How to overcome envy is one of the least-discussed struggles in Muslim life — and one of the most corrosive. Hasad harms its carrier far more than its target, and it can be cured.
We have written before about hasad — envy, and what Islam says about it. If you have not read it, start with Understanding Hasad: What Islam Says About Envy. Here we turn to the practical and hopeful question: how do you actually overcome envy, once you have recognised it in yourself? Because hasad is one of the least-discussed struggles in Muslim communities — it feels too shameful to admit — and yet it is among the most corrosive to the heart, and, importantly, it can be treated.
First, the precise definition, because the cure depends on it. Hasad is not simply admiring what someone has or wishing you had the like of it. In its classical definition, hasad is wishing that a blessing be removed from another person — a resentment of the good Allah ﷻ has given them. That is what makes it so serious: it is, at bottom, an objection to Allah’s ﷻ distribution, a displeasure with His decree. The Prophet ﷺ warned: “Beware of envy, for envy consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood.” (Abu Dawud 4903). It devours the envier’s own reward while leaving the envied person’s blessing untouched — which is precisely why hasad harms its carrier most.
Distinguish Hasad From Ghibtah
The first step in the cure is an essential distinction that lifts a great deal of unnecessary guilt. There is a permitted, even praiseworthy, form of aspiration the tradition calls ghibtah (sometimes called permissible envy): to see a blessing in someone and wish that Allah ﷻ would grant you the like of it, without wishing it removed from them. The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no envy except in two cases: a man whom Allah ﷻ has given wealth and he spends it rightly, and a man whom Allah ﷻ has given wisdom and he judges and teaches by it.” (Bukhari 73) — here the word for envy means this permitted aspiration. So the goal is not to stop admiring good in others or wanting good for yourself; that is healthy. The goal is to strip out the poisonous element: the wish that they lose it. Recognising that your feeling can be redirected from hasad (wanting them to lose it) to ghibtah (wanting Allah ﷻ to give you the like) is the first move of the cure.
The Cure, Step by Step
Recognise it and refuse to act on it. The involuntary pang of envy that arises in the chest is not itself the sin; what you do with it is. The Prophet ﷺ indicated that the arising of such feelings is human, but acting on them — harbouring the wish, speaking against the person, undermining them — is where hasad becomes destructive. The first act of the cure is to notice the feeling honestly, name it, and refuse to feed it or act on it. Left unfed, it weakens.
Make du‘a for the person you envy. This is the tradition’s most powerful and counter-intuitive remedy. Deliberately ask Allah ﷻ to bless and increase the very person you feel envy toward. It is nearly impossible to keep resenting someone’s blessing while sincerely praying for it to grow, and the act directly reverses the inner motion of hasad. The Prophet ﷺ taught that when you see something you admire in someone, you should ask Allah ﷻ to bless it for them (as with the evil eye), which both protects them and purifies your own heart.
Return to contentment with Allah’s ﷻ decree. At its root, hasad is displeasure with how Allah ﷻ has distributed His gifts. The cure at the root is qana‘ah (contentment) and trust: to believe that Allah ﷻ, in perfect wisdom, gives and withholds as is best, that another’s blessing takes nothing from your own share, and that your rizq is written and guaranteed. The one who truly rests in this stops competing with others’ portions, because they know their own is secure and measured by Allah ﷻ alone.
Count your own blessings deliberately. Hasad feeds on the upward comparison the Prophet ﷺ warned against; its antidote is the downward gaze and active gratitude he prescribed: “Look at those below you, and do not look at those above you” (Bukhari 6490). A heart busy being grateful for what it has has little room left to resent what others have. Naming your own gifts, especially the constant invisible ones, starves the envy of the comparison it lives on.
Why the Cure Is Worth the Effort
Overcoming hasad is not merely about avoiding a sin; it is about reclaiming your own peace and reward. The envier lives in a low, gnawing discontent, perpetually measuring their life against others and perpetually coming up short, their good deeds quietly burning away in the fire the Prophet ﷺ described. The one who conquers hasad is freed from all of that — free to be genuinely glad at others’ good fortune, which is itself a lightness and a joy; free from the exhausting comparison; and rewarded for the struggle against the nafs. The Prophet ﷺ described the believer’s heart as one that should be free of malice and rancour, and named freedom from hasad among the traits of the people of Paradise. To cure envy is, in a real sense, to acquire a piece of Paradise’s peace here and now — a heart that can look upon all the blessings Allah ﷻ has scattered among people and feel, instead of resentment, a settled gladness that He is generous.
Envy harms its carrier far more than its target — and it can be cured. Redirect the feeling from wishing others lose their blessing to wishing Allah ﷻ grant you the like; refuse to act on the pang; make du‘a for the very person you envy; return to contentment with Allah’s ﷻ decree; and count your own gifts until gratitude crowds the envy out. The reward is your own peace. For the foundation, return to the original article on hasad.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you overcome envy (hasad) in Islam?
Recognise the involuntary pang without acting on it; make du‘a for the very person you envy, which reverses the inner motion of hasad; return to contentment with Allah’s ﷻ decree, trusting your rizq is written; and count your own blessings, looking at those below you rather than above (Bukhari 6490). Also redirect the feeling into permissible aspiration — wishing Allah ﷻ grants you the like, without wishing others lose theirs.
What is the difference between hasad and permissible envy?
Hasad is wishing a blessing removed from someone — a resentment of Allah’s ﷻ gift to them. Ghibtah (permissible envy) is seeing a blessing and wishing Allah ﷻ grants you the like, without wishing it removed from them. The Prophet ﷺ permitted this in two cases: wealth spent rightly and wisdom taught by (Bukhari 73). Admiring good and wanting good for yourself is healthy; wanting others to lose theirs is the poison.
Is feeling envy a sin?
The involuntary pang of envy that arises in the chest is not itself the sin — it is human. What matters is what you do with it: harbouring the wish that someone lose their blessing, speaking against them, or undermining them is where hasad becomes destructive. The first act of the cure is to notice the feeling honestly and refuse to feed or act on it. Left unfed, it weakens and can be redirected.
Why is making dua for the person you envy the cure?
Because it directly reverses the inner motion of hasad. It is nearly impossible to keep resenting someone’s blessing while sincerely asking Allah ﷻ to increase it for them. The Prophet ﷺ taught asking Allah ﷻ to bless what you admire in someone, which both protects them and purifies your own heart. It is the tradition’s most powerful and counter-intuitive remedy for envy.
Why does envy harm the envier most?
Because it “consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood” (Abu Dawud 4903) — devouring the envier’s own reward while leaving the envied person’s blessing untouched. The envier lives in a gnawing discontent, perpetually comparing and coming up short. Curing hasad reclaims your peace and reward, freeing you to be genuinely glad at others’ good fortune — a lightness the tradition counts among the traits of the people of Paradise.