Types of Envious People

The noble Shaykhah, Umm Abdillaah al-Waadi’iyyah wrote:

“There are among the envious ones those who strive so that what has been bestowed the other person is removed; they do so using their words and deeds; and there are some that strive so that the favour that has been bestowed the other person can become theirs.

There are some who only strive so that the favour of the other person can be removed but without wanting it to become theirs. This type is the most harmful and dirtiest level of envy; this is the type of envy that has been prohibited.

Another set of people are such that when they are envious of another, they would not put the effect of their envy into action neither would they seek to destroy the person that has been favoured whether through speech or deed.

Another set of people are such that when they begin to feel the presence of envy in their hearts, they strive to remove it, and they make good gestures to the person they have envied, they make supplications for him and spread his excellence. That a person should remove the envy in him and replace it with love for the person he is having envy towards because the latter is a Muslim is better for him and more excellent.

This is one of the highest level of Imaan; whoever has such a trait is a perfect believer that loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” End of quote from Jaami’ al-‘Ulum p.326-327.

None is free from being envious except he whom Allah the Mighty and Majestic makes to be free. It is said:

Envy is not free from the body but the villainous one brings his own to the open while the honourable one hides his. The issue is like what is between the traders or what is between the rulers or what is between the co-wives among one another.”

Source: My Sincere Advice to Women, p. 298 by Umm Abdillaah al-Waadi’iyyah; transl. by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam and Ishaq Abdur-Raheem.