In The Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Compassionate
*Peace Upon the holy Prophet and his household

Foundation Of Disbelieve/Evil (Kufr)
There are three traits identified to be the root of all Evil that mankind commits.

First trait is Kibr, Pride/Arrogance. Seeing the truth but one denies due to level of pride whilst inside, one recognizes the Truth. This was the downfall of Shaytan (satan).

Second: Hir's - Greed and covetousness. To desire excessively due to inability of self-control. This leads to crossing the limits of God and moral standards.

Third: Hasad - Envy. This is one of the deep traits of kufr (disbelieve) for it leads to a lot of crimes. One of the first crimes committed by man on earth was instigated and motivated by Envy e.g Qabil (Qain) wishes to murder Habil (Abel), both sons of the same parents (Adam), out of jealousy and envy.

Scholars of Ethics opined that no human being is free from Envy, and that only the Prophets and Saints were able to free themselves from it.

ENVY: Definitions And Descriptions

* Envy is when one desires to get something that other person possess.

* When one considers what he possess to be inferior

* And then not happy with what he has and desires that others should lose what they have irrespective of whether you have it or not.

So long envy doesn't show itself in terms of action whereby one wishes to harm the other, possibly it is forgivable. However, the continous harboring of these evil intentions have the danger of slowly eaten up one's faith.

Teachings Of Other Faith On Envy
*HINDUISM, one of their holy text says: "Among valuable things a person may acquire none surpasses and excel the precious price of having a soul free from Envy towards all"

"Desires nothing if its in possession of others because all belongs (finally) to the Lord"

NB: This is what Qur'an emphasize by "Lau Mulk samawati wal Ar'dh - To Him belong the dominion of heavens and the earth"

Hinduist believe man can live for more than 100years when he frees himself from Envy since it will not eat up his health. Here man works with freedom without bondage and inner slavery to desire and covet what other possess.

JUDAISM, part of 10 commandment in the Torah is "Thou shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, servants or other possessions". This is desire in negative sense, for example, that he should not have it and one should have.

*CHRISTIANITY, Luke 12:15 says: "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.“
But indeed, the truth worth of man is his inner qualities (Imam 'Ali revealed).

If indeed, the first crime of man on earth was out of envy, there's no surprise that all the major faith warns about Envy.
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IN THE HOLY QUR'AN, the holy prophet (peace be on him and his household) has been instructed to seek (God's) protection from the evil of the envious when he envies ("min shari Hasidin idha Hasada" ~sura Falaq:5)

Also, in sura Nisa verse 54, the people of the Book when they saw the success of the holy Prophet (peace be on him and his household), they began to instigate the Polytheist against the Prophet and the muslims, telling the polytheist that their faith is better than what the Prophet preaches. Yet they knew the truth of the prophet's message but out of jealous, they commit this lowly behaviour. Qur'an condemned this thus:
"Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His grace?..."

ROOT OF ENVY - this ayah (verse) above^ highlighted the root of envy which is a protest and a complaint to God as FAULTY REASONING.

Classical Examples In The Qur'an
*Sura al-Maidah: 27 - 30 #Story Of the Two sons of Adam, reads:
"And (O Muhammad) recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam [Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain)] in truth; when each offered a sacrifice (to Allah), it was accepted from the one but not from the other. The latter said to the former: "I will surely kill you." The former said: "Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are pious."

"If you do stretch your hand against me to kill me, I shall never stretch my hand against you to kill you, for I fear Allah; the Lord of the universe."

"Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours, then you will be one of the dwellers of the Fire, and that is the recompense of the wrong-doers."

So the Nafs (self) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made fair-seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers."

Observe the one whose sacrifice was not accepted did not realize that Allah only accepts based on pure heart and devoteness (irrespective on the nature and quantity of the sacrifice). He was not able to see his own shortcomings rather he was moved by jealousy of the acceptance of his brother's sacrifice, and it (the Enviness) led him to commit Evil (murder).

*Sura Yusuf:8-9 #Story Of Yusuf and his brothers, reads:
"When they said: "Truly, Yusuf (Joseph) and his brother (Benjamin) are loved more by our father than we, but we are 'Usbah (a strong group). Really, our father is in a plain error.

"Kill Yusuf (Joseph) or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the favour of your father may be given to you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk."

Observe these half brothers of Yusuf failed to grasp what inner qualities made their father to love Yusuf and his brother more than themselves. Rather, they only envy the affections their father showed toward Yusuf; then, they desired and decided evil against which they eventually carried out.

Effect Of Hasad

* Personal Effect: A person who engage in Envy suffers: "if you want to regain the health of your heart, reduce the Envy it harbors" because envy eats up from inside. "One of the most spiritual illness with more devastating physical manifestation is Envy"~Imam 'Ali says in quotes.

* Social Effect: Many crimes are committed by the instigation of Envy.

* Economic Effect: Instead of devoting time and effort to develop (physically, mentally, socially etc), the time is being spent to plan, plot and bring down somebody else.

* Spiritual Effect: Example of this is highlighted by the noble Prophet (peace unto him and his household) as a burning fire eating up dry wood when he says:
"As fire eats up wood so is Envy eats up faith slowly" - moment by moment, intention by intention, action by action until it builds up. Enviness hinder spiritual development.
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Imam Jafar sadiq (peace be on him) narrated from the holy Prophet (peace be unto him and his household) that Allah revealed to Prophet Musa (peace be on him) thus:

"O son of Imran, do not harbor Jealousy...and do not covet with greed towards what I have given others...and do not labor and burden your soul with the weight of Envy...because an Envier does not happy with my distributions (and Me, the Distributor)...and indeed, I distribute based on wisdom, love, justice and hardworking but an Envier doesn't accept this principles of distribution"

CURE OF ENVY
One of the most difficult spiritual illness to cure is Envy because of the following reasons:

I. It eats up gradually and embedded itself firmly that it will be difficult to uproot.

2. Because of the reason (1), it takes a longer time to cure

3. Sometimes there's Gafla (hidden): it hide itself from our notice.

4. If the person has pride before envy joins, the former blinds him totally from realizing envy. Here one needs a mentor, a spiritual guide that will help identify.

Following are the steps to cure Envy as proposed by Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) in Misbau Sharia:

FIRST: Awareness
The Envier needs to be aware of the damage he is inflicting upon himself before the effect even take upon his victim.

Imam 'Ali describe an Envier in his so-called state of Ibaadat (worship) or 'normal' life:
"All the time his thoughts are occupied, his heart is somewhere else; and he's in state of constant grief and sorrow". Here, Imam concluded that the Envier suffer more than his victim.

Another riwayat says One of the instant earthly punishment before Bar'zakh (purgatory) is that of the self-inflict punishment of the Envier. "Hasad (Envy) kills perpetrator before it kills the victim". An envier suffers series of illness, and die due to this even, sometimes, before his victim dies.

So One Needs To Remind Himself Its a Foolish Activity To Engage In Envy

SECOND: Imam said "Strive to be the object of envy and do not be the actor". Here Imam cited the case of Iblis and Adam. Adam was the victim of Iblis evil acts due to pride and enviness but at the end the victim became elevated and the actor/agent became demoted.

THIRD: Imam said "Remember the scale of the envier is going to be light on the day of Judgment"[/u] because Envy would have eaten up all of his good deeds.

FOURTH: Imam said: "Remembrance and Satisfaction of Allah's decree of Rizq (sustenance)".

The summary of this, is in Du'a No. 35 of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir documented in Sahifat Sajadiyyah. It reads:
"Praise belongs to God in satisfaction with God's decision!

I bear witness that God has apportioned the livelihoods of His servants with justice
and undertaken bounty for all His creatures.

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, tempt me not with what Thou hast given to Thy creatures and tempt them not with what Thou hast withheld from me, lest I envy Thy creatures and despise Thy decision!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, delight my soul through Thy decree, expand my breast through the instances of Thy decision, give to me a trust through which I may admit that Thy decree runs only to the best, and let my gratitude to Thee for what Thou hast taken away from me be more abundant than my gratitude to Thee for what Thou hast conferred upon me!

Preserve me from imagining any meanness in someone who is destitute or imagining any superiority in someone who possesses wealth, for the noble is he whom obedience to Thee has ennobled and the exalted is he
whom worship of Thee has exalted!

So bless Muhammad and his Household,
give us to enjoy a wealth which does not run out, confirm us with an exaltation which will never be lost, and let us roam freely in the kingdom of everlastingness!

Surely Thou art the One, the Unique,
the Eternal Refuge; Thou hast not begotten,
nor hast Thou been begotten, and equal to Thee is not any one."

Indeed, the text and theme of this du'a is the reflection of the Qur'an, for example, in sura Yunus:107, Allah says:
"And if Allah touches you with hurt, there is NONE who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is none who can repel His Favour which He causes it to reach whomsoever of His slaves He will. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

With the believe of this noble Ayah, then, what's and why engaging in Envy?

Peace and Blessings Be Upon Muhammad and his Household.

MashaAllah! Juma'at Mubarak to you all..

Jumah Mubarak To all My fellow Muslims

Allahu

Masha'llah may allah grant the op goodness and mercy....jumah mubarak

the Quran and hadith's are the best of guidance. mashaallah

Jazakumullahu khairan. This is a big wake-up called to not only the Muslims But also the whole of mankind. Jumah Mubarak.

Oblige

If Your Problem Is Islam Then Your
Problem Has Been In Existance Before
You Were Born, Is Spreading While You
Are Alive And Will Continue After You Die I Pity Your Condition.

Nice write up. jumaat karim!

May Allah reward you abundantly @OP. It has been a perpetual act of human being to envy others success. Just the OP has highlighted, the best way is to seek Allah's refuge from the spirit of envy.
To all Muslim brothers and sisters, the OP mentioned awareness. Let the wrong doer knows that what he/she doing is wrong. Call their attention to it. Awareness is helpful too.

Occurstaem:
May Allah reward you abundantly @OP. It has been a perpetual act of human being to envy others success. Just the OP has highlighted, the best way is to seek Allah's refuge from the spirit of envy.
To all Muslim brothers and sisters, the OP mentioned awareness. Let the wrong doer knows that what he/she doing is wrong. Call their attention to it. Awareness is helpful too.

What an excellent summary. Jazak'Allahu Khairan.