَالْكُفَّارَ فِي مَحَبَّتِهِمْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ زَوَالَ النِّعَمِ عَنْهُمْ ، وَكَرَاهَةِ مَا أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِهِ ، وَأَنَّكَ قَدْ سَخِطْتَ قَضَاءَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، الَّذِي قَسَمَ لِعِبَادِهِ .

Qāla : bi-yasīrin mina al-ʾamri , ʾan taʿlama ʾannaka qad ghashashta man taḥsuduhu mina al-muslimīna , wa-tarakta naṣīḥatahu , wa-shārakta ʾaʿdāʾahu ʾIblīsa wa-al-kuffāra fī maḥabbatihim li-al-muʾminīna zawāla al-niʿami ʿanhum , wa-karāhati mā ʾanʿama ʿalayhim bihi , wa-ʾannaka qad sakhiṭta qaḍāʾa Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , al-ladhī qasama li-ʿibādihi .

He said: By something simple: recognizing that you have harbored ill will toward the Muslim you envy, abandoned goodwill toward him, and joined his enemies, Iblīs and the unbelievers, in wanting the believers to lose their blessings and in resenting what He has bestowed upon them. Recognize that you have become displeased with the decree of God, mighty and majestic, which He has apportioned to His servants.

فَإِذَا عَلِمْتَ مَا قَدْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ هٰذَا الضَّرَرِ الْعَظِيمِ بِغَيْرِ مَنْفَعَةٍ فِي دِينٍ وَلَا دُنْيَا ، رَدَعَكَ ذٰلِكَ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ ، إِنْ كُنْتَ مُؤْمِنًا بِاللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَائِفًا عَلَى نَفْسِكَ مِنْ غَضَبِهِ وَعِقَابِهِ ، فَلَمْ تَتَعَرَّضْ لِوُجُوبِ غَضَبِهِ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ اجْتِرَارِ مَنْفَعَةٍ فِي دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا صَارَتْ إِلَيْكَ ، وَلَا هِيَ إِلَيْكَ صَائِرَةٌ لَوْ زَالَتِ النِّعْمَةُ عَمَّنْ تَحْسُدُهُ ،

Fa-ʾidhā ʿalimta mā qad dakhala ʿalayka min hādhā al-ḍarari al-ʿaẓīmi bi-ghayri manfaʿatin fī dīnin wa-lā dunyā , radaʿaka dhālika ʿani al-ḥasadi , ʾin kunta muʾminan bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla khāʾifan ʿalā nafsika min ghaḍabihi wa-ʿiqābihi , fa-lam tataʿarraḍ li-wujūbi ghaḍabihi ʿalayka min ghayri ijtirāri manfaʿatin fī dīnin ʾaw dunyā ṣārat ʾilayka , wa-lā hiya ʾilayka ṣāʾiratun law zālati al-niʿmatu ʿamman taḥsuduhu ,

When you recognize the immense harm you have brought upon yourself, without any religious or worldly benefit, that will restrain you from envy, if you believe in God, mighty and majestic, and fear His anger and punishment for yourself. You will not expose yourself to deserving His anger without gaining any religious or worldly benefit. No such benefit has come to you, nor would it come to you if the person you envy lost the blessing,

لِأَنَّهَا إِنْ زَالَتْ عَنْهُ لَمْ تَصِرْ إِلَيْكَ ، فَلَا يَتَعَرَّضُ لِهٰذَا الضَّرَرِ الْعَظِيمِ الَّذِي يُوجِبُ سُخْطَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - بِغَيْرِ مَنْفَعَةٍ فِي دِينٍ وَلَا دُنْيَا نَالَهَا - مُؤْمِنٌ عَاقِلٌ .

Li-ʾannahā ʾin zālat ʿanhu lam taṣir ʾilayka , fa-lā yataʿarraḍu li-hādhā al-ḍarari al-ʿaẓīmi al-ladhī yūjibu sukhṭa Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla - bi-ghayri manfaʿatin fī dīnin wa-lā dunyā nālahā - muʾminun ʿāqilun .

because, if he lost it, it would not become yours. No sensible believer exposes himself to such immense harm, which brings the displeasure of God, mighty and majestic, without obtaining any religious or worldly benefit.

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وَأَيْسَرُ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ كُلِّهِ أَنْ لَوْ كَانَ الَّذِي تَحْسُدُهُ أَبْغَضَ النَّاسِ إِلَيْكَ وَأَشَدَّهُمْ عَدَاوَةً لَكَ أَنَّهُ لَا تَزُولُ النِّعْمَةُ عَنْهُ بِحَسَدِكَ لَهُ ؛ لِأَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَوْ أَطَاعَ الْحَاسِدِينَ فِي الْمَحْسُودِينَ لَمَا أَبْقَى عَلَيْهِمْ نِعْمَةً ، وَلٰكِنْ يُمْضِى نِعَمَهُ وَقَسْمَهُ لِعِبَادِهِ ، وَلَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى حَسَدِ الْحَاسِدِينَ . وَلَوْ فَعَلَ بِالْمَحْسُودِينَ مَا يُحِبُّ الْحَاسِدُونَ لَهُمْ ،

Wa-ʾaysaru min dhālika kullihi ʾan law kāna al-ladhī taḥsuduhu ʾabghaḍa al-nāsi ʾilayka wa-ʾashaddahum ʿadāwatan laka ʾannahu lā tazūlu al-niʿmatu ʿanhu bi-ḥasadika lahu ; li-ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla law ʾaṭāʿa al-ḥāsidīna fī al-maḥsūdīna la-mā ʾabqā ʿalayhim niʿmatan , wa-lākin yumḍī niʿamahu wa-qasmahu li-ʿibādihi , wa-lā yanẓuru ʾilā ḥasadi al-ḥāsidīna . Wa-law faʿala bi-al-maḥsūdīna mā yuḥibbu al-ḥāsidūna lahum ,

Simpler than all of that is this: even if the person you envy were the person you most detest and your fiercest enemy, your envy would not make him lose his blessing. If God, mighty and majestic, obeyed the envious in dealing with those they envy, He would leave them no blessing. Instead, He carries out His bestowal of blessings and His allotment to His servants, paying no heed to the envy of the envious. If He treated the envied as the envious wish,

لَمَا بَقِيَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ نِعْمَةٌ ، وَلَأَفْقَرَ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ لِحَسَدِهِمْ لَهُمْ ، وَلَأَضَلَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِحَسَدِ الْكَافِرِينَ لَهُمْ ، وَلٰكِنِ الْحَسَدُ عَلَى الْحَاسِدِ ضَرَرُهُ ، وَالنِّعْمَةُ جَارِيَةٌ عَلَى مَنْ أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُتِمَّهَا عَلَيْهِ إِلَى الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي أَرَادَهُ وَقَدَّرَهُ ، وَلَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى حَسَدِ الْحَاسِدِينَ .

La-mā baqiya ʿalā al-nabiyyīna ṣalawātu Allāhi ʿalayhim ʾajmaʿīna niʿmatun , wa-la-ʾafqara al-ʾaghniyāʾa li-ḥasadihim lahum , wa-la-ʾaḍalla al-muʾminīna li-ḥasadi al-kāfirīna lahum , wa-lākini al-ḥasadu ʿalā al-ḥāsidi ḍararuhu , wa-al-niʿmatu jāriyatun ʿalā man ʾarāda Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʾan yutimmahā ʿalayhi ʾilā al-waqti al-ladhī ʾarādahu wa-qaddarahu , wa-lā yanẓuru ʾilā ḥasadi al-ḥāsidīna .

no blessing would remain upon the prophets, God's blessings be upon them all. He would impoverish the rich because of people's envy of them and lead the believers astray because of the unbelievers' envy of them. But envy harms the envious person. Blessing continues for whomever God, mighty and majestic, intends to complete it, until the time He has intended and decreed. He pays no heed to the envy of the envious.

أَلَا تَرَى إِلَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَدَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ .

ʾA-lā tarā ʾilā qawlihi ʿazza wa-jalla : waddat ṭāʾifatun min ʾahli al-kitābi law yuḍillūnakum wa-mā yuḍillūna ʾillā ʾanfusahum .

Do you not see His words, mighty and majestic: “A group among the People of the Book wish they could lead you astray, but they lead no one astray except themselves”?

فَبِمَحَبَّتِهِمْ أَنْ يُضِلُّوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ضَلُّوا بِذٰلِكَ ، لِأَنَّ تِلْكَ الْمَحَبَّةَ لَهُمْ ضَلَالٌ ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ أَحَبُّوا أَنْ يَرْجِعَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ضُلَّالًا ، وَذٰلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَالُ : أَنْ يُكْفَرَ بِاللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُكْفَرَ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ ، فَازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا بِحَسَدِهِمْ مَعَ غِشِّهِمْ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ .

Fa-bi-maḥabbatihim ʾan yuḍillū al-muʾminīna ḍallū bi-dhālika , li-ʾanna tilka al-maḥabbata lahum ḍalālun ; li-ʾannahum ʾaḥabbū ʾan yarjiʿa al-muʾminūna ḍullālan , wa-dhālika huwa al-ḍalālu : ʾan yukfara bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla , fa-man ʾaḥabba ʾan yukfara bi-Allāhi taʿālā fa-huwa kāfirun , fa-izdādū kufran bi-ḥasadihim maʿa ghishshihim li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-al-muʾminīna .

By wanting to lead the believers astray, they themselves went astray, because that desire was misguidance on their part. They wanted the believers to become misguided again, and this is misguidance: for God, mighty and majestic, to be disbelieved in. Whoever wants God, exalted is He, to be disbelieved in is himself an unbeliever. Through their envy they increased in unbelief, along with their ill will toward the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the believers.

وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَاسِدِ فِيمَنْ عَادَاهُ أَوْ بَاهَاهُ أَوْ تَكَبَّرَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ تَعَجَّبَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ تَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْهِ ، مَثَلُ رَجُلٍ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْمِىَ عَدُوًّا لَهُ بِحَجَرٍ ، فَلَمَّا رَمَاهُ لَهُ رَجَعَ الْحَجَرُ عَلَى عَيْنِ الرَّامِي فَأَصَابَهَا ، وَأَعَادَ الرَّمْيَ فَرَجَعَ الْحَجَرُ أَيْضًا عَلَى عَيْنِهِ فَأَصَابَهَا ، حَتَّى فَعَلَ ذٰلِكَ مِرَارًا ، كُلَّ ذٰلِكَ لَا يُصِيبُ عَدُوَّهُ ، وَيَرْجِعُ الْحَجَرُ عَلَيْهِ فَيَقَعُ بِعَيْنِهِ ،

Wa-ʾinnamā mathalu al-ḥāsidi fīman ʿādāhu ʾaw bāhāhu ʾaw takabbara ʿalayhi ʾaw taʿajjaba ʿalayhi ʾaw tafaḍḍala ʿalayhi , mathalu rajulin ʾarāda ʾan yarmiya ʿaduwwan lahu bi-ḥajarin , fa-lammā ramāhu lahu rajaʿa al-ḥajaru ʿalā ʿayni al-rāmī fa-ʾaṣābahā , wa-ʾaʿāda al-ramya fa-rajaʿa al-ḥajaru ʾayḍan ʿalā ʿaynihi fa-ʾaṣābahā , ḥattā faʿala dhālika mirāran , kulla dhālika lā yuṣību ʿaduwwahu , wa-yarjiʿu al-ḥajaru ʿalayhi fa-yaqaʿu bi-ʿaynihi ,

The envious person, in relation to someone he opposes, competes with in boasting, treats arrogantly, regards with astonishment, or considers himself superior to, is like a man who wanted to throw a stone at an enemy. When he threw it at him, the stone came back and struck the thrower's own eye. He threw again, and again the stone came back and struck his eye. He did this repeatedly: each time he missed his enemy, and the stone came back and hit his own eye,

وَكَذٰلِكَ إِنْ رَمَاهُ بِسَهْمٍ أَوْ بِغَيْرِ ذٰلِكَ ، كُلُّ ذٰلِكَ يَرْجِعُ عَلَى عَيْنِهِ وَلَا يُصِيبُ عَدُوَّهُ ، فَلَمْ يَكُ هٰذَا أَبَدًا لِيَرْمِىَ عَدُوَّهُ ، وَقَدْ عَلِمَ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُصِيبُ عَدُوَّهُ ، وَإِنَّمَا يُصِيبُ نَفْسَهُ .

Wa-kadhālika ʾin ramāhu bi-sahmin ʾaw bi-ghayri dhālika , kullu dhālika yarjiʿu ʿalā ʿaynihi wa-lā yuṣību ʿaduwwahu , fa-lam yaku hādhā ʾabadan li-yarmiya ʿaduwwahu , wa-qad ʿalima wa-tabayyana lahu ʾannahu lā yuṣību ʿaduwwahu , wa-ʾinnamā yuṣību nafsahu .

and likewise if he shot an arrow or threw anything else at him. All of it would come back upon his own eye and miss his enemy. Such a man would never keep aiming at his enemy once he knew and clearly understood that he was not hitting his enemy but only himself.

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فَكَذٰلِكَ الْحَاسِدُ : قَدْ كَانَ فِي نِعْمَةٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحْسُدَ مَنْ حَسَدَهُ ، وَهِيَ نِعْمَةُ السَّلَامَةِ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ ، فَلَمَّا حَسَدَ وَأَحَبَّ زَوَالَ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْهُ ؛ زَالَتْ عَنِ الْحَاسِدِ النِّعْمَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ ، وَهِيَ نِعْمَةُ السَّلَامَةِ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ ، فَتَزُولُ عَنْهُ سَلَامَتُهُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَنُصْحُهُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، وَيَنْزِلُ بِهِ مِنَ الْمَكْرُوهِ وَالْإِثْمِ أَعْظَمُ مِمَّا أَرَادَ بِمَنْ يَحْسُدُهُ ،

Fa-kadhālika al-ḥāsidu : qad kāna fī niʿmatin qabla ʾan yaḥsuda man ḥasadahu , wa-hiya niʿmatu al-salāmati mina al-ḥasadi , fa-lammā ḥasada wa-ʾaḥabba zawāla al-niʿmati ʿanhu ; zālat ʿani al-ḥāsidi al-niʿmatu al-latī kānat ʿalayhi , wa-hiya niʿmatu al-salāmati mina al-ḥasadi , fa-tazūlu ʿanhu salāmatuhu mina al-ḥasadi wa-nuṣḥuhu li-al-muʾminīna , wa-yanzilu bihi mina al-makrūhi wa-al-ʾithmi ʾaʿẓamu mimmā ʾarāda bi-man yaḥsuduhu ,

So it is with the envious person. Before he envied the person he envies, he enjoyed a blessing: freedom from envy. When he became envious and wanted the other person to lose his blessing, the envious person lost the blessing he himself had enjoyed, namely freedom from envy. His freedom from envy and his goodwill toward believers disappear, and he suffers harm and sin greater than what he intended for the person he envies,

وَتَبْقَى النِّعْمَةُ عَلَى الْمَحْسُودِ لَمْ تَزُلْ عَنْهُ .

Wa-tabqā al-niʿmatu ʿalā al-maḥsūdi lam tazul ʿanhu .

while the blessing remains upon the envied person, without leaving him.

فَإِذَا كُنْتَ أَرَدْتَ زَوَالَ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْ غَيْرِكَ ، وَأَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِ الْمَكْرُوهُ بِزَوَالِهَا عَنْهُ ، فَلَمْ تَزُلْ عَنْهُ بِإِرَادَتِكَ ، وَلَمْ يَنْزِلْ بِهِ مَكْرُوهٌ لِمَحَبَّتِكَ لَهُ الْمَكْرُوهَ ، وَتَزُولُ عَنْكَ النِّعْمَةُ بِتِلْكَ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَيَنْزِلُ بِكَ أَنْتَ الْمَكْرُوهُ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ ، وَلَعَلَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَسْخَطَ عَلَيْكَ بِذٰلِكَ ، فَأَنْزَلْتَ بِنَفْسِكَ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِغَيْرِكَ ، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ ،

Fa-ʾidhā kunta ʾaradta zawāla al-niʿmati ʿan ghayrika , wa-ʾan yanzila bihi al-makrūhu bi-zawālihā ʿanhu , fa-lam tazul ʿanhu bi-ʾirādatika , wa-lam yanzil bihi makrūhun li-maḥabbatika lahu al-makrūha , wa-tazūlu ʿanka al-niʿmatu bi-tilka al-maḥabbati wa-yanzilu bika ʾanta al-makrūhu mina al-ʾithmi , wa-laʿalla Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla ʾan yaskhaṭa ʿalayka bi-dhālika , fa-ʾanzalta bi-nafsika mā ʾaradta bi-ghayrika , wa-rubbamā kāna ʾakthara mimmā ʾaradta bihi ,

If you wanted someone else to lose his blessing and suffer harm through losing it, your wish has not removed it from him, nor has your desire for his harm caused harm to befall him. Instead, that desire takes away your own blessing, and you yourself suffer the harm of sin. God, mighty and majestic, may become displeased with you for it. You have thus brought upon yourself what you intended for someone else, perhaps even more than you intended for him,

لِأَنَّكَ إِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَةُ الدِّينِ وَيَنْزِلَ بِهِ الْإِثْمُ ، فَقَدْ نَزَلَ بِكَ مَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِ ، وَسَلِمَ هُوَ مِمَّا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ .

Li-ʾannaka ʾin ʾaradta ʾan tazūla ʿanhu niʿmatu al-dīni wa-yanzila bihi al-ʾithmu , fa-qad nazala bika mā ʾaradta ʾan yanzila bihi , wa-salima huwa mimmā ʾaradta bihi .

because, if you wanted him to lose the blessing of religion and fall into sin, what you wanted to befall him has befallen you, while he has remained safe from what you intended for him.

وَإِنْ كُنْتَ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَةُ دُنْيَا ، وَأَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِ مَكْرُوهٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، فَقَدْ أَنْزَلْتَ بِنَفْسِكَ مِنَ الضَّرَرِ أَعْظَمَ مِمَّا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ ، وَلَمْ تَزُلْ عَنْهُ نِعْمَةٌ ، وَلَا نَزَلَ بِهِ مَكْرُوهٌ مِمَّا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ .

Wa-ʾin kunta ʾaradta ʾan tazūla ʿanhu niʿmatu dunyā , wa-ʾan yanzila bihi makrūhun fī al-dunyā , fa-qad ʾanzalta bi-nafsika mina al-ḍarari ʾaʿẓama mimmā ʾaradta bihi , wa-lam tazul ʿanhu niʿmatun , wa-lā nazala bihi makrūhun mimmā ʾaradta bihi .

If you wanted him to lose a worldly blessing and suffer some worldly harm, you have brought greater harm upon yourself than you intended for him. No blessing has left him, and none of the harm you intended has befallen him.

وَكَذٰلِكَ قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ .

Wa-kadhālika qāla Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla : yā ʾayyuhā al-nāsu ʾinnamā baghyukum ʿalā ʾanfusikum .

Thus God, mighty and majestic, said: “People, your aggression falls only upon yourselves.”

فَهَلْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الرَّامِي بِالْحَجَرِ لِعَدُوِّهِ إِذْ رَجَعَ الْحَجَرُ عَلَى عَيْنِهِ فُرْقَانٌ ؟ بَلْ أَنْتَ أَعْظَمُ بَلَاءً وَضَرَرًا ، لِأَنَّكَ إِذَا حَسَدْتَهُ فَقَدْ تَعَرَّضْتَ لِسُخْطِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ ، وَأَثِمْتَ بِرَبِّكَ وَلَمْ تَزُلْ عَنْهُ النِّعْمَةُ ، وَرَجَعَ عَلَيْكَ عُقُوبَةُ الْإِثْمِ ، فَصَارَتْ فِي عَيْنِكَ ، فَذَهَبَتْ بِهَا ، وَكُتِبَ عَلَيْكَ إِثْمٌ تُؤْخَذُ بِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ ، وَتَسْتَوْجِبُ بِهِ غَضَبَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،

Fa-hal baynaka wa-bayna al-rāmī bi-al-ḥajari li-ʿaduwwihi ʾidh rajaʿa al-ḥajaru ʿalā ʿaynihi furqānun ? Bal ʾanta ʾaʿẓamu balāʾan wa-ḍararan , li-ʾannaka ʾidhā ḥasadtahu fa-qad taʿarraḍta li-sukhṭi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fīhi , wa-ʾathimta bi-rabbika wa-lam tazul ʿanhu al-niʿmatu , wa-rajaʿa ʿalayka ʿuqūbatu al-ʾithmi , fa-ṣārat fī ʿaynika , fa-dhahabat bihā , wa-kutiba ʿalayka ʾithmun tuʾkhadhu bihi fī al-ʾākhirati , wa-tastawjibu bihi ghaḍaba Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ,

Is there any difference between you and the man who throws a stone at his enemy, only for the stone to come back upon his own eye? Your affliction and harm are greater. When you envy him, you expose yourself to the displeasure of God, mighty and majestic, over him and sin against your Lord, while his blessing remains. The penalty of sin recoils upon you, strikes your eye, and destroys it. A sin is recorded against you for which you will be held accountable in the hereafter and by which you deserve the anger of God, mighty and majestic,

فَلَوْ رَجَعَ الْحَجَرُ عَلَى عَيْنِكَ بَدَلَ الْإِثْمِ كَانَ خَيْرًا لَكَ ، لِأَنَّ عَيْنَكَ ذَاهِبَةٌ بِالْمَوْتِ وَالْبَلَاءِ لَا مَحَالَةَ ، وَإِثْمُ الْحَسَدِ لَا يَبْلَى وَلَا يُمْحَى حَتَّى يُوقِفَكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ ، وَيَسْأَلَكَ عَنْهُ ، ثُمَّ لَعَلَّهُ يَكُونُ آخِرُهُ الطَّامَّةَ الْكُبْرَى ، غَضَبَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ ، فَلَأَنْ تَذْهَبَ عَيْنُكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ عَيْنٌ فِي النَّارِ ،

Fa-law rajaʿa al-ḥajaru ʿalā ʿaynika badala al-ʾithmi kāna khayran laka , li-ʾanna ʿaynaka dhāhibatun bi-al-mawti wa-al-balāʾi lā maḥālata , wa-ʾithmu al-ḥasadi lā yablā wa-lā yumḥā ḥattā yūqifaka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi , wa-yasʾalaka ʿanhu , thumma laʿallahu yakūnu ʾākhiruhu al-ṭāmmata al-kubrā , ghaḍaba Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayka min ʾajlihi , fa-la-ʾan tadhhaba ʿaynuka fī al-dunyā khayrun laka min ʾan yakūna laka ʿaynun fī al-nāri ,

so it would be better for you if the stone, rather than sin, came back upon your eye. Your eye will inevitably perish through death and decay, whereas the sin of envy neither decays nor is erased before God, mighty and majestic, confronts you with it and questions you about it. Its final outcome may then be the overwhelming catastrophe: the anger of God, mighty and majestic, against you because of it. Losing your eye in this world is better for you than having an eye in the Fire,

Source page 631

ثُمَّ لَا تَلْبَثُ أَنْ يُعْمِيَهَا الْعَذَابُ .

Thumma lā talbathu ʾan yuʿmiyahā al-ʿadhābu .

only for the torment soon to blind it.

أَيُّهُمَا أَيْسَرُ : حَالُكَ أَوْ حَالُ مَنْ رَجَعَتْ رَمْيَتُهُ إِلَى عَيْنِهِ وَلَمْ تُصِبْ عَيْنَ عَدُوِّهِ ؟ فَهُوَ أَيْسَرُ مِنْكَ حَالًا وَأَنْتَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً وَضَرَرًا ، إِذْ لَمْ تَزُلِ النِّعَمُ عَمَّنْ حَسَدْتَهُ ، وَزَالَتْ عَنْكَ النِّعْمَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْكَ ، مِنْ سَلَامَةِ قَلْبِكَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، فَأَنْزَلْتَ بِنَفْسِكَ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِغَيْرِكَ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ ، وَلَمْ يُرِكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ الَّذِي تُحِبُّ ،

ʾAyyuhumā ʾaysaru : ḥāluka ʾaw ḥālu man rajaʿat ramyatuhu ʾilā ʿaynihi wa-lam tuṣib ʿayna ʿaduwwihi ? Fa-huwa ʾaysaru minka ḥālan wa-ʾanta ʾashaddu minhu balāʾan wa-ḍararan , ʾidh lam tazuli al-niʿamu ʿamman ḥasadtahu , wa-zālat ʿanka al-niʿmatu al-latī kānat ʿalayka , min salāmati qalbika mina al-ḥasadi li-al-muʾminīna , fa-ʾanzalta bi-nafsika mā ʾaradta bi-ghayrika ʾaw ʾakthara , wa-lam yurika Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fīhi al-ladhī tuḥibbu ,

Which is easier: your condition, or that of someone whose shot came back upon his own eye and missed his enemy's? His condition is easier than yours, and your affliction and harm are greater. The blessings have not left the person you envied, while you have lost the blessing you enjoyed: a heart free of envy toward believers. You have brought upon yourself what you intended for someone else, or more, and God, mighty and majestic, has not shown you what you wanted to see happen to him,

وَبَقِيَتِ النِّعْمَةُ عَلَيْهِ عَلَى الرَّغْمِ مِنْكَ وَالْجَزَعِ مِنْكَ ، وَمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الضَّرَرِ فِي دُنْيَاكَ أَعْظَمُ عَلَيْكَ ، إِذْ لَمْ تَخَفِ الْآخِرَةَ إِذْ نَزَلَ الْغَمُّ بِقَلْبِكَ ، كُلَّمَا رَأَيْتَ بِهِ حَسَنَةً أُغْمِمْتَ بِهَا ، وَتَعَذَّبَ قَلْبُكَ بِالْغَمِّ بِهَا ، فَاللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُنَعِّمُهُ بِطَاعَتِهِ أَوْ بِالدُّنْيَا ، وَتَعَذَّبَ قَلْبُكَ بِحَسَدِهِ .

Wa-baqiyati al-niʿmatu ʿalayhi ʿalā al-raghmi minka wa-al-jazaʿi minka , wa-mā dakhala ʿalayka mina al-ḍarari fī dunyāka ʾaʿẓamu ʿalayka , ʾidh lam takhafi al-ʾākhirata ʾidh nazala al-ghammu bi-qalbika , kullamā raʾayta bihi ḥasanatan ʾughmimta bihā , wa-taʿadhdhaba qalbuka bi-al-ghammi bihā , fa-Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla yunaʿʿimuhu bi-ṭāʿatihi ʾaw bi-al-dunyā , wa-taʿadhdhaba qalbuka bi-ḥasadihi .

and his blessing remains, despite your resentment and distress. The harm you suffer in this worldly life weighs even more heavily upon you, since you have not feared the hereafter: grief has settled in your heart. Whenever you see him enjoying something good, it distresses you, and your heart is tormented by grief over it. God, mighty and majestic, gives him enjoyment through obedience to Him or through worldly things, while your heart is tormented by envying him.

فَأَنْتَ مَغْمُومٌ وَهُوَ مَسْرُورٌ ، فَعَذَّبْتَ نَفْسَكَ بِنَعِيمِ غَيْرِكَ ، بِغَيْرِ مَنْفَعَةٍ دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْكَ ، فَأَنْزَلْتَ بِنَفْسِكَ الْغَمَّ بِغَيْرِكَ ، وَأَثِمْتَ وَتَعَرَّضْتَ لِلْعَذَابِ وَالْعُقُوبَةِ .

Fa-ʾanta maghmūmun wa-huwa masrūrun , fa-ʿadhdhabta nafsaka bi-naʿīmi ghayrika , bi-ghayri manfaʿatin dakhalat ʿalayka , fa-ʾanzalta bi-nafsika al-ghamma bi-ghayrika , wa-ʾathimta wa-taʿarraḍta li-al-ʿadhābi wa-al-ʿuqūbati .

You are grieved while he is happy. You have tormented yourself over someone else's enjoyment, without gaining any benefit. You have brought grief upon yourself over another person, committed sin, and exposed yourself to torment and punishment.

فَلَنْ يَجْهَلَ هٰذَا الْوَصْفَ عَاقِلٌ ، وَلَا يُقِيمُ عَلَى الْحَسَدِ بَعْدَ هٰذَا الْوَصْفِ لَبِيبٌ ، إِذَا تَفَكَّرَ فَعَقَلَ مَا يَضُرُّهُ مِمَّا يَنْفَعُهُ ، إِذَا كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا ، بَلِ الْكُفَّارُ لَوْ تَدَبَّرُوا هٰذَا الْوَصْفَ لَرَدَعَهُمْ ذٰلِكَ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ ، وَإِنْ كَانُوا لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْبَعْثِ وَالْحِسَابِ ، إِنْ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ قُلُوبَهُمْ مُعَذَّبَةٌ بِالْغُمُومِ لِنِعَمِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ ،

Fa-lan yajhala hādhā al-waṣfa ʿāqilun , wa-lā yuqīmu ʿalā al-ḥasadi baʿda hādhā al-waṣfi labībun , ʾidhā tafakkara fa-ʿaqala mā yaḍurruhu mimmā yanfaʿuhu , ʾidhā kāna muʾminan , bali al-kuffāru law tadabbarū hādhā al-waṣfa la-radaʿahum dhālika ʿani al-ḥasadi , wa-ʾin kānū lā yuʾminūna bi-al-baʿthi wa-al-ḥisābi , ʾin ʿalimū ʾanna qulūbahum muʿadhdhabatun bi-al-ghumūmi li-niʿami Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalā khalqihi ,

No sensible person will fail to understand this account, and no discerning person who is a believer will persist in envy after hearing it, once he reflects and distinguishes what harms him from what benefits him. Indeed, even unbelievers would be restrained from envy if they considered this account, despite not believing in resurrection and reckoning, if they recognized that their hearts are tormented by grief over the blessings of God, mighty and majestic, upon His creatures,

وَالنِّعَمُ عَلَى الْمُنْعَمِ عَلَيْهِ جَارِيَةٌ غَيْرُ زَائِلَةٍ ، فَلَمْ يُعْطَوْا مَا أَرَادُوا ، وَعَذَّبُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِالْغَمِّ ، وَتَنَعَّمَ أُولٰئِكَ بِمَا يَتَعَذَّبُونَ بِهِ .

Wa-al-niʿamu ʿalā al-munʿami ʿalayhi jāriyatun ghayru zāʾilatin , fa-lam yuʿṭaw mā ʾarādū , wa-ʿadhdhabū ʾanfusahum bi-al-ghammi , wa-tanaʿʿama ʾulāʾika bi-mā yataʿadhdhabūna bihi .

while those blessings continue for their recipients without disappearing. They have not been given what they wanted; they have tormented themselves with grief, while the others enjoy the very things that torment them.

فَمَا مِنْ كَافِرٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِالْبَعْثِ يَعْرِفُ هٰذَا الْوَصْفَ ، إِلَّا رَدَعَهُ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ ، إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ عَقْلٌ ، مِنْ أَجْلِ دُنْيَاهُ دُونَ آخِرَتِهِ ، فَكَيْفَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِالْبَعْثِ ، وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِي الْحَسَدِ الْإِثْمَ الْكَبِيرَ وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَأْمَنُ غَضَبَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذٰلِكَ ؟ فَذٰلِكَ أَوْلَى أَلَّا يَعْتَرِضَ الْحَسَدُ بِقَلْبِهِ ؛ لِخَطَرِهِ ، فَضْلًا عَنِ الْقَبُولِ لَهُ ،

Fa-mā min kāfirin lā yuʾminu bi-al-baʿthi yaʿrifu hādhā al-waṣfa , ʾillā radaʿahu ʿani al-ḥasadi , ʾin kāna lahu ʿaqlun , min ʾajli dunyāhu dūna ʾākhiratihi , fa-kayfa man ʾāmana bi-al-baʿthi , wa-ʿalima ʾanna fī al-ḥasadi al-ʾithma al-kabīra wa-ʾannahu lā yaʾmanu ghaḍaba Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī dhālika ? Fa-dhālika ʾawlā ʾallā yaʿtariḍa al-ḥasadu bi-qalbihi ; li-khaṭarihi , faḍlan ʿani al-qabūli lahu ,

Any unbeliever who does not believe in resurrection but understands this account will, if he has sense, be restrained by it from envy for the sake of this life, quite apart from the next. How much more should this apply to someone who believes in resurrection and knows that envy entails a grave sin and that he is not safe from the anger of God, mighty and majestic, over it? Such a person has still greater reason to keep envy from crossing his heart, because of its danger, let alone to accept it,

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إِذْ كَانَ بِهٰذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةِ ، فَبِذٰلِكَ يَنْفِى الْحَسَدَ حِينَ يَعْتَرِضُ ، وَمَنْ كَانَ مُعْتَقِدًا لَهُ عَرَفَهُ ، وَأَعْطَى الْعَزْمَ أَلَّا يَعُودَ فِيهِ ، وَيَحْذَرُ فِيمَا يَسْتَقْبِلُ .

ʾIdh kāna bi-hādhihi al-manzilati , fa-bi-dhālika yanfī al-ḥasada ḥīna yaʿtariḍu , wa-man kāna muʿtaqidan lahu ʿarafahu , wa-ʾaʿṭā al-ʿazma ʾallā yaʿūda fīhi , wa-yaḥdharu fīmā yastaqbilu .

since this is its true nature. Through that recognition he drives out envy when it arises. Someone who has already harbored it recognizes it, pledges his resolve not to return to it, and remains on guard in the future.

وَأَيْضًا مِمَّا يُقَوِّى عَلَى نَفْىِ الْحَسَدِ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ بَعْدَ قَبُولِهِ ، وَرَدِّهِ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ فِي الْقَلْبِ : أَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّ الْحَسَدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالدِّينِ مِنْ حَسَدِ إِبْلِيسَ لَكَ ، إِنْ كَانَتْ نِعْمَةٌ مِنَ الدِّينِ بِأَحَدٍ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَكَانَ الْمُنْعَمُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا فَوْقَكَ فِي الدِّينِ أَوْ مِثْلَكَ أَوْ دُونَكَ ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فَوْقَكَ فَلَمْ تَلْحَقْهُ بِعَمَلِكَ فَتَعْمَلَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ أَوْ تَعْلَمَ مِثْلَ عِلْمِهِ ،

Wa-ʾayḍan mimmā yuqawwī ʿalā nafyi al-ḥasadi min qalbika baʿda qabūlihi , wa-raddihi ḥīna yaʿriḍu fī al-qalbi : ʾan taʿlama ʾanna al-ḥasada fī al-dunyā wa-al-dīni min ḥasadi ʾIblīsa laka , ʾin kānat niʿmatun mina al-dīni bi-ʾaḥadin mina al-muʾminīna wa-kāna al-munʿamu ʿalayhi bihā fawqaka fī al-dīni ʾaw mithlaka ʾaw dūnaka , fa-ʾin kāna fawqaka fa-lam talḥaqhu bi-ʿamalika fa-taʿmala mithla ʿamalihi ʾaw taʿlama mithla ʿilmihi ,

Another thing that strengthens your ability to drive envy from your heart after accepting it, and to reject it when it arises there, is recognizing that envy in worldly and religious matters comes from Iblīs's envy of you. Suppose one of the believers enjoys a religious blessing, and the person granted it is above you in religion, your equal, or below you. If he is above you and your own practice has not brought you up to his level, so that you practice as he does or possess knowledge like his,

كُرْهًا وَحَسَدًا، إِذْ فَاتَكَ اللَّحَاقُ بِهِ فِي الْعِلْمِ أَوِ الْعَمَلِ، فَتَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ، فَكَرِهَ إِبْلِيسُ لَكَ أَنْ تُحِبَّهُ عَلَى مَا وَهَبَهُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَحَسَدَكَ أَنْ تَشْكُرَهُ بِمَحَبَّتِكَ لَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَتَضْرِبَ بِالشَّرِكَةِ مَعَهُ إِذَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لِمَا صَنَعَ، وَأَحْبَبْتَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِثْلَهُ، فَأَلْقَى فِي قَلْبِكَ الدُّعَاءَ إِلَى حَسَدِهِ وَحُبِّ زَوَالِ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْهُ؛

Kurhan wa-ḥasadan, idh fātaka al-laḥāqu bihi fī al-ʿilmi awi al-ʿamali, fa-takūna mithlahu, fa-kariha Iblīsu laka an tuḥibbahu ʿalā mā wahabahu Allāhu min dhālika, wa-ḥasadaka an tashkurahu bi-maḥabbatika lahu ʿalā dhālika fa-taḍriba bi-al-sharikati maʿahu idhā aḥbabtahu ʿalā dhālika li-mā ṣanaʿa, wa-aḥbabta an takūna mithlahu, fa-alqā fī qalbika al-duʿāʾa ilā ḥasadihi wa-ḥubbi zawāli al-niʿmati ʿanhu;

with aversion and envy, because you have missed the chance to catch up with him in knowledge or action and so become like him. Iblīs hates for you to love him for what God has granted him of this, and begrudges your thanking Him by loving that man for it, thereby gaining a share alongside him when you love him for this, for what he has done, and wish to be like him. So he casts into your heart the invitation to envy him and to want his blessing to disappear,

لِئَلَّا تَضْرِبَ مَعَهُ بِسَهْمِ الْحُبِّ إِذْ فَاتَكَ الْعَمَلُ وَالْعِلْمُ، فَبَغَّضَهُ إِلَيْكَ وَحَبَّبَ إِلَيْكَ زَوَالَ النِّعَمِ عَنْهُ، لِأَنَّهُ عَلِمَ أَنَّكَ إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، وَفَرِحْتَ لَهُ بِمَا أَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ، شَرِكْتَهُ فِي الْأَجْرِ، فَأَلْقَى فِي قَلْبِكَ الْكَرَاهَةَ لِعَمَلِهِ وَعِلْمِهِ، وَحُبَّ زَوَالِ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْهُ؛ لِأَنْ لَا تَلْحَقَ بِهِ بِمَحَبَّتِكَ إِذْ عَجَزْتَ أَنْ تَلْحَقَهُ بِعَمَلِكَ.

Li-allā taḍriba maʿahu bi-sahmi al-ḥubbi idh fātaka al-ʿamalu wa-al-ʿilmu, fa-baghghaḍahu ilayka wa-ḥabbaba ilayka zawāla al-niʿami ʿanhu, li-annahu ʿalima annaka in aḥbabtahu ʿalā dhālika, wa-fariḥta lahu bi-mā anʿama Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi, shariktahu fī al-ajri, fa-alqā fī qalbika al-karāhata li-ʿamalihi wa-ʿilmihi, wa-ḥubba zawāli al-niʿmati ʿanhu; li-an lā talḥaqa bihi bi-maḥabbatika idh ʿajazta an talḥaqahu bi-ʿamalika.

so that you will not share with him through love when action and knowledge have eluded you. He makes the man hateful to you and makes the disappearance of his blessings attractive to you, because he knows that if you love him for this and rejoice for him at what God, mighty and majestic, has bestowed on him, you share in his reward. So he casts into your heart aversion to his action and knowledge, and a desire for his blessing to disappear, so that you will not catch up with him through your love when you have been unable to catch up with him through your action.

أَلَا تَرَى إِلَى قَوْلِ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الرَّجُلُ يُحِبُّ الْقَوْمَ وَلَمَّا يَلْحَقْ بِهِمْ؟

A-lā tarā ilā qawli al-aʿrābiyyi li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: al-rajulu yuḥibbu al-qawma wa-lammā yalḥaq bihim?

Do you not see what the Bedouin said to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “A man loves a people but has not yet caught up with them?”

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حِينَ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هُوَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ» يَرْوِيهِ عَنْهُ صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَسَّالٍ.

Ḥīna saʾala al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿan dhālika, fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Huwa maʿa man aḥabba» yarwīhi ʿanhu Ṣafwānu bnu ʿAssālin.

When he asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, about that, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “He is with those he loves.” Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl relates this from him.

وَالْأَعْرَابِيُّ الَّذِي سَأَلَهُ عَنْ قِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ فَقَالَ: «مَاذَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا؟» فَقَالَ:

Wa-al-aʿrābiyyu alladhī saʾalahu ʿan qiyāmi al-sāʿati fa-qāla: «Mādhā aʿdadta lahā?» fa-qāla:

And the Bedouin who asked him when the Hour would come? He said, “What have you prepared for it?” The man replied:

مَا أَعْدَدْتُ لَهَا كَبِيرَ صَلَاةٍ وَلَا صِيَامٍ، إِلَّا أَنِّى أُحِبُّ اللّٰهَ وَرَسُولَهُ. يَعْنِى عَلَى طَاعَتِهِمْ حُبًّا لِطَاعَتِهِمْ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ» قَالَ أَنَسٌ:

Mā aʿdadtu lahā kabīra ṣalātin wa-lā ṣiyāmin, illā annī uḥibbu Allāha wa-rasūlahu. Yaʿnī ʿalā ṭāʿatihim ḥubban li-ṭāʿatihim, fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Anta maʿa man aḥbabta» qāla Anasun:

“I have not prepared much prayer or fasting for it, but I love God and His Messenger.” He means on account of their obedience, out of love for their obedience. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “You are with those you love.” Anas said:

فَمَا فَرِحَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهِمْ كَفَرَحِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ. يُخْبِرُكَ: أَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوْثَقَ أَعْمَالِهِمْ عِنْدَهُمْ بَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ.

Fa-mā fariḥa al-muslimūna baʿda islāmihim ka-faraḥihim yawmaʾidhin. Yukhbiruka: annahu kāna awthaqa aʿmālihim ʿindahum baʿda al-islāmi.

“After embracing Islam, the Muslims had never rejoiced as they did that day.” He tells you that, after embracing Islam, this was the deed in which they placed the greatest confidence.

وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُ أَبِى مُوسَى: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ، الرَّجُلُ يُحِبُّ الْمُصَلِّينَ وَلَا يُصَلِّى، وَيُحِبُّ الصُّوَّامَ وَلَا يَصُومُ، حَتَّى عَدَّ أَشْيَاءَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هُوَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ».

Wa-minhu qawlu Abī Mūsā: qultu: yā rasūla Allāhi, al-rajulu yuḥibbu al-muṣallīna wa-lā yuṣallī, wa-yuḥibbu al-ṣuwwāma wa-lā yaṣūmu, ḥattā ʿadda ashyāʾa, fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Huwa maʿa man aḥabba».

Another example is Abū Mūsā’s statement: “I said, ‘Messenger of God, a man loves those who pray but does not pray, and loves those who fast but does not fast,’” and he went on to list other things. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “He is with those he loves.”

وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ: إِنَّهُ كَانَ يُقَالُ: إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَالِمًا أَوْ مُتَعَلِّمًا فَكُنْ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَأَحِبَّهُمْ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَلَا تُبْغِضْهُمْ، قَالَ:

Wa-qāla rajulun li-ʿUmara bni ʿAbdi al-ʿAzīzi: innahu kāna yuqālu: ini istaṭaʿta an takūna ʿāliman aw mutaʿalliman fa-kun, fa-in lam tastaṭiʿ fa-aḥibbahum, fa-in lam tastaṭiʿ fa-lā tubghiḍhum, qāla:

A man said to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: “People used to say, ‘If you can be a scholar or a learner, be one. If you cannot, love them. If you cannot, then do not hate them.’” He said:

سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ، لَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا.

Subḥāna Allāhi, la-qad jaʿala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla lahu makhrajan.

“Glory be to God! God, mighty and majestic, has certainly provided him with a way out.”

فَأَرَادَ الْعَدُوُّ أَنْ يَصُدَّكَ عَنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَعْمَالِ لَكَ، مُقَصِّرًا كُنْتَ أَوْ عَامِلًا لِأَنَّكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ عَامِلًا، فَأَحْبَبْتَ مَنْ سَبَقَكَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ فَسُرِرْتَ بِطَاعَتِهِمْ، شَرِكْتَ مَعَهُمْ بِالْحُبِّ وَكُنْتَ مَعَهُمْ، كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Fa-arāda al-ʿaduwwu an yaṣuddaka ʿan afḍali al-aʿmāli laka, muqaṣṣiran kunta aw ʿāmilan li-annaka in kunta ʿāmilan, fa-aḥbabta man sabaqaka mina al-nabiyyīna wa-al-ṣiddīqīna fa-surirta bi-ṭāʿatihim, sharikta maʿahum bi-al-ḥubbi wa-kunta maʿahum, ka-mā qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama.

The enemy wants to keep you from the deeds best for you, whether you fall short or actively practice. For if you practice, and love the prophets and utterly truthful who have preceded you, rejoicing in their obedience, you share with them through love and are with them, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said.

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وَإِنْ كُنْتَ مُقَصِّرًا فِي الْعَمَلِ فَفَاتَكَ الْعَمَلُ، لَمْ يَفُتْكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ بِمَحَبَّتِكَ، فَصَدَّكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، إِرَادَةَ أَلَّا تَلْحَقَ بِهِمْ بِمَعْنًى مِنَ الْمَعَانِي، وَلَمْ يَرْضَ أَنْ عَرَّضَكَ لِحِرْمَانِ اللَّحَاقِ بِهِمْ حَتَّى دَعَاكَ إِلَى بُغْضِ فِعْلِهِمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِلَى بُغْضِهِمْ، وَالْغِشِّ لَهُمْ، وَحُبِّ زَوَالِ الطَّاعَاتِ عَنْهُمْ، فَفَاتَكَ أَنْ تَلْحَقَ بِمَنْ حَسَدْتَهُ، وَازْدَدْتَ إِثْمًا،

Wa-in kunta muqaṣṣiran fī al-ʿamali fa-fātaka al-ʿamalu, lam yafutka an takūna maʿahum bi-maḥabbatika, fa-ṣaddaka ʿan dhālika, irādata allā talḥaqa bihim bi-maʿnan mina al-maʿānī, wa-lam yarḍa an ʿarraḍaka li-ḥirmāni al-laḥāqi bihim ḥattā daʿāka ilā bughḍi fiʿlihim an takūna minhum, wa-ilā bughḍihim, wa-al-ghishshi lahum, wa-ḥubbi zawāli al-ṭāʿāti ʿanhum, fa-fātaka an talḥaqa bi-man ḥasadtahu, wa-izdadta ithman,

If you fall short in practice and the deeds elude you, being with them through your love has not eluded you. He keeps you from that, wanting you to be unable to catch up with them in any way. He is not satisfied with exposing you to being deprived of joining them: he goes on to invite you to hate doing what they do and being one of them, to hate them, to wish them ill, and to want their acts of obedience to cease. So you miss joining the person you envy and increase your burden of sin,

وَازْدَدْتَ فِي الدُّنْيَا غَمًّا، فَيَالَيْتَكَ إِذْ فَاتَكَ اللَّحَاقُ بِهِ وَازْدَدْتَ غَمًّا فِي قَلْبِكَ؛ سَلِمْتَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ، وَلَكِنْ مَعَ مَا فَاتَكَ مِنَ اللَّحَاقِ بِهِ أَثِمْتَ فَاسْتَحْقَقْتَ أَنْ تَهْلِكَ فِيمَا يَنْجُو بِهِ مَنْ حَسَدْتَهُ، فَأَثِمْتَ وَلَمْ تَكُفَّ وَرَعًا، وَلَوْ كَفَفْتَ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ وَرَعًا لَأُجِرْتَ وَسَلِمْتَ، فَأَثِمْتَ عَلَى مَا يُؤْجَرُ بِهِ مَنْ حَسَدْتَهُ.

Wa-izdadta fī al-dunyā ghamman, fa-yālaytaka idh fātaka al-laḥāqu bihi wa-izdadta ghamman fī qalbika; salimta mina al-ithmi, wa-lākin maʿa mā fātaka mina al-laḥāqi bihi athimta fa-istaḥqaqta an tahlika fīmā yanjū bihi man ḥasadtahu, fa-athimta wa-lam takuffa waraʿan, wa-law kafafta ʿani al-ḥasadi waraʿan la-ujirta wa-salimta, fa-athimta ʿalā mā yuʾjaru bihi man ḥasadtahu.

and increase your sorrow in this world. If only, when you missed joining him and increased the sorrow in your heart, you had escaped sin! But along with missing your chance to join him, you sinned and deserved to perish through what saves the one you envy. You sinned instead of holding back out of scrupulousness. Had you refrained from envy out of scrupulousness, you would have been rewarded and kept safe. Thus you sinned on account of what earns a reward for the person you envy.

وَقَدْ جَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ: «أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ ثَلَاثَةٌ: الْمُحْسِنُ وَالْمُحِبُّ لَهُ وَالْكَافُّ عَنْهُ» وَذَلِكَ أَنْ تَكُفَّ عَنْهُ وَرَعًا، فَتَجِبَ لَكَ الْجَنَّةُ بِذَلِكَ.

Wa-qad jāʾa al-ḥadīthu: «Ahlu al-jannati thalāthatun: al-muḥsinu wa-al-muḥibbu lahu wa-al-kāffu ʿanhu» wa-dhālika an takuffa ʿanhu waraʿan, fa-tajiba laka al-jannatu bi-dhālika.

A report has come down: “The people of Paradise are of three kinds: the one who does good, the one who loves him, and the one who refrains from harming him.” That means refraining from harming him out of scrupulousness, so that Paradise becomes your due through it.

فَيَنْظُرُ الْحَاسِدُ عَلَى مَنْ أَدْخَلَ الضَّرَرَ، وَمَنْ حُرِمَ الْخَيْرَ وَزَالَتْ عَنْهُ النِّعَمُ، وَمَنْ غُبِنَ، هُوَ أَوْ مَنْ حَسَدَهُ؟!

Fa-yanẓuru al-ḥāsidu ʿalā man adkhala al-ḍarara, wa-man ḥurima al-khayra wa-zālat ʿanhu al-niʿamu, wa-man ghubina, huwa aw man ḥasadahu?!

Let the envious person consider whom he has harmed, who has been deprived of good and lost blessings, and who has suffered the loss: himself or the person he envies?

وَلَوْ كَانَ يَضُرُّ الْمَحْسُودَ حَسَدُ الْحَاسِدِ لَهُ فَيُزِيلُ عَنْهُ بِحَسَدِهِ لَهُ النِّعَمَ، لَدَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ أَعْظَمُ الضَّرَرِ، لِأَنَّكَ لَا تَعْرَى أَنْ يَحْسُدَكَ غَيْرُكَ، فَلَوْ كَانَ الْحَسَدُ يَضُرُّ الْمَحْسُودَ لَمَا بَقِيَتْ عَلَيْكَ نِعْمَةٌ، إِذْ كُنْتَ لَا تَعْرَى أَنْ يَحْسُدَكَ حَاسِدٌ، فَيُحِبَّ زَوَالَ النِّعْمَةِ عَنْكَ، فَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَلَّا يُطِيعَ رَبُّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيكَ الْحَاسِدِينَ فَأَنْتَ أَهْلٌ أَلَّا تَحْسُدَ عِبَادَهُ،

Wa-law kāna yaḍurru al-maḥsūda ḥasadu al-ḥāsidi lahu fa-yuzīlu ʿanhu bi-ḥasadihi lahu al-niʿama, la-dakhala ʿalayka aʿẓamu al-ḍarari, li-annaka lā taʿrā an yaḥsudaka ghayruka, fa-law kāna al-ḥasadu yaḍurru al-maḥsūda la-mā baqiyat ʿalayka niʿmatun, idh kunta lā taʿrā an yaḥsudaka ḥāsidun, fa-yuḥibba zawāla al-niʿmati ʿanka, fa-in aradta allā yuṭīʿa rabbuka ʿazza wa-jalla fīka al-ḥāsidīna fa-anta ahlun allā taḥsuda ʿibādahu,

If an envious person’s envy harmed its object and removed his blessings through that envy, the greatest harm would befall you, because you cannot be free of someone else’s envy. If envy harmed its object, no blessing would remain with you, since you cannot be free of an envier who envies you and wants your blessing to disappear. If you want your Lord, mighty and majestic, not to comply with those who envy you concerning you, then it is fitting for you not to envy His servants,

اتِّبَاعَ مَحَبَّتِهِ وَشُكْرًا لَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

Ittibāʿa maḥabbatihi wa-shukran lahu ʿalā dhālika.

following what He loves and thanking Him for that.

وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْحَسَدِ إِثْمٌ لَكَانَ أَهْلًا أَنْ لَا تَعْصِيَهُ، إِذْ يُتِمُّ عَلَيْكَ نِعَمَهُ وَيَرْجِعُ الْحَاسِدُونَ بِحَسَرَاتِهِمْ، مُنْكَسِرَةً شَهَوَاتُهُمْ، وَمَحَبَّتُهُمْ وَإِرَادَتُهُمْ مَرْدُودَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ، مَعَ زَوَالِ النِّعَمِ عَنْهُمْ فِي دِينِهِمْ، تَفَضُّلًا مِنْهُ وَتَكَرُّمًا وَامْتِنَانًا أَنْ لَا يُعْطِىَ الْحَاسِدِينَ فِيكَ مَا يُحِبُّونَ، فَاشْكُرْهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

Wa-law lam yakun fī al-ḥasadi ithmun la-kāna ahlan an lā taʿṣiyahu, idh yutimmu ʿalayka niʿamahu wa-yarjiʿu al-ḥāsidūna bi-ḥasarātihim, munkasiratan shahawātuhum, wa-maḥabbatuhum wa-irādatuhum mardūdatun ʿalayhim, maʿa zawāli al-niʿami ʿanhum fī dīnihim, tafaḍḍulan minhu wa-takarruman wa-imtinānan an lā yuʿṭiya al-ḥāsidīna fīka mā yuḥibbūna, fa-ushkurhu ʿalā dhālika.

Even if envy involved no sin, He would deserve that you not disobey Him: He completes His blessings upon you, while those who envy you return with their regrets, their desires broken, their wishes and intentions turned back upon them, and blessings removed from their own religion. It is out of His bounty, generosity, and favor that He does not grant those who envy you what they want for you, so thank Him for that.

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فَدَعِ الْحَسَدَ الَّذِي لَمْ يُطِعْ بِهِ غَيْرَكَ فِيكَ لَوْ كَانَ هُوَ الْحَاسِدَ لَكَ، فَارْضَ بِمَا قَسَمَ لِعِبَادِهِ، فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ خَالَفْتَ مَحَبَّتَهُ، وَبَارَزْتَهُ بِالْخِلَافِ فِيمَا أَوْجَبَ، وَمَا آمَنُ أَنْ يَزُولَ عَنْكَ مِنَ النِّعَمِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالدِّينِ سِوَى مَا زَالَ عَنْكَ مِنْ نِعْمَةِ السَّلَامَةِ وَالنَّصِيحَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَحْسُدَهُ، فَيَنْزِلَ بِكَ مَا تَمَنَّيْتَ بِغَيْرِكَ، عُقُوبَةً مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Fa-daʿi al-ḥasada alladhī lam yuṭiʿ bihi ghayraka fīka law kāna huwa al-ḥāsida laka, fa-irḍa bi-mā qasama li-ʿibādihi, fa-innaka in lam tafʿal khālafta maḥabbatahu, wa-bāraztahu bi-al-khilāfi fīmā awjaba, wa-mā āmanu an yazūla ʿanka mina al-niʿami fī al-dunyā wa-al-dīni siwā mā zāla ʿanka min niʿmati al-salāmati wa-al-naṣīḥati qabla an taḥsudahu, fa-yanzila bika mā tamannayta bi-ghayrika, ʿuqūbatan mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

Abandon envy, through which He would not comply with another’s wishes concerning you if that person were the one envying you. Be content with what He has apportioned to His servants. If you do not, you oppose what He loves and openly confront Him by defying what He has required. I cannot be sure that you will not lose other worldly and religious blessings beyond the blessing of being untainted and well-disposed that you had before envying him. What you wished upon another may then befall you as a punishment from God, mighty and majestic,

لِأَنَّهُ يَقُولُ تَعَالَى: وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ.

Li-annahu yaqūlu taʿālā: wa-lā yaḥīqu al-makru al-sayyiʾu illā bi-ahlihi.

because He, exalted is He, says: “An evil plot engulfs only those who devise it.”

وَذَلِكَ كَالْمَاكِرِ، إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ السُّوءَ بِغَيْرِهِ، فَحَاقَ بِهِ مَا أَرَادَ بِغَيْرِهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْحَاسِدُ: لَا يَأْمَنُ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ وَزَوَالِ النِّعَمِ مِثْلُ مَا أَحَبَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ.

Wa-dhālika ka-al-mākiri, innamā arāda an yafʿala al-sūʾa bi-ghayrihi, fa-ḥāqa bihi mā arāda bi-ghayrihi, wa-ka-dhālika al-ḥāsidu: lā yaʾmanu an yanzila bihi mina al-balāʾi wa-zawāli al-niʿami mithlu mā aḥabba li-al-muʾminīna.

It is like the plotter who only wanted to inflict evil on someone else, but was himself engulfed by what he intended for another. Likewise, the envious person cannot be sure that affliction and loss of blessings will not befall him just as he wished them upon the believers.

وَقَدْ يُرْوَى عَنْ بَعْضِهِمْ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَا تَمَنَّيْتُ لِعُثْمَانَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا نَزَلَ بِي، حَتَّى لَوْ تَمَنَّيْتُ لَهُ قَتْلًا لَقُتِلْتُ.

Wa-qad yurwā ʿan baʿḍihim annahu qāla: mā tamannaytu li-ʿUthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu shayʾan illā nazala bī, ḥattā law tamannaytu lahu qatlan la-qutiltu.

It is related from one of them that he said: “I never wished anything upon ʿUthmān, may God be pleased with him, without its befalling me, so much so that if I had wished him killed, I would have been killed.”

فَلَوْ لَمْ تَدَعِ الْحَسَدَ - خَوْفًا مِنْ عُقُوبَةِ الْآخِرَةِ - إِلَّا خَوْفًا مِنْ عُقُوبَتِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِكَ مِثْلُ مَا تَمَنَّيْتَ لِمَنْ حَسَدْتَهُ، وَسَاءَكَ مَا أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْهِ بِهِ، فَلَا يُنْعِمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْكَ مِثْلَ مَا أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْهِ بِهِ، إِذْ سَاءَكَ تَفَضُّلُ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ،

Fa-law lam tadaʿi al-ḥasada - khawfan min ʿuqūbati al-ākhirati - illā khawfan min ʿuqūbatihi fī al-dunyā an yanzila bika mithlu mā tamannayta li-man ḥasadtahu, wa-sāʾaka mā anʿama ʿalayhi bihi, fa-lā yunʿima Allāhu ʿalayka mithla mā anʿama ʿalayhi bihi, idh sāʾaka tafaḍḍulu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi,

Even if you did not abandon envy out of fear of punishment in the hereafter, but only out of fear of its punishment in this world, fearing that the like of what you wished upon the person you envy would befall you, or that, because the blessing bestowed on him distressed you, God would not bestow the like of it on you, since God’s bounty toward him, mighty and majestic is He, distressed you,

فَتَخَوُّفُ بَلَاءِ الدُّنْيَا وَزَوَالِ النِّعَمِ فِيهَا - كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ تَدَعَهُ لَوْ أَمِنْتَ عُقُوبَةَ الْآخِرَةِ. وَمَا لَكَ أَنْ تَأْمَنَ ذَلِكَ وَقَدْ ذَمَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالرَّسُولُ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَسَخِطَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَسَخِطَ عَلَى مَنِ اعْتَقَدَهُ، أَخْبَرَكَ بِذَلِكَ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ، يَذُمُّ أَهْلَ الْحَسَدِ، وَيُخْبِرُكَ أَنَّ الْأُمَمَ الْمَاضِيَةَ هُوَ الَّذِي فَرَّقَ بَيْنَهَا،

Fa-takhawwufu balāʾi al-dunyā wa-zawāli al-niʿami fīhā - kāna yanbaghī laka an tadaʿahu law aminta ʿuqūbata al-ākhirati. Wa-mā laka an taʾmana dhālika wa-qad dhammahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-al-rasūlu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-sakhiṭahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-sakhiṭa ʿalā mani iʿtaqadahu, akhbaraka bi-dhālika fī ghayri mawḍiʿin fī kitābihi, yadhummu ahla al-ḥasadi, wa-yukhbiruka anna al-umama al-māḍiyata huwa alladhī farraqa baynahā,

then fear of worldly affliction and of losing blessings in this world would mean you ought to abandon it even if you were safe from punishment in the hereafter. Yet how can you feel safe from that, when God, mighty and majestic, and the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, have condemned it, and God, mighty and majestic, detests it and is angry with whoever harbors it? He has told you this in more than one place in His Book, condemning the envious and telling you that it was envy that divided past nations

وَأَلْقَى الِاخْتِلَافَ فِي دِينِهَا.

Wa-alqā al-ikhtilāfa fī dīnihā.

and cast disagreement into their religion.

وَلَوْ لَمْ تَخَفْ عَلَيْكَ عُقُوبَةَ آخِرَةٍ وَلَا دُنْيَا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْكَ فِيهِ إِثْمٌ؛ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَدَعَهُ لِتَعْذِيبِ قَلْبِكَ بِالْغَمِّ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ تَصِيرَ إِلَى مَا أَرَدْتَ لِمَنْ حَسَدْتَهُ. فَلَوْ لَمْ تَدَعْهُ إِلَّا لِذَلِكَ، كُنْتَ حَرِيًّا أَنْ تَدَعَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ، إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ مَعْتُوهًا لَا عَقْلَ لَكَ، إِذْ عَذَّبْتَ قَلْبَكَ بِالْغَمِّ وَلَمْ تُدْرِكْ مَا تُرِيدُ.

Wa-law lam takhaf ʿalayka ʿuqūbata ākhiratin wa-lā dunyā wa-lam yakun ʿalayka fīhi ithmun; kāna yanbaghī ʿalayka an tadaʿahu li-taʿdhībi qalbika bi-al-ghammi min ghayri an taṣīra ilā mā aradta li-man ḥasadtahu. Fa-law lam tadaʿhu illā li-dhālika, kunta ḥariyyan an tadaʿahu min ajli dhālika, illā an takūna maʿtūhan lā ʿaqla laka, idh ʿadhdhabta qalbaka bi-al-ghammi wa-lam tudrik mā turīdu.

Even if you feared no punishment for yourself in the hereafter or this world, and incurred no sin through it, you ought to abandon it because it torments your heart with sorrow without bringing about what you want for the person you envy. Even if you abandoned it for that reason alone, you would do well to abandon it for that reason, unless you are so impaired that you have no reason, since you torment your heart with sorrow without achieving what you want.

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وَإِنَّمَا فَسَّرْتُ لَكَ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالَ الَّتِي بِهَا يُنْفَى الْحَسَدُ إِنْ لَمْ تَسْخُ نَفْسُكَ بِتَرْكِ الْحَسَدِ بِالْخَلَّةِ الْأُولَى، فَعَسَى أَنْ تَسْخُوَ أَنْ تَتْرُكَهُ بِالْخَلَّةِ الثَّانِيَةِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْخُ بِالثَّانِيَةِ فَعَسَى أَنْ تَسْخُوَ بِالثَّالِثَةِ، أَوِ الرَّابِعَةِ، فَتَدَبَّرْ ذَلِكَ، وَنَاصِحْ نَفْسَكَ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ شَمِلَ عَامَّةَ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا.

Wa-innamā fassartu laka hādhihi al-khilāla allatī bihā yunfā al-ḥasadu in lam taskhu nafsuka bi-tarki al-ḥasadi bi-al-khallati al-ūlā, fa-ʿasā an taskhuwa an tatrukahu bi-al-khallati al-thāniyati, fa-in lam taskhu bi-al-thāniyati fa-ʿasā an taskhuwa bi-al-thālithati, awi al-rābiʿati, fa-tadabbar dhālika, wa-nāṣiḥ nafsaka, fa-innahu qad shamila ʿāmmata ahli al-dīni wa-al-dunyā.

I have explained these considerations by which envy is dispelled so that, if your self does not willingly relinquish envy for the first consideration, perhaps it will willingly relinquish it for the second. If it does not do so for the second, perhaps it will for the third or fourth. Reflect on this and sincerely counsel yourself, for envy has spread among most people of religion and worldly life.

وَلَقَدْ عُجِّلَ لَكَ بَعْضُ عُقُوبَةِ الْحَسَدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، بِمَا لَزِمَ قَلْبَكَ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَضِيقِ الصَّدْرِ وَكَثْرَةِ الْهَمِّ بِغَيْرِ اجْتِلَابِ دُنْيَا، مَعَ ذَهَابِ الدِّينِ بِغِشِّكَ بِنَفْسِكَ لِلْعِبَادِ، وَبِسَخَطِكَ قَسْمَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمْ وَغَمِّكَ بِفَرَحِهِمْ.

Wa-la-qad ʿujjila laka baʿḍu ʿuqūbati al-ḥasadi fī al-dunyā, bi-mā lazima qalbaka mina al-ghammi wa-ḍīqi al-ṣadri wa-kathrati al-hammi bi-ghayri ijtilābi dunyā, maʿa dhahābi al-dīni bi-ghishshika bi-nafsika li-al-ʿibādi, wa-bi-sakhaṭika qasma Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lahum wa-ghammika bi-faraḥihim.

Some of envy’s punishment has already been hastened for you in this world, through the sorrow, tightness of chest, and abundance of worry that cling to your heart without bringing any worldly gain. Your religion is lost as well, through the ill will you harbor toward God’s servants within yourself, your resentment at God’s apportionment to them, mighty and majestic is He, and your sorrow at their joy.

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بَابُ مَتَى يَعْلَمُ الْعَبْدُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ نَفَى الْحَسَدَ؟

Bābu matā yaʿlamu al-ʿabdu annahu qad nafā al-ḥasada?

Chapter: When does the servant know that he has dispelled envy?

قُلْتُ: قَدْ بَيَّنْتَ الْحَسَدَ وَعَظَّمْتَ ضَرَرَهُ، فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ أَنْجُوَ مِنْهُ بِعِلْمٍ، فَمَا الدَّلِيلُ - إِذَا ذَكَّرْتُ نَفْسِي مَا وَصَفْتَ مِمَّا يُنْفَى بِهِ الْحَسَدُ - أَنْ أَعْلَمَ أَنِّى قَدْ نَفَيْتُهُ عَنْ قَلْبِي وَجَانَبْتُهُ؟ وَقَدْ أَجِدُنِي أُذَكِّرُ نَفْسِي بَعْضَ مَا وَصَفْتَ، وَمُنَازِعٌ يُنَازِعُنِي مِنْ نَفْسِي بِالْكَرَاهَةِ لِلنِّعْمَةِ الَّتِي أَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ بِهَا عَلَيْهِ وَحُبِّ زَوَالِهَا.

Qultu: qad bayyanta al-ḥasada wa-ʿaẓẓamta ḍararahu, fa-uḥibbu an anjuwa minhu bi-ʿilmin, fa-mā al-dalīlu - idhā dhakkartu nafsī mā waṣafta mimmā yunfā bihi al-ḥasadu - an aʿlama annī qad nafaytuhu ʿan qalbī wa-jānabtuhu? Wa-qad ajidunī udhakkiru nafsī baʿḍa mā waṣafta, wa-munāziʿun yunāziʿunī min nafsī bi-al-karāhati li-al-niʿmati allatī anʿama Allāhu bihā ʿalayhi wa-ḥubbi zawālihā.

I said: You have explained envy and emphasized its great harm, so I want to escape it with knowledge. When I remind myself of what you have described as dispelling envy, what sign will let me know that I have dispelled it from my heart and kept clear of it? I may find myself reminding my self of some of what you have described while an impulse within my self contends with me, disliking the blessing God has bestowed on him and wanting it to disappear.

قَالَ: إِنَّكَ لَا تَقْدِرُ أَنْ تُسْكِتَ عَدُوَّكَ إِبْلِيسَ، وَلَا تُغَيِّرَ طَبْعَكَ، فَتَجْعَلَ خِلْقَةَ نَفْسِكَ خِلْقَةً لَا تُنَازِعُكَ إِلَى حَسَدِ مَنْ عَادَاهَا، أَوِ اخْتُصَّ بِشَيْءٍ دُونَهَا، أَوْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهَا دُونَهَا، فَلَا تَكَادُ تَمْلِكُ نَفْسَكَ إِذَا خَطَرَ الْعَدُوُّ بِتَذْكِيرِ الْحَسَدِ، أَوْ لَا يَتَحَرَّكَ الطَّبْعُ، وَلَمْ تُكَلَّفْ ذَلِكَ؛

Qāla: innaka lā taqdiru an tuskita ʿaduwwaka Iblīsa, wa-lā tughayyira ṭabʿaka, fa-tajʿala khilqata nafsika khilqatan lā tunāziʿuka ilā ḥasadi man ʿādāhā, awi ukhtuṣṣa bi-shayʾin dūnahā, aw turīdu an yakūna lahā dūnahā, fa-lā takādu tamliku nafsaka idhā khaṭara al-ʿaduwwu bi-tadhkīri al-ḥasadi, aw lā yataḥarraka al-ṭabʿu, wa-lam tukallaf dhālika;

He said: You cannot silence your enemy Iblīs or change your nature, making your self’s constitution one that does not pull you toward envying someone who is hostile to it or has been singled out for something it lacks, or something it wants for itself to the exclusion of the other self. You can scarcely restrain your self when the enemy intrudes with a reminder of envy, or ensure that your nature does not stir. You have not been charged with that:

أَنْ تَجْعَلَ طَبْعَ نَفْسِكَ بِهَيْئَةٍ لَا يَغْفُلُ وَلَا يَسْهُو، وَلَا يُنَازِعُ إِلَى مَحْبُوبٍ، وَلَا مَكْرُوهٍ، فَذَلِكَ طَبْعُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ، وَإِنَّمَا كُلِّفْتَ أَنْ تَعْقِلَ بِعَقْلِكَ عَنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَلَا تَمِلْ إِلَى غَيْرِ طَاعَتِهِ.

An tajʿala ṭabʿa nafsika bi-hayʾatin lā yaghfulu wa-lā yas-hū, wa-lā yunāziʿu ilā maḥbūbin, wa-lā makrūhin, fa-dhālika ṭabʿu al-malāʾikati, wa-innamā kullifta an taʿqila bi-ʿaqlika ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-lā tamil ilā ghayri ṭāʿatihi.

making your self’s nature such that it is never heedless or distracted and never pulls toward something loved or disliked. That is the nature of angels. You have only been charged with using your reason to understand what comes from God, mighty and majestic, so do not incline toward anything other than obedience to Him.

فَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِعَقْلِكَ، بِمَا اسْتَوْدَعَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِضَرَرِ الْحَسَدِ عَلَى مُنَازَعَةِ طَبْعِكَ وَدُعَاءِ عَدُوِّكَ، فَكُنْتَ مِنْ قِبَلِ عَقْلِكَ كَارِهًا لِمَا نَازَعَكَ إِلَيْكَ طَبْعُكَ، أَبِيًّا لِذَلِكَ، فَلَمْ تَرْكَنْ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ قِبَلِ عَقْلِكَ؛ كَرَاهَةً لَهُ؛ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ.

Fa-idhā aradta bi-ʿaqlika, bi-mā istawdaʿahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, mina al-maʿrifati bi-ḍarari al-ḥasadi ʿalā munāzaʿati ṭabʿika wa-duʿāʾi ʿaduwwika, fa-kunta min qibali ʿaqlika kārihan li-mā nāzaʿaka ilayka ṭabʿuka, abiyyan li-dhālika, fa-lam tarkan ilayhi min qibali ʿaqlika; karāhatan lahu; najawta mina al-ḥasadi.

If you direct your reason, drawing on the knowledge of envy’s harm that God, mighty and majestic, has deposited in it, against your nature’s impulse and your enemy’s invitation, and in your rational judgment dislike what your nature presses upon you and refuse it, not inclining toward it in your reason because you dislike it, then you have escaped envy.

وَكَذَلِكَ جَمِيعُ مَا نَازَعَ مِنْ دَوَاعِي الشَّرِّ فِي الْقُلُوبِ، فَإِذَا كُنْتَ لِلْحَسَدِ كَارِهًا أَبِيًّا لَهُ مِنْ قِبَلِ عَقْلِكَ، فَلَا تَضُرُّكَ مُنَازَعَةُ نَفْسِكَ بِهِ وَخَطَرَاتُ الْعَدُوِّ.

Wa-ka-dhālika jamīʿu mā nāzaʿa min dawāʿī al-sharri fī al-qulūbi, fa-idhā kunta li-al-ḥasadi kārihan abiyyan lahu min qibali ʿaqlika, fa-lā taḍurruka munāzaʿatu nafsika bihi wa-khaṭarātu al-ʿaduwwi.

The same applies to every contending impulse toward evil in hearts. If, in your rational judgment, you dislike envy and refuse it, your self’s pulling you toward it and the enemy’s passing suggestions do not harm you.

وَقَدْ رُوِىَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «ثَلَاثَةٌ فِي الْمُؤْمِنِ، لَهُ مِنْهُنَّ مَخْرَجٌ: الطِّيَرَةُ، وَالْحَسَدُ، وَالظَّنُّ، فَمَخْرَجُهُ مِنَ الطِّيَرَةِ: أَلَّا يَرْتَدَّ، وَمَخْرَجُهُ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ: أَلَّا يَبْغِىَ، وَمَخْرَجُهُ مِنَ الظَّنِّ: أَلَّا يُحَقِّقَ».

Wa-qad ruwiya ʿani al-Ḥasani ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Thalāthatun fī al-muʾmini, lahu minhunna makhrajun: al-ṭiyaratu, wa-al-ḥasadu, wa-al-ẓannu, fa-makhrajuhu mina al-ṭiyarati: allā yartadda, wa-makhrajuhu mina al-ḥasadi: allā yabghiya, wa-makhrajuhu mina al-ẓanni: allā yuḥaqqiqa».

It has been related from al-Ḥasan, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Three things occur in the believer, but he has a way out of them: belief in ill omens, envy, and suspicion. His way out of ill omens is not to turn back; his way out of envy is not to seek harm; and his way out of suspicion is not to treat it as certain.”

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فَأَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَبْغِ فَقَدْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ، إِذْ لَمْ يَبْغِ لَهُ الشَّرَّ، وَلَمْ يُحِبَّ زَوَالَ النِّعَمِ عَنْهُ.

Fa-akhbara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama anna man lam yabghi fa-qad kharaja mina al-ḥasadi, idh lam yabghi lahu al-sharra, wa-lam yuḥibba zawāla al-niʿami ʿanhu.

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, thus stated that whoever does not seek harm has escaped envy, since he does not seek evil for the other person or want his blessings to disappear.

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بَابُ الرَّدِّ عَلَى مَنْ قَالَ إِنَّ الْحَسَدَ بِالْجَوَارِحِ وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الْقَلْبِ مَا لَمْ يُبْدِهِ بِفِعْلِ جَارِحَةٍ، وَبَيَانِ خِلَافِهِ لِلْعِلْمِ

Bābu al-raddi ʿalā man qāla inna al-ḥasada bi-al-jawāriḥi wa-annahu lā yaḍurru idhā kāna fī al-qalbi mā lam yubdihi bi-fiʿli jāriḥatin, wa-bayāni khilāfihi li-al-ʿilmi

Chapter: Reply to those who say envy resides in the bodily faculties and does no harm while it remains in the heart unless expressed through a bodily action, and an explanation of how this contradicts knowledge

قُلْتُ: فَمَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ الْحَسَنِ، وَسُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ، فَقَالَ: غُمَّهُ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّكَ مَا لَمْ تُبْدِهِ؟

Qultu: fa-mā maʿnā qawli al-Ḥasani, wa-suʾila ʿani al-ḥasadi, fa-qāla: ghummahu, fa-innahu lā yaḍurruka mā lam tubdihi?

I said: What, then, does al-Ḥasan’s statement mean? When asked about envy, he said, “Suppress it, for it does not harm you as long as you do not reveal it.”

قَالَ: مَعْنَى ذَلِكَ صَحِيحٌ، لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا غَمَّهُ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهِ فَلَمْ يَدَعْ إِبْدَاءَهُ إِلَّا مِنْ كَرَاهِيَتِهِ لَهُ، فَذَلِكَ الَّذِي وَصَفْتُ لَكَ مِنَ الرَّدِّ بِالْكَرَاهِيَةِ، لِأَنَّ الْكَرَاهِيَةَ مَنَعَتْهُ أَنْ يُبْدِيَهُ، فَيَسْتَعْمِلَهُ بِلِسَانٍ أَوْ جَارِحَةٍ، وَلَوْ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُبَالِ أَنْ يُبْدِيَهُ وَلَمْ يَغُمَّهُ، كَمَا قَالَ الْحَسَنُ، وَلَكِنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ لَهُ مَوْضِعًا وَلَا أَحَدًا يُبْدِيهِ إِلَيْهِ،

Qāla: maʿnā dhālika ṣaḥīḥun, li-annahu idhā ghammahu wa-lam yubdihi fa-lam yadaʿ ibdāʾahu illā min karāhiyatihi lahu, fa-dhālika alladhī waṣaftu laka mina al-raddi bi-al-karāhiyati, li-anna al-karāhiyata manaʿathu an yubdiyahu, fa-yastaʿmilahu bi-lisānin aw jāriḥatin, wa-law annahu lam yubāli an yubdiyahu wa-lam yaghummahu, ka-mā qāla al-Ḥasanu, wa-lākin lam yajid lahu mawḍiʿan wa-lā aḥadan yubdīhi ilayhi,

He said: That meaning is sound, because when someone suppresses it and does not reveal it, he refrains from revealing it only because he dislikes it. That is the rejection through dislike that I described to you, because dislike prevents him from revealing it and acting on it with his tongue or another bodily faculty. But if he did not mind revealing it and did not suppress it as al-Ḥasan said, but simply found no occasion for it and no one to reveal it to,

وَقَدْ يَكْرَهُ وَيَسُوءُهُ مَا أَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَيُحِبُّ زَوَالَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ؛ لَكَانَ حَاسِدًا، لِأَنَّ الْحَسَدَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِالْقَلْبِ، وَإِنْ يَسْتَعْمِلْهُ بِاللِّسَانِ أَوِ الْيَدِ كَانَ أَعْظَمَ لِإِثْمِهِ، كَمَا فَعَلَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ لِيُوسُفَ.

Wa-qad yakrahu wa-yasūʾuhu mā anʿama Allāhu bihi ʿalayhi, wa-yuḥibbu zawāla dhālika ʿanhu; la-kāna ḥāsidan, li-anna al-ḥasada innamā huwa bi-al-qalbi, wa-in yastaʿmilhu bi-al-lisāni awi al-yadi kāna aʿẓama li-ithmihi, ka-mā faʿala ikhwatu Yūsufa li-Yūsufa.

while disliking and being distressed by what God has bestowed on the other man and wanting it removed from him, he would be envious. Envy is in the heart, and if he acts on it with his tongue or hand, his sin is greater, as with what Joseph’s brothers did to Joseph.

فَإِذَا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ بِالْكَذِبِ عَلَيْهِ وَالْغِيبَةِ لَهُ، أَوِ الْكَلَامِ أَوِ الْوَقِيعَةِ فِيهِ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَقْبَلُ مِنْهُ، فَيَحْرِمُهُ الْخَيْرَ، مِنْ عِلْمٍ يُعَلِّمُهُ، أَوْ صِلَةٍ يَصِلُهُ بِهَا، أَوْ مَعُونَةٍ يُعِينُهُ بِهَا، أَوِ الدُّعَاءِ عَلَيْهِ، أَوِ الْأَذَى لَهُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ وَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ لَيْسَ بِالْحَسَدِ، وَلَكِنْ عَمَلٌ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ، بَعَثَهُ عَلَيْهِ الْحَسَدُ، حَتَّى اسْتَعْمَلَ جَوَارِحَهُ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Fa-idhā istaʿmalahu bi-al-kadhibi ʿalayhi wa-al-ghībati lahu, awi al-kalāmi awi al-waqīʿati fīhi ʿinda man yaqbalu minhu, fa-yaḥrimuhu al-khayra, min ʿilmin yuʿallimuhu, aw ṣilatin yaṣiluhu bihā, aw maʿūnatin yuʿīnuhu bihā, awi al-duʿāʾi ʿalayhi, awi al-adhā lahu bi-al-jawāriḥi wa-dhālika kulluhu laysa bi-al-ḥasadi, wa-lākin ʿamalun ʿani al-ḥasadi, baʿathahu ʿalayhi al-ḥasadu, ḥattā istaʿmala jawāriḥahu bi-mā yakrahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla,

When he acts on it by lying about him and backbiting him, or by speaking against him or disparaging him before someone who will believe him, thus depriving him of some good, whether knowledge he would teach him, a gift he would give him, or help he would offer him; or by praying against him or harming him through his bodily faculties, all of this is not envy itself. Rather, it is action arising from envy. Envy incites him to it until he employs his bodily faculties in what God, mighty and majestic, dislikes

فِيمَنْ حَسَدَهُ، وَلَوْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَسَدَ لَكَانَ هَذَا الْفِعْلُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ لِرَغْبَةٍ أَوْ خَوْفٍ أَوْ طَلَبِ دُنْيَا حَسَدًا كُلُّهُ، فَكَانَ جَمِيعُ إِسَاءَةِ الْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ حَسَدًا، فَكَانَتْ مَعَاصِي الْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ فِي بَعْضٍ حَسَدًا، فَلَمْ يَعْصِ أَحَدٌ فِي أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِحَسَدِهِ، وَهَذَا مَا لَا يَقُولُ بِهِ أَحَدٌ يَعْلَمُ أَوْ يَعْقِلُ، فَالْحَسَدُ بِالْقَلْبِ.

Fīman ḥasadahu, wa-law kāna hādhā huwa al-ḥasada la-kāna hādhā al-fiʿlu mina al-ʿibādi li-raghbatin aw khawfin aw ṭalabi dunyā ḥasadan kulluhu, fa-kāna jamīʿu isāʾati al-ʿibādi baʿḍihim ilā baʿḍin ḥasadan, fa-kānat maʿāṣī al-ʿibādi baʿḍihim fī baʿḍin ḥasadan, fa-lam yaʿṣi aḥadun fī aḥadin illā bi-ḥasadihi, wa-hādhā mā lā yaqūlu bihi aḥadun yaʿlamu aw yaʿqilu, fa-al-ḥasadu bi-al-qalbi.

against the person he envies. If this were envy itself, all such actions by people, whether motivated by desire, fear, or pursuit of worldly gain, would be envy. All the harm people do one another would then be envy, and all their sins against one another would be envy; no one would sin against anyone except through envy. No one with knowledge or reason would say this. Envy therefore resides in the heart.

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وَكَذَلِكَ وَصَفَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْحَاسِدِينَ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ.

Wa-ka-dhālika waṣafahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-ḥāsidīna, fa-qāla taʿālā: in tamsaskum ḥasanatun tasuʾhum.

That is also how God, mighty and majestic, describes it in the envious. He, exalted is He, says: “If something good touches you, it distresses them.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ.

Wa-qāla taʿālā: mā yawaddu alladhīna kafarū min ahli al-kitābi wa-lā al-mushrikīna an yunazzala ʿalaykum min khayrin min rabbikum.

He, exalted is He, says: “Neither those who disbelieve among the People of the Book nor the polytheists wish any good from your Lord to be sent down upon you.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: وَدَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ.

Wa-qāla taʿālā: waddat ṭāʾifatun min ahli al-kitābi law yuḍillūnakum.

He, exalted is He, says: “A group among the People of the Book wish they could lead you astray.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا.

Wa-qāla taʿālā: wadda kathīrun min ahli al-kitābi law yaruddūnakum min baʿdi īmānikum kuffāran ḥasadan.

He, exalted is He, says: “Many among the People of the Book wish they could turn you back into unbelievers after your faith, out of envy.”

فَوَصَفَ الْحَسَدَ بِكَرَاهِيَةِ الْقُلُوبِ لِلْحَسَنَاتِ الَّتِي يَمُنُّ بِهَا عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، مِنْ نَصْرٍ أَوْ فَتْحٍ أَوْ خَيْرٍ وَحُبِّ أَنْ يَزُولَ عَنْهُمْ إِيمَانُهُمْ، فَأَضَافَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْحَسَدَ إِلَى فِعْلِ الْقَلْبِ وَوَصَفَهُ بِهِ، فَهُوَ بِالْقَلْبِ دُونَ الْجَوَارِحِ.

Fa-waṣafa al-ḥasada bi-karāhiyati al-qulūbi li-al-ḥasanāti allatī yamunnu bihā ʿalā al-muʾminīna, min naṣrin aw fatḥin aw khayrin wa-ḥubbi an yazūla ʿanhum īmānuhum, fa-aḍāfa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla al-ḥasada ilā fiʿli al-qalbi wa-waṣafahu bihi, fa-huwa bi-al-qalbi dūna al-jawāriḥi.

He describes envy as hearts’ dislike of the good things He grants believers, whether victory, conquest, or other good, and the desire that their faith leave them. God, mighty and majestic, thus attributes envy to the heart’s activity and describes it in those terms. It resides in the heart, rather than the bodily faculties.

فَإِنْ غَمَّهُ وَتَرَكَ إِبْدَاءَهُ كَرَاهِيَةً لَهُ؛ فَقَدْ نَفَى مِنْ قَلْبِهِ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهِ، فَأَمْسَكَ جَوَارِحَهُ عَنِ اسْتِعْمَالِهِ، لَمَّا نَفَاهُ بِالْكَرَاهَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَنْ يُسْكِتَ عَدُوَّهُ وَلَا يُسَكِّتَ طَبْعَهُ أَنْ يُنَازِعَهُ، وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ، لِأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى تَغْيِيرِ طَبْعِهِ وَلَا إِسْكَاتِ عَدُوِّهِ،

Fa-in ghammahu wa-taraka ibdāʾahu karāhiyatan lahu; fa-qad nafā min qalbihi an yaʿmala bihi, fa-amsaka jawāriḥahu ʿani istiʿmālihi, lammā nafāhu bi-al-karāhati, wa-in kāna lam yaqdir an yuskita ʿaduwwahu wa-lā yusakkita ṭabʿahu an yunāziʿahu, wa-ka-dhālika qāla al-Ḥasanu, li-anna al-ʿabda lā yaqdiru ʿalā taghyīri ṭabʿihi wa-lā iskāti ʿaduwwihi,

If he suppresses it and refrains from revealing it because he dislikes it, he has banished from his heart the intention to act on it. He restrains his bodily faculties from acting on it because he has rejected it through dislike, even though he has been unable to silence his enemy or quiet his nature so that it does not contend with him. That is what al-Ḥasan said, because the servant cannot change his nature or silence his enemy.

فَإِنْ غَمَّهُ وَتَرَكَ اسْتِعْمَالَهُ كَرَاهِيَةً لَهُ وَإِبَاءَ أَنْ يَقْبَلَهُ فَقَدْ نَفَى الْحَسَدَ عَنْهُ، فَكَفَّ الْجَوَارِحَ أَنْ يَسْتَعْمِلَهُ فِيمَا نَازَعَتْهُ نَفْسُهُ إِلَى حَسَدِهِ، لَمَّا نَهَاهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهُ.

Fa-in ghammahu wa-taraka istiʿmālahu karāhiyatan lahu wa-ibāʾa an yaqbalahu fa-qad nafā al-ḥasada ʿanhu, fa-kaffa al-jawāriḥa an yastaʿmilahu fīmā nāzaʿathu nafsuhu ilā ḥasadihi, lammā nahāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿanhu.

If he suppresses it and refrains from acting on it because he dislikes it and refuses to accept it, he has dispelled envy from himself. He restrains the bodily faculties from putting it into practice concerning what his self has urged him to envy, because God, mighty and majestic, has forbidden him to do so.

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وَإِنَّمَا فَسَّرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ طَائِفَةً تَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْحَسَدَ إِنَّمَا يَضُرُّ إِذَا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ الْعَبْدُ بِجَوَارِحِهِ، وَيَحْتَجُّ بِحَدِيثِ الْحَسَنِ هَذَا، فَيَذْهَبُ قَوْلُهَا: إِنَّ الْحَسَدَ بِالْجَوَارِحِ لَا بِالْقَلْبِ، وَقَدْ دَلَّنَا اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّهُ بِالْقَلْبِ، وَاسْتِعْمَالُهُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ عَمَلٌ عَنْهُ.

Wa-innamā fassartu dhālika li-anna ṭāʾifatan taqūlu: inna al-ḥasada innamā yaḍurru idhā istaʿmalahu al-ʿabdu bi-jawāriḥihi, wa-yaḥtajju bi-ḥadīthi al-Ḥasani hādhā, fa-yadhhabu qawluhā: inna al-ḥasada bi-al-jawāriḥi lā bi-al-qalbi, wa-qad dallanā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla annahu bi-al-qalbi, wa-istiʿmāluhu bi-al-jawāriḥi ʿamalun ʿanhu.

I have explained this because a group says that envy only harms the servant when he acts on it with his bodily faculties, citing this report from al-Ḥasan as proof. Their assertion amounts to saying that envy resides in the bodily faculties rather than the heart. Yet God, mighty and majestic, has shown us that it resides in the heart, and employing the bodily faculties to carry it out is action arising from it.

أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا.

A-lā tarā anna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: wa-lā yajidūna fī ṣudūrihim ḥājatan mimmā ūtū.

Do you not see that God, mighty and majestic, says: “They find no longing in their breasts for what the others have been given”?

فَدَلَّكَ بِذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْحَسَدَ فِي النَّفْسِ دُونَ الْجَوَارِحِ، وَاسْتِعْمَالُهُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ عَمَلٌ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ لَا الْحَسَدُ بِنَفْسِهِ.

Fa-dallaka bi-dhālika anna al-ḥasada fī al-nafsi dūna al-jawāriḥi, wa-istiʿmāluhu bi-al-jawāriḥi ʿamalun ʿani al-ḥasadi lā al-ḥasadu bi-nafsihi.

He thereby shows you that envy resides in the self rather than the bodily faculties, and that acting on it with the bodily faculties is action arising from envy, not envy itself.

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بَابُ هَلْ عَلَى الْحَسَدِ مَظْلَمَةٌ لِلْمَحْسُودِ عِنْدَ الْحَاسِدِ إِذَا أَصَابَهُ مَا تَمَنَّاهُ لَهُ؟ أَوْ هُوَ ذَنْبٌ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

Bābu hal ʿalā al-ḥasadi maẓlamatun li-al-maḥsūdi ʿinda al-ḥāsidi idhā aṣābahu mā tamannāhu lahu? Aw huwa dhanbun baynahu wa-bayna Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla

Chapter: Does envy create a wrong owed by the envier to the person envied when what he wished for him befalls him, or is it a sin between him and God, mighty and majestic?

قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ سَاءَنِى مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنَ النِّعَمِ وَتَمَنَّيْتُ زَوَالَهَا، فَيَنْزِلُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ مَا يَزُولُ عَنْهُ كَالْغِنَى يَزُولُ عَنْهُ وَيَنْزِلُ بِهِ الْفَقْرُ، أَوِ الصِّحَّةِ، فَيَنْزِلُ بِهِ الْمَرَضُ، أَوِ الْعِلْمِ فَيَحِلُّ بِهِ الْجَهْلُ، أَوِ الْعِصْمَةِ، فَيَحِلُّ بِهِ الْخِذْلَانُ، أَوِ السِّتْرِ، فَيَحِلُّ بِهِ هَتْكُ السِّتْرِ، ثُمَّ نَدِمْتُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ،

Qultu: fa-in sāʾanī mā raʾaytu mina al-niʿami wa-tamannaytu zawālahā, fa-yanzilu bihi mina al-balāʾi mā yazūlu ʿanhu ka-al-ghinā yazūlu ʿanhu wa-yanzilu bihi al-faqru, awi al-ṣiḥḥati, fa-yanzilu bihi al-maraḍu, awi al-ʿilmi fa-yaḥillu bihi al-jahlu, awi al-ʿiṣmati, fa-yaḥillu bihi al-khidhlānu, awi al-sitri, fa-yaḥillu bihi hatku al-sitri, thumma nadimtu ʿalā dhālika,

I said: Suppose the blessings I see distress me and I wish them gone, and affliction then befalls him so that they depart: wealth leaves him and poverty befalls him; or health gives way to illness, knowledge to ignorance, divine protection to abandonment, or concealment to the exposure of what was concealed. If I then regret this,

أَيَكُونُ لِلْمَحْسُودِ عِنْدِي مَظْلَمَةٌ يَجِبُ عَلَىَّ التَّحَلُّلُ مِنْهَا؟

A-yakūnu li-al-maḥsūdi ʿindī maẓlamatun yajibu ʿalayya al-taḥallulu minhā?

does the person I envied have a claim against me for a wrong from which I must seek release?

قَالَ: أَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ عَمَلِ الْقَلْبِ وَلَمْ تَسْتَعْمِلْ بِهِ جَوَارِحَكَ، فَذَلِكَ ذَنْبٌ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، عَصَيْتَهُ بِهِ فِي عِبَادِهِ، نَهَاكَ عَنْهُ وَذَمَّهُ إِلَيْكَ، فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ فِي ذَلِكَ لِلْمَحْسُودِ تَبِعَةٌ، وَلَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْكَ اسْتِحْلَالُهُ.

Qāla: ammā mā kāna min ʿamali al-qalbi wa-lam tastaʿmil bihi jawāriḥaka, fa-dhālika dhanbun baynaka wa-bayna Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, ʿaṣaytahu bihi fī ʿibādihi, nahāka ʿanhu wa-dhammahu ilayka, fa-laysa ʿalayka fī dhālika li-al-maḥsūdi tabiʿatun, wa-lā yajibu ʿalayka istiḥlāluhu.

He said: Whatever is an activity of the heart that you have not carried out with your bodily faculties is a sin between you and God, mighty and majestic. Through it you have disobeyed Him concerning His servants: He forbade it to you and condemned it before you. But it creates no liability on your part to the person envied, and you are not required to seek his pardon.

فَإِنْ خَرَجْتَ إِلَى غِيبَةٍ أَهَاجَكَ عَلَيْهَا الْحَسَدُ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِكَ، أَوْ تَكْذِبَ عَلَيْهِ، أَوْ تَغْتَالَهُ بِغَائِلَةٍ تَحْرِمُهُ بِهَا مَنْفَعَةً، أَوْ تُنْزِلَ بِهِ مَكْرُوهًا، أَوْ أَخْذِ مَالٍ لَا يَحِلُّ لَكَ مِنْ مَالِهِ، فَعَلَيْكَ الِاسْتِحْلَالُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أَشْبَهَهُ.

Fa-in kharajta ilā ghībatin ahājaka ʿalayhā al-ḥasadu alladhī fī qalbika, aw takdhiba ʿalayhi, aw taghtālahu bi-ghāʾilatin taḥrimuhu bihā manfaʿatan, aw tunzila bihi makrūhan, aw akhdhi mālin lā yaḥillu laka min mālihi, fa-ʿalayka al-istiḥlālu min dhālika wa-mā ashbahahu.

If, however, you proceed to backbiting, stirred to it by the envy in your heart, or to lying about him, treacherously devising a trick that deprives him of a benefit, inflicting something harmful on him, or taking some of his property that is unlawful for you, you must seek pardon for that and similar acts.

وَأَمَّا مَا لَمْ يَعْدُ الْقَلْبَ فَهُوَ ذَنْبٌ عَظِيمٌ، لَا يَجْرِى مَجْرَى الْمَظَالِمِ الَّتِي فِيهَا الْقِصَاصُ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ فِي عَمَلِ الْجَوَارِحِ فِي النَّفْسِ وَالْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَعْرَاضِ، وَلَرُبَّ شَيْءٍ لَا قِصَاصَ فِيهِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِمَّا فِيهِ الْقِصَاصُ.

Wa-ammā mā lam yaʿdu al-qalba fa-huwa dhanbun ʿaẓīmun, lā yajrī majrā al-maẓālimi allatī fīhā al-qiṣāṣu bayna al-ʿibādi fī ʿamali al-jawāriḥi fī al-nafsi wa-al-amwāli wa-al-aʿrāḍi, wa-la-rubba shayʾin lā qiṣāṣa fīhi aʿẓamu min kathīrin mimmā fīhi al-qiṣāṣu.

What does not go beyond the heart is a grave sin, but it is not treated like wrongs for which people exact redress from one another concerning bodily actions against persons, property, and honor. Many a matter for which there is no such redress is greater than many matters for which there is.

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وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ: «إِنَّ الْحَسَدَ يَأْكُلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ الْحَطَبَ».

Wa-qad jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi: «Inna al-ḥasada yaʾkulu al-ḥasanāti ka-mā taʾkulu al-nāru al-ḥaṭaba».

It occurs in the report: “Envy consumes good deeds as fire consumes wood.”

فَالْحَسَدُ - كَمَا أَخْبَرْتُكَ - بِالْقَلْبِ، وَاسْتِعْمَالُهُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ عَمَلٌ عَنْهُ، وَلَوْ كَانَ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ بِالْجَوَارِحِ حَسَدًا لَكَانَتِ الْغِيبَةُ حَسَدًا، وَالْكَذِبُ وَالضَّرْبُ حَسَدًا، وَالْقَتْلُ حَسَدًا، وَالسَّرِقَةُ حَسَدًا، وَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ مَعَاصٍ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ عَنِ الْحَسَدِ، وَعَنِ الْكِبْرِ، وَعَنِ الرِّيَاءِ، وَعَنْ حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا، وَعَنْ خَوْفِ الْفَقْرِ، فَقَدْ أَخْطَأَ مَنْ تَأَوَّلَ ذَلِكَ، وَخَرَجَ مِنْ مَعْقُولِ الدِّينِ.

Fa-al-ḥasadu - ka-mā akhbartuka - bi-al-qalbi, wa-istiʿmāluhu bi-al-jawāriḥi ʿamalun ʿanhu, wa-law kāna istiʿmāluhu bi-al-jawāriḥi ḥasadan la-kānati al-ghībatu ḥasadan, wa-al-kadhibu wa-al-ḍarbu ḥasadan, wa-al-qatlu ḥasadan, wa-al-sariqatu ḥasadan, wa-dhālika kulluhu maʿāṣin, wa-qad yakūnu ʿani al-ḥasadi, wa-ʿani al-kibri, wa-ʿani al-riyāʾi, wa-ʿan ḥubbi al-dunyā, wa-ʿan khawfi al-faqri, fa-qad akhṭaʾa man taʾawwala dhālika, wa-kharaja min maʿqūli al-dīni.

Envy, as I have told you, is in the heart, and carrying it out with the bodily faculties is action arising from it. If acting on it through the bodily faculties were itself envy, backbiting would be envy, lying and striking would be envy, killing would be envy, and theft would be envy. All these are sins that may arise from envy, arrogance, ostentation, love of the world, or fear of poverty. Whoever interprets the matter that way has erred and departed from a reasoned understanding of religion.

Source page 645

كِتَابُ تَأْدِيبِ الْمُرِيدِ وَسِيرَتِهِ، وَتَحْذِيرِهِ

Kitābu taʾdībi al-murīdi wa-sīratihi, wa-taḥdhīrihi

Book on disciplining the seeker, his conduct, and warning him

Source page 647

بَابُ الْفِتْنَةِ بَعْدَ هِدَايَتِهِ

Bābu al-fitnati baʿda hidāyatihi

Chapter: Temptation after he has been guided

قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ تَكُونُ سِيرَتِى فِي سَاعَاتِ لَيْلِى وَنَهَارِى، وَكَيْفَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى قَدْرِ أَحْوَالِي؟

Qultu: kayfa takūnu sīratī fī sāʿāti laylī wa-nahārī, wa-kayfa aḥtasibu ʿalā qadri aḥwālī?

I said: How should I conduct myself through the hours of my night and day, and how should I seek reward according to my circumstances?

قَالَ: إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: اللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا الْآيَةَ.

Qāla: inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: Allāhu yatawaffā al-anfusa ḥīna mawtihā wa-allatī lam tamut fī manāmihā al-āyata.

He said: God, mighty and majestic, says: “God takes souls at the time of their death, and those that have not died during their sleep,” and the rest of the verse.

قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ: رُوحٌ وَنَفْسٌ فِي جَوْفِ الْإِنْسَانِ، بَيْنَهُمَا فِي الْجَوْفِ مِثْلُ شُعَاعِ الشَّمْسِ، فَإِذَا تَوَفَّى اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ النَّفْسَ، كَانَ الرُّوحُ فِي جَوْفِ الْإِنْسَانِ، فَإِنْ أَمْسَكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَفْسَهُ أَخْرَجَ الرُّوحَ مِنْ جَوْفِهِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُمِتْهُ أَرْسَلَ النَّفْسَ فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَى مَكَانِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَسْتَيْقِظَ.

Qāla Ibnu Jurayjin: rūḥun wa-nafsun fī jawfi al-insāni, baynahumā fī al-jawfi mithlu shuʿāʿi al-shamsi, fa-idhā tawaffā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla al-nafsa, kāna al-rūḥu fī jawfi al-insāni, fa-in amsaka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla nafsahu akhraja al-rūḥa min jawfihi, wa-in lam yumithu arsala al-nafsa fa-rajaʿat ilā makānihā qabla an yastayqiẓa.

Ibn Jurayj said: “There are a spirit and a soul within a person, with something like a ray of sunlight between them inside. When God, mighty and majestic, takes the soul, the spirit remains within the person. If God, mighty and majestic, retains his soul, He removes the spirit from within him. If He does not cause him to die, He releases the soul, which returns to its place before he awakens.”

وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: النَّفْسُ الْعَقْلُ، فَأَخْبَرَنَا رَبُّنَا عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَوَجَبَ عَلَيْنَا الْحَذَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَوَجَبَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْحَذَرِ التَّطَهُّرُ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ، وَوَجَبَ عَلَيْنَا فِي التَّطَهُّرِ أَنْ نُرِيدَ بِذَلِكَ اللّٰهَ وَحْدَهُ لَا غَيْرَهُ، وَشَاهِدُ إِرَادَةِ اللّٰهِ أَلَّا تَهْتِكَ سِتْرَ الْمَعْصِيَةِ، وَلَا تَقْبَلَ خَاطِرًا يَدْعُو إِلَى مُخَالَفَتِهِ،

Wa-qāla Ibnu ʿAbbāsin mithla dhālika, illā annahu qāla: al-nafsu al-ʿaqlu, fa-akhbaranā rabbunā ʿazza wa-jalla annahu yatawaffā al-anfusa fī al-nawmi, fa-wajaba ʿalaynā al-ḥadharu min dhālika, wa-wajaba ʿalaynā fī al-ḥadhari al-taṭahhuru mina al-dhunūbi, wa-wajaba ʿalaynā fī al-taṭahhuri an nurīda bi-dhālika Allāha waḥdahu lā ghayrahu, wa-shāhidu irādati Allāhi allā tahtika sitra al-maʿṣiyati, wa-lā taqbala khāṭiran yadʿū ilā mukhālafatihi,

Ibn ʿAbbās said something similar, except that he said, “The soul is the intellect.” Our Lord, mighty and majestic, has told us that He takes souls during sleep, so we are required to be wary of that. Such wariness requires us to purify ourselves of sins, and that purification requires us to seek God alone by it, and no other. The evidence that we seek God is that you do not tear through the veil against disobedience or accept a passing thought that invites you to oppose Him,

إِذْ كَانَ هُوَ الْمُتَوَلِّىَ لِتَحْذِيرِنَا مِنْ بَغْتَةِ الْمَوْتِ عَلَى غَفْلَةٍ مِنَّا عِنْدَ مَنَامِنَا، نِعْمَةً مِنْهُ عَلَيْنَا وَرَحْمَةً لَنَا.

Idh kāna huwa al-mutawalliya li-taḥdhīrinā min baghtati al-mawti ʿalā ghaflatin minnā ʿinda manāminā, niʿmatan minhu ʿalaynā wa-raḥmatan lanā.

since He Himself has undertaken to warn us of death’s arriving suddenly while we are heedless in our sleep, as a blessing from Him upon us and a mercy toward us.

وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنَامَ قَالَ: «بِاسْمِكَ اللّٰهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا».

Wa-kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama idhā arāda an yanāma qāla: «Bi-ismika Allāhumma amūtu wa-aḥyā».

When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, wished to sleep, he would say: “In Your name, O God, I die and live.”

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وَكَانَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَامَ قَالَ حِينَ يَضْطَجِعُ: «اللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لَهَا وَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ».

Wa-kāna ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama idhā nāma qāla ḥīna yaḍṭajiʿu: «Allāhumma in amsakta nafsī fa-ighfir lahā wa-irḥamhā, wa-in arsaltahā fa-iḥfaẓhā bi-mā taḥfaẓu bihi ʿibādaka al-ṣāliḥīna».

When he, may God bless him and grant him peace, went to sleep, he would say as he lay down: “O God, if You retain my soul, forgive it and have mercy on it; and if You release it, protect it with that by which You protect Your righteous servants.”

خَائِفٌ أَنْ يَمُوتَ فِي مَنَامِهِ، يَدْعُو بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ إِنْ قُضِىَ مَوْتُهُ فِي مَنَامِهِ، وَبِالْحِفْظِ وَالتَّوْفِيقِ إِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ حَيًّا. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنَامَ قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ:

Khāʾifun an yamūta fī manāmihi, yadʿū bi-al-maghfirati in quḍiya mawtuhu fī manāmihi, wa-bi-al-ḥifẓi wa-al-tawfīqi ini istayqaẓa ḥayyan. Wa-kāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi idhā arāda an yanāma qāla li-ahlihi:

He fears that he may die in his sleep, praying for forgiveness if his death is decreed during his sleep, and for protection and divine help if he awakens alive. One of the scholars, when he wished to sleep, would say to his household:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا أَهْلَاهْ، فَوَدَّعَهُمْ، خَوْفًا أَلَّا يَسْتَيْقِظَ وَأَنْ يَتَوَفَّاهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي نَوْمِهِ ذَلِكَ.

Al-salāmu ʿalaykum yā ahlāh, fa-waddaʿahum, khawfan allā yastayqiẓa wa-an yatawaffāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī nawmihi dhālika.

“Peace be upon you, my family!” He would bid them farewell, fearing that he would not awaken and that God, mighty and majestic, would take him during that sleep.

فَحَقٌّ عَلَى الْمُرِيدِ الْخَائِفِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَلَّا يَأْمَنَ بَغْتَةَ الْمَوْتِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ، وَفِي مَنَامِهِ حِينَ يَنَامُ، فَيَخَافَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ فِي مَنَامِهِ، وَأَلَّا يَقُومَ مِنْهُ. فَإِذَا أَلْزَمَ قَلْبَهُ الْخَوْفَ لِذَلِكَ فَحَقٌّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُحَقِّقَهُ بِالْحَذَرِ أَنْ يَقْبِضَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ رُوحَهُ فِي نَوْمِهِ وَهُوَ مُصِرٌّ عَلَى بَعْضِ مَا كَرِهَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Fa-ḥaqqun ʿalā al-murīdi al-khāʾifi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla allā yaʾmana baghtata al-mawti ʿalā kulli ḥālin, wa-fī manāmihi ḥīna yanāmu, fa-yakhāfa an yamūta fī manāmihi, wa-allā yaqūma minhu. Fa-idhā alzama qalbahu al-khawfa li-dhālika fa-ḥaqqun ʿalayhi an yuḥaqqiqahu bi-al-ḥadhari an yaqbiḍa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla rūḥahu fī nawmihi wa-huwa muṣirrun ʿalā baʿḍi mā kariha Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla,

The seeker who fears God, mighty and majestic, must therefore never feel safe from sudden death in any circumstance, including when he lies down to sleep. He must fear dying in his sleep and not rising from it. When he has made his heart hold to that fear, he must make it real through wariness lest God, mighty and majestic, take his spirit in sleep while he persists in something God, mighty and majestic, dislikes,

مِنْ رُكُوبِ بَعْضِ نَهْيِهِ أَوْ تَضْيِيعِهِ بَعْضَ حَقِّهِ، فَيُعْطِىَ اللّٰهَ سُبْحَانَهُ النَّدَمَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْهُ، وَالْعَزْمَ عَلَى التَّوْبَةِ أَنَّهُ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ حَيًّا اجْتَنَبَ كُلَّ مَا يَكْرَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَأَدَاءِ مَا وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ، وَرَدِّ مَا أَمْكَنَهُ مِنَ الْمَظَالِمِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا، مِنْ مَالٍ أَوِ اسْتِحْلَالٍ فِي عِرْضٍ.

Min rukūbi baʿḍi nahyihi aw taḍyīʿihi baʿḍa ḥaqqihi, fa-yuʿṭiya Allāha subḥānahu al-nadama ʿalā mā kāna minhu, wa-al-ʿazma ʿalā al-tawbati annahu in aṣbaḥa ḥayyan ijtanaba kulla mā yakrahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-adāʾi mā wajaba ʿalayhi, wa-raddi mā amkanahu mina al-maẓālimi ilā ahlihā, min mālin awi istiḥlālin fī ʿirḍin.

whether committing something He has forbidden or neglecting something due to Him. He should offer God, glory be to Him, remorse for what he has done and a firm resolve to repent: if he awakens alive, he will avoid everything God, mighty and majestic, dislikes, fulfill what is obligatory upon him, and redress as many wrongs as he can toward those entitled to redress, whether by returning property or seeking pardon for an offense against someone’s honor.

فَإِنْ مَاتَ فِي مَنَامِهِ لَقِىَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَغْفُورًا لَهُ ذُنُوبُهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ، وَإِنْ أَصْبَحَ حَيًّا كَانَ عَزْمُهُ عَلَى التَّوْبَةِ مُهَيِّجًا لَهُ عَلَى الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ أَقْرَبَ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الْعَزْمِ أَشَدُّ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَيَاءً إِنْ عَقَلَ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِنَفْسِهِ: يَا نَفْسُ إِنَّمَا عَاهَدْتِ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْبَارِحَةَ،

Fa-in māta fī manāmihi laqiya Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla maghfūran lahu dhunūbuhu in shāʾa Allāhu, wa-in aṣbaḥa ḥayyan kāna ʿazmuhu ʿalā al-tawbati muhayyijan lahu ʿalā al-ḥayāʾi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla; li-anna al-ʿabda aqraba mā yakūnu mina al-ʿazmi ashaddu mā yakūnu mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ḥayāʾan in ʿaqala an yaqūla li-nafsihi: yā nafsu innamā ʿāhadti Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla al-bāriḥata,

If he dies in his sleep, he meets God, mighty and majestic, with his sins forgiven, God willing. If he awakens alive, his resolve to repent will stir him to shame before God, mighty and majestic. The servant is most intensely ashamed before God, mighty and majestic, when closest in time to his resolve, if he has the sense to say to his self: “My self, you only made your covenant with God, mighty and majestic, last night!

Source page 649

أَتَنْقُضِينَ عَهْدَكِ إِيَّاهُ سَرِيعًا؟

A-tanquḍīna ʿahdaki iyyāhu sarīʿan?

Will you break your covenant with Him so quickly?

لَمْ تَفِ لَهُ بِعَزْمِكَ يَوْمًا وَاحِدًا؟ ثُمَّ تُجَدِّدُ التَّوْبَةَ فِي الْقَابِلَةِ إِنْ عِشْتَ عِنْدَ نَوْمِكَ.

Lam tafi lahu bi-ʿazmika yawman wāḥidan? Thumma tujaddidu al-tawbata fī al-qābilati in ʿishta ʿinda nawmika.

Have you not kept your resolve toward Him for even one day?” Then, if you live, renew your repentance the following night when you go to sleep.

فَكُلَّمَا أَصْبَحْتَ حَمِدْتَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذْ أَبْقَاكَ وَلَمْ يَتَوَفَّكَ فِي مَنَامِكَ، كَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ مِنْ مَنَامِهِ: «الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانِي بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنِي وَلَمْ يَتَوَفَّنِى فِي مَنَامِي».

Fa-kullamā aṣbaḥta ḥamidta Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla idh abqāka wa-lam yatawaffaka fī manāmika, ka-mā kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu idhā istayqaẓa min manāmihi: «Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī aḥyānī baʿda mā amātanī wa-lam yatawaffanī fī manāmī».

Every morning, praise God, mighty and majestic, for keeping you alive and not taking you during your sleep, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to say when he awoke: “Praise be to God, who has given me life after causing me to die and has not taken me in my sleep.”

ثُمَّ تَأْخُذُ نَفْسَكَ بِالْوَفَاءِ بِالْعَزْمِ، وَتُذَكِّرُهَا قُرْبَ الْعَهْدِ، وَتُهَيِّجُهَا عَلَى الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ الرَّبِّ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ.

Thumma taʾkhudhu nafsaka bi-al-wafāʾi bi-al-ʿazmi, wa-tudhakkiruhā qurba al-ʿahdi, wa-tuhayyijuhā ʿalā al-ḥayāʾi mina al-rabbi jalla wa-ʿazza.

Then hold your self to fulfilling its resolve, remind it how recent its covenant is, and stir it to shame before the Lord, majestic and mighty.

فَكُلَّمَا نِمْتَ جَدَّدْتَ الْعَزْمَ، وَذَكَرْتَ الْمَوْتَ لِلْعِبْرَةِ بِالنَّوْمِ، لِأَنَّكَ كَالْمَيِّتِ، وَقَدْ سَمَّاهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَفَاةً، وَتَخَافُ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَتَوَفَّاكَ فِي نَوْمِكَ.

Fa-kullamā nimta jaddadta al-ʿazma, wa-dhakarta al-mawta li-al-ʿibrati bi-al-nawmi, li-annaka ka-al-mayyiti, wa-qad sammāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla wafātan, wa-takhāfu Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla an yatawaffāka fī nawmika.

Whenever you go to sleep, renew your resolve and remember death, taking sleep as a lesson, because you are like someone dead. God, mighty and majestic, has called it a taking of the soul, and you fear that God, mighty and majestic, may take you during your sleep.

فَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ ذَكَرْتَ النُّشُورَ، وَالْبَعْثَ وَالْعَرْضَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، لِأَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سَمَّاهُ بَعْثًا، وَهُوَ شَبِيهٌ بِهِ، وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ ذَكَرَ النُّشُورَ.

Fa-idhā aṣbaḥta dhakarta al-nushūra, wa-al-baʿtha wa-al-ʿarḍa ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, li-anna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla sammāhu baʿthan, wa-huwa shabīhun bihi, wa-kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama idhā istayqaẓa dhakara al-nushūra.

When morning comes, remember resurrection, being raised, and being presented before God, mighty and majestic, because God, mighty and majestic, has called waking a raising, and it resembles that. When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, awoke, he would remember resurrection.

فَقَالَ: «اللّٰهُمَّ بِكَ أَحْيَا وَبِكَ أَمُوتُ وَإِلَيْكَ النُّشُورُ».

Fa-qāla: «Allāhumma bika aḥyā wa-bika amūtu wa-ilayka al-nushūru».

He would say: “O God, through You I live and through You I die, and to You is the resurrection.”

فَإِذَا اسْتَيْقَظْتَ فَأَوَّلُ مَا تَبْتَدِئُ بِهِ حَمْدُ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذْ أَيْقَظَكَ وَلَمْ يَتَوَفَّكَ وَتَذْكُرُ النُّشُورَ.

Fa-idhā istayqaẓta fa-awwalu mā tabtadiʾu bihi ḥamdu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, idh ayqaẓaka wa-lam yatawaffaka wa-tadhkuru al-nushūra.

When you awaken, begin first with praise of God, mighty and majestic, for waking you and not taking you, and remember resurrection.

ثُمَّ إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَقُومَ أَخَذْتَ ثَوْبَكَ فَنَوَيْتَ بِهِ السِّتْرَ، كَمَا أُمِرْتَ بِالسِّتْرِ، وَحَيَاءً مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَتَسَتُّرًا مِنْ أَعْيُنِ الْجِنِّ وَمَنْ حَضَرَكَ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ.

Thumma idhā aradta an taqūma akhadhta thawbaka fa-nawayta bihi al-sitra, ka-mā umirta bi-al-sitri, wa-ḥayāʾan mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-malāʾikatihi, wa-tasatturan min aʿyuni al-jinni wa-man ḥaḍaraka mina al-insi.

Then, when you wish to rise, take your garment with the intention of covering yourself, as you have been commanded to cover yourself, out of modesty before God, mighty and majestic, and His angels, and to conceal yourself from the eyes of jinn and any human beings present with you.

ثُمَّ تَأْخُذُ سِوَاكًا إِنْ أَمْكَنَكَ، فَتَسْتَاكُ تَنْوِى بِهِ طَهَارَةَ فِيكَ، وَمَرْضَاةَ رَبِّكَ، وَاتِّبَاعَ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Thumma taʾkhudhu siwākan in amkanaka, fa-tastāku tanwī bihi ṭahārata fīka, wa-marḍāta rabbika, wa-ittibāʿa sunnati nabiyyika ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama.

Then take a tooth-stick if you can and clean your teeth with it, intending to cleanse your mouth, please your Lord, and follow the practice of your Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.

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ثُمَّ تَتَغَوَّطُ إِنِ احْتَجْتَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، لِإِلْقَاءِ الْأَذَى عَنْكَ، لِئَلَّا تُصَلِّىَ وَهُمَا يَدْفَعَانِكَ، تَتْبَعُ بِذَلِكَ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ نَبِيُّكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَإِذَا دَخَلْتَ الْخَلَاءَ لِحَاجَتِكَ قُلْتَ كَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَرَادَ الْخَلَاءَ: «بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ، أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ،

Thumma tataghawwaṭu ini iḥtajta ilā dhālika, li-ilqāʾi al-adhā ʿanka, li-allā tuṣalliya wa-humā yadfaʿānika, tatbaʿu bi-dhālika mā amara bihi nabiyyuka ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-idhā dakhalta al-khalāʾa li-ḥājatika qulta ka-mā kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu idhā arāda al-khalāʾa: «Bi-smi Allāhi, aʿūdhu bi-Allāhi mina al-khubuthi wa-al-khabāʾithi,

Then relieve yourself if you need to, to remove discomfort so that you do not pray while the two urges press you, following what your Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded. When you enter the privy to relieve yourself, say what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, would say when he wished to enter it: “In the name of God. I seek refuge in God from male and female devils.

أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ» فَإِذَا خَرَجْتَ قُلْتَ كَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّى مَا يُؤْذِينِي وَأَبْقَى فِىَّ مَا يَنْفَعُنِي».

Aʿūdhu bi-Allāhi mina al-shayṭāni al-rajīmi» fa-idhā kharajta qulta ka-mā kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu: «Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī adhhaba ʿannī mā yuʾdhīnī wa-abqā fiyya mā yanfaʿunī».

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan.” When you leave, say what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, would say: “Praise be to God, who has removed from me what harms me and retained within me what benefits me.”

ثُمَّ تَتَوَضَّأُ، فَتَغْسِلُ يَدَيْكَ، اتِّبَاعًا لِسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، تَسْتَنْجِى بِشِمَالِكَ نَظَافَةً؛ وَاتِّبَاعًا لِمَحَبَّةِ رَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ.

Thumma tatawaḍḍaʾu, fa-taghsilu yadayka, ittibāʿan li-sunnati nabiyyika ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, tastanjī bi-shimālika naẓāfatan; wa-ittibāʿan li-maḥabbati rabbika ʿazza wa-jalla, idh yaqūlu: inna Allāha yuḥibbu al-tawwābīna wa-yuḥibbu al-mutaṭahhirīna.

Then perform ablution, washing your hands in observance of the practice of your Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. Clean yourself after relieving yourself with your left hand for cleanliness and to follow what your Lord, mighty and majestic, loves, for He says: “God loves those who constantly repent, and He loves those who purify themselves.”

لِأَنَّهَا نَزَلَتْ فِي أَهْلِ قُبَاءَ إِذِ اسْتَنْجَوْا بِالْمَاءِ.

Li-annahā nazalat fī ahli Qubāʾa idhi istanjaw bi-al-māʾi.

For it was revealed concerning the people of Qubāʾ, because they cleaned themselves with water after relieving themselves.

ثُمَّ تُوَضِّئُ أَطْرَافَكَ لِأَدَاءِ فَرْضِ الْوُضُوءِ الَّذِي أَوْجَبَهُ عَلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، لِتُؤَدِّىَ فَرْضَ الصَّلَاةِ الَّتِي لَا يَقْبَلُهَا اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا بِهِ، وَلِمَا أَوْجَبَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؛ وَلِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ «لَا تُقْبَلُ صَلَاةٌ بِغَيْرِ طُهُورٍ» فَفِي هَذَا دَلِيلٌ عَلَى أَنَّهَا بِالطُّهُورِ مَقْبُولَةٌ مِمَّنْ رَحِمَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Thumma tuwaḍḍiʾu aṭrāfaka li-adāʾi farḍi al-wuḍūʾi alladhī awjabahu ʿalayka rabbuka ʿazza wa-jalla, li-tuʾaddiya farḍa al-ṣalāti allatī lā yaqbaluhā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla illā bihi, wa-li-mā awjabahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla; wa-li-qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama «Lā tuqbalu ṣalātun bi-ghayri ṭuhūrin» fa-fī hādhā dalīlun ʿalā annahā bi-al-ṭuhūri maqbūlatun mimman raḥimahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla.

Then wash your limbs in ablution to fulfill the duty of ablution that your Lord, mighty and majestic, has imposed on you, so that you can fulfill the duty of prayer, which God, mighty and majestic, does not accept without it; because God, mighty and majestic, has made it obligatory; and because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “No prayer is accepted without purification.” This indicates that, with purification, prayer is accepted from those upon whom God, mighty and majestic, has mercy.

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فَلْتُلْزِمْ قَلْبَكَ مَعَ أَدَائِكَ الْفَرْضَ الْأَمَلَ وَالرَّجَاءَ أَنْ يَقْبَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَلَاتَكَ، فَكُلَّمَا اسْتَنْشَقْتَ، أَوْ تَمَضْمَضْتَ، أَوْ وَضَّأْتَ طَرَفًا مِنْ أَطْرَافِكَ أَمَّلْتَ كَفَّارَةَ مَا أَصَبْتَ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ بِجَوَارِحِكَ، كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّهُ يُكَفِّرُ عَنِ الْعَبْدِ الْمُؤْمِنِ مَا أَصَابَ بِمَوَاضِعِ الْوُضُوءِ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ».

Fa-l-tulzim qalbaka maʿa adāʾika al-farḍa al-amala wa-al-rajāʾa an yaqbala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ṣalātaka, fa-kullamā istanshaqta, aw tamaḍmaḍta, aw waḍḍaʾta ṭarafan min aṭrāfika ammalta kaffārata mā aṣabta mina al-dhunūbi bi-jawāriḥika, ka-mā qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Innahu yukaffiru ʿani al-ʿabdi al-muʾmini mā aṣāba bi-mawāḍiʿi al-wuḍūʾi mina al-dhunūbi».

While fulfilling the obligation, make your heart hold to hope and expectation that God, mighty and majestic, will accept your prayer. Whenever you draw water into your nose, rinse your mouth, or wash one of your limbs, hope for expiation of the sins you have committed with your bodily faculties, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “It expiates for the believing servant the sins he has committed with the parts washed in ablution.”

لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ: «إِذَا غَسَلَ يَدَهُ كَفَّرَ مَا أَصَابَ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ» حَتَّى عَدَّ مَوَاضِعَ الْوُضُوءِ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ.

Li-annahu qāla: «Idhā ghasala yadahu kaffara mā aṣāba mina al-dhunūbi» ḥattā ʿadda mawāḍiʿa al-wuḍūʾi mina al-dhunūbi.

For he said: “When he washes his hand, it expiates the sins he has committed,” going on to enumerate the parts washed in ablution in relation to sins.

فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ مِنْ وُضُوئِكَ أَتَيْتَ مَسْجِدَكَ، وَنَوَيْتَ بِإِتْيَانِكَ الْمَسْجِدَ أَدَاءَ الصَّلَاةِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ اتِّبَاعًا لِسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمُعَاوَنَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عَلَى أَدَاءِ الْفَرْضِ، وَرَجَاءَ الرَّحْمَةِ بِدُعَاءِ مَنْ يَحْضُرُ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَأَنَّكَ زَائِرٌ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَتَأْمُلُ بِزِيَارَتِكَ مَا قَالَ سَلْمَانُ: «مَنْ أَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ فَهُوَ زَائِرُ اللّٰهِ،

Fa-idhā faraghta min wuḍūʾika atayta masjidaka, wa-nawayta bi-ityānika al-masjida adāʾa al-ṣalāti fī al-jamāʿati ittibāʿan li-sunnati nabiyyika ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa-muʿāwanata al-muslimīna ʿalā adāʾi al-farḍi, wa-rajāʾa al-raḥmati bi-duʿāʾi man yaḥḍuru maʿaka mina al-muʾminīna, wa-annaka zāʾirun li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-taʾmulu bi-ziyāratika mā qāla Salmānu: «Man atā al-masjida fa-huwa zāʾiru Allāhi,

When you finish your ablution, go to your mosque. By going to the mosque, intend to perform prayer in congregation in observance of your Prophet’s practice, may God bless him and grant him peace; to help the Muslims fulfill the obligation; and to seek mercy through the supplications of the believers present with you. Intend that you are a visitor to God, mighty and majestic, and hope through your visit for what Salmān said: “Whoever comes to the mosque is a visitor to God,

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وَحَقٌّ عَلَى الْمَزُورِ كَرَامَةُ الزَّائِرِ» فَتَأْمُلُ أَنْ يُكْرِمَكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِرِضْوَانِهِ عَنْكَ وَجَنَّتِهِ.

Wa-ḥaqqun ʿalā al-mazūri karāmatu al-zāʾiri» fa-taʾmulu an yukrimaka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bi-riḍwānihi ʿanka wa-jannatihi.

and it is incumbent on the one visited to honor the visitor.” Hope, then, that God, mighty and majestic, will honor you with His good pleasure toward you and His Paradise.

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتَ صَلَاتَكَ نَظَرْتَ أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ وَأَوْجَبُ. لُزُومُكَ الْمَسْجِدَ، أَوْ دُخُولُكَ مَنْزِلَكَ، أَوْ غُدُوُّكَ لِمَعَاشِكَ، أَوْ لِبِرٍّ وَاجِبٍ، أَوْ تَطَوُّعٍ، فَأَيُّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ أَوْلَى بِكَ فَأْتِهِ.

Fa-idhā qaḍayta ṣalātaka naẓarta ayyuhumā afḍalu wa-awjabu. Luzūmuka al-masjida, aw dukhūluka manzilaka, aw ghuduwwuka li-maʿāshika, aw li-birrin wājibin, aw taṭawwuʿin, fa-ayyu dhālika kāna awlā bika faʾtihi.

When you have completed your prayer, consider which course is better and more incumbent: remaining in the mosque, entering your home, going out for your livelihood, or undertaking an obligatory good deed or a voluntary one. Do whichever of these has the strongest claim on you.

فَإِنْ دَخَلْتَ مَنْزِلَكَ ذَكَرْتَ الْإِشْفَاقَ الَّذِي وَصَفَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ الَّذِينَ أَبَاحَهُمُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جِوَارَهُ، وَأَدْخَلَهُمْ دَارَهُ، إِذْ قَالُوا حَيْثُ اسْتَقَرَّتْ بِهِمُ الدَّارُ: إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبْلُ فِي أَهْلِنَا مُشْفِقِينَ قَدِ اغْتَبَطُوا فِي إِشْفَاقِهِمْ فِي أَهْلِهِمْ، فَأَلْزِمْ قَلْبَكَ الْإِشْفَاقَ؛ رَجَاءَ أَنْ تَأْمَنَ بِهِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مَعَ الْمُشْفِقِينَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ،

Fa-in dakhalta manzilaka dhakarta al-ishfāqa alladhī waṣafa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi awliyāʾahu alladhīna abāḥahumu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla jiwārahu, wa-adkhalahum dārahu, idh qālū ḥaythu istaqarrat bihimu al-dāru: innā kunnā qablu fī ahlinā mushfiqīna qadi ightabaṭū fī ishfāqihim fī ahlihim, fa-alzim qalbaka al-ishfāqa; rajāʾa an taʾmana bihi fī al-jannati maʿa al-mushfiqīna min awliyāʾihi,

If you enter your home, remember the apprehension with which God, mighty and majestic, describes His friends whom God, mighty and majestic, has granted His nearness and admitted to His abode. Once settled in that abode, they say: “Previously, among our families, we were apprehensive.” They rejoice at having been apprehensive among their families. Make your heart hold to that apprehension, hoping through it to be safe in Paradise with those of His friends who were apprehensive.

فَإِنْ زَلَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ نَهَيْتَهُ لِتُمْضِىَ أَمْرَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِمْ؛ بِأَنْ تَقِيَهُمْ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ، لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا.

Fa-in zalla aḥadun minhum nahaytahu li-tumḍiya amra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fīhim; bi-an taqiyahum nāra Jahannama, li-qawlihi taʿālā: qū anfusakum wa-ahlīkum nāran.

If one of your household slips, forbid him, carrying out God’s command concerning them, mighty and majestic is He, by protecting them from the fire of Hell, for He, exalted is He, says: “Protect yourselves and your families from a fire.”

قِيلَ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ: أَدِّبُوهُمْ وَعَلِّمُوهُمْ.

Qīla fī al-tafsīri: addibūhum wa-ʿallimūhum.

It is said in explanation: “Discipline them and teach them.”

فَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ فِي حَاجَةٍ أَوْ إِلَى سُوقِكَ، فَقَدِّمِ النِّيَّاتِ قَبْلَ خُرُوجِكَ، وَإِنْ قَدَرْتَ أَلَّا تَدَعَ شَيْئًا تَرْجُو أَنْ تُطِيعَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي طَرِيقِكَ أَوْ فِي حَاجَتِكَ أَوْ فِي سُوقِكَ أَنْ تَنْوِىَ بِهِ، فَافْعَلْ، فَإِنَّ أَجْرَكَ عَلَى قَدْرِ نِيَّتِكَ.

Fa-in aradta an takhruja fī ḥājatin aw ilā sūqika, fa-qaddimi al-niyyāti qabla khurūjika, wa-in qadarta allā tadaʿa shayʾan tarjū an tuṭīʿa Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla fī ṭarīqika aw fī ḥājatika aw fī sūqika an tanwiya bihi, fa-ifʿal, fa-inna ajraka ʿalā qadri niyyatika.

If you want to go out on an errand or to your market, form your intentions before you leave. If you can leave nothing by which you hope to obey God, mighty and majestic, on your way, during your errand, or in your market without forming an intention for it, do so, for your reward corresponds to your intention.

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أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَى مَا رَوَى كَعْبٌ: أَنَّهُ وَجَدَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَسْطُرٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، «أَنَّ الشُّهَدَاءَ ثَلَاثَةٌ: رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ يَحْتَسِبُ مَالَهُ وَيُكَثِّرُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِنَفْسِهِ، لَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَلَا يُقْتَلَ، أَتَاهُ سَهْمُ غَرْبٍ فَقَتَلَهُ، فَذَلِكَ تُغْفَرُ لَهُ ذُنُوبُهُ بِأَوَّلِ قَطْرَةٍ تَقْطُرُ مِنْ دَمِهِ، وَيَشْفَعُ فِي سَبْعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ،

A-lam tasmaʿ ilā mā rawā Kaʿbun: annahu wajada thalāthata asṭurin fī kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, «Anna al-shuhadāʾa thalāthatun: rajulun kharaja fī sabīli Allāhi yaḥtasibu mālahu wa-yukaththiru jamāʿata al-muslimīna bi-nafsihi, lā yurīdu an yaqtula wa-lā yuqtala, atāhu sahmu gharbin fa-qatalahu, fa-dhālika tughfaru lahu dhunūbuhu bi-awwali qaṭratin taqṭuru min damihi, wa-yashfaʿu fī sabʿīna min ahli baytihi,

Have you not heard what Kaʿb related: that he found three lines in the Book of God, mighty and majestic? “Martyrs are of three kinds. A man goes out in God’s path, seeking reward for his wealth and swelling the Muslims’ numbers with his own person, wishing neither to kill nor to be killed. A stray arrow strikes and kills him. His sins are forgiven at the first drop of his blood, and he intercedes for seventy members of his household.

وَرَجُلٌ خَرَجَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ يَحْتَسِبُ مَالَهُ وَيُكَثِّرُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِنَفْسِهِ، يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُقْتَلَ، أَتَاهُ سَهْمُ غَرْبٍ فَقَتَلَهُ، فَذَلِكَ رُكْبَتُهُ مَعَ رُكْبَةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلِ الرَّحْمَنِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَرَجُلٌ خَرَجَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ يَحْتَسِبُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَبِمَالِهِ وَيُكَثِّرُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ،

Wa-rajulun kharaja fī sabīli Allāhi yaḥtasibu mālahu wa-yukaththiru jamāʿata al-muslimīna bi-nafsihi, yurīdu an yaqtula wa-lā yurīdu an yuqtala, atāhu sahmu gharbin fa-qatalahu, fa-dhālika rukbatuhu maʿa rukbati Ibrāhīma khalīli al-Raḥmāni fī al-jannati, wa-rajulun kharaja fī sabīli Allāhi yaḥtasibu bi-nafsihi wa-bi-mālihi wa-yukaththiru jamāʿata al-muslimīna,

Another man goes out in God’s path, seeking reward for his wealth and swelling the Muslims’ numbers with his own person, wishing to kill but not wishing to be killed. A stray arrow strikes and kills him. His knee is beside the knee of Abraham, the Merciful One’s intimate friend, in Paradise. A third man goes out in God’s path, seeking reward with both his person and his wealth and swelling the Muslims’ numbers,

يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَيُقْتَلَ أَتَاهُ سَهْمُ غَرْبٍ فَقَتَلَهُ فَذَلِكَ شَاهِرٌ سَيْفَهُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ قُبَالَةَ عَرْشِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، يَشْفَعُ فِيمَنْ يَشَاءُ، لَا تُعْصَى لَهُ فِيهَا عَزْمَةٌ» يَعْنِى كَلِمَةً.

Yurīdu an yaqtula wa-yuqtala atāhu sahmu gharbin fa-qatalahu fa-dhālika shāhirun sayfahu fī al-jannati qubālata ʿarshi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, yashfaʿu fīman yashāʾu, lā tuʿṣā lahu fīhā ʿazmatun» yaʿnī kalimatan.

wishing to kill and be killed. A stray arrow strikes and kills him. He stands with his sword drawn in Paradise, facing the throne of God, mighty and majestic, interceding for whomever he wishes. No firm request of his there is disobeyed,” meaning a word he speaks.

فَسَاوَى بَيْنَ نَفَقَاتِهِمْ وَخُرُوجِهِمْ وَسَبَبِ قَتْلِهِمْ، كُلُّهُمْ أَتَاهُ سَهْمُ غَرْبٍ فَقَتَلَهُ، وَفَضَّلَ الثَّانِيَ عَلَى الْأَوَّلِ، لِأَنَّ الْأَوَّلَ لَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَلَا يُقْتَلَ، وَأَرَادَ الثَّانِي أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَلَا يُقْتَلَ، وَفَضَّلَ الثَّالِثَ عَلَى الثَّانِي إِذْ نَوَى أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا نَوَى، لِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ وَيُقْتَلَ.

Fa-sāwā bayna nafaqātihim wa-khurūjihim wa-sababi qatlihim, kulluhum atāhu sahmu gharbin fa-qatalahu, wa-faḍḍala al-thāniya ʿalā al-awwali, li-anna al-awwala lam yurid an yaqtula wa-lā yuqtala, wa-arāda al-thānī an yaqtula wa-lā yuqtala, wa-faḍḍala al-thālitha ʿalā al-thānī idh nawā akthara mimmā nawā, li-annahu arāda an yaqtula wa-yuqtala.

He made them equal in their expenditures, their going out, and the cause of their death: a stray arrow struck and killed each one. Yet he gave the second preference over the first, because the first wished neither to kill nor to be killed, whereas the second wished to kill but not be killed. He gave the third preference over the second because he intended more than the second intended: he wished to kill and be killed.

وَقَدْ قَالَ كَعْبٌ: هِيَ ثَلَاثَةُ أَسْطُرٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عَنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-qad qāla Kaʿbun: hiya thalāthatu asṭurin fī kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-akhbara anna dhālika ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

Kaʿb said that these were three lines in the Book of God, mighty and majestic, thus reporting that this came from God, mighty and majestic.

وَرَوَى بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: أَنَّهُ رَآهُ يَمْشِى فِي طَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: أَسُرُّ الْجَمَّالَ وَأُرَوِّحُ عَنِ الْجَمَلِ.

Wa-rawā baʿḍu aṣḥābi Ibni al-Mubāraki: annahu raʾāhu yamshī fī ṭarīqi Makkata fa-qīla lahu, fa-qāla: asurru al-jammāla wa-urawwiḥu ʿani al-jamali.

One of Ibn al-Mubārak’s companions related that he saw him walking on the road to Mecca. When he was asked about it, he said: “I make the camel driver happy and give the camel a rest.”

فَكُلَّمَا نَوَيْتَ أَكْثَرَ كَانَ لَكَ الْأَجْرُ أَكْثَرَ، فَإِذَا خَرَجْتَ فَانْوِ كُلَّمَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا يُمْكِنُ مِنَ النِّيَّةِ، فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَهُ أُجِرْتَ عَلَى نِيَّتِكَ وَعَلَى فِعْلِكَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ أُجِرْتَ عَلَى نِيَّتِكَ.

Fa-kullamā nawayta akthara kāna laka al-ajru akthara, fa-idhā kharajta fa-inwi kullamā qadarta ʿalayhi mimmā yumkinu mina al-niyyati, fa-in faʿaltahu ujirta ʿalā niyyatika wa-ʿalā fiʿlika, wa-in lam tafʿal dhālika ujirta ʿalā niyyatika.

The more you intend, the greater your reward. When you go out, form every intention you can of those that are possible. If you act on it, you are rewarded for both your intention and your action. If you do not do it, you are rewarded for your intention.

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فَإِنْ خَرَجْتَ إِلَى سُوقِكَ نَوَيْتَ إِنْ مَرَرْتَ بِبَعْضِ الْمَجَالِسِ أَنْ تُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ مَظْلُومًا أَنْ تَنْصُرَهُ، وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ مُنْكَرًا فَاسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تُغَيِّرَهُ غَيَّرْتَهُ وَإِلَّا أَنْكَرْتَهُ بِقَلْبِكَ، وَإِنْ مَرَرْتَ بِأَذًى أَنْ تُمِيطَهُ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ.

Fa-in kharajta ilā sūqika nawayta in mararta bi-baʿḍi al-majālisi an tusallima ʿalayhim, wa-in raʾayta maẓlūman an tanṣurahu, wa-in raʾayta munkaran fa-istaṭaʿta an tughayyirahu ghayyartahu wa-illā ankartahu bi-qalbika, wa-in mararta bi-adhan an tumīṭahu ʿani al-ṭarīqi.

If you go out to your market, intend that, if you pass people gathered together, you will greet them; if you see someone wronged, you will help him; if you see a wrong and can change it, you will change it, and otherwise reject it in your heart; and if you pass something harmful, you will remove it from the road.

وَتَنْوِى إِنْ لَقِيتَ الْأَصْحَابَ وَالْمَعَارِفَ، أَنْ تُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَتَسْأَلَهُمْ عَنْ حَالِهِمْ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى قَدْرِ أَقْدَارِهِمْ مِمَّنْ تُحِبُّهُ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَوْ تُعْنَى بِهِ لِقَرَابَةٍ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، نَوَيْتَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُ؛ عِنَايَةً مِنْكَ بِأَمْرِهِ، لِتُؤْجَرَ عَلَى سَلَامِكَ وَسُؤَالِكَ وَعِنَايَتِكَ بِهِ وَتَحْمَدَ لَهُ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَوْ لِلرَّحِمِ وَصِلَةً لَهُ.

Wa-tanwī in laqīta al-aṣḥāba wa-al-maʿārifa, an tusallima ʿalayhim wa-tasʾalahum ʿan ḥālihim li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalā qadri aqdārihim mimman tuḥibbuhu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, aw tuʿnā bihi li-qarābatin aw ghayri dhālika, nawayta an tasʾalahu; ʿināyatan minka bi-amrihi, li-tuʾjara ʿalā salāmika wa-suʾālika wa-ʿināyatika bihi wa-taḥmada lahu Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, aw li-al-raḥimi wa-ṣilatan lahu.

Intend that, if you meet friends and acquaintances, you will greet them and ask how they are for God’s sake, mighty and majestic is He, according to their standing: those you love for God’s sake, mighty and majestic is He, or care about through kinship or another reason. Intend to ask out of concern for their affairs, so that you are rewarded for your greeting, your inquiry, and your concern, and praise God on their behalf, mighty and majestic is He; or do so for kinship and to maintain your bond with them.

وَمَنْ كَانَ يُسَرُّ بِأَنْ تَبْشَرَ بِهِ إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تُعْنَى بِهِ، نَوَيْتَ أَنْ تُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْهِ، لِإِدْخَالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَيْهِ، لِتُؤْجَرَ فِي سَلَامِكَ وَإِدْخَالِكَ السُّرُورَ عَلَيْهِ.

Wa-man kāna yusarru bi-an tabshara bihi in lam takun tuʿnā bihi, nawayta an tusallima ʿalayhi, li-idkhāli al-surūri ʿalayhi, li-tuʾjara fī salāmika wa-idkhālika al-surūra ʿalayhi.

If someone would be pleased by your showing delight in seeing him, even if you have no particular concern for him, intend to greet him to bring him happiness, so that you are rewarded for your greeting and for making him happy.

وَمَنْ كَانَ لَا تَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ سُرُورًا وَكَانَتْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ خُلْطَةٌ، سَلَّمْتَ عَلَيْهِ، لِأَنْ تُعَرِّضَهُ لِلْأَجْرِ أَنْ يَحْمَدَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا سَأَلْتَهُ؛ وَكَذَلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَا أَخْرُجُ إِلَّا لِأُسَلِّمَ وَيُسَلَّمَ عَلَىَّ وَيُحْمَدَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-man kāna lā taʿlamu minhu surūran wa-kānat baynaka wa-baynahu khulṭatun, sallamta ʿalayhi, li-an tuʿarriḍahu li-al-ajri an yaḥmada Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla idhā saʾaltahu; wa-ka-dhālika yurwā ʿani Ibni ʿUmara annahu qāla: mā akhruju illā li-usallima wa-yusallama ʿalayya wa-yuḥmada Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla.

If you do not know that someone will be pleased, but you have dealings with him, greet him to give him an opportunity for reward by praising God, mighty and majestic, when you ask about him. Likewise, it is related from Ibn ʿUmar that he said: “I only go out so that I may greet others, be greeted, and God, mighty and majestic, may be praised.”

وَرَوَى الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو وَلَمْ يَصِلِ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ: لَقِىَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَعْنِى رَجُلًا فَقَالَ: «كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ؟» قَالَ: صَالِحٌ، قَالَ: «كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ؟» قَالَ: صَالِحٌ، قَالَ: «كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ؟» قَالَ: بِخَيْرٍ أَحْمَدُ اللّٰهَ، قَالَ:

Wa-rawā al-Fuḍaylu bnu ʿAmrin wa-lam yaṣili al-ḥadītha qāla: laqiya rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaʿnī rajulan fa-qāla: «Kayfa aṣbaḥta?» qāla: ṣāliḥun, qāla: «Kayfa aṣbaḥta?» qāla: ṣāliḥun, qāla: «Kayfa aṣbaḥta?» qāla: bi-khayrin aḥmadu Allāha, qāla:

Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿAmr related, without connecting the chain of the report, saying: “The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, met,” meaning a man, “and said, ‘How are you this morning?’ He replied, ‘Well.’ He said, ‘How are you this morning?’ He replied, ‘Well.’ He said, ‘How are you this morning?’ He replied, ‘Well; I praise God.’ He said:

«هَذَا الَّذِي أَرَدْتُ».

«Hādhā alladhī aradtu».

‘That is what I wanted.’”

Source page 655

وَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ لِرَجُلٍ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ؟ قَالَ: بِخَيْرٍ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ. قَالَ عُمَرُ: إِيَّاهَا أَرَدْتُ. يُخْبِرُكَ أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَحْمَدَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-qāla ʿUmaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-rajulin: kayfa anta? Qāla: bi-khayrin wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi. Qāla ʿUmaru: iyyāhā aradtu. Yukhbiruka annahu arāda minhu an yaḥmada Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla.

ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, said to a man, “How are you?” He said, “Well, and praise be to God.” ʿUmar said, “That is what I wanted.” He tells you that he wanted him to praise God, mighty and majestic.

وَمَنْ كَانَ يَغْتَمُّ إِنْ أَعْرَضْتَ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ تَأْمَنْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْصِىَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيكَ، نَوَيْتَ أَنْ تُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْهِ؛ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ عَلَيْهِ سَبِيلٌ، فَتُقَدِّمُ النِّيَّاتِ فِيهِمْ كَذَلِكَ.

Wa-man kāna yaghtammu in aʿraḍta ʿanhu wa-lam taʾman ʿalayhi an yaʿṣiya Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla fīka, nawayta an tusallima ʿalayhi; li-allā yakūna li-al-shayṭāni ʿalayhi sabīlun, fa-tuqaddimu al-niyyāti fīhim ka-dhālika.

If someone would be distressed if you turned away from him, and you could not be sure he would not disobey God, mighty and majestic, concerning you, intend to greet him so that Satan has no way to gain power over him. Form your intentions concerning people in advance in this way.

فَكُلَّمَا لَقِيتَ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ ذَكَّرَكَ قَلْبُكَ مَا قَدَّمْتَ مِنَ النِّيَّةِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَذْكُرْ كَانَتِ النِّيَّةُ الْأُولَى مُجْزِيَتَكَ مَا لَمْ يَعْتَرِضْ لَكَ خَوْفُ مَذَمَّتِهِمْ، أَوْ حُبُّ مَحْمَدَتِهِمْ، أَوْ رَجَاءُ طَمَعٍ تَنَالُهُ مِنْهُمْ، فَإِنْ عَرَضَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِقَلْبِكَ، نَفَيْتَهُ عَنْ قَلْبِكَ، وَمَضَيْتَ عَلَى نِيَّتِكَ، وَسَلَّمْتَ، وَسَأَلْتَ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحْدَهُ.

Fa-kullamā laqīta aḥadan minhum dhakkaraka qalbuka mā qaddamta mina al-niyyati, wa-in lam tadhkur kānati al-niyyatu al-ūlā mujziyataka mā lam yaʿtariḍ laka khawfu madhammatihim, aw ḥubbu maḥmadatihim, aw rajāʾu ṭamaʿin tanāluhu minhum, fa-in ʿaraḍa shayʾun min dhālika bi-qalbika, nafaytahu ʿan qalbika, wa-maḍayta ʿalā niyyatika, wa-sallamta, wa-saʾalta li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla waḥdahu.

Whenever you meet one of them, your heart will remind you of the intention you formed beforehand. Even if you do not remember it, the first intention suffices for you so long as fear of their blame, love of their praise, or hope of some coveted gain from them does not intrude. If any of that occurs in your heart, drive it from your heart and proceed with your intention, greeting and inquiring for God alone, mighty and majestic.

وَكُنْ حَذِرًا قَبْلَ الِاعْتِرَاضِ مِنَ الْخَطْرَةِ بِدَوَاعِى الرِّيَاءِ، لِأَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ حِينَ تَلْقَى مَنْ تُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ يُخْطِرُ بِبَالِكَ أَنَّهُ يَسْتَخِفُّكَ، أَوْ يَحْمَدُكَ أَوْ يَجْفُوكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ، لِيَسْبِقَ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ ذَلِكَ، فَيَشْغَلَكَ أَنْ تَحْتَسِبَ الثَّوَابَ فِي سَلَامِكَ وَسُؤَالِكَ، فَتَعْتَقِدَ مَا خَطَرَ بِهِ، فَلَا تَحْتَسِبَ الثَّوَابَ فِي سَلَامِكَ وَلَا فِي سُؤَالِكَ،

Wa-kun ḥadhiran qabla al-iʿtirāḍi mina al-khaṭrati bi-dawāʿī al-riyāʾi, li-anna al-ʿaduwwa ḥīna talqā man tusallimu ʿalayhi yukhṭiru bi-bālika annahu yastakhiffuka, aw yaḥmaduka aw yajfūka in lam tusallim ʿalayhi, li-yasbiqa ilā qalbika dhālika, fa-yashghalaka an taḥtasiba al-thawāba fī salāmika wa-suʾālika, fa-taʿtaqida mā khaṭara bihi, fa-lā taḥtasiba al-thawāba fī salāmika wa-lā fī suʾālika,

Be on guard, before it intrudes, against a passing thought carrying inducements to ostentation. When you meet someone you greet, the enemy suggests to your mind that he will regard you lightly, praise you, or treat you coldly if you do not greet him. He wants that thought to reach your heart first and distract you from seeking reward in your greeting and inquiry, so that you embrace what he has suggested and no longer seek reward in either your greeting or your inquiry.

فَلَا تَدَعْ أَنْ تَنْوِىَ بِإِفْشَائِكَ السَّلَامَ عَلَى الْمَجَالِسِ فِي الْعَامَّةِ الْأَجْرَ وَالثَّوَابَ، كَمَا أَمَرَكَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ يَقُولُ: «أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ».

Fa-lā tadaʿ an tanwiya bi-ifshāʾika al-salāma ʿalā al-majālisi fī al-ʿāmmati al-ajra wa-al-thawāba, ka-mā amaraka al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḥīna yaqūlu: «Afshū al-salāma baynakum».

Never neglect to intend recompense and reward when spreading the greeting of peace among people gathered in public, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded you when he said: “Spread the greeting of peace among yourselves.”

Source page 656

وَقَالَ عَمَّارٌ: «ثَلَاثَةٌ مَنْ جَمَعَهُنَّ جَمَعَ الْإِيمَانَ، إِحْدَاهُنَّ بَذْلُ السَّلَامِ لِلْعَالَمِ» وَتَنْوِى إِنْ يُسَلَّمْ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَرُدَّ، فَتَقُومَ بِالْفَرْضِ.

Wa-qāla ʿAmmārun: «Thalāthatun man jamaʿahunna jamaʿa al-īmāna, iḥdāhunna badhlu al-salāmi li-al-ʿālami» wa-tanwī in yusallam ʿalayka an tarudda, fa-taqūma bi-al-farḍi.

ʿAmmār said: “There are three qualities: whoever combines them has gathered faith. One is offering the greeting of peace to everyone.” Intend that, if you are greeted, you will return the greeting and thus fulfill the obligation.

وَمَرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلٌ، فَقَالَ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ. فَقَالَ: «عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ» ثُمَّ مَرَّ آخَرُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «عِشْرُونَ حَسَنَةً»، ثُمَّ مَرَّ آخَرُ فَقَالَ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ،

Wa-marra ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama rajulun, fa-qāla: al-salāmu ʿalaykum. Fa-qāla: «ʿAshru ḥasanātin» thumma marra ākharu thumma qāla: al-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu Allāhi fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «ʿIshrūna ḥasanatan», thumma marra ākharu fa-qāla: al-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu Allāhi wa-barakātuhu,

A man passed the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said, “Peace be upon you.” He said, “Ten good deeds.” Another then passed and said, “Peace be upon you and God’s mercy.” The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Twenty good deeds.” Then another passed and said, “Peace be upon you, God’s mercy, and His blessings.”

فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «ثَلَاثُونَ حَسَنَةً» يَرْوِيهِ الْحَسَنُ وَمَكْحُولٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، إِلَّا أَنَّ مَكْحُولًا قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هَكَذَا يَتَفَاضَلُ النَّاسُ».

Fa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Thalāthūna ḥasanatan» yarwīhi al-Ḥasanu wa-Makḥūlun ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, illā anna Makḥūlan qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Hākadhā yatafāḍalu al-nāsu».

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Thirty good deeds.” Al-Ḥasan and Makḥūl relate it from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, except that Makḥūl said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “This is how people surpass one another.”

وَتَنْوِى إِنْ سُئِلْتَ عَنْ حَالِكَ أَنْ تَحْمَدَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُسَلَّمْ عَلَيْكَ وَلَمْ تُسْأَلْ عَنْ حَالِكَ كُنْتَ مَأْجُورًا بِنِيَّتِكَ الَّتِي قَدَّمْتَهَا، وَإِنْ سَلَّمُوا عَلَيْكَ فَرَدَدْتَ، أَوْ سَأَلُوكَ عَنْ حَالِكَ فَأَجَبْتَ، ذَكَّرَتْكَ نِيَّتُكَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةُ طَلَبَ الثَّوَابِ فِيهِمْ، فَأُجِرْتَ فِي النِّيَّةِ وَالْعَمَلِ، وَإِنْ سَهَوْتَ فَسَلَّمْتَ أَوْ سُئِلْتَ عَنْ حَالِكَ فَأَخْبَرْتَ بِغَيْرِ طَلَبِ الثَّوَابِ،

Wa-tanwī in suʾilta ʿan ḥālika an taḥmada Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-in lam yusallam ʿalayka wa-lam tusʾal ʿan ḥālika kunta maʾjūran bi-niyyatika allatī qaddamtahā, wa-in sallamū ʿalayka fa-radadta, aw saʾalūka ʿan ḥālika fa-ajabta, dhakkaratka niyyatuka al-mutaqaddimatu ṭalaba al-thawābi fīhim, fa-ujirta fī al-niyyati wa-al-ʿamali, wa-in sahawta fa-sallamta aw suʾilta ʿan ḥālika fa-akhbarta bi-ghayri ṭalabi al-thawābi,

Intend that, if you are asked how you are, you will praise God, mighty and majestic. If you are neither greeted nor asked how you are, you are rewarded for the intention you formed beforehand. If they greet you and you reply, or ask how you are and you answer, your earlier intention reminds you to seek reward in your dealings with them, and you are rewarded for both intention and action. If you are inattentive and offer a greeting, or are asked how you are and answer without seeking reward,

كُنْتَ مَأْجُورًا عَلَى نِيَّتِكَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةِ، لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كُتِبَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ».

Kunta maʾjūran ʿalā niyyatika al-mutaqaddimati, li-qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Man hamma bi-ḥasanatin fa-in lam yaʿmalhā kutibat lahu ḥasanatun».

you are rewarded for your earlier intention, because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever intends a good deed, even if he does not do it, has a good deed recorded for him.”

فَإِذَا سُئِلْتَ أَجَبْتَ بِعَقْلٍ مُحْتَسِبٍ لِلثَّوَابِ، وَلَا تَكُنْ كَمَنْ يُجِيبُ بِغَيْرِ فَهْمٍ وَلَا احْتِسَابٍ لِثَوَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ أَجْرَوُا الْمَسْأَلَةَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِنَايَةٍ وَلَا حِسْبَةٍ.

Fa-idhā suʾilta ajabta bi-ʿaqlin muḥtasibin li-al-thawābi, wa-lā takun ka-man yujību bi-ghayri fahmin wa-lā iḥtisābin li-thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-inna al-nāsa qad ajraw al-masʾalata baynahum bi-ghayri ʿināyatin wa-lā ḥisbatin.

When asked, answer thoughtfully, seeking reward. Do not be like someone who answers without understanding or seeking God’s reward, mighty and majestic is He, for people have made asking after one another a routine without concern or an intention to seek reward.

Source page 657

فَالسَّائِلُ لَا يُعْنَى وَلَا يَحْتَسِبُ، وَالْمَسْؤُولُ لَا يَرَى أَنَّهُ يُسْأَلُ لِعِنَايَةٍ وَلَا حِسْبَةٍ، وَلَا يَعْقِلُ عَمَّا يُسْأَلُ، لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا سُئِلَ لَوْ ظَنَّ أَنَّ الَّذِي يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ حَالِهِ لِعِنَايَةٍ مِنْهُ بِهِ لِيَعْلَمَ كَيْفَ حَالُهُ لَأَجَابَهُ عَمَّا يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْهُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ قِيلَ لِلْمَرِيضِ: كَيْفَ بِتَّ الْبَارِحَةَ، أَوْ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ،

Fa-al-sāʾilu lā yuʿnā wa-lā yaḥtasibu, wa-al-masʾūlu lā yarā annahu yusʾalu li-ʿināyatin wa-lā ḥisbatin, wa-lā yaʿqilu ʿammā yusʾalu, li-annahu idhā suʾila law ẓanna anna alladhī yasʾaluhu ʿan ḥālihi li-ʿināyatin minhu bihi li-yaʿlama kayfa ḥāluhu la-ajābahu ʿammā yasʾaluhu ʿanhu, li-annahu law qīla li-al-marīḍi: kayfa bitta al-bāriḥata, aw kayfa tajiduka,

The questioner neither cares nor seeks reward, and the person asked does not think he is being asked out of concern or a desire for reward, nor does he think about what he is being asked. For if, when asked, he thought the person asking about his condition did so out of concern for him and to learn how he was, he would answer what he was asked. If a sick person were asked, “How did you spend last night?” or “How are you feeling?”

فَلَمْ يُجِبْ عَنْ حَالِهِ بِذِكْرِ نِعْمَةِ اللّٰهِ أَوْ بِذِكْرِ مَا يَجِدُ مِنَ الْوَجَعِ لَمَا قُنِعَ مِنْهُ بِدُونِ ذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ قِيلَ لَهُ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ، فَقَالَ: كَيْفَ أَنْتُمْ؛ لَمَا قَنِعُوا مِنْهُ بِذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّ مَسْأَلَتَهُمْ إِيَّاهُ عَنْ عِنَايَةٍ بِهِ، فَأَمَّا الْأَصِحَّاءُ فَعَامَّةُ سُؤَالِهِمْ وَإِجَابَتِهِمْ عَنْ غَيْرِ فَهْمٍ وَلَا عَقْلٍ، يَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ: كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ،

Fa-lam yujib ʿan ḥālihi bi-dhikri niʿmati Allāhi aw bi-dhikri mā yajidu mina al-wajaʿi la-mā quniʿa minhu bi-dūni dhālika, li-annahu law qīla lahu: kayfa anta, fa-qāla: kayfa antum; la-mā qaniʿū minhu bi-dhālika, li-anna masʾalatahum iyyāhu ʿan ʿināyatin bihi, fa-ammā al-aṣiḥḥāʾu fa-ʿāmmatu suʾālihim wa-ijābatihim ʿan ghayri fahmin wa-lā ʿaqlin, yaqūlu al-rajulu li-al-rajuli: kayfa aṣbaḥta,

and did not answer about his condition by mentioning God’s blessing or the pain he felt, nothing less would satisfy the questioner. If he were asked, “How are you?” and said, “How are you all?” they would not be satisfied with that, because they asked out of concern for him. As for healthy people, most of their questions and answers lack understanding and thought. One man says to another, “How are you this morning?”

فَيَقُولُ لَهُ: كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ، فَلَوْ عَقَلَ السَّائِلُ لَمَا قَنِعَ مِنْهُ بِذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُجِيبَهُ عَنْ حَالِهِ كَيْفَ أَصْبَحَ، أَوْ يُخْبِرَ عَنْ نِعْمَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَوْ عَقَلَ الْمُجِيبُ عَمَّا يُسْأَلُ لَأَجَابَهُ عَمَّا يُسْأَلُ عَنْهُ، بِذِكْرِ نِعْمَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحَمْدِهِ، وَاللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَسْتَحِقُّ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ،

Fa-yaqūlu lahu: kayfa aṣbaḥta, fa-law ʿaqala al-sāʾilu la-mā qaniʿa minhu bi-dhālika ḥattā yujībahu ʿan ḥālihi kayfa aṣbaḥa, aw yukhbira ʿan niʿmati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi, wa-law ʿaqala al-mujību ʿammā yusʾalu la-ajābahu ʿammā yusʾalu ʿanhu, bi-dhikri niʿmati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-ḥamdihi, wa-Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla yastaḥiqqu minhu dhālika,

and he says back, “How are you this morning?” If the questioner thought about it, he would not be satisfied until the other answered about his condition that morning or spoke of God’s blessing upon him, mighty and majestic is He. If the one answering understood what he was being asked, he would answer the question by mentioning the blessing of God, mighty and majestic, and praising Him. God, mighty and majestic, deserves that from him.

فَإِذَا قِيلَ لَكَ: كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ أَوْ كَيْفَ أَنْتَ أَوْ كَيْفَ أَمْسَيْتَ؟ قُلْتَ: بِخَيْرٍ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ.

Fa-idhā qīla laka: kayfa aṣbaḥta aw kayfa anta aw kayfa amsayta? Qulta: bi-khayrin wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi.

When you are asked, “How are you this morning?” or “How are you?” or “How are you this evening?” say, “Well, and praise be to God.”

رُوِىَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: «مَنْ سُئِلَ كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ؟

Ruwiya ʿan ʿĀʾishata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā annahā qālat: «Man suʾila kayfa aṣbaḥta?

It is related from ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, that she said: “Whoever is asked, ‘How are you this morning?’

فَقَالَ: بِخَيْرٍ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، فَقَدْ أَدَّى شُكْرَ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ». وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ: «إِذَا قَالَ الرَّجُلُ لِأَخِيهِ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ: بِخَيْرٍ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، قَالَ اللّٰهُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ: أَثْنَى عَلَىَّ عَبْدِي وَحَمِدَنِي».

Fa-qāla: bi-khayrin wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi, fa-qad addā shukra dhālika al-yawmi». Wa-qāla Abū al-Dardāʾi: «Idhā qāla al-rajulu li-akhīhi: kayfa anta? Fa-qāla: bi-khayrin, wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi, qāla Allāhu jalla wa-ʿazza: athnā ʿalayya ʿabdī wa-ḥamidanī».

and says, ‘Well, and praise be to God,’ has offered that day’s thanks.” Abū al-Dardāʾ said: “When a man says to his brother, ‘How are you?’ and he says, ‘Well, and praise be to God,’ God, majestic and mighty, says, ‘My servant has extolled Me and praised Me.’”

فَتَنْوِى أَنْ تُجِيبَ بِفَهْمٍ وَعَقْلٍ مُحْتَسِبًا بِذَلِكَ ثَوَابَ اللّٰهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ: فَإِنْ سُئِلْتَ فَأَجَبْتَ بَعَثَتْكَ نِيَّتُكَ الَّتِي قَدَّمْتَهَا عَلَى أَنْ تُجِيبَ بِعَقْلٍ مُحْتَسِبًا لِلثَّوَابِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تُسْأَلْ أَوْ سُئِلْتَ فَأَجَبْتَ بِغَيْرِ فَهْمٍ، لَمْ تَخِبْ مِنْ نِيَّتِكَ الْمُقَدَّمَةِ الَّتِي قَدَّمْتَهَا، حِينَ أَرَدْتَ الْخُرُوجَ مِنْ مَنْزِلِكَ.

Fa-tanwī an tujība bi-fahmin wa-ʿaqlin muḥtasiban bi-dhālika thawāba Allāhi jalla wa-ʿazza: fa-in suʾilta fa-ajabta baʿathatka niyyatuka allatī qaddamtahā ʿalā an tujība bi-ʿaqlin muḥtasiban li-al-thawābi, wa-in lam tusʾal aw suʾilta fa-ajabta bi-ghayri fahmin, lam takhib min niyyatika al-muqaddamati allatī qaddamtahā, ḥīna aradta al-khurūja min manzilika.

Intend, then, to answer with understanding and thought, seeking through it the reward of God, majestic and mighty. If you are asked and answer, the intention you formed beforehand will prompt you to answer thoughtfully, seeking reward. If you are not asked, or are asked but answer without understanding, you will not lose the benefit of the earlier intention you formed when you wanted to leave your home.

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وَتَنْوِى أَيْضًا إِنْ رَأَيْتَ امْرَأَةً أَنْ تَغُضَّ بَصَرَكَ، وَإِنْ سَمِعْتَ لَهْوًا أَوْ مَعْصِيَةً لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ تُصْغِ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَنْ تَعْتَبِرَ بِمَا تَرَى بِعَيْنِكَ وَتَسْمَعُ بِأُذُنَيْكَ وَتَشُمُّ بِأَنْفِكَ، فَأَنْتَ مَأْجُورٌ عَلَى نِيَّتِكَ، فَعَلْتَ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَوْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْهُ.

Wa-tanwī ayḍan in raʾayta imraʾatan an taghuḍḍa baṣaraka, wa-in samiʿta lahwan aw maʿṣiyatan li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lam tuṣghi ilayhi, wa-an taʿtabira bi-mā tarā bi-ʿaynika wa-tasmaʿu bi-udhunayka wa-tashummu bi-anfika, fa-anta maʾjūrun ʿalā niyyatika, faʿalta shayʾan min dhālika aw lam tafʿalhu.

Intend also that, if you see a woman, you will lower your gaze; if you hear frivolity or disobedience to God, mighty and majestic, you will not listen attentively; and that you will take lessons from what you see with your eye, hear with your ears, and smell with your nose. You are rewarded for your intention whether you do any of these things or not.

وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَأْتِىَ سُوقَكَ، نَوَيْتَ أَيْضًا مَعَ هَذِهِ النِّيَّاتِ أَنْ تَأْتِىَ سُوقَكَ أَوْ سَبَبًا لِمَعَاشِكَ، صَنْعَةً أَوْ وَكَالَةً أَوْ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ لِطَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ، وَالِاتِّبَاعِ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلِثَوَابٍ فِي نَفْسِكَ وَعِيَالِكَ، لِلِاكْتِسَابِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَالِاسْتِغْنَاءِ عَنِ النَّاسِ، وَالتَّعَطُّفِ عَلَى الْأَخِ وَالْجَارِ، وَأَدَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَكُلِّ حَقٍّ فِيهِ وَاجِبٍ؛

Wa-in kunta turīdu an taʾtiya sūqaka, nawayta ayḍan maʿa hādhihi al-niyyāti an taʾtiya sūqaka aw sababan li-maʿāshika, ṣanʿatan aw wakālatan aw ghayra dhālika li-ṭalabi al-ḥalāli, wa-al-ittibāʿi li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa-li-thawābin fī nafsika wa-ʿiyālika, li-al-iktisābi ʿalayhim, wa-al-istighnāʾi ʿani al-nāsi, wa-al-taʿaṭṭufi ʿalā al-akhi wa-al-jāri, wa-adāʾi al-zakāti, wa-kulli ḥaqqin fīhi wājibin;

If you intend to go to your market, then alongside these intentions also intend to go to your market or pursue a means of livelihood, whether a craft, agency work, or something else, in order to seek lawful earnings, follow the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and earn reward concerning yourself and your dependents: earning for them, being independent of other people, showing kindness to your brother and neighbor, paying the obligatory alms, and fulfilling every obligatory due on your earnings.

تَأْمُلُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ تَلْقَى اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَوَجْهُكَ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ، كَمَا رَوَى أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «وَمَنْ طَلَبَهَا حَلَالًا اسْتِعْفَافًا عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ، وَكَدًّا عَلَى عِيَالِهِ، أَوْ تَعَطُّفًا عَلَى جَارِهِ، لَقِىَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَوَجْهُهُ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ».

Taʾmulu bi-dhālika an talqā Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla wa-wajhuka ka-al-qamari laylata al-badri, ka-mā rawā Abū Hurayrata ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Wa-man ṭalabahā ḥalālan istiʿfāfan ʿani al-masʾalati, wa-kaddan ʿalā ʿiyālihi, aw taʿaṭṭufan ʿalā jārihi, laqiya Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla wa-wajhuhu ka-al-qamari laylata al-badri».

Through this, hope to meet God, mighty and majestic, with your face like the moon on the night of its fullness, as Abū Hurayra related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Whoever seeks worldly livelihood lawfully, to refrain from begging, to toil for his dependents, or to show kindness to his neighbor, meets God, mighty and majestic, with his face like the moon on the night of its fullness.”

وَتَنْوِى الْوَرَعَ فِي سُوقِكَ، وَأَنْ تَدَعَ كُلَّ رِبْحٍ وَأُجْرَةٍ وَإِصَابَةٍ تَعْرِضُ لَكَ وَإِنْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا - إِنْ عَرَضَ لَكَ فِيهَا مَا يَكْرَهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-tanwī al-waraʿa fī sūqika, wa-an tadaʿa kulla ribḥin wa-ujratin wa-iṣābatin taʿriḍu laka wa-in kānati al-dunyā kullahā - in ʿaraḍa laka fīhā mā yakrahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla.

Intend to be scrupulous in your market and to relinquish every profit, wage, or gain that comes your way, even if it amounts to the whole world, if anything God, mighty and majestic, dislikes arises in it.

وَتَنْوِى الْإِخْلَاصَ فِي وَرَعِكَ فِي تِجَارَتِكَ، إِذَا ظَهَرَ لِلْمُشْتَرِى مِنْكَ، وَمَنْ تَشْتَرِى أَنْتَ مِنْهُ، أَوْ تُعَامِلُهُ فِي صَنْعَةٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا وَوَكَالَةٍ، وَتَنْوِى عَوْنَ الْمُسْلِمِ فِي تِجَارَتِكَ إِنِ اسْتَعَانَكَ لِجَاهِكَ أَوْ بِبَصَرِكَ أَوْ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَاعْتِبَارَكَ بِأَهْلِ السُّوقِ وَبِمَا تَرَى فِيهِ.

Wa-tanwī al-ikhlāṣa fī waraʿika fī tijāratika, idhā ẓahara li-al-mushtarī minka, wa-man tashtarī anta minhu, aw tuʿāmiluhu fī ṣanʿatin aw ghayrihā wa-wakālatin, wa-tanwī ʿawna al-muslimi fī tijāratika ini istaʿānaka li-jāhika aw bi-baṣarika aw bi-ghayri dhālika, wa-iʿtibāraka bi-ahli al-sūqi wa-bi-mā tarā fīhi.

Intend sincerity in your commercial scrupulousness when it becomes visible to someone buying from you, someone you buy from, or someone you deal with in a craft, another occupation, or agency work. Intend to help a Muslim in the course of your trading if he seeks your help because of your standing, your insight, or anything else, and to take lessons from the people of the market and what you see there.

وَأَنْ تَذْكُرَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي السُّوقِ مُحْتَسِبًا، لِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ الْحَدِيثُ: «إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَعْجَبُ مِنَ الَّذِي يَذْكُرُهُ فِي السُّوقِ».

Wa-an tadhkura Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla fī al-sūqi muḥtasiban, li-mā jāʾa bihi al-ḥadīthu: «Inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaʿjabu mina alladhī yadhkuruhu fī al-sūqi».

Intend to remember God, mighty and majestic, in the market, seeking reward, because the report says: “God, mighty and majestic, marvels at the one who remembers Him in the market.”

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وَالْحَدِيثُ أَيْضًا: «ذَاكِرُ اللّٰهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ كَالشَّاهِرِ بِسَيْفِهِ خَلْفَ الْفَارِّينَ، وَمَنْ ذَكَرَ اللّٰهَ فِي السُّوقِ كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْحَسَنَاتِ بِعَدَدِ كُلِّ فَصِيحٍ وَأَعْجَمِيٍّ» يَعْنِى إِنْسَانٌ وَبَهِيمَةٌ.

Wa-al-ḥadīthu ayḍan: «Dhākiru Allāhi fī al-ghāfilīna ka-al-shāhiri bi-sayfihi khalfa al-fārrīna, wa-man dhakara Allāha fī al-sūqi kāna lahu mina al-ḥasanāti bi-ʿadadi kulli faṣīḥin wa-aʿjamiyyin» yaʿnī insānun wa-bahīmatun.

And there is also the report: “One who remembers God among the heedless is like someone holding his sword drawn behind those fleeing. Whoever remembers God in the market has good deeds in the number of every speaking and speechless creature,” meaning human beings and animals.

وَحَدِيثُ عُمَرَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «مَنْ أَتَى سُوقًا فَقَالَ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِى وَيُمِيتُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ كَتَبَ اللّٰهُ لَهُ أَلْفَيْ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ وَمَحَا عَنْهُ أَلْفَيْ أَلْفِ سَيِّئَةٍ وَبَنَى لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ».

Wa-ḥadīthu ʿUmara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Man atā sūqan fa-qāla lā ilāha illā Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu al-mulku wa-lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa-yumītu bi-yadihi al-khayru wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun kataba Allāhu lahu alfay alfi ḥasanatin wa-maḥā ʿanhu alfay alfi sayyiʾatin wa-banā lahu baytan fī al-jannati».

And there is ʿUmar’s report, may God be pleased with him, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Whoever comes to a market and says, ‘There is no god but God alone, without partner. Sovereignty is His and praise is His. He gives life and causes death. Good is in His hand, and He has power over everything,’ God records for him two million good deeds, erases two million bad deeds from him, and builds him a house in Paradise.”

تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ كُنْتَ مَارًّا فَتَذْكُرُ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَتُرَاقِبُهُ، وَتَسْتَحِى مِنْهُ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْكَ فِي سُوقِكَ وَلَا يَرَى عَلَيْكَ أَثَرَ مَا خَصَّكَ بِهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ كَالْجُهَّالِ حَوْلَكَ، فَلَا تَرْضَى مِنْ نَفْسِكَ أَلَّا يَرَاكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُتَّقِيًا لَهُ، ذَاكِرًا لَهُ عِنْدَ خَوْضِ الْخَائِضِينَ،

Taqūlu dhālika, fa-in kunta mārran fa-tadhkuru Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-turāqibuhu, wa-tastaḥī minhu an yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalayka fī sūqika wa-lā yarā ʿalayka athara mā khaṣṣaka bihi mina al-ʿilmi ka-al-juhhāli ḥawlaka, fa-lā tarḍā min nafsika allā yarāka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla muttaqiyan lahu, dhākiran lahu ʿinda khawḍi al-khāʾiḍīna,

Say this. If you are passing through, remember God, mighty and majestic, remain watchful of Him, and feel ashamed before Him lest He look upon you in your market and see no trace of the knowledge with which He has singled you out, leaving you like the ignorant around you. Do not accept from your self a state in which God, mighty and majestic, does not see you reverently obedient to Him and remembering Him while others plunge into idle talk,

كَمَا قَالَ عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: «وَيَنْبَغِي لِحَامِلِ الْقُرْآنِ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ بِوَرَعِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَخْلِطُونَ، وَبِصَمْتِهِ إِذَا النَّاسُ يَخُوضُونَ».

Ka-mā qāla ʿAbdu Allāhi bnu Masʿūdin: «Wa-yanbaghī li-ḥāmili al-Qurʾāni an yuʿrafa bi-waraʿihi idhā al-nāsu yakhliṭūna, wa-bi-ṣamtihi idhā al-nāsu yakhūḍūna».

as ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd said: “The bearer of the Qur’an should be recognized by his scrupulousness when people mix right and wrong, and by his silence when people plunge into idle talk.”

Source page 660

فَلْيَرَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْكَ أَثَرَ الْعِلْمِ وَمَا أَلْزَمَكَ مِنْ حُجَّتِهِ، فَتَنْوِى هَذِهِ النِّيَّاتِ كُلَّهَا إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ، فَتَرْبَحَ حَسَنَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً قَبْلَ أَنْ تَرْبَحَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِكَ، فَتُؤْجَرَ عَلَى عَقْدِ نِيَّاتِكَ، كَمَا قَالَ كَعْبٌ فِي الثَّلَاثَةِ.

Fa-l-yara Allāhu ʿalayka athara al-ʿilmi wa-mā alzamaka min ḥujjatihi, fa-tanwī hādhihi al-niyyāti kullahā ini istaṭaʿta, fa-tarbaḥa ḥasanātin kathīratan qabla an tarbaḥa shayʾan mina al-dunyā ḥīna takhruju min manzilika, fa-tuʾjara ʿalā ʿaqdi niyyātika, ka-mā qāla Kaʿbun fī al-thalāthati.

Let God see upon you the effect of knowledge and of the binding proof He has established against you. Form all these intentions if you can, so that you gain many good deeds before gaining anything worldly when you leave your home. You will be rewarded for firmly forming your intentions, as Kaʿb said concerning the three men.

وَكَذَلِكَ إِنْ غَدَوْتَ إِلَى شِرَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ تِجَارَتِكَ، أَوْ تَقَاضِى دَيْنِكَ، أَوْ قَضَاءِ مَا عَلَيْكَ، أَوْ شِرَى شَيْءٍ لِأَهْلِكَ، أَوْ بَيْعِ شَيْءٍ تُرِيدُ بَيْعَهُ، أَوْ إِلَى صَنْعَتِكَ، نَوَيْتَ كُلَّ مَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ، مِمَّا أَمْكَنَكَ فِيهِ تَأْمُلُ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ وَتَرْجُوهُ، فَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُعْطِيكَ عَلَى قَدْرِ حِسْبَتِكَ وَأَمَلِكَ فِيهِ وَرَجَائِكَ مِنْ ثَوَابِهِ.

Wa-ka-dhālika in ghadawta ilā shirā shayʾin min tijāratika, aw taqāḍī daynika, aw qaḍāʾi mā ʿalayka, aw shirā shayʾin li-ahlika, aw bayʿi shayʾin turīdu bayʿahu, aw ilā ṣanʿatika, nawayta kulla mā qadarta ʿalayhi, mimmā amkanaka fīhi taʾmulu Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla fīhi wa-tarjūhu, fa-inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla muʿṭīka ʿalā qadri ḥisbatika wa-amalika fīhi wa-rajāʾika min thawābihi.

Likewise, if you go out to buy something for your trade, collect a debt owed to you, discharge what you owe, buy something for your family, sell something you wish to sell, or attend to your craft, form every intention you can among those available to you, placing your hope in God, mighty and majestic, in it and hoping in Him. God, mighty and majestic, will give you according to your seeking reward, your hope in Him, and your expectation of His recompense.

وَكَذَلِكَ إِنْ أَرَدْتَ الذَّهَابَ إِلَى عِلْمٍ، لَمْ تَدَعْ مَا أَمْكَنَكَ مِنَ النِّيَّةِ وَالْحِسْبَةِ فِي الطَّاعَاتِ، فَتَغْدُو وَأَنْتَ تَنْوِى أَنْ تَتْبَعَ بِذَلِكَ أَمْرَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَرَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، تَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ وَمَا يَنْفَعُكَ فِي دِينِكَ، لِتَسْتَدِلَّ بِهِ عَلَى خَيْرٍ، أَوْ تَنْهَى بِهِ عَنْ شَرٍّ، وَتَأْمُلُ أَنْ يُسَهِّلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَكَ بِذَهَابِكَ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ،

Wa-ka-dhālika in aradta al-dhahāba ilā ʿilmin, lam tadaʿ mā amkanaka mina al-niyyati wa-al-ḥisbati fī al-ṭāʿāti, fa-taghdū wa-anta tanwī an tatbaʿa bi-dhālika amra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-rasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, taṭlubu al-ʿilma wa-mā yanfaʿuka fī dīnika, li-tastadilla bihi ʿalā khayrin, aw tanhā bihi ʿan sharrin, wa-taʾmulu an yusahhila Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla laka bi-dhahābika ṭarīqan ilā al-jannati,

Likewise, if you wish to go in search of knowledge, leave no possible intention or seeking of reward in acts of obedience unused. Set out intending to follow thereby the command of God, mighty and majestic, and His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, seeking knowledge and what benefits you in your religion so that it may guide you to good or enable you to forbid evil. Hope that, through your going, God, mighty and majestic, will make a path to Paradise easy for you,

كَمَا جَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللّٰهُ لَهُ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ».

Ka-mā jāʾa al-ḥadīthu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Man salaka ṭarīqan yaltamisu fīhi ʿilman sahhala Allāhu lahu ṭarīqan ilā al-jannati».

as in the report from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge upon it, God makes a path to Paradise easy for him.”

وَكَذَلِكَ تَأْمُلُ أَنْ تَضَعَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لَكَ رِضًا بِمَا تَصْنَعُ، كَمَا رَوَاهُ صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عَسَّالٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلِتُزَاحِمَ الْعُلَمَاءَ فِي حِلَقِ الذِّكْرِ، وَكَذَلِكَ تَنْوِى أَنْ تَرْتَعَ فِي رَوْضَةٍ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ، كَمَا جَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ: «إِذَا مَرَرْتُمْ بِرِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ فَارْتَعُوا» قِيلَ: وَمَا رِيَاضُ الْجَنَّةِ؟ قَالَ «حِلَقُ الذِّكْرِ»

Wa-ka-dhālika taʾmulu an taḍaʿa al-malāʾikatu ajniḥatahā laka riḍan bi-mā taṣnaʿu, ka-mā rawāhu Ṣafwānu bnu ʿAssālin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa-li-tuzāḥima al-ʿulamāʾa fī ḥilaqi al-dhikri, wa-ka-dhālika tanwī an tartaʿa fī rawḍatin min riyāḍi al-jannati, ka-mā jāʾa al-ḥadīthu: «Idhā marartum bi-riyāḍi al-jannati fa-irtaʿū» qīla: wa-mā riyāḍu al-jannati? Qāla «Ḥilaqu al-dhikri»

Likewise, hope that the angels will lower their wings for you in approval of what you do, as Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and go to sit close among the scholars in circles of remembrance. Intend also to graze in a garden among the gardens of Paradise, as the report says: “When you pass the gardens of Paradise, graze there.” It was asked, “What are the gardens of Paradise?” He said, “Circles of remembrance.”

Source page 661

وَكَذَلِكَ السَّلَامُ عَلَى مَنْ تُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ وَمَسْأَلَتُهُ عَلَى قَدْرِ مَا أَمْكَنَكَ، وَكَذَلِكَ زِيَارَةُ أَخٍ، أَوْ قَضَاءُ حَاجَةِ مُسْلِمٍ، أَوِ اتِّبَاعُ جَنَازَةٍ، أَوْ عِيَادَةُ مَرِيضٍ، لَا تَدَعْ شَيْئًا مِنَ النِّيَّاتِ مِمَّا جَاءَ بِهِ الْعِلْمُ وَأَمْكَنَ أَنْ تُؤَمِّلَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ، إِلَّا نَوَيْتَهُ وَاحْتَسَبْتَهُ وَرَجَوْتَهُ، فَإِنْ تَمَّ لَكَ كُلُّ مَا نَوَيْتَ،

Wa-ka-dhālika al-salāmu ʿalā man tusallimu ʿalayhi wa-masʾalatuhu ʿalā qadri mā amkanaka, wa-ka-dhālika ziyāratu akhin, aw qaḍāʾu ḥājati muslimin, awi ittibāʿu janāzatin, aw ʿiyādatu marīḍin, lā tadaʿ shayʾan mina al-niyyāti mimmā jāʾa bihi al-ʿilmu wa-amkana an tuʾammila Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla lahu, illā nawaytahu wa-iḥtasabtahu wa-rajawtahu, fa-in tamma laka kullu mā nawayta,

The same applies to greeting those you greet and inquiring about them as much as you can, and likewise to visiting a brother, meeting a Muslim’s need, following a funeral procession, or visiting someone sick. Leave none of the intentions taught by knowledge, for which you can place your hope in God, mighty and majestic, without forming it, seeking reward for it, and hoping for it. If everything you intend is accomplished,

أُجِرْتَ عَلَى مَا قَدَّمْتَ مِنَ النِّيَّاتِ وَعَلَى عَمَلِكَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَتِمَّ لَكَ مَا نَوَيْتَ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ بِهِ، آجَرَكَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِنِيَّاتِكَ كُلِّهَا، لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ عَنْ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ: «إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي فَلْيَظُنَّ بِي عَبْدِي مَا شَاءَ» رَوَاهُ عَنْهُ وَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ.

Ujirta ʿalā mā qaddamta mina al-niyyāti wa-ʿalā ʿamalika, wa-in lam yatimma laka mā nawayta an taʿmala bihi, ājaraka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bi-niyyātika kullihā, li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu ʿan rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza: «Inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: anā ʿinda ẓanni ʿabdī bī fa-l-yaẓunna bī ʿabdī mā shāʾa» rawāhu ʿanhu Wāthilatu bnu al-Asqaʿi.

you are rewarded for the intentions you formed beforehand and for your action. If you do not accomplish what you intended to do, God, mighty and majestic, rewards you for all your intentions, because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, says of his Lord, majestic and mighty: “God, mighty and majestic, says, ‘I am as My servant expects Me to be, so let My servant expect of Me whatever he wishes.’” Wāthila ibn al-Asqaʿ related it from him.

فَعَلَى قَدْرِ ظَنِّكَ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكَ تَجِدُهُ قَرِيبًا مُجِيبًا.

Fa-ʿalā qadri ẓannika an yatafaḍḍala ʿalayka tajiduhu qarīban mujīban.

To the extent that you expect Him to show you favor, you will find Him near and responsive.

Source page 662

بَابُ مَا يَخَافُ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بَعْدَ قِيَامِهِ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِحُسْنِ الرِّعَايَةِ فِي ظَاهِرِهِ وَبَاطِنِهِ

Bābu mā yakhāfu al-ʿabdu ʿalā nafsihi baʿda qiyāmihi li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-ḥusni al-riʿāyati fī ẓāhirihi wa-bāṭinihi

Chapter: What the servant fears for himself after maintaining good observance for God, mighty and majestic, in his outward and inward life

قُلْتُ: فَمَا تَخَافُ عَلَىَّ بَعْدَ هَذَا مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْعَمَلِ لِغَيْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟

Qultu: fa-mā takhāfu ʿalayya baʿda hādhā min ṭarīqi al-ʿamali li-ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla?

I said: After all this, what avenue toward acting for someone other than God, mighty and majestic, do you fear for me?

قَالَ: أَمَّا مَا دُمْتَ مُشْتَغِلًا بِنَفْسِكَ، مُتَفَقِّدًا لَهَا بِمَا أَجَبْتُكَ بِهِ، فَلَسْتُ أَخْشَى عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا أَنْ تُؤْتَى مِنْ قِبَلِ النُّصْحِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ، فَيَأْتِيَكَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَتُنَازِعَ النَّفْسُ إِلَى مَحَبَّتِهَا، فَتَرُدَّكَ بِرَغْبَتِهَا إِلَى مَا تَرَكْتَ مِنْ حُبِّ ثَنَاءِ الْعِبَادِ وَحَمْدِهِمْ مِنْ جِهَةِ النُّصْحِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ لِلْعِبَادِ، وَهِيَ تُرِيدُ قِيَامَ الْمَنْزِلَةِ وَشَرَفَ الرِّيَاسَةِ، فَتُفْسِدَ عَلَيْكَ عَمَلَكَ.

Qāla: ammā mā dumta mushtaghilan bi-nafsika, mutafaqqidan lahā bi-mā ajabtuka bihi, fa-lastu akhshā ʿalayka illā an tuʾtā min qibali al-nuṣḥi wa-al-raḥmati, fa-yaʾtiyaka Iblīsu min dhālika, wa-tunāziʿa al-nafsu ilā maḥabbatihā, fa-taruddaka bi-raghbatihā ilā mā tarakta min ḥubbi thanāʾi al-ʿibādi wa-ḥamdihim min jihati al-nuṣḥi wa-al-raḥmati li-al-ʿibādi, wa-hiya turīdu qiyāma al-manzilati wa-sharafa al-riyāsati, fa-tufsida ʿalayka ʿamalaka.

He said: As long as you remain occupied with your self, examining it in light of what I have told you, I fear only that you will be approached through sincere counsel and compassion. Iblīs may come at you through that, and the self may pull toward what it loves, bringing you back through its desire to the love of people’s commendation and praise that you had abandoned, by way of counseling and showing compassion to people. All the while it wants to establish its standing and enjoy the distinction of leadership, and so corrupts your work for you.

أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَى مَا رَوَى كَعْبُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «مَا ذِئْبَانِ جَائِعَانِ أُرْسِلَا فِي غَنَمٍ بِأَفْسَدَ لَهَا مِنْ حُبِّ الرَّجُلِ لِلْمَالِ وَالشَّرَفِ فِي دِينِهِ».

A-lam tasmaʿ ilā mā rawā Kaʿbu bnu Mālikin, ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Mā dhiʾbāni jāʾiʿāni ursilā fī ghanamin bi-afsada lahā min ḥubbi al-rajuli li-al-māli wa-al-sharafi fī dīnihi».

Have you not heard what Kaʿb ibn Mālik related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Two hungry wolves let loose among sheep are no more destructive to them than a man’s love of wealth and honor is to his religion.”

قُلْتُ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟

Qultu: wa-kayfa dhālika?

I said: How is that?

قَالَ: إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْمُرِيدِينَ إِذَا تَطَهَّرُوا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ، وَجَانَبُوا الرِّيَاءَ، وَاعْتَقَدُوا الْإِخْلَاصَ، وَمَنَعُوا قُلُوبَهُمْ أَنْ تُرِيدَ غَيْرَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، لَمْ يَجِدْ إِبْلِيسُ مَوْضِعَ طَمَعٍ، وَلَمْ تَجِدِ النَّفْسُ مَوْضِعَ رَاحَةٍ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا، فَبَيْنَمَا الْعَبْدُ فِي إِخْلَاصِهِ وَقُوَّتِهِ - قَدْ ضَيَّقَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرُّكُونَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا لِرَغْبَتِهَا فِيهَا، وَالتَّصَنُّعَ فِي الدِّينِ لِرَغْبَتِهَا فِي زِينَةِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا،

Qāla: inna kathīran mina al-murīdīna idhā taṭahharū mina al-dhunūbi, wa-jānabū al-riyāʾa, wa-iʿtaqadū al-ikhlāṣa, wa-manaʿū qulūbahum an turīda ghayra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, lam yajid Iblīsu mawḍiʿa ṭamaʿin, wa-lam tajidi al-nafsu mawḍiʿa rāḥatin ilā al-dunyā, fa-baynamā al-ʿabdu fī ikhlāṣihi wa-quwwatihi - qad ḍayyaqa ʿalā nafsihi al-rukūna ilā al-dunyā li-raghbatihā fīhā, wa-al-taṣannuʿa fī al-dīni li-raghbatihā fī zīnati al-ḥayāti al-dunyā,

He said: When many seekers have purified themselves of sins, kept clear of ostentation, committed themselves to sincerity, and prevented their hearts from desiring anything other than God, mighty and majestic, Iblīs finds no opening to exploit, and the self finds no place to relax toward the world. While the servant remains sincere and strong, having restricted his self from inclining toward the world because of its desire for it, and from putting on a religious appearance because of its desire for the adornment of worldly life,

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فَلَا تَجِدُ مَوْضِعَ طَمَعٍ تَتَرَوَّحُ بِهِ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا، وَلَا يَجِدُ الْعَدُوُّ مَوْضِعَ طَمَعٍ يُزِيلُ بِهِ الْعَبْدَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا، فَالْعَبْدُ عَلَى الْعَزْمِ وَالْقُوَّةِ، وَالنَّفْسُ قَدْ قُهِرَتْ، فَهِيَ طَائِعَةٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ انْقِلَابٍ مِنْ غَرِيزَتِهَا، مُتَطَلِّعَةٌ هَلْ تَجِدُ مَوْضِعَ طَمَعٍ إِلَى الرُّكُونِ إِلَى مَحَبَّتِهَا - إِذْ نَظَرَ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى النَّاسِ صَرْعَى فِي دِينِهِمْ تُضْرَبُ بِهِمُ الْمَثُلَاتُ، حَيَارَى سُكَارَى مَرْضَى،

Fa-lā tajidu mawḍiʿa ṭamaʿin tatarawwaḥu bihi ilā al-dunyā, wa-lā yajidu al-ʿaduwwu mawḍiʿa ṭamaʿin yuzīlu bihi al-ʿabda ilā al-dunyā, fa-al-ʿabdu ʿalā al-ʿazmi wa-al-quwwati, wa-al-nafsu qad quhirat, fa-hiya ṭāʾiʿatun min ghayri inqilābin min gharīzatihā, mutaṭalliʿatun hal tajidu mawḍiʿa ṭamaʿin ilā al-rukūni ilā maḥabbatihā - idh naẓara al-ʿabdu ilā al-nāsi ṣarʿā fī dīnihim tuḍrabu bihimu al-mathulātu, ḥayārā sukārā marḍā,

the self finds no opening through which to seek relief in the world, and the enemy finds no opening through which to turn the servant toward the world. The servant remains resolved and strong, and the self has been subdued. It obeys without any transformation of its innate nature, still looking out for an opening to incline toward what it loves. Then the servant looks at people, stricken in their religion and made examples by afflictions, bewildered, intoxicated, sick,

أَضْنِيَاءُ صُمٌّ عُمْىٌ مَوْتَى، فَغَلَبَتْ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ الرَّحْمَةُ لَهُمْ، إِذْ كَانَ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الدَّلَالَةِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ مَا يَفْتَحُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ أَبْصَارَ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَمَا يُشْفَوْنَ بِهِ مِنْ مَرَضِ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَمَا يَحْيَوْنَ بِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِمْ، مِنْ غَيْرِ غَرَامَةٍ تَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ، بَلْ لَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الرِّبْحُ الْعَظِيمُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Aḍniyāʾu ṣummun ʿumyun mawtā, fa-ghalabat ʿalā qalbihi al-raḥmatu lahum, idh kāna ʿindahu mina al-dalālati wa-al-maʿrifati mā yaftaḥu Allāhu taʿālā bihi abṣāra qulūbihim, wa-mā yushfawna bihi min maraḍi qulūbihim, wa-mā yaḥyawna bihi min baʿdi mawtihim, min ghayri gharāmatin tadkhulu ʿalayhi, bal lahu ʿalā dhālika al-ribḥu al-ʿaẓīmu mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

wasted by illness, deaf, blind, dead. Compassion for them overcomes his heart, for he possesses guidance and knowledge through which God, exalted is He, may open the eyes of their hearts, through which they may be cured of their hearts’ sickness, and through which they may live after their death, without any cost to him. Rather, there is great gain for him in this from God, mighty and majestic.

فَمَا مَثَلُهُ إِلَّا كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ بِهِ عِلَلٌ كَثِيرَةٌ، قَدْ أَسْهَرَتْهُ فِي لَيْلِهِ، وَأَقْلَقَتْهُ فِي نَهَارِهِ، كَالضَّرَبَانِ فِي الْعَيْنِ، وَالْآكِلَةِ فِي الْجَسَدِ، فَيُعَالَجُ بِدَوَاءٍ لَا غَرَامَةَ فِيهِ، بِغَيْرِ ثَمَنٍ أَخَذَهُ، فَبَرَّأَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَصَحَّ، فَنَامَ اللَّيْلَ بَعْدَ طُولِ سَهَرِهِ، وَسَكَنَ بِالنَّهَارِ بَعْدَ طُولِ قَلَقِهِ، وَصَارَ إِلَى الصِّحَّةِ وَالْعَافِيَةِ، فَطَابَتْ بِهَا حَيَاتُهُ،

Fa-mā mathaluhu illā ka-mathali rajulin kānat bihi ʿilalun kathīratun, qad as-harathu fī laylihi, wa-aqlaqathu fī nahārihi, ka-al-ḍarabāni fī al-ʿayni, wa-al-ākilati fī al-jasadi, fa-yuʿālaju bi-dawāʾin lā gharāmata fīhi, bi-ghayri thamanin akhadhahu, fa-barraʾahu min dhālika wa-ṣaḥḥa, fa-nāma al-layla baʿda ṭūli saharihi, wa-sakana bi-al-nahāri baʿda ṭūli qalaqihi, wa-ṣāra ilā al-ṣiḥḥati wa-al-ʿāfiyati, fa-ṭābat bihā ḥayātuhu,

His likeness is only that of a man with many ailments that have kept him awake at night and restless by day, such as throbbing in the eye and a flesh-eating disease in the body. He is treated with a medicine that involves no expense, which he obtains without payment. It cures him of those ailments and he becomes well. He sleeps through the night after long wakefulness, is at ease by day after long restlessness, and comes into health and well-being, which make his life pleasant

وَصَفَا بِهَا عَيْشُهُ.

Wa-ṣafā bihā ʿayshuhu.

and his way of living serene.

فَنَظَرَ إِلَى عِدَّةٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلَلِ مِثْلُ الَّذِي كَانَ بِهِ، طَوِيلٌ سَهَرُهُمْ، شَدِيدٌ قَلَقُهُمْ، مُنَغَّصَةٌ حَيَاتُهُمْ، فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ هَاجَتِ الرَّحْمَةُ لَهُمْ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ، وَتَوَجَّعَ لَهُمْ، رَحْمَةً لَهُمْ، لِمَعْرِفَتِهِ لِمَا كَانَ يَلْقَى، فَلَمَّا اسْتَقَرَّتِ الرَّحْمَةُ لَهُمْ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ، ذَكَرَ أَنَّ دَوَاءَهُمُ الَّذِي يَشْفِى اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ سَقَمَهُمْ،

Fa-naẓara ilā ʿiddatin mina al-muslimīna lahum mina al-ʿilali mithlu alladhī kāna bihi, ṭawīlun saharuhum, shadīdun qalaquhum, munaghghaṣatun ḥayātuhum, fa-lammā naẓara ilayhim hājati al-raḥmatu lahum min qalbihi, wa-tawajjaʿa lahum, raḥmatan lahum, li-maʿrifatihi li-mā kāna yalqā, fa-lammā istaqarrati al-raḥmatu lahum min qalbihi, dhakara anna dawāʾahumu alladhī yashfī Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi saqamahum,

Then he sees a number of Muslims with ailments like those he had: their sleeplessness is long, their restlessness severe, and their lives embittered. When he looks at them, compassion for them rises from his heart, and he aches for them out of mercy, knowing what he himself used to endure. When compassion for them settles in his heart, he remembers that the medicine by which God, mighty and majestic, would heal their sickness

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هُوَ عَارِفٌ بِهِ قَادِرٌ عَلَيْهِ بِغَيْرِ ثَمَنٍ وَلَا غَرَامَةٍ، فَعَزَمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَبَذَلَهُ لَهُمْ.

Huwa ʿārifun bihi qādirun ʿalayhi bi-ghayri thamanin wa-lā gharāmatin, fa-ʿazama ʿalā dhālika wa-badhalahu lahum.

is something he knows and can provide without payment or expense. He resolves to do so and offers it to them.

فَكَذَلِكَ هَذَا الْعَبْدُ الْمُرِيدُ، لَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَى عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُعْرِضِينَ عَنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، قَدْ مَرِضَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ، وَأَعْضَلَ دَاؤُهُمْ، وَهُوَ عَارِفٌ بِمَا يُحْيِيهِمْ، وَيَنْعَشُهُمْ مِنْ صَرْعَتِهِمْ، وَيَشْفِيهِمْ مِنْ سَقَمِ قُلُوبِهِمْ، بِإِذْنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، عَزَمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَدَعَاهُمْ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَبَصَّرَهُمْ عُيُوبَهُمْ وَدَاءَهُمْ وَدَوَاءَهُمْ.

Fa-ka-dhālika hādhā al-ʿabdu al-murīdu, lammā naẓara ilā ʿibādi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla muʿriḍīna ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, qad mariḍat qulūbuhum, wa-aʿḍala dāʾuhum, wa-huwa ʿārifun bi-mā yuḥyīhim, wa-yanʿashuhum min ṣarʿatihim, wa-yashfīhim min saqami qulūbihim, bi-idhni Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, ʿazama ʿalā dhālika, fa-daʿāhum ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-baṣṣarahum ʿuyūbahum wa-dāʾahum wa-dawāʾahum.

So it is with this servant who is a seeker. When he sees the servants of God, mighty and majestic, turning away from God, mighty and majestic, their hearts sick and their disease intractable, while he knows what would revive them, lift them from their collapse, and heal the sickness of their hearts, by the permission of God, mighty and majestic, he resolves to do so. He calls them to God, mighty and majestic, and makes them see their faults, their disease, and their remedy.

فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْعَدُوُّ ذَلِكَ، وَجَدَ مَوْضِعَ دُعَاءٍ إِلَى الْفِتْنَةِ بِالرِّيَاسَةِ وَالتَّصَنُّعِ وَالرِّيَاءِ، وَتَرَوَّحَتِ النَّفْسُ، وَعَلِمَتْ أَنَّ الْعِبَادَ لَنْ يَمْتَنِعُوا مِنْ تَعْظِيمِهِ وَتَبْجِيلِهِ وَبِرِّهِ، فَانْتَشَرَ عَلَيْهِ طَبْعُهَا، وَحَنَّتْ مِنَ الْإِصَابَةِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْكَرَامَةِ لِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا رَفَضَتْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، لِأَنَّهَا كَرَامَةٌ وَمَنْزِلَةٌ فَوْقَ مَنْزِلَةِ الْأُمَرَاءِ.

Fa-lammā raʾā al-ʿaduwwu dhālika, wajada mawḍiʿa duʿāʾin ilā al-fitnati bi-al-riyāsati wa-al-taṣannuʿi wa-al-riyāʾi, wa-tarawwaḥati al-nafsu, wa-ʿalimat anna al-ʿibāda lan yamtaniʿū min taʿẓīmihi wa-tabjīlihi wa-birrihi, fa-intashara ʿalayhi ṭabʿuhā, wa-ḥannat mina al-iṣābati mina al-dunyā wa-al-karāmati li-akthara mimmā rafaḍat mina al-dunyā, li-annahā karāmatun wa-manzilatun fawqa manzilati al-umarāʾi.

When the enemy sees this, he finds an opening to invite him into temptation through leadership, putting on appearances, and ostentation. The self breathes freely, knowing that people will not refrain from magnifying him, honoring him, and treating him generously. Its nature breaks loose against him, yearning for more worldly gain and honor than the worldly things it had renounced, because this is an honor and standing above the standing of rulers.

فَنَصَحَهُمْ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَقَدْ قَوِيَتْ نَفْسُهُ وَفَرِحَتْ وَارْتَاحَتْ، وَوَجَدَ عَدُوُّهُ مَوْضِعًا لِدُعَاءِ النَّفْسِ إِلَى حُبِّ تَعْظِيمِهِمْ وَبِرِّهِمْ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا كَانَتْ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَشِفَاءُ أَمْرَاضِ قُلُوبِهِمْ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، صَارَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأُمَّهَاتِهِمْ، فَآثَرُوهُ بِأَبْدَانِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ، فَصَارُوا لَهُ خَوَلًا كَالْخُدَّامِ، يَتَقَرَّبُونَ بِذَلِكَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَخَصُّوهُ بِأَشْرَفِ الْمَنَازِلِ، وَعَظَّمُوهُ فِي السَّلَامِ، وَأَكْرَمُوهُ وَبَرُّوهُ.

Fa-naṣaḥahum ʿinda dhālika, wa-qad qawiyat nafsuhu wa-fariḥat wa-irtāḥat, wa-wajada ʿaduwwuhu mawḍiʿan li-duʿāʾi al-nafsi ilā ḥubbi taʿẓīmihim wa-birrihim, wa-dhālika annahum idhā kānat tawbatuhum wa-shifāʾu amrāḍi qulūbihim ʿalā yadayhi, ṣāra aḥabba ilayhim min ābāʾihim wa-ummahātihim, fa-ātharūhu bi-abdānihim wa-amwālihim, fa-ṣārū lahu khawalan ka-al-khuddāmi, yataqarrabūna bi-dhālika ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-khaṣṣūhu bi-ashrafi al-manāzili, wa-ʿaẓẓamūhu fī al-salāmi, wa-akramūhu wa-barrūhu.

He counsels them at that point, while his self has grown strong, joyful, and at ease, and his enemy has found an opening to invite the self to love their reverence and generosity. For when their repentance and the healing of their hearts’ diseases come through him, he becomes more beloved to them than their fathers and mothers. They give him preference with their persons and their wealth and become his dependents, like servants, seeking nearness to God, mighty and majestic, through this. They reserve the most honored positions for him, show him reverence in greeting, honor him, and treat him generously.

وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ بِخُدْعَةِ نَفْسِهِ وَعَدُوِّهِ؛ إِنَّكَ تَجْتَرُّهُمْ وَتُشَوِّقُهُمْ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَقَدْ رَكَنَتِ النَّفْسُ إِلَى أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا تَرَكَتْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَلَنْ تَعْرَى مِنَ الْمِحَنِ وَالْبَلْوَى وَالِاخْتِبَارِ.

Wa-kullu dhālika bi-khudʿati nafsihi wa-ʿaduwwihi; innaka tajtarruhum wa-tushawwiquhum ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-qad rakanati al-nafsu ilā akthara mimmā tarakat mina al-dunyā, fa-lan taʿrā mina al-miḥani wa-al-balwā wa-al-ikhtibāri.

All of this comes through the deception of his self and his enemy: “You are drawing them in and awakening their longing for God, mighty and majestic.” Yet the self has inclined toward more of the world than it abandoned. You will never be free from trials, affliction, and testing.

فَإِنْ رُدَّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ، أَوْ خُطِّئَ فِي عَمَلِهِ، جَاشَتِ النَّفْسُ فَخَيَّلَتْ إِلَيْهِ وَخَيَّلَ إِلَيْهِ عَدُوُّهُ أَنَّهُ غَضِبَ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، لِئَلَّا يَنْقَطِعَ الْمُرِيدُونَ عَنْهُ وَيَدَعُوا طَرِيقَ الْحَقِّ، فَأَخْرَجَهُ الْغَضَبُ إِلَى الْوَقِيعَةِ فِيمَنْ عَابَهُ، لِئَلَّا يُصَدَّقَ فِي عَيْبِهِ، فَخَرَجَ إِلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ فِي الْعِبَادِ بِالْغِيبَةِ، بَعْدَ تَرْكِهِ لِأَكْثَرِ الْحَلَالِ الْوَاسِعِ،

Fa-in rudda ʿalayhi shayʾun min qawlihi, aw khuṭṭiʾa fī ʿamalihi, jāshati al-nafsu fa-khayyalat ilayhi wa-khayyala ilayhi ʿaduwwuhu annahu ghaḍiba li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, li-allā yanqaṭiʿa al-murīdūna ʿanhu wa-yadaʿū ṭarīqa al-ḥaqqi, fa-akhrajahu al-ghaḍabu ilā al-waqīʿati fīman ʿābahu, li-allā yuṣaddaqa fī ʿaybihi, fa-kharaja ilā al-maʿṣiyati fī al-ʿibādi bi-al-ghībati, baʿda tarkihi li-akthari al-ḥalāli al-wāsiʿi,

If something he says is rejected or his conduct is judged mistaken, the self surges up and makes him imagine, as does his enemy, that he is angry for God’s sake, mighty and majestic is He, lest the seekers leave him and abandon the path of truth. Anger then drives him to disparage the person who criticized him, so that the criticism will not be believed. He moves into sin against people through backbiting, after having renounced most of the broad range of lawful things.

فَإِنْ فَتَرَ فَتْرَةً عَنْ قِيَامِ لَيْلٍ أَوْ صِيَامِ نَهَارٍ، أَوْ كَانَتْ مِنْهُ فَلْتَةٌ مِنْ ضَحِكٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ، جَزِعَتِ النَّفْسُ أَنْ يَطَّلِعُوا عَلَى فَتْرَتِهِ وَسَهْوِهِ، حَتَّى يَتَكَلَّفَ لَهُمْ بَعْضَ الْعَمَلِ، وَيُخَيِّلُ إِلَيْهِ الْعَدُوُّ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَفْتُرُوا وَيَنْقَطِعُوا عَنِ الْعَمَلِ، فَتُخَيِّلُ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ أَنَّهُ يَجْزَعُ مِنْ أَنْ يَتْرُكُوا الطَّرِيقَ بِتَرْكِهِ هُوَ الطَّرِيقَ، فَيَتْرُكُ طَرِيقَ الْآخِرَةِ.

Fa-in fatara fatratan ʿan qiyāmi laylin aw ṣiyāmi nahārin, aw kānat minhu faltatun min ḍaḥikin aw ghayrihi, jaziʿati al-nafsu an yaṭṭaliʿū ʿalā fatratihi wa-sahwihi, ḥattā yatakallafa lahum baʿḍa al-ʿamali, wa-yukhayyilu ilayhi al-ʿaduwwu annahu innamā yurīdu bi-dhālika an lā yafturū wa-yanqaṭiʿū ʿani al-ʿamali, fa-tukhayyilu lahu nafsuhu annahu yajzaʿu min an yatrukū al-ṭarīqa bi-tarkihi huwa al-ṭarīqa, fa-yatruku ṭarīqa al-ākhirati.

If he lapses for a time in night prayer or daytime fasting, or lets slip some laughter or something else, the self is alarmed that they might discover his lapse and inattention, until he forces himself into some practice for their sake. The enemy makes him imagine that he only wants by this to keep them from weakening and giving up their practice. His self makes him imagine that he is alarmed lest they leave the path because he himself has left it. Thus he abandons the path of the hereafter.

Source page 665

وَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ خُدْعَةٌ مِنَ النَّفْسِ، لِتَتِمَّ رِيَاسَتُهَا، وَلَا يَنْصَرِفُوا عَنْ تَعْظِيمِهَا، وَلَا يَمْتَنِعُوا عَنْ تَبْجِيلِهَا وَإِكْرَامِهَا، فَيَجْزَعُ أَنْ يَفْطَنُوا لِفَتْرَتِهِ، حَتَّى قَدْ يَعْتَذِرُ بِالْكَذِبِ وَالصِّدْقِ، كَأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ يَعْمَلُ، لَا لِرَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ.

Wa-innamā dhālika khudʿatun mina al-nafsi, li-tatimma riyāsatuhā, wa-lā yanṣarifū ʿan taʿẓīmihā, wa-lā yamtaniʿū ʿan tabjīlihā wa-ikrāmihā, fa-yajzaʿu an yafṭanū li-fatratihi, ḥattā qad yaʿtadhiru bi-al-kadhibi wa-al-ṣidqi, ka-annahu innamā kāna lahum yaʿmalu, lā li-rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza.

This is only a trick of the self to make its leadership complete and keep people from ceasing to revere it or withholding their veneration and honor. He becomes alarmed that they might notice his lapse, to the point that he may offer excuses, both false and true, as though he had only been working for them, not for his Lord, majestic and mighty.

فَإِذَا فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ انْقَطَعَتْ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِصْمَتُهُ، وَرُفِعَ عَنْهُ تَوْفِيقُهُ، فَرَجَعَ مُتَحَيِّرًا مُمَرِّجًا لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ، غَيْرَ مُتَفَقِّدٍ لَهَا، أَخَذَ لَهَا بِأَلَّا يَزُولَ عَنْهُ مَا ظَهَرَ لَهُمْ مِنْهُ، وَعَنْ تَحْقِيقِ مَا يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ، لِئَلَّا تَزُولَ رِيَاسَتُهُ، وَلَا تَتَّضِعَ مَنْزِلَتُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَعَاصِي اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Fa-idhā faʿala dhālika inqaṭaʿat mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿiṣmatuhu, wa-rufiʿa ʿanhu tawfīquhu, fa-rajaʿa mutaḥayyiran mumarrijan li-nafsihi min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamu, ghayra mutafaqqidin lahā, akhadha lahā bi-allā yazūla ʿanhu mā ẓahara lahum minhu, wa-ʿan taḥqīqi mā yadʿū ilayhi, li-allā tazūla riyāsatuhu, wa-lā tattaḍiʿa manzilatuhu, fa-yarjiʿu ilā maʿāṣī Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

When he does this, his protection from God, mighty and majestic, is cut off, and His enabling help is withdrawn from him. He reverts in bewilderment, throwing his self into disorder without realizing it and no longer examining it. He undertakes on its behalf to maintain what people have seen of him, while turning away from actually fulfilling what he calls them to, lest his leadership disappear or his standing diminish. He thus returns to disobedience against God, mighty and majestic,

فَتَصِيرُ عَامَّةُ طَاعَاتِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Fa-taṣīru ʿāmmatu ṭāʿātihi li-ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

and most of his acts of obedience become directed toward someone other than God, mighty and majestic.

فَيَبْقَى فِي الدُّنْيَا كَذَّابًا، يَدْعُو الْعِبَادَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ فَارٌّ مِنْهُ، وَيُذَكِّرُ بِاللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيَنْسَاهُ، وَيُظْهِرُ الزُّهْدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَنَّهُ قَدْ خَرَّبَهَا بِظَاهِرِهِ، وَقَدْ رَغِبَ فِيهَا وَعَمَّرَهَا بِبَاطِنِهِ، يَتَحَبَّبُ إِلَيْهِمْ بِمَا يُظْهِرُ، وَيَتَبَغَّضُ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَا يُخْفِى، وَيُظْهِرُ إِلَى الْعِبَادِ الِانْقِطَاعَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَهُوَ عَنْهُ مُنْقَطِعٌ فِي بَاطِنِهِ.

Fa-yabqā fī al-dunyā kadhdhāban, yadʿū al-ʿibāda ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-huwa fārrun minhu, wa-yudhakkiru bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-yansāhu, wa-yuẓhiru al-zuhda fī al-dunyā wa-annahu qad kharrabahā bi-ẓāhirihi, wa-qad raghiba fīhā wa-ʿammarahā bi-bāṭinihi, yataḥabbabu ilayhim bi-mā yuẓhiru, wa-yatabaghghaḍu ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-mā yukhfī, wa-yuẓhiru ilā al-ʿibādi al-inqiṭāʿa ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-huwa ʿanhu munqaṭiʿun fī bāṭinihi.

He remains in this world a liar, calling people to God, mighty and majestic, while fleeing from Him; reminding them of God, mighty and majestic, while forgetting Him; displaying renunciation of the world and outwardly showing that he has laid it waste, while inwardly desiring and cultivating it. He makes himself beloved to them through what he displays and hateful to God, mighty and majestic, through what he conceals. He displays to people exclusive devotion to God, mighty and majestic, while inwardly being cut off from Him.

فَنَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الْحَيْرَةِ بَعْدَ الْهُدَى، وَمِنَ الْعَمَى بَعْدَ الْبَصَرِ، وَمِنَ الْإِعْرَاضِ عَنِ اللّٰهِ بَعْدَ الْإِقْبَالِ إِلَيْهِ، وَنَسْأَلُهُ السَّلَامَةَ وَالْعَوْنَ عَلَى مَا يُحِبُّ وَيَرْضَى.

Fa-naʿūdhu bi-Allāhi mina al-ḥayrati baʿda al-hudā, wa-mina al-ʿamā baʿda al-baṣari, wa-mina al-iʿrāḍi ʿani Allāhi baʿda al-iqbāli ilayhi, wa-nasʾaluhu al-salāmata wa-al-ʿawna ʿalā mā yuḥibbu wa-yarḍā.

We seek refuge in God from bewilderment after guidance, blindness after sight, and turning away from God after turning toward Him. We ask Him for safety and help in what He loves and approves.

قُلْتُ: فَمِنْ أَيْنَ يَصِحُّ لِلْعَبْدِ الْمُرِيدِ النُّصْحُ لِلْعِبَادِ إِذْ كَانَ كَمَا ذَكَرْتَ؟

Qultu: fa-min ayna yaṣiḥḥu li-al-ʿabdi al-murīdi al-nuṣḥu li-al-ʿibādi idh kāna ka-mā dhakarta?

I said: How, then, can the servant who is a seeker soundly counsel people, if matters are as you describe?

Source page 666

قَالَ: إِنِّي لَمْ أَقُلْ: إِنَّهُ لَا يَنْصَحُ أَحَدًا إِلَّا رَجَعَ عَنِ الصِّدْقِ، وَلَكِنْ أَخْبَرْتُكَ بِمَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَصْدُقِ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Qāla: innī lam aqul: innahu lā yanṣaḥu aḥadan illā rajaʿa ʿani al-ṣidqi, wa-lākin akhbartuka bi-mā akhāfu ʿalayka in lam taṣduqi Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla.

He said: I did not say that whenever he counsels anyone, he abandons truthfulness. I have only told you what I fear for you if you are not truthful with God, mighty and majestic.

قُلْتُ: فَمَتَى يَصِحُّ لِي أَنْ أَنْصَحَ بِغَيْرِ زَوَالٍ؟

Qultu: fa-matā yaṣiḥḥu lī an anṣaḥa bi-ghayri zawālin?

I said: When, then, can I counsel soundly without straying?

قَالَ: إِذَا عَرَفْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدْ مَنَّ عَلَيْكَ بِالْقُوَّةِ، وَصَارَ شَأْنُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ عِنْدَكَ صَغِيرًا، وَكَانَ الْغَالِبُ عَلَيْكَ نَفْىَ خَطَرَاتِ حَمْدِهِمْ وَذَمِّهِمْ وَالطَّمَعِ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَسَخَتْ نَفْسُكَ بِعَيْبِهِمْ لَكَ فِيمَا يَحْمَدُكَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ مَحَبَّةِ عِصْيَانِ اللّٰهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ فِيكَ، فَغَلَبَ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ الْيَقِينُ بِالْمَقْدُورِ، فَزَالَ طَمَعُهُمْ عَنْ قَلْبِكَ،

Qāla: idhā ʿarafta li-nafsika anna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla qad manna ʿalayka bi-al-quwwati, wa-ṣāra shaʾnu al-makhlūqīna ʿindaka ṣaghīran, wa-kāna al-ghālibu ʿalayka nafya khaṭarāti ḥamdihim wa-dhammihim wa-al-ṭamaʿi li-mā fī aydīhim, wa-sakhat nafsuka bi-ʿaybihim laka fīmā yaḥmaduka Allāhu ʿalayhi, min ghayri maḥabbati ʿiṣyāni Allāhi jalla wa-ʿazza fīka, fa-ghalaba ʿalā qalbika al-yaqīnu bi-al-maqdūri, fa-zāla ṭamaʿuhum ʿan qalbika,

He said: When you recognize in yourself that God, mighty and majestic, has favored you with strength; created beings have become of little importance to you; your prevailing response is to reject thoughts of their praise and blame and coveting what they possess; and your self willingly accepts their criticism of you for what God praises you for, without wishing them to disobey God, majestic and mighty, concerning you. Certainty about what is decreed has then come to dominate your heart, and hope of gain from them has left it.

فَعَزَمْتَ عَلَى النُّصْحِ لَهُمْ، بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَةٍ مِنْكَ بِمَا يُصْلِحُهُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَانْصَحْهُمْ وَاحْذَرْ أَنْ يَنْتَشِرَ عَلَيْكَ طَبْعُكَ.

Fa-ʿazamta ʿalā al-nuṣḥi lahum, baʿda maʿrifatin minka bi-mā yuṣliḥuhum min kitābi rabbika ʿazza wa-jalla wa-sunnati nabiyyika ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-inṣaḥhum wa-iḥdhar an yantashira ʿalayka ṭabʿuka.

If you then resolve to counsel them, after learning what will set them right from the Book of your Lord, mighty and majestic, and the practice of your Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, counsel them, but beware of your nature’s breaking loose against you.

فَكُلُّ خَاطِرٍ يَدْعُو إِلَى كَرَاهَةِ مَذَمَّةٍ أَوْ حُبِّ مَحْمَدَةٍ أَوْ طَمَعٍ فِي دُنْيَا فَارْدُدْهُ عَنْكَ، وَإِنْ خُيِّلَ إِلَيْكَ أَنَّكَ تَجْتَرُّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ خُدْعَةٌ: أَنْ تَطْلُبَ نَجَاتَهُمْ بِهَلَاكِكَ وَأَنْتَ تَرَى أَنَّكَ نَاجٍ.

Fa-kullu khāṭirin yadʿū ilā karāhati madhammatin aw ḥubbi maḥmadatin aw ṭamaʿin fī dunyā fa-urdudhu ʿanka, wa-in khuyyila ilayka annaka tajtarruhum bi-dhālika, fa-inna dhālika khudʿatun: an taṭluba najātahum bi-halākika wa-anta tarā annaka nājin.

Reject every passing thought that invites you to dislike blame, love praise, or covet worldly gain, even if you are made to imagine that this will draw them in. It is a deception to seek their salvation through your own ruin while thinking you are safe.

فَإِذَا قَوِيتَ بِهَذِهِ الْقُوَّةِ، وَتَفَقَّدْتَ هَذِهِ الْخَطَرَاتِ فَلَمْ تَقْبَلْهَا، وَلَمْ تَغْضَبْ أَنْ يُسْتَخَفَّ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ حَقِّكَ، أَوْ يَرُدُّوا عَلَيْكَ شَيْئًا مِنْ قَوْلِكَ، وَتَرْجِعُ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذَلِكَ، وَتَرْضَى بِمَا قُدِرَ لَكَ، وَتَعْلَمُ أَنَّ فِيمَا تُطَالِبُ مِنْ حَقِّ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْحَمْدِ وَالثَّنَاءِ عِوَضًا مِنْ حَمْدِهِمْ، وَزَوَالِ ذَمِّهِمْ، وَالطَّمَعِ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ،

Fa-idhā qawīta bi-hādhihi al-quwwati, wa-tafaqqadta hādhihi al-khaṭarāti fa-lam taqbalhā, wa-lam taghḍab an yustakhaffa bi-shayʾin min ḥaqqika, aw yaruddū ʿalayka shayʾan min qawlika, wa-tarjiʿu ilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī dhālika, wa-tarḍā bi-mā qudira laka, wa-taʿlamu anna fīmā tuṭālibu min ḥaqqi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-ḥamdi wa-al-thanāʾi ʿiwaḍan min ḥamdihim, wa-zawāli dhammihim, wa-al-ṭamaʿi li-mā fī aydīhim,

When you have gained this strength, examined these passing thoughts without accepting them, and do not become angry when some of your due is treated lightly or they reject something you say; when you turn back to God, mighty and majestic, in this and are content with what has been decreed for you; and when you know that the praise and commendation you seek through fulfilling what is due to God, mighty and majestic, compensate for their praise, the removal of their blame, and hopes of what they possess,

وَأَنَّهُمْ مَعَ ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَقْدِرُوا أَنْ يُوصِلُوا إِلَيْكَ مَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ لَكَ، وَلَا يَحْمَدُوكَ بِمَا لَا يُلْقِى اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَكَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ، قَانِعٌ بِعِلْمِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحْدَهُ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، غَيْرُ مُكْتَرِثٍ لِذَمِّهِمْ فِيمَا يَحْمَدُهُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، غَيْرُ طَالِبٍ مِنْهُمْ ثَوَابًا وَلَا إِكْرَامًا، قَانِعٌ بِمَا تَأْمُلُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الثَّوَابِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، فَانْصَحْهُمْ،

Wa-annahum maʿa dhālika lam yaqdirū an yūṣilū ilayka mā lam yuqaddar laka, wa-lā yaḥmadūka bi-mā lā yulqī Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla laka fī qulūbihim, qāniʿun bi-ʿilmi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla waḥdahu wa-bi-ḥamdihi, ghayru muktarithin li-dhammihim fīmā yaḥmaduhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, ghayru ṭālibin minhum thawāban wa-lā ikrāman, qāniʿun bi-mā taʾmulu mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-thawābi fī al-dunyā wa-al-ākhirati, fa-inṣaḥhum,

and that, even so, they cannot bring you what has not been decreed for you or praise you for what God, mighty and majestic, does not place in their hearts concerning you; when you are content with the knowledge of God alone, mighty and majestic, and His praise, unconcerned with their blame for what God, mighty and majestic, praises, seeking neither reward nor honor from them, and content with the reward you hope for from God, mighty and majestic, in this world and the hereafter, then counsel them.

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وَخَفْ تَرْكَ تَحْقِيقِ مَا تَقُولُ بِالْفِعْلِ، وَاحْذَرْ ثُمَّ احْذَرْ، وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ، وَمِنْهُ الْعِصْمَةُ وَعَلَيْهِ التُّكْلَانُ، وَنَسْأَلُهُ تَمَامَ نِعَمِهِ عَلَيْنَا بِرَحْمَتِهِ.

Wa-khaf tarka taḥqīqi mā taqūlu bi-al-fiʿli, wa-iḥdhar thumma iḥdhar, wa-istaʿin bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-tawakkal ʿalayhi, wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Allāhi, wa-minhu al-ʿiṣmatu wa-ʿalayhi al-tuklānu, wa-nasʾaluhu tamāma niʿamihi ʿalaynā bi-raḥmatihi.

Fear failing to put what you say into practice. Beware, and beware again. Seek the help of God, mighty and majestic, and trust in Him. There is no strength except through God; protection comes from Him, and in Him is reliance. We ask Him to complete His blessings upon us through His mercy.

تَمَّ الْكِتَابُ بِحَمْدِ اللّٰهِ وَمَنِّهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ وَعَوْنِهِ، وَصَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّىِّ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا.

Tamma al-kitābu bi-ḥamdi Allāhi wa-mannihi wa-mashīʾatihi wa-ʿawnihi, wa-ṣallā Allāhu ʿalā Muḥammadin al-nabiyyi al-ummiyyi wa-ālihi wa-sallama taslīman.

The book is complete, with praise to God and through His favor, His will, and His help. May God bless Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet, and his family, and grant them abundant peace.

رَحِمَ اللّٰهُ مَنْ كَتَبَهُ وَمَنْ قَرَأَ فِيهِ، وَعَمِلَ بِمَا فِيهِ، وَجَمِيعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِرَحْمَةِ اللّٰهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ، وَكَانَ الْفَرَاغُ مِنْهُ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ فِي الْعَاشِرِ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ مِنْ سَنَةِ تِسْعٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ وَخَمْسِ مِائَةٍ.

Raḥima Allāhu man katabahu wa-man qaraʾa fīhi, wa-ʿamila bi-mā fīhi, wa-jamīʿa al-muslimīna bi-raḥmati Allāhi innahu huwa al-ghafūru al-raḥīmu, wa-kāna al-farāghu minhu yawma al-khamīsi fī al-ʿāshiri min Dhī al-Qaʿdati min sanati tisʿin wa-thalāthīna wa-khamsi miʾatin.

May God have mercy on whoever copied it, whoever reads it and acts upon what it contains, and all Muslims, through God’s mercy. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, the Merciful. It was completed on Thursday, the tenth of Dhū al-Qaʿda, in the year five hundred and thirty-nine.