Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 1040 [Read full issue]
Envy, Deceit, Hatred
Abu-Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, said that God's Messenger, may God's peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said, "Do not envy each other. Do not shill-bid each other. Do not hate each other." Reported by Muslim.
The statement of the Prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, "Do not envy each other," means do not wish for others to lose the blessings that they have. This is haram. In another hadith, the Prophet says, "Do not envy each other for envy eats good deeds the way fire eats firewood or timber.[Abu Dawud]" Jealousy, on the other hand, is wishing to have what others have without wishing them not to have what they have. Sometimes the word envy is used in place of the word jealousy since they are close in meaning. For example, the Prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, says, "People shouldn't envy anyone except two: a wealthy person who spends the wealth to do good deeds, and a wise person who uses the wisdom to be just and who teaches the wisdom to others.[Bukhari]" "People shouldn't envy anyone except two" means people shouldn't be jealous of anyone except two.
The statement of the Prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, "Do not shill-bid each other," means do not deceive each other by artificially raising the price of goods. Ibn-Qutaybah said that the word shill-bidding (in Arabic) comes from the word deception. A hunter is called a shill-bidder because it deceives its prey.
The statement of the Prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, "Do not hate each other," means do not do wrongful acts that make you hate each other. Hatred corrupts the religion.
Compiled From:
"Ibn-Daqiq's Commentary on the Nawawi Forty Hadiths" - Ibn Daqiq Al-Eid