The ruling on one who finds the trait of envy in himself and wants it to be removed from him.

The questioner : The questioner says: What is the ruling on one who finds the trait of envy in himself? It is the lack of loving good for people. However, he calls upon Allah to remove this trait from him. Are there other methods that can help this person?

The Shaykh : We do not know of anything in this matter other than what he mentioned.The questioner : He should call upon Allah—Mighty and Majestic—with a humble and sincere heart, so perhaps Allah—Mighty and Majestic—will respond to him. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in some hadiths—and it is likely one of the authentic hadiths, for my memory is not currently recalling its status: Meaning: Let your envy remain in your heart, and do not let this envy lead you to aggression or transgression against the one you envy; for such envy is very light in weight for its owner. So he has two paths before him:
The first path—and this is what he indicated—is that he calls upon Allah—Mighty and Majestic—in the manner we described.
The second path: that he strives against his self; so he does not transgress against the one he envies because of his envy. An example of this is what we discussed today with some of our brothers: that a person named Zayd has a book containing beneficial knowledge, and so-and-so asked for it, but he refused to give it to him. Not because he feared it would be lost or torn, but out of envy. This envy is what involves transgression, aggression, and withholding good from his Muslim brother. So whoever feels something of this envy in himself; let him strive against his desires, and let him give such a book to thisThe student : person so that he may study jurisprudence in it.
Yes.