The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (Part 21)
C: Solutions to prevent envy
There are two ways to prevent envy:
The first solution: Reminding the sanctity of envy
Humans are always forgetful; how could they not be, when our father Adam, peace be upon him, also forgot before us? Allah Almighty says:“وَلَقَدْعَهِدْنَاإِلَىآدَمَمِنقَبْلُفَنَسِيَوَلَمْنَجِدْلَهُعَزْماً“Translation: “We commanded Adam (not to eat of the forbidden tree); but he disobeyed and (ate of it), and in the beginning We did not find in him any determination or firm will.”[1]
We can compensate for what forgetfulness takes from us by remembering. In the case of envy, a Muslim may not realize it; Because it is an act of the heart, therefore, it is obligatory on the preachers to remind themselves and other members of the Islamic community of the harms of envy and to clarify its prohibition to them, because envy is one of the prohibitions of the heart that most people do not realize.
In this regard, repeating the Quranic verses and Prophetic hadiths that indicate the prohibition of envy is very useful so that this religious ruling takes root in the soul of the listener and he seeks to avoid envy and abandons it. Among the Quranic verses that express the prohibition of envy and whose repetition is useful in this case, we can mention this verse:“وَذَرُواْظَاهِرَالإِثْمِوَبَاطِنَهُإِنَّالَّذِينَيَكْسِبُونَالإِثْمَسَيُجْزَوْنَبِمَاكَانُواْيَقْتَرِفُونَ“Translation: “Abandon open sins and hidden sins (and do not commit them in any way). Indeed, those who pursue sin will soon be punished for their sins.”[2]
“Open sin” refers to the actions of the limbs (body parts) and “hidden sin” refers to the actions of the heart, such as false intentions, arrogance, and envy.[3]
The preachers also need to explain to the people that envy was one of the characteristics of the Jews that caused them to deny the prophet hood of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The reason for this is stated in the words of Allah the Exalted:“أَمْيَحْسُدُونَالنَّاسَعَلَىمَاآتَاهُمُاللّهُمِنفَضْلِهِفَقَدْآتَيْنَاآلَإِبْرَاهِيمَالْكِتَابَوَالْحِكْمَةَوَآتَيْنَاهُممُّلْكاًعَظِيماً“Translation: “Do they envy people for what Allah has given them out of His bounty and mercy? We gave the family of Ibrahim (who is your ancestor and theirs) the Book and prophet hood and a great kingdom.” [Such as: the reign of Joseph in Egypt, and the reign of David and Solomon in Syria]”.[4]
Therefore, it is obligatory for a Muslim not to adopt any of the Jewish morals so as not to become like them.
The second solution: Deep and correct faith
Deep, correct and sincere faith is one of the ways to prevent envy and eliminate it; because these two are opposites of each other, faith is like purifying water that when poured on something contaminated, it eliminates its contamination, in such a way that faith causes a person not to object to Allah’s decree, power, forgiveness and prohibition, and not to object to Allah’s justice in distributing His blessings to His servants, because this objection contradicts the truth of faith, even if it is disguised as envy. For this reason, it is not possible to imagine the combination of correct faith and envy simultaneously in the heart of a Muslim; therefore, deepening faith in the heart of a Muslim and remembering its meanings and requirements are among the most important ways to prevent envy.[5]
The Tenth Teaching: A Muslim Gains Knowledge and Awareness from Everything Around Him
A Muslim is obligated to acquire useful knowledge, no matter what its source, as long as it does not contradict the religion of Islam. We learn this lesson from the story of the crow and Cain: Cain, whom Allah had endowed with intellectual abilities that no other animal or predator had, was unable to cover up his brother’s ugliness like the crow. He learned this from the crow and acted like the crow; he did this with humility and without any objection.
Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) also (despite all the knowledge he was given) did not hesitate to learn from the raven about something that the hoopoe knew and he did not know; Even the hoopoe, despite his lowliness, responded to Solomon (peace be upon him) with the confidence of his knowledge and said: “أَحَطتُبِمَالَمْتُحِطْبِهِ“Translation: “I have become aware of something that you are not aware of.”[6]Without fearing his threat.
Therefore, it is obligatory for a Muslim to seek knowledge and awareness and extract wisdom from everything around him, from animals, plants or inanimate objects. The universe is an open book that anyone who knows how to read it can benefit from, and he should not refuse to learn from someone who is lower than him in terms of creation or status. Pride and ignorance should not take hold of him and he should refuse to learn for any reason, so that he will not be among the regretful.
The Eleventh Teaching: The Wisdom of the Father and Its Effect on Leading the Family
The guidance of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) to his two sons to turn to arbitration and offer a sacrifice to Allah Almighty was a guidance towards the arbitration of truth and away from the desires of the soul and inner desires. Although it was not able to control Cain’s stubbornness and prevent his crime, it bore its good fruits in Abel, so that he developed a position of faith and reason, psychological balance, and distance from sensual desires and satanic temptations.
It also seems that the rest of the family members of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) also adhered to this way of behavior, because the Holy Quran has not mentioned any other case other than Cain’s disobedience.
The Twelfth Teaching: The family is a small model of society, and conflict and selfishness are expected from its members.
It is necessary for the head of the family to foresee the occurrence of conflict and selfishness among his children, whether during his lifetime or after his death. If this happened in the families of the prophets, peace be upon them, then its occurrence in other families is more likely all the more.
Therefore, it is necessary for the head of the family to monitor the behavior of his children from childhood, to assess their morals, and to strive to educate and refine them; because although this does not remove the roots of evil from the souls; but it reduces its effects, and although it does not prevent the occurrence of crime, it reduces its effects. What could have happened if Abel had also responded to provocations and retaliated?
Undoubtedly, the situation was getting worse and perhaps this was the beginning of a destructive spark that would destroy the entire family and even spread beyond it to others, as is observed in societies that do not have a proper faith upbringing, these societies turn to ignorant concepts or prejudices and as a result, revenge, superiority, hatred and arrogance prevail, how many innocent lives became victims of revenge and how many stable families were torn apart by hatred and jealousy, cutting off ties of kinship and communication and ruining happy and peaceful lives.
