What did al-Ghazali say about envy (ḥasad)?
Al-Ghazali dedicated an entire book of the Iḥyāʾ to envy and rancor. He dissected it the way a physician dissects a disease — its causes, its symptoms, its cures.
10 passages from 6 books in the library
Al-Ghazali condemned envy (ḥasad) as a grave sin of the heart, devoting a whole book of the Iḥyāʾ to it. He warns that envy breeds discord, denial of truth, and unleashing of the tongue and hand in vile acts. To wish blessings gone from others, he says, is like the disbeliever wishing faith taken from the believer, while wishing your own blessings preserved against others' envy is mere foolishness. Religiously, envy wrongs the one envied, especially when it drives the envier to backbite, defame, or expose another's faults.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 6 books by Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"This is the sin of envy itself, not to mention how envy leads to discord, denial of truth, and letting loose the tongue and hand in vile acts in satisfaction from enemies."
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"If you wish for blessings to vanish from others due to envy, it is as though you wish for the blessing of faith to be taken away due to the envy of disbelievers."
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"If you desire blessings to remain with you despite others' envy, this is foolishness, as every envious person desires this special privilege."
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"In terms of religion, when you envy someone, you wrong them, especially if your envy leads you to backbite, defame, or expose their faults."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"them. The sixth reason is envy. One might envy someone praised and honored by others, wishing for"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"the other envious, and the other saying, if I am the most envious, my wife is thrice divorced."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Those I used to envy now envy me, and I became the master of all, since you became my master."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"When they unleash envy against peers or critics, they do not see it as envy but as anger for"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"There is a kind of jealousy that Allah Almighty detests, which is the jealousy of a man for"
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"Allah the Almighty is jealous, and so is the believer. Allah's jealousy is that a believer"
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