Jealousy

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Keep away from jealousy, for jealousy eats up virtues in the same way that fire eats up wood.” [Abu Daud]

As wood consumes fire, good deeds are destroyed by jealousy. When a person is jealous, they don’t want to help others, they don’t wish for good things to come to fellow Muslims. They backbite about them, hold grudges against them and host all sorts of negative emotions.

The only way out of this losing situation is to lessen one’s love of the world. Jealousy arises out of competition for the things of this world – its riches, its acknowledgements, its power. Since these things are transitory why sweat over them?

How can one lessen their love of this world so that they may devote their energies to amassing the Hereafter? This is achieved by not caving in to the demands of one’s desires (Nafs). The Nafs is like a spoilt child, the more you pamper it, the worse it becomes.