Cucak-rowo, the Straw-headed Bulbul, came forward, cleared his throat, looked around, then reciting verses,Afterwards, shama' said, "O my brothers and sisters, we have a guest star, a friend I've been inviting for a long time, and finally, he comes. Without hassle, we invite him to come forward!"أعوذُ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
قُلۡ اَعُوۡذُ بِرَبِّ الۡفَلَقِۙ
مِنۡ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَۙ
وَمِنۡ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ اِذَا وَقَبَۙ
وَمِنۡ شَرِّ النَّفّٰثٰتِ فِى الۡعُقَدِۙ
وَمِنۡ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ اِذَا حَسَدَ“I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Shaitan
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Say, 'I seek refuge in the Rabb of daybreak
From the evil of that which He created
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
And from the evil of the blowers in knots
And from the evil of an envier when he envies.'"
[QS. Al-Falaq (113):1-5]
Boisterous applause from the birds was heard. Then, a creature appeared. The birds were in shock. They had seen something that had never been witnessed before. Strong, compact bodies and powerful forelegs, teeth and jaws, with yellow-gold coat. He stood at 4 feet tall at the shoulder, about 10 feet length and have a 3 foot tail, weigh about 550 pounds, soo big.
A few moments later, a little bird, finch, exclaimed, "It's a lion!" Another bird, too, commented, "Watch out, he will eat us!" Parakeet, yelled, "Hey, he shouldn't be here!" Boisterous comments from the birds, until a voice rumbled, "Roooaarrr!" The lion roared.
Afer that one roar, there was nothing but silence. That's the dominion, it's depend on what you want it to do. The lion then greeted, "Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!" Like it or not, for a servant of Allah, a salaam, must be welcomed, so the birds welcomed with, "Waalaykumussalaam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!"
Following the moment of silence, calmly, the Lion continued, "Verily, all praises are due to Allah. We seek His aid and we seek his forgiveness. We seek refuge with Him from the evil of our souls and the evil of our the evil of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, there is none who can mislead him. And, whomever Allah allows to go astray, there is none who can guide him. I bear witness, that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness, that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is His servant and messenger.
Truly, by Allah's will, I was born as a lion. Humans have made me as a symbol of power. However, even though I was born with a strong body and great strength, I just do what Allah wants me to do. In fact, you, the birds, are my mandate to be protected, not to oppress. I was destined by Allah to only eat raging bull, pig, snake, alligator, and all that represent anger and greed. And those of you who said I shouldn't be here, you are mistaken, I should've been here, standing in front of you, protecting you, what amazing tiny creatures with lovely, colorful, adorable feathers.
I admit, sometimes, there are some of you, whose behavior is annoying, even among you who also don't like this kind of behavior, however, it doesn't mean you all should be punished, or treated like prisoners, suspected of being radicals or terrorists. Instead, you should be protected and listened to. Your chirp is the most beautiful voice.
Know O my brothers and sisters! I'm not always be a symbol of something good, but also a symbol of badness, pride. Your strength will become your weakness. And do you know, that pride, belittles love. It will spoil your heart, and will give birth to hasad. Pride is one of the qualities of anger. Anger produces Hasad. When anger is suppressed or concealed because a person cannot vent his anger immediately, it goes deeper within the self, pooling together until it becomes Hasad. The heart will always hate the person and this is called malice or hatred. Such hatred produces Hasad.
The human being's first exposure to this effusion of hatred and resentment, was as a target of an evil creature’s hostility. Allah’s creation of Adam,عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, raised the ire of his and ours most devious and formidable enemy. Able to enter and move about the heart and soul of his adversaries, able to deceive them from nearly all directions, Iblis, sought to destroy our father,عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, by tricking him and his wife into obeying his every whisper that would lead to their destruction and humiliation. However, Allah thwarted Iblis’s plan; instead of punishing and humiliating them as Iblis had so hoped. Allah guided and forgave our father.
When Allah created Adam,عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, He, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, endowed him with the gift of knowing the names of things and honored him over all of creation. He then commanded the angels to bow before Adam,عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, as an outward expression of admiration and respect. Compliant, the angels hastened to obey their Rabb and bowed before Adam - except Iblis. Due to his arrogance and misguided reasoning, Iblis, who was in the company of the angles, refused to obey Allah. Believing himself superior to the one Allah had created with His own hand, Iblis did not bow before Adam.
An enemy to Allah, Iblis, deep-seated hostility for Adam and his wife, was evident. Moreover, it was apparent that hasad had been the spark that ignited Iblis hatred toward Adam,عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. As a result, Allah warned Adam and his wife about the plot of their enemy.
Evidence from the Quran and Sunnah reveals that the soul of an envious man or woman can actually injure the target of its resentment. This person's deadly arrow reaches its victim by way of the soul and the evil eye, without the envious one lifting a hand or even uttering a word.
Hasad is to wish the cessation or destruction of bounty from the person who was blessed with it, whether it be a worldly bounty or a religious one. Hasid is the one who commit Hasad.
Hasad is an ugly, reprehensible conduct that harms the body and spoils the Faith. There is transgression and harm in Hasad. Therefore, Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) prohibited it. Allah said,In order for the Muslim community to maintain its purity and peace, our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited what may disturb that purity and peace. He (ﷺ) said,وَ الَّذِیۡنَ یُؤۡذُوۡنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ بِغَیۡرِ مَا اکۡتَسَبُوۡا فَقَدِ احۡتَمَلُوۡا بُہۡتَانًا وَّ اِثۡمًا مُّبِیۡنًا"And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned, have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin." [QS. Al-Ahzab (33):58]إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ وَلاَ تَحَسَّسُوا وَلاَ تَجَسَّسُوا وَلاَ تَنَافَسُوا وَلاَ تَحَاسَدُوا وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا وَلاَ تَدَابَرُوا وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا"Avoid suspicion, for suspicion is the gravest lie in talk, and do not be inquisitive about one another, and do not spy upon one another, and do not feel hasad with the other, and nurse no malice, and nurse no aversion and hostility against one another. And be fellow-brothers and servants of Allah." [Sahih Muslim]The reality of Hasad is the deep grief because of the blessings that other people have. When Allah grants your brother a blessing, then the envy of him can be one of two things, first, to hate the blessing and love to see your brother losing it. In this case, such envy is called Hasad. Hasad is the severe hatred of the blessing and the love of its loss from the person blessed with it. Second, neither loving the loss of the blessing nor hating for it to remain with the person, but desiring the same blessing for yourself. Such envy is called Ghibtah and is similar to competition in a good manners.
The first is Haram in all cases except for a gift that a wicked person would get and use it in harming people, spoiling relationships amongst them or spreading evil and mischief. In this case, there really is no hatred for the gift itself, but hatred because it is being used for mischief. Otherwise, one would not like the gift to be destroyed or hate to see the person blessed with it.
Hasad, in general, is Haram. Such hatred is actually an objection to Allah's Decree in giving some people more than others. No one has the right to object or suggest to Allah how to divide His Grace among people. Which sin is greater than hating for a Muslim to be blessed with a gift when you are not harmed by the said gift?
Hasad, is one of the pillars of Kufr. There are four pillars of Kufr, arrogance, hasad, anger and vain desire. Arrogance hinders the person from following the truth. Hasad hinders him from accepting advice or rendering it. Anger hinders him from establishing justice. And vain desire hinders him from devotion to worship.
If the pillar of arrogance is destroyed, then it would be easy for the person to follow the truth. If the pillar of Hasad is destroyed, then it would be easy to accept advice and to give in. If the pillar of anger is destroyed, then it would be easy to be just and humble. And if the pillar of vain desire is destroyed, then it would be easy to be patient and righteous.
The source of these four pillars is primarily one's ignorance of His Rabb and himself. If he would know his Rabb by the attributes of perfection and majesty, and know himself, and its defects and evils, he would not be arrogant and he would not be angry in satisfying his needs. As a result, he would not envy that which Allah has given to others.
Hasad, in reality, is similar to having enmity to Allah. This person hates what Allah has given someone else, while Allah has wished to do so. The hasid, also wishes that the gift be removed from someone that Allah desired for him to have it. Such person is opposing Allah in His Decree and what He likes and what He hates. Thus, Iblis was Allah's enemy indeed. For he committed his sin out of arrogance and hasad. In order to uproot these two evil qualities, one must seek the true knowledge of Allah by accepting Tauhid and Allah's Decree, and by repenting to Him. A wise person said, "The hasid is in competition against Allah in five things. The first is by hating a gift that another person is blessed with. The second is by being discontent with that which Allah has given in terms of provision. This is as similar to saying to the Rabb, 'Why have you given to men in this way?' The third is by being stingy with what Allah has been generous, for gifts are given to people by Allah's Grace, as He wishes. The fourth is that the hasid has deserted Allah's friends and loyal slaves, for he wishes that the gifts be removed from others. And the fifth is that the hasid has sided by Allah's enemy, Iblis."
It was also said, "The Hasid doesn't get anything from people by rebuke and humility, and gets nothing from the angels but curses and hatred. When alone, he only finds anguish and grief. At the time of death, he faces adversity and horror. On the Day of Judgment, he will then be disgraced and severely punished. Finally, in Hell-fire, he will find heat and intense burning."
Every value or moral has a limit, that when exceeded, becomes a transgression; and when it falls short, becomes a deficiency and negligence. Hasad has a limit, that is competition in seeking perfection and the grief of being behind others. It exceeds the limits when the person wishes that a gift be removed from others and strives to hurt others. When it falls short of this limit, then it becomes lowliness and a lack of zeal. Competition, in a good manners, is permissible in Islam, for Allah has said,Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) said,لِکُلٍّ جَعَلۡنَا مِنۡکُمۡ شِرۡعَۃً وَّ مِنۡہَاجًا ؕ وَ لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ لَجَعَلَکُمۡ اُمَّۃً وَّاحِدَۃً وَّ لٰکِنۡ لِّیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ فِیۡ مَاۤ اٰتٰىکُمۡ فَاسۡتَبِقُوا الۡخَیۡرٰتِ ؕ اِلَی اللّٰہِ مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا فَیُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡہِ تَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ" ... To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." [QS. Al-Maa'idah (5):48]This type of Hasad is called Ghibtah, and is the wish to be like or to have similar blessing without wishing for the removal of this blessing from others. It is called Hasad here as a metaphor. The Prophet (ﷺ) explained,اَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ حِكْمَةً فَهْوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا"There is no envy except in two, a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others." [Sahih Al-Bukhari]The Prophet (ﷺ) denounced such a person because of his wish to sin, not because he wished to have similar wealth. Therefore, there is no harm for a person to have Ghibtah of others and wish to have the same gift for himself, as long as he doesn't wish that it be removed from others or that it doesn't last for them. If the gift is related to the religion and is a mandatory act of worship like lman, Salah or Zakah, then competition in this case is mandatory and liking to be like others performing these religious acts is obligatory. If the gift is a righteous deed that is commendable like paying charity, then the competition in it is commendable. If it was only a gift that can be used in a permissible manner, then the competition would be permissible.مَثَلُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ كَمَثَلِ أَرْبَعَةِ نَفَرٍ : رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً وَعِلْمًا فَهُوَ يَعْمَلُ بِعِلْمِهِ فِي مَالِهِ يُنْفِقُهُ فِي حَقِّهِ وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ عِلْمًا وَلَمْ يُؤْتِهِ مَالاً فَهُوَ يَقُولُ : لَوْ كَانَ لِي مِثْلُ هَذَا عَمِلْتُ فِيهِ مِثْلَ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ " . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ : " فَهُمَا فِي الأَجْرِ سَوَاءٌ وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً وَلَمْ يُؤْتِهِ عِلْمًا فَهُوَ يَخْبِطُ فِي مَالِهِ يُنْفِقُهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ وَرَجُلٌ لَمْ يُؤْتِهِ اللَّهُ عِلْمًا وَلاَ مَالاً فَهُوَ يَقُولُ : لَوْ كَانَ لِي مِثْلُ مَالِ هَذَا عَمِلْتُ فِيهِ مِثْلَ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ " . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ : " فَهُمَا فِي الْوِزْرِ سَوَاءٌ'The likeness of this nation is that of four people: A man to whom Allah gives wealth and knowledge, so he acts according to his knowledge with regard to his wealth, spending it as it should be spent; a man to whom Allah gives knowledge, but he does not give him wealth, so he says, 'If I had been given (wealth) like this one, I would have done what (the first man) did.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘They will be equal in reward. And a man to whom Allah gives wealth but does not give knowledge, so he squanders his wealth and spends it in inappropriate ways; and a man to whom Allah gives neither knowledge nor wealth, and he says, “If I had (wealth) like this one, I would do what (the third man) did.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘They are equal in their burden (of sin).’” [Sunan Ibn Majah; Sahih]
[Part 2]
