DISEASES OF THE SOUL: ENVY

This pain is not removed except as a result of the envier continuously monitoring the envied so that he would find relief when the blessing is removed, but it can become more severe, as is the case of the one who is suffering from a physical sickness, in that the blessing, or one similar to it, may return to the envied. 
This pain is not removed except as a result of the envier continuously monitoring the envied so that he would find relief when the blessing is removed, but it can become more severe, as is the case of the one who is suffering from a physical sickness, in that the blessing, or one similar to it, may return to the envied. 

Envy refers to the desire that a person feels for the destruction or removal of a blessing that another person has – a destruction which the bearer of this feeling would himself carry out if he had the power to. This is quite different to wanting such blessings for oneself while not wishing for them to be removed from others, for that is, indeed, a positive and commendable desire that leads to competition. Competition is not considered blameworthy in general, rather it is considered to be praiseworthy if it is in pursuit of righteousness; Allaah Says (what means):

"Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. On adorned couches, observing…You will recognise in their faces the radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete.” [Quran 83:22-26]

Allaah mentions in the Quran the envy of the disbelievers, the hypocrites and people in general. Speaking about the disbelievers, Allaah Says (what means):

“Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them…” [Quran 2:109]

Allaah also Says (what means): “Or do they envy people for what Allaah has given them of His bounty?” [Quran 4:54]

Envy is an evil disease of the heart that leads to foul conduct and bad behaviour. It leads to animosity, thinking evil of the intentions of others, backbiting, tale-bearing, lying, and the abandonment of other Muslims. It may lead its possessor to inflict physical harm on the person whom he envies and can even lead to murder. It is considered to be among the most dangerous and destructive of internal diseases and is the most destructive to a person's religion and worldly life.

The Messenger of Allaah  said: 

"Do not envy one another; do not hate one another; do not turn your back on one another (in discontent); (but) be slaves of Allaah as brothers." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]

Allaah orders the believers to seek refuge from the evil of the envious person and envy in general when He says (what means):

"And from the evil of the envier when he envies." [Quran 113:5]

The Messenger of Allaah  also said: “Indeed envy eats up good deeds just as fire consumes firewood.” [Ahmad]

There are many stories in the Quran that highlight the dangers and evils of envy. When we read the story of Prophet Yoosuf (Joseph)  and his brothers, we realise the danger of envy, how it blinds, how it snatches mercy away from the heart, and how it drives its possessor to inflict terrible physical pain on the envied person. Allaah Says (what means): 

"When they [i.e., the brothers of Yoosuf] said: 'Yoosuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than we, while we are a clan. Indeed, our father is in clear error. Kill Yoosuf or cast him out to [another] land; the countenance [i.e., attention] of your father will [then] be accessible to you, and you will be, after that, righteous people.'" [Quran 12:8-9]

Another story that shows the danger of envy is the story of Haabeel and Qaabeel: The Quran tells us about the first son of Aadam  who murdered his brother out of envy, which constituted the first crime ever in which blood was spilt. He envied him because Allaah accepted his brother's sacrifice but not his; Allaah says what means:

 "And recite to them the story of Aadam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allaah], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter]: 'I will surely kill you.' Said [the former]: 'Indeed, Allaah only accepts from the righteous [who fear him]. If you should raise your hand against me to kill me - I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allaah, Lord of the worlds.'… And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers." [Quran: 5:27-28 & 30]

The blameworthy type of envy is an unrestricted dislike of the blessings bestowed upon the envied. Therefore, when one despises something, he is hurt and grieved by its very existence, and this becomes a sickness in his heart, to the extent that he derives pleasure from the removal of the blessings from the envied - even if this does not result in any benefit to him except having the pain that was in his soul removed. 

The Prophet  said: "I swear by the One in whose Hands is my soul! none of you will believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]

He  also said: "There is to be no envy except in two cases: (towards) a person to whom Allaah has granted wisdom, and who rules by this and teaches it to the people, and (towards) a person to whom Allaah has granted wealth and property along with the power to spend it in the cause of the Truth." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]

Ibn `Umar  added to this from his own narration: 

"(And) a person to whom Allaah has given the Quran and who recites it night and day, and a person to whom Allaah has granted wealth and property from which he gives in charity by night and day."

Envy may occur as a result of enmity, pride, self-admiration, love of leadership or impurity of the soul. Of these, enmity is the most serious cause, as it leads to malevolence and this, in turn, causes man to thirst for revenge and drives him to gloat over any calamity that may afflict his enemy.

Imaam Al-Ghazzaali said in his book Al-Ihyaa':

"Be aware that envy is one of the deadliest diseases of the hearts, and there is no medicine for the diseases of the heart except through knowledge and deeds. The knowledge that will treat the disease of envy is to know, without any doubt, that envy is lethal for a person's worldly life as well as his religion, and that there is no danger from it to the envied person regarding his life or his religion; on the contrary, the envied person will actually benefit from it. The fact is that envy is actually dangerous for the envier's religion because it is through this envy that he hated Allaah's predestination and the blessings that He divided among his slaves; he also hated His justice that He established in His world due to His Wisdom; therefore, the envier contested that and objected to it. This is contrary to belief in the Oneness of Allaah. Additionally, the envier would share with Satan and the rest of the disbelievers a love for crises to befall the believers and for blessings to leave them. These are evils in the heart that devour good deeds and erase them like the night erases the day. The person who suffers from envy in his life is tortured by it, and will always be in sorrow every time he sees the blessings of Allaah upon the envied person."

FIVE BEFORE FIVE

Is it just me or does the time seem to be passing more quickly lately. One minute it is 2013 the next we are in the final half of 2013. No matter how badly we want the time to slow down it just moves forward, one second, one minute, and one hour at a time. Days go by and it feels like minutes. Before the day’s work even starts it is night time. God mentions this phenomenon in various places throughout the Quran.

They will say: “We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account.” (Quran 23:113) 

 …A speaker from among them said, “How long have you stayed (here)?” They said, “We have stayed (perhaps) a day or part of a day.” They said, “Your Lord (alone) knows best how long you have stayed (here)… (Quran 18:19) 

 Time passes swiftly, and when we stand before God on the Day of Judgement it will seem as if we have lived, dreamed and hoped for less than a day. It will seem as if we have worshipped our Creator for only the briefest of time and in only the most lackadaisical way. We know that many of us will beg God for more time, time to correct our actions and time to worship in a better way.

 Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with God), he says: “My Lord! send me back, (Quran 23:99) 

 Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, reiterated this for us. Time will not slow down and we cannot go back to fix the mistakes we make therefore he advised us to take advantage of five, before five. 

 “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death.”

 We are advised to take advantage of what time we have. When we are young we take our youth and energy for granted. We feel as if we have all the time in the world, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. But tomorrow creeps up on us slowly and one of the first things we lose is our youth. A grey hair appears, there is a niggling pain in our back, or our shoulder or a knee. As old age approaches people find it harder to fulfil even their obligatory acts of worship. When it is impossible to bend our knees and put our head on the ground in submission, we want only to be able to go back and pray one extra prayer, fast one extra day the way we did when we were young and full of energy. The young must take advantage of their youth before old age strips it away. Boundless energy should be used to help others, and to collect as many rewards as possible. 

 A believer must also take advantage of health before being overcome by sickness, with or without old age. Even young people are affected by ill health and injuries that make it impossible to worship in the way that they would like. Both God and Prophet Muhammad have emphasised the benefits and rewards that come from a believer experiencing pain and suffering. However when a person suffers ill health, he realises just how fragile human beings are. Prophet Muhammad reminds us that we do not know when our health will be taken from us. One day we have all our strength and mental faculties, the next we might be relying on others for even the simplest things. 

 Wealth is another blessing that comes to us from God. A believer should give as much as possible in charity while there is still something to give. We tend to think of charity as money but it is not confined to monetary matters. We give with our hands, our time, our knowledge and our money. We even give with our smile. However, we should use our monetary wealth to worship and please God before it is taken from us. We have no way of knowing when God will see fit to remove our wealth from us. People are rich one day and homeless the next. We must spend our wealth for the sake of God before we do not have the means to do so. And this will not go unrewarded. 

 The likeness of those who spend their money for God’s sake, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn), it grows seven ears, every single ear has a hundred grains, and God multiplies (increases the reward) for whom He wills, and God is All-Sufficient for His creatures needs, All Knower. (Quran 2:261) 

 Free time is another great blessing from God that each of us possesses, regardless of how busy we think we are. Spending this time wisely means not wasting it in fruitless activities that have no benefit. Even the simplest of acts can become worthwhile by simply doing them for the sake of God. If we free ourselves from fruitless time wasting activities it is possible the time to increase our religious deeds. When a person chooses wisely, worldly deeds can also be done for the sake of God. Remember that time moves inexorably forward. Do it today because you may not have a tomorrow. Use your free time wisely today before life is filled with worldly obligations that contain no benefit whatsoever unless you live every moment to please God. 

 The final thing we have been advised to take advantage of is, life before death overtakes us. Every morning we should thank God for another day. Each day is a chance to do well; to spend in charity, to worship longer, harder, or in a better way. It is a chance to spread good cheer, smile, and pay that extra dollar or two in charity. It is a chance to perform countless random acts of kindness. We have become relaxed about the reality of death. At some point, perhaps in a matter of hours, minutes, or even seconds, our life will be taken away from us. Prophet Muhammad advises us to take advantage of the time we have. Do what you can now, not tomorrow, for tomorrow may never come.

 This reminder from the Prophet Muhammad deals with responsibility, wisdom, foresight and time management, but it is not the only time he reminded us of the importance of being aware of our blessings and using them to our own advantage. We are constantly reminded, throughout the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet, that time is fleeting and that every little thing we do is able to become a source of great reward. Prophet Muhammad also said, 

“Three things follow the deceased [to his grave], two of them return and one remains with him. His family, wealth and deeds follow him, while his family and wealth return, his deeds remain with him.”

Ten Minutes Before Fajr

ISLAMIC NEW YEAR "THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM"

New Islamic Year 1435 is starting within 4th, November 2013.Allah's sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein." [al-Tawbah 9:36]

Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 

"The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhu'l-Qa'dah, Dhu'l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha'baan." (Reported by al-Bukhari, 2958).

Muharram is so called because it is a sacred (Muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity.

Allah’s words (interpretation of the meaning): "so wrong not yourselves therein." mean do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months.

It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that this phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein.) referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.

Qutaadah said concerning this phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein.) that wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at any other time. Wrongdoing at any time is a serious matter, but Allah gives more weight to whichever of His commands He will. Allah has chosen certain ones of His creation. He has chosen from among the angels Messengers and from among mankind Messengers. He chose from among speech the remembrance of Him (dhikr). He chose from among the earth the mosques, from among the months Ramadhan and the sacred months, from among the days Friday and from among the nights Laylat al-Qadr, so venerate that which Allah has told us to venerate. People of understanding and wisdom venerate the things that Allah has told us to venerate. 

Fasting during the month

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

 'The best of fasting after Ramadhan is fasting Allah’s month of Muharram.'" (reported by Muslim, 1982).

The phrase "Allah’s month", connecting the name of the month to the name of Allah in a genitive grammatical structure, signifies the importance of the month. Al-Qaari said: "The apparent meaning is all of the month of Muharram." But it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never fasted any whole month apart from Ramadan, so this hadeeth is probably meant to encourage increasing one's fasting during Muharram, without meaning that one should fast for the entire month.

It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast more in Sha'baan. It is likely that the virtue of Muharram was not revealed to him until the end of his life, before he was able to fast during this month. (Sharh al-Nawawi 'ala Sahih Muslim).

Although the month of Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, yet, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named Ashurah.

According to the Holy companion Ibn Abbas. The Holy Prophet , when migrated to Madinah, found that  the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which the Holy Prophet Musa (Moses) and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharaoh was drowned in its water.

On hearing this from the Jews, the Holy Prophet said, "We are more closely related to Musa than you" and directed the Muslims to fast on the day of Ashurah. (Abu Dawood)

It is also reported in a number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day of Ashurah was obligatory for the Muslims.

Kerbala & Imam Hussain (as) 

Imam Hussain was the grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad , through his daughter, Lady Fatima and son-in-law, Imam Ali, peace be upon them all.  

In less than half a day on the 10th of Muharram ( Ashura)   in the year 680 A.D. (61 A.H.), on the hot desert sands of Karbala in Iraq, Imam Hussain(as), and 72 of his family members, friends and followers, including his 6 month old infant son, were martyred under most gruesome circumstances. These included His brother Hazrat Abbas (as)  the standard bearer, His young 18 yr old son Ali Akber & his 4 year old daughter Sakina who died while in prison in Damascus. The Oppressive ruler; Yazid son of Mu'awiya son of Abu Sufiyan & his very large army of over 30,000 men, committed these heinous crimes against the small group which included the household of the Prophet. Lady Zainub (sister of Imam Hussain)   also played a key role especially subsequent to the battle to inform people of the truth.

In the history of Islam, al‑Husayn ibn 'Ali, the martyr of Karbala, wrote one of the most brilliant chapters; a chapter which still and after more than fourteen centuries, echoes in the minds and hearts of Muslims everywhere. It is remarked by a modern Muslim writer that 'With every Karbala Islam is renewed'.

The event teaches us; not to waiver from the right path & not to panic while discharging obligations. One has to have conviction on the hereafter & focus ones mind on permanent consequences in the hereafter.

This has to be done irrespective of how big or strong the enemy is & irrespective of the consequences, but with the knowledge of what Shariat requires us to do under those circumstances.

One should never give up, for eg. despite strength of Media or other social widespread ills, we need to continue to believe that we can overcome & continue to fight ,rather than give up saying ,that the enemy is strong & we cannot achieve anything by ourselves. One can at least begin with ones own family & then the surrounding environment. Know & Discharge 

Events of Muharram

• Hadhrat Hussain was martyred in this month.

• Shaykhain Tirmizi & Haakim has narrated from Anas that the following verse:"Allah may forgive thee of thy sins that which is past and that which  is to come." (Al-Fath) was revealed on the 10th of Muharram.

• The Prophet Muhammed went to defeat Bani Muhaarin and Bani Tha'laba (Tribes of Bani Gatfan) in the year 4 A.H. (Asahhus-siyar)

Blessings of Muharram

• It is the first month of the Islamic Calendar.

• The meaning of the word:- The word "Muharram" means "Forbidden." Even before Islam, this month was always known as a scared month in which all unlawful acts were forbidden, prominently the shedding of blood.

• A blessing of Muharram:- There are many bounties of this month, especially the tenth of Muharram.

• Two of the many virtues of the 10th of Muharram:-

1. On this day he who spends more lavishly for the sake of his family members, Allah Taala will bestow blessing upon the sustenance of the following year.

1. Abu Qataada has related that the Prophet(Sal) has reported to have said, It is my thought that by fasting  on the 10th of Muharram Allah Taala will pardon the sins of the past  year. (Tirmizi)