Part 12

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Many of the People of the Book wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their own selves even after the truth has become clear to them. But forgive and overlook until Allah brings about His Command.

[Sarah al-Bagarah (2):109]

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Indeed Yusuf, (‘a/ayhis salam) was tried by the jealousy of his brothers:

So they were envied due to their father favouring them over the rest of the brothers, which is why Ya‘qub said to Yusuf,

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O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Indeed! Satan is an open enemy to man!

[Sarah Yusuf (12):5]

They went on to oppress him by discussing his murder and throwing him in the well, and his being sold as a slave by the ones who took him to the land of the disbelievers, and his subsequently being owned by these disbelieving people. Then after being oppressed, Yusuf was tried by the one who invited him to an indecent deed and attempted to seduce him, and she sought aid from anyone who would help her in this but he was preserved from this. Instead he chose to be imprisoned rather than perform this indecent deed, preferring the punishment of this world rather than the Displeasure of Allah (in the Heteafter).

Hence he was oppressed by the one who desired him due to her base desires and her corrupt objective. So this love with which she desired him arose as a result of. her succumbing to the vain desires of her heart, and its happiness or sadness lay in his accepting or rejecting the temptation. He was also oppressed by those who hated him with a hatred that led to his being thrown in the well, then his becoming captive and owned without his choice, therefore these people removed him from the absolute freedom that he enjoyed to becoming forced into slavery to the false worshippers. This forced him to seek refuge in the prison

[2.6 Blameworthy Jealousy]

out of his own free will, thereby making his trial greater.

His patience on this occasion arose out of his own volition coupled with his fear of Allah, thus differing from his patience at their oppression, which was having patience at the onset of calamities, and if one were not to be patient at the likes of these then he would take to the way of mere animals.

This second type of patience, arising from one’s free will, is the more excellent of the two. This is why Allah said,

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Indeed he who fears Allah, and is patient, then surely Allah makes not the reward of the doers of good to be lost.

[Surah Yusuf (12):90}

Likewise when the believer is harmed due to his faith; and disbelief, transgression and disobedience is sought from him - and if he were not to accept this then he would be harmed and punished - then he should choose this harm and punishment over renegading from his religion - even if it results in imprisonment or banishment from his land - just as was done by the Mubajirin in their choosing to leave their settlements rather

than leave their religion for which they were harmed and punished.

The Prophet (3%) was harmed in a number of different ways but he was patient through-out this with a patience that arose out of his own volition, and indeed he was harmed in this way only that he may do what he did out of his own choice. So this patience of his was greater than the patience of Yusuf, for only

an indecent action was sought from Yusuf, and he was only punished by imprisonment when he did not comply. But disbelief was sought from the Prophet (g) and his Companions, and when they did not do this - then they were punished by being slaughtered and other such harms - the least of which was imprisonment, for the polytheists imprisoned him and Bani Hashim for a time in a mountain pass. Then when Abii Talib died they became mote severe against him, and when the Amsdar gave him the pledge of the allegiance and when the polytheists came to know of this they tried to prevent him from leaving (for Madinah) and tried to detain him and his Companions. Then all of them emigrated secretly except for ‘Umar bin al-Khattab and those like him.

So what befell the believers came about as a result of their choosing obedience to Allah and His Messenger and it was not from the afflictions that occur without the servant’s choice of the type that Yasuf was tried with, and neither of the type of his being separated from his father. So this patience endured by the believers was the nobler of the two types of patience, and its possessots are greater with respect to ranking, This, even though the one who is tried without his will shall be rewarded for his patience and his contentment with the decree of Allah, and his sins will be expiated. As for the person who is tried and harmed for choosing obedience to Allah, then he will be rewarded for the actual trial and it shall be written as a righteous action for him. Allah, the Most High, said,

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/2.6 Blameworthy Jealousy]

That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger in the Cause of Allah, nor do they take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but it is written to their credit as a righteous deed. Indeed Allah wastes not the reward of the doers of good.

[Sarah at-Tawbah (9):120]

This contrasting with the case of the one who is tried without his choice, such as being sick, or death, or a thief stealing from him - this person shall be rewarded for his patience only, not for the actual trial itself and what results from it. As for those who are harmed due to their faith in Allah and obedience to Him and His Messenger, and as a result of this they are in pain, or are sick, or are imprisoned, or are forced to leave their land, or their property and family is taken from them, or are beaten and abused, or their position and wealth is diminished, then in this they are upon the way of the Prophets and those that followed them such as the Muhajirin.

So these people shall be rewarded for what has harmed them, and a righteous action shall be written for them due to it just as the mujahid shall be rewarded for the hunger, thirst and fatigue that afflicts him, and for enraging the disbelievers even if these effects are not something he has physically set out to do, but they are resultant from his action (of performing jihad) that he has chosen to do. The people have differed over this: can it be said that these resultant effects are actions of the actor of the reason for these effects, or are they Actions of Allah, or is there no actor fot them ? What is correct is that they are shared between the actor of the reason and the (Actor of the) totality of the reasons, and this is why a righteous action is written for him.

The purpose behind this discussion is that jealousy is one of the sicknesses of the soul, and it is an illness that afflicts the generality of mankind and only a few are secure from it. This is why it is said:

The body is never free from jealousy, but debasement brings it out, and nobility hides it.

It was said to al-Hasan al-Basti,

‘Can a believer be envied?’ He replied, “What has made you forget Yusuf and his brothers, have you no father?’ But you should keep (this envy should it occur) blinded in your heart, for you cannot be harmed by that which you did not act upon in speech or action.’

[2.7 The Cure for Jealousy]

So the one who finds that he harbours jealousy in his soul towards someone else, then it is upon him to treat it with patience and éaqud of Allah, and dislike it being in his soul. Many religious people do not take a stance against the one who is envied and neither do they help the one who would oppress him, but neither do they establish what is obligatory with respect to his rights. Rather when someone censures the one who is envied they do not agree with or aid him in the censure but neither do they mention his praiseworthy qualities. Likewise if someone were to ptaise him they remain silent. So these people are responsible for their leaving what is commanded with tespect to the rights of the envied, and they have exceeded the proper bounds in this even though they may not have taken a stance against him. The reward of these people is that their rights in turn will be neglected and on some occasions they will not be

[2.7 The Cure for Jealousy]

treated fairly, and neither will they be helped against the one who oppresses them, just as they did not aid the envied who was oppressed. As for the one who actually takes a stance against the envied, either with words or actions then he will be punished for this, and the one who fears Allah and is patient and does not become one of the oppressors - Allah will benefit him for his taqwa.

[2.8 The Causes for Jealousy]

This is what occurred with Zaynab bint Jahsh (radiyAllahu ‘anha) for she used to be one who would vie with ‘A’ishah from the wives of the Prophet (:). The jealousy displayed by some women to others is great, and is especially true of those who ate married to one husband. The woman will go to great extents to get her allotted time from him for sometimes some of her allotted time will be missed due to his sharing with other wives. This jealousy commonly occurs amongst those that share authority or property” in the case when some of them take a share from it and others are left with none. It also occurs between those that debate, due to their hatred that their opponent gets the better of them, such as the jealousy of the brothers of Yasuf, or the jealousy of the two sons of Adam one to the other for in this case the brother was envied by the other due to Allah accepting his sacrifice and not the other’s, this leading to his mutder. Also, the jealousy displayed towards the Muslims by the Jews. It was said,