What is hasad (envy), and how do I deal with it?

What hasad actually is

The Permanent Committee defines it as wishing the removal of a blessing Allah has bestowed on the one envied. Ibn Taymiyyah, as reported by Ibn Uthaymeen, went further: hasad is simply disliking that Allah has favoured someone else, whether or not you wish the blessing to disappear. That second definition is broader, and it catches what most people feel but would not call envy.

The scholars distinguish hasad from ghibtah (enviable aspiration). Ghibtah is wishing you had the like of what another has, without wishing it removed from him. This is not hasad at all — the Permanent Committee calls it permissible. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"There is no hasad except in two: a man whom Allah has given wisdom, and he judges by it and teaches it; and a man whom Allah has given wealth, and he spends it in the truth."— Sahih al-Bukhari 73, from Ibn Mas'ud

The scholars explain that "hasad" here means ghibtah — the desire to compete in good, not to tear another down.

The levels of hasad

The Permanent Committee and IslamWeb set out the degrees, from worst to permitted:

• Wishing the blessing gone, even if it does not come to you: this is the most vile, and it is pure hasad.
• Wishing it gone so that it transfers to you: also blameworthy, because the wish is for the other's loss.
• Wishing you had the like, and if you cannot, wishing it gone so no difference shows: partly blameworthy, partly not.
• Wishing you had the like, and not wishing it gone if you do not get it: this is ghibtah — permitted in worldly matters, and recommended in religious ones.

Why it is forbidden

The scholars give several reasons, and they are worth holding onto because they are also the cure.

• It is a major sin. Ibn Uthaymeen states plainly that hasad is among the major sins and a trait of the Jews, citing the verse about those who envy people for what Allah has given them.
• It is an objection to Allah's decree. The envier dislikes what Allah has apportioned, which is a protest against His wisdom and His division of provision.
• It consumes good deeds. A narration warns of this, though its chain is weak:

"Beware of hasad, for it devours good deeds as fire devours firewood."— Sunan Abi Dawud 4903, from Abu Hurayrah (graded weak)

The sound texts confirm the substance: whoever wrongs others will have his good deeds taken from him in recompense (Sahih al-Bukhari 2449).

• It harms the envier, not the envied. Ibn Baz explains that the envier harms himself first — through anxiety, grief and distress at Allah's blessings on others — while the one envied loses nothing. The blessing does not disappear because someone resents it.
• It signals weak faith. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."— Sahih al-Bukhari 13, from Anas ibn Malik

Ibn Uthaymeen notes that this negates the completeness of faith, not faith itself.

The cure

The scholars give a clear, practical treatment. Ibn Uthaymeen reduces it to two steps, and IslamWeb adds a third that is harder but decisive.

1. Turn away from it completely. Do not dwell on the blessing or the person. Occupy yourself with what concerns you in your own life.
2. Reflect on its harms. Thinking carefully about what hasad does to you — the anxiety, the protest against Allah, the loss of good deeds — produces a natural aversion to it. Ibn Uthaymeen suggests you compare: which is better, to wish good for others and be at peace with what Allah gave them, or to track Allah's blessings on others and live in burning resentment?
3. Do the opposite of what hasad demands. IslamWeb describes this as the effective remedy: humble yourself before the one you envy, praise him, and show joy at the blessing he has. This is bitter medicine, but the benefit is in the bitterness. It restores affection between hearts and frees you from the pain of envy.

Ibn Baz adds a crucial limit: if envy rises in your heart involuntarily, do not act on it. Do not speak or act in a way that harms the one envied. Repent, turn back from what is in your heart, and do not let it become wrongdoing. He notes that some people do not stop at the feeling but actively try to remove the blessing — through words, through trying to get someone removed from a job, through harm to body or religion. That is hasad combined with injustice, and it is worse.

If someone envies you

Ibn Baz addresses this directly: the envier's hasad does not harm you unless he acts on it. If he does act — slander, lies, trying to have you removed from a position — then you defend yourself and remove the harm he has caused. The blessing remains; his resentment changes nothing of Allah's decree.

Key takeaways

• Hasad is forbidden and is defined as disliking that Allah has favoured another, or wishing that favour removed.
• Ghibtah is not hasad — wishing for the like of another's good without wanting it taken from him is permitted, and in religious matters it is encouraged.
• The envier harms himself most: he gains sins, protests Allah's decree, and lives in constant grief while the blessing he resents remains untouched.
• The cure is twofold: turn away from the feeling and reflect on its harms, then do the opposite of what it demands — humble yourself, praise the one you envy, and show joy at his blessing.
• Feeling envy involuntarily is not the sin; acting on it is. Repent, restrain yourself, and do not harm the one envied.

Further reading

• Ibn Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyad al-Salihin, "Bab Tahrim al-Hasad"
• Ibn Uthaymeen, Fatawa Nur 'ala al-Darb
• Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Kitab al-Kaba'ir, "Bab al-Hasad"

And Allah knows best.