Envy & comparison
When someone else has what you wanted
44 verified supplications · 38 written out in full
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن …
When you feel someone's ill will
Revealed as a refuge, and it names the envier by name.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَـٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ …
When you cannot shake a bad feeling
The last sūrah of the Qur'an, a refuge from what is whispered into the c
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالتُّقَى وَالْعَفَافَ وَالْغِنَى
The four things worth asking for
Guidance, God-consciousness, restraint, and enough. The Prophet ﷺ asked
اللَّهُمَّ ارْزُقْ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ قُوتًا
Asking for enough, not for more
The Prophet ﷺ asked for his family to be given food that suffices, and n
وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ …
When you cannot stop looking at what others have
A direct instruction about where not to let your eyes settle.
أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ …
When faith has turned out to be harder than expected
A question put at the start of a sūrah.
وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُۥ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ ثُمَّ يُجْزَىٰهُ …
When you are comparing your results to someone else's
What a person is credited with, stated plainly.
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ …
A description of what you are working so hard for
Five words for this life, in order.
وَلَا تَتَمَنَّوْا۟ مَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ …
When you want what someone else was given
An instruction about wishing, followed by what to do instead.
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِى كَبَدٍ
When you thought life was supposed to be easier
A single verse about the design.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن …
Before you pass on what you heard
Revealed about a report that nearly caused a war between two groups.
أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ ۚ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى …
When someone else got what you were qualified for
A statement about who is doing the distributing.
اسْتَعِيذُوا بِاللَّهِ فَإِنَّ الْعَيْنَ حَقٌّ
On the evil eye, said plainly
Four words from Aisha's narration, and an instruction attached.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ …
Before you assume the worst of someone
Three things forbidden in sequence, and they escalate.
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ …
Where wealth and children actually sit
Named as adornment, and then set against something else.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَـٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ …
On rating yourself
A short prohibition with a reason after it.
وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا ۖ فَٱسْتَبِقُوا۟ ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ ۚ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُوا۟ …
On competing, and what to compete for
An instruction that redirects the impulse rather than removing it.
سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ …
What to compete over
The width of what is being offered is given as a measurement.
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ …
On repeating what you have not checked
Three faculties named as being answerable.
لا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ
A condition placed on belief itself
Short, and phrased as an exclusion.
لَيْسَ الْغِنَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعَرَضِ، وَلَكِنَّ الْغِنَى غِنَى النَّفْسِ
What being rich actually means
A correction about where wealth is located.
انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ وَلاَ تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكُمْ فَهُوَ …
Which direction to compare in
A practical instruction about where to look.
الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ …
Concealing a fault instead of exposing it
Attached to the same promise as relieving distress.
لاَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ، رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ …
Two cases where wanting what someone has is allowed
An exception carved out of a prohibition.
تَقُولُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، حَتَّى يَكُونَ مِنْهُنَّ …
Poor Companions worried the rich would outpace them
They came complaining that wealth bought extra worship.
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَنَا أَغْنَى الشُّرَكَاءِ عَنِ الشِّرْكِ مَنْ عَمِلَ …
What is said about work done for two audiences
Allah describes Himself as the least in need of a partner.
أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌۢ بِقَدَرِهَا فَٱحْتَمَلَ ٱلسَّيْلُ …
An image for what stays and what goes
Foam rises to the top and is carried away.
إِنَّمَا بَقَاؤُكُمْ فِيمَا سَلَفَ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنَ الأُمَمِ، كَمَا بَيْنَ صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ …
A complaint made by earlier generations
Those who came before will object that the later ones did less.
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَ هَذَا
A mother's prayer against her own son
She was in the middle of praying when she saw him admired.
اللَّهُمَّ أَمْضِ لأَصْحَابِي هِجْرَتَهُمْ، وَلاَ تَرُدَّهُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ
What Saʿd was afraid of while he was dying
He was ill in Makkah, the city he had left.
قَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ آيَاتٍ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ
What he said had just been sent down
ʿUqbah reports it as an announcement.
أَسْأَلُكَ فِي سَفَرِي هَذَا مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا تَرْضَى …
What he asked for on the road besides safety
Two of the four requests are about character.
يَا سَعْدُ، إِنِّي لأُعْطِي الرَّجُلَ وَغَيْرُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْهُ، خَشْيَةَ أَنْ …
Why he gave to the person he thought less of
Saʿd pressed him about it three times.
لاَ تَبَاغَضُوا، وَلاَ تَحَاسَدُوا، وَلاَ تَدَابَرُوا، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا …
Four instructions in a row, all of them negative
Then one that is not.
إِذَا نَظَرَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى مَنْ فُضِّلَ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْمَالِ وَالْخَلْقِ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ …
A one line instruction for envy
It names both things people compare.
إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ، وَلاَ تَجَسَّسُوا، وَلاَ …
What he named as the least reliable speech there is
Four prohibitions, then one instruction.
لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تَسْأَلُ طَلاَقَ أُخْتِهَا لِتَسْتَفْرِغَ صَحْفَتَهَا، فَإِنَّمَا …
What a woman may not ask for
The reason given closes the whole question.
أَوَفِي هَذَا أَنْتَ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، إِنَّ أُولَئِكَ قَوْمٌ عُجِّلُوا طَيِّبَاتِهِمْ …
What Umar was told about the mattress
He had wept at the mark it left on his side.
From the wider collections
Each of these passed the same grading rule. They are shown with the source narration rather than a written-out translation.
رَبِّي أَعَانَنِي عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى أَسْلَمَ
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 7110 · Characteristics of the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hell
لاَ تَحَاسَدُوا وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا وَلاَ تَجَسَّسُوا وَلاَ تَحَسَّسُوا وَلاَ تَنَاجَشُوا …
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 6538 · The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of K
لاَ تَقَاطَعُوا وَلاَ تَدَابَرُوا وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا وَلاَ تَحَاسَدُوا وَكُونُوا إِخْوَانًا …
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 6539 · The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of K
لاَ تَحَاسَدُوا وَلاَ تَنَاجَشُوا وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا وَلاَ تَدَابَرُوا وَلاَ يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ …
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 6541 · The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of K
أَوْ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ تَتَنَافَسُونَ ثُمَّ تَتَحَاسَدُونَ ثُمَّ تَتَدَابَرُونَ ثُمَّ …
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 7427 · The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts
دَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ دَاءُ الأُمَمِ قَبْلَكُمُ الْحَسَدُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ هِيَ الْحَالِقَةُ لاَ …
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2510 · Chapters on the description of the Day of Judgement, Ar-Riqaq, and Al-Wa