Two Things For Which Jealousy Is Permissible

From Ibnu Umar r.a narrates that Rasullullah s.a.w said ; “Hasad (jealousy) is not permitted except in respect of two person – one whom Allah blesses with recitation of Quran and he remains engaged in it day and night, and the others who is a lot of wealth by Allah and he spends it day and night”

On the authority of many ayat of the Quran and numerous hadith, hasad is an evil and is absolutely forbidden. This hadith, however, appears to permit hasad in respect of two person. Because there are many well know traditions dealing with hasad, the ulama (plural of alim – religious scholar) have interpreted this hadith in two ways. Firstly, hasad as denoted by arabic word (ghibtah), is taken here in the sense of emulation. There is a difference between jealousy and emulation. Hasad is desire that one possessing a blessing should be deprived of it; whether the person who feels jealous acquires it or not, while emulation signifies a desire to possess a thing, whether the actual owner is deprived of it or not. Since hasad is haram (religiously unlawful) under ijma (consensus of opinion), the ulama (Islamic religious scholar) have translated, by way of metaphor, this word hasad as ghibtah, meaning emulation. Ghibtah is permissible in worldly affairs and commendable in religious matters.

The second interpretation is that the term hasad has been used in a hypothetical sense, i.e., if hasad has were permissible it would have been so with regard to the two persons mentioned above.


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