Explanation of the Hadith: There is no envy except in two cases
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner, Abdul Aziz, says: Islam, O Shaykh, has permitted a type of envy, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 7316 and a man to whom Allah has granted knowledge. So what is the explanation of this hadith?
Answer:
Its explanation is clear: envy, if it means being pleased with what others have, is permissible, because it means desiring good. You wish to be like the one whom Allah has blessed, doing what he does. If you see someone giving charity while you are poor, you wish to be rich so that you can give charity. If you see a scholar acting upon his knowledge, you wish to be like him, desiring good. This is being pleased with what others have, because it indicates a love for good.
As for the condemned envy, it is wishing for the removal of a blessing from another person. This is the condemned envy, and it is one of the major sins. It is wishing for the removal of the blessing from the one whom Allah has blessed, and you see that he does not deserve it, so you object to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in His divine decree and destiny and His management.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, Honorable Shaykh.
This questioner, Abdul Aziz, says: Islam, O Shaykh, has permitted a type of envy, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: The case of a man whom Allah has given wealth
لا حسد إلا في اثنتين رجل آتاه الله مالاAnswer:
Its explanation is clear: envy, if it means being pleased with what others have, is permissible, because it means desiring good. You wish to be like the one whom Allah has blessed, doing what he does. If you see someone giving charity while you are poor, you wish to be rich so that you can give charity. If you see a scholar acting upon his knowledge, you wish to be like him, desiring good. This is being pleased with what others have, because it indicates a love for good.
As for the condemned envy, it is wishing for the removal of a blessing from another person. This is the condemned envy, and it is one of the major sins. It is wishing for the removal of the blessing from the one whom Allah has blessed, and you see that he does not deserve it, so you object to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in His divine decree and destiny and His management.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, Honorable Shaykh.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/147 — archive.org (18:58)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.