How does Islam guide Muslims to overcome envy and jealousy (hasad)?

Hasad is the wish that a blessing enjoyed by someone else be removed from them, whether or not the envious person even wants it for themselves. Islam treats it as a serious spiritual disease, since it was hasad that drove Iblis against Adam and one of Adam's own sons to kill his brother. The Quran instructs believers to seek refuge in Allah "from the evil of an envier when he envies" (113:5), acknowledging envy as a real and harmful force in human life rather than a trivial emotion. The Prophet warned starkly: "Beware of envy, for envy devours good deeds just as fire devours wood" (Sunan Abi Dawud 4903) — meaning it can quietly erode a person's spiritual standing even while their outward worship continues unchanged. Scholars distinguish hasad from ghibtah, a permissible admiration that wishes for a similar blessing without wanting it taken from another. To overcome envy, Islam recommends recognizing that provision and honor are distributed by Allah's wisdom rather than human merit alone, making sincere dua for the person one envies, thanking Allah for one's own blessings, and actively doing good toward that person, which softens the heart over time.

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