Envy; A Moral Vice that Led to First Fratricide

IQNA – Envy is a moral vice that causes one to want others to lose their blessings. It was the reason behind the first fratricide in human history.

So envy was among the first moral vices that inflicted the children of Adam (AS) on the earth.

One who suffers from envy gets upset when he sees blessings given by God to someone else. At some level of envy, he wishes the blessing given to others is taken away from them, and at the highest level he tries to destroy it himself.

The issue of envy is mentioned in different forms in the stories of Quran, including that of Abel and Cain, Prophet Joseph (AS) and his brothers, and those who envy the status of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

In Surah Al-Falaq, the Quran describes it as a source of vice and corruption in the world and order the Prophet (PBUH) to take refuge with God from those who envy:

“(Seek protection from the Lord of the Dawn) from the evil of the envious ones.” (Verse 5)

The first mention of envy is that of Cain who was jealous of his brother Abel. He was jealous because God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not his. And this led to his killing of his brother. “And relate to them the story of the two sons of Adam with truth when they both offered an offering, but it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other. He said: I I will most certainly slay you.” (Verse 27 of Surah Al-Ma’idah)

In Verse 51 of Surah An-Nisa, we read that some Jews, trying to appease the idolaters of Mecca, said that the worshipping of idols by the Quraysh Tribe was better that Muslims’ worshipping of God. In Verse 54, God describes their judgment worthless, saying it originates from their being jealous of the Prophet (PBUH).

“Are they jealous of the favors that God has done to some people? We have given to the family of Abraham the Book, Wisdom, and a great Kingdom.” (Verse 54 of Surah An-Nisa)

According to Hadiths narrated in Sunni and Shia sources, this verse implies that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his household were the subject of envy.

The Quran says their judgments are worthless because they are rooted in jealousy.

This verse enumerates the blessings given to Abraham (AS) and his people, which Jews acknowledge, and questions why they do not acknowledge these blessings to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his household.

According to this verse, the Book, Wisdom and a great Kingdom was given to Abraham (AS).

Envy is a vice that sets the ground for other vices and sins. A jealous person resorts to backbiting, spitefulness and other vices and does everything so that the blessings given to someone else are taken away from him. That is why in a Hadith from Imam Ali (AS), envy has been cited as the origin of vices. Thinking about the harms brought by envy, boosting wisdom, enhancing faith, and paying attention to divine Hikmat are among ways to cure the disease of envy.