Envy refers to the desire that a certain blessing be removed from someone else, or that calamity befall them, due to one’s own desire to possess that same blessing. In such cases, it is unlawful. According to the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, it consumes good deeds just like fire consumes wood. Envy harms the envier in both this world and the next, by nullifying their good deeds and exposing them to the wrath of Allah ﷻ, especially if the envier acts upon that envy (i.e. actually performs an action that removes a blessing from the one they envy). It is among the greatest sicknesses of the heart. The one who feels envy should rather dislike it in their heart, and praise the person they envy, and pray for them. The evil eye of an envier can also affect the one envied; one can seek protection from this by regularly reciting the Ayat al-Kursi and last three surahs of the Qur’an (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, al-Nas) every morning and evening.
