The Cure for Envy

Question : A complainant complains to Allah and then to him, saying: My heart is full of envy, so what is the cure? He asks that you make a supplication for him.

Answer : Yes, indeed. Envy is, in truth, a chronic disease. Envy is a chronic disease. Envy is a chronic disease. It comes from evil souls that do not desire good for the sake of good, but only desire good for themselves alone. They are selfish souls; when they see good in others, it displeases them and they hate it, whether they wish for its removal or not. The correct view is that envy, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, is the hatred of Allah’s blessing upon another, whether one wishes for its removal or not. Its cure lies in several matters. The first is to know that this blessing is from the grace of Allah, as Allah the Exalted said: If it is from the grace of Allah, then it is from the action of Allah, and envying it entails dissatisfaction with the decree of Allah. So if a person knows that his envy entails dissatisfaction with the decree and destiny of Allah, the believer will refrain from it. Second, he should know that he gains nothing from envy except an increase in sins, an increase in sins, and the loss of good deeds. For this reason, we say that envy devours good deeds just as fire devours firewood.
Third, he should know that envy only increases his sorrow and anxiety. And the more the blessings of Allah increase upon His servants, the more this envious person increases in regret, sorrow, and anxiety.
Fourth, he should know that envy does not prevent the grace of Allah from reaching the one who is envied. That is, the envy of the envious person does not stand between the one who is envied and the grace of Allah. When he knows this, it becomes clear to him that his envy is of no benefit. And a person of sound mind cannot possibly practice something that is of no benefit. Fifth, he should know that if he occupies himself with envy and follows his soul in envying, he will be preoccupied with it to the detriment of his own interests. For you will find the envious person tracking the news of the one he envies, saying: "Oh so-and-so, what happened to so-and-so? By Allah, so-and-so, what Allah willed, Allah gave him children, and so-and-so, Allah gave him wealth." Then he adds to his sorrow: "So-and-so, what happened?"
He said: "By Allah, so-and-so, what Allah willed, succeeded. So-and-so, he has acquired a lot." Because the envious person always tracks the conditions of the one he envies so that he does not hear of an increase in Allah’s grace upon him. But the decree and destiny make him hear what saddens him regarding the abundance of Allah’s grace upon this one who is envied. These are five things that came to my mind now. Perhaps upon reflection, there are other things. Perhaps you, from today until tomorrow, if Allah wills, will try to gather these things that help the envious person.