signs, symptoms and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart
Envy (hasad) is a severe disease of the heart that some scholars hold to be the root of all diseases, while others opine that the parent disease goes back to covetousness (ṭama').
If you were to describe your desire that someone lose his blessing as "envy," then your description will be accurate.
Most scholars agree that it is the first manifestation of wrongdoing and the first cause of disobedience against God [the story of Satan's envy of Adam, for God chose Adam to be His vicegerent on earth instead of him].
While it is believed that envy can bring about harm to the one envied, ultimately it is the envier who is harmed the most. The evil eye is generally related to envy, though not necessarily so. Some people simply have "the eye,", some type of psychic power that does not necessitate envy. Every culture has a concept of the evil eye.
When confronted with his disobedience, Satan did not seek forgiveness from God. Enviers develop a mindset that makes it impossible for them to admit they are wrong.
There are endless variations of envy, but a common thread is the desire that someone lose a blessing. In essence, envy arises over what one perceives to be a blessing in someone else's possession.
A blessing is something that God bestows. Envy, then, is to desire that a person lose whatever blessing God has given him or her. It is tantamount to saying that God should not have given this person a blessing or, worse yet, that He was wrong to do so "because I deserve it more."
It may reach the point that an envier would himself remove the blessing if he were able to do so through some kind of ruse.
If one does not work to remove another person's blessings, then his or her envy is in check and is not the kind that necessarily devours one's good deeds. Envy that devours righteous deeds is envy that impels someone to wrong others. Imam al-Ghaza̅lı̅ makes a distinction between various strains of envy. He states that if one hates envy and is ashamed that he or she harbors it, the person is not essentially an envious person. It is important to be aware of the feelings that reside in one's heart.
1. Enmity ('ada̅wah). Harboring feelings of animosity toward another makes one highly susceptible to developing envy.
2. Another cause of envy is vying for another's affection or love, which can become vicious.
3. Arrogance (takabbur) is a major cause of envy. An arrogant man who sees someone advancing ahead of him will feel that this person is not worthy of such advancement.
4. Low self-esteem (ta'azzuz), the feeling that one's worth is compromised by the fact that another person has gained more.
5. Vanity.
6. Love of leadership is another major cause of envy.
7. Avaricious cupidity, covetousness. There is a distinction between covetousness and love of leadership. The latter afflicts those who have position already, while covetousness relates to those who do not have it but desire it avariciously. This type of covetousness, called shuḥḥ in Arabic, is a desire to have what is in possession of another person.
To consciously act in opposition to one's caprice. The Arabic term here for caprice (hawa̅) is derived from the Arabic word that means, "to fall." It is also related to the Arabic word for "wind." One's passion is like the wind, in that it comes, stirs up emotion, and then dies down. One cannot really see it, only its effect.
As a remedy to the type of envy that prods one to bring about harm to another person, Imam Mawlu̅d suggests that one contradict his temptation, that is, do something that will benefit the person who is envied. For example, give that person a gift or do a favor. The Imam suggests also that one may praise the person toward whom one feels the urge to slander.
Another treatment is to know with certainty that holding envy against another person brings harm to oneself. Human nature's most primordial instinct is to avoid harm. It is easier for a person to repel negative feelings when he or she realizes these feelings hurt the soul.
The basis of the remedy for envy is taqwa̅, which is having a sense of awe of God, an active awareness of Him as the ultimate power over all creation. This defuses false notions of misappropriated blessings.
According to Imam al-Ghaza̅lı̅, because these diseases are common to human nature, the objective should be to transform them into something beneficial, to transform a disability into an advantage, which is what successful people tend to do. The Prophet ﷺ said, "There is no [acceptable] envy except of two people." One of them is a person who has been given wealth and spends it toward good causes. The other person is one who has been given wisdom and teaches it to people. Hence, if one has envy, one should let it not be of fleeting things, like worldly assets that are usually hoarded and displayed for show. One should instead desire what will serve one's Hereafter. This is how to convert negative feelings into positive ones.
"Envy consumes good deeds the way fire devours dry wood" (The Prophet ﷺ).
"Every possessor of any blessing is envied" (The Prophet ﷺ).
"The evil eye is true" (The Prophet ﷺ). The evil eye is not superstition. The Prophet ﷺ worked to eradicate superstition from the minds of people. For example, the Arabs believed that when the moon eclipsed it meant that a great person died. When a lunar eclipse occurred on the day the Prophet's infant son, Ibra̅hı̅m, died, many of the Arabs were impressed by this phenomenon. While a charlatan would have seized the moment to take advantage of such an event, the Prophet ﷺ announced to the people, "The moon is a sign of God; the sun is a sign of God. They do not eclipse for anyone."
Al-Aṣma'ı̅, the famous Arab philologist and compiler of poetry, once came upon a Bedouin and was invited to enter his tent. In Bedouin culture, the women serve guests in the presence of their husbands. This Bedouin had a very beautiful wife, though he himself was quite unattractive. When the men went out to prepare a lamb for a meal, the guest couldn't resist saying to this woman, "How did such a beautiful woman like you marry such an ugly man like that?" The woman said, "Fear God! Perhaps he had done good works accepted by his Lord, and I am his reward." God is all-wise in what He gives to people. If one questions the blessing a person has received, then he or she is actually questioning the Giver. This makes envy reprehensible and forbidden.
"If you have envy, do not wrong [others]" (A hadith).
"Whoever is safe from the covetousness of his own soul, he is truly successful" (QUR'AN, 59:9)