With Envy, Happiness Disappeared

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

In shā’a Llāh, may Allāh ﷻ give us to be all the time in good gatherings like this, in shā’a Llāh. Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, the best thing for the mu’min is to be helpful to other people. In everything; helpful in teaching people, or in any kind of help. This is a ḥadīth, the best one is who is best for his family, his country and human beings.

Of course, most people think if they do this, they will lose something from their benefit. If you help one and he becomes better than you, you think you will lose. This is the thought of people, but not the thought of believers. The believer is not like this.

The believer helps everyone. Also who has good thinking must know this. If you are in a good position, your neighbor is in a good position, the other one is good and other is also good, all people will be happy and there won’t be a problem. But shayṭān is envious. He is teaching people to be envious. He doesn’t help them to be helpful to each other; no. He wants nobody to help the other, nobody to be happy.

This is AlhamduliLlah what Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is teaching human beings. When Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam was teaching and telling people about Islām, the people of his ﷺ tribe and those around him ﷺ when he ﷺ was living in Makkah Mukarramah, were envious, not accepting. Because they don’t want.They have proudness and they don’t want anybody to be like them.

They wanted everyone to be below them. And many of them know and Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam showed them miracles. He ﷺ told them what’s important. They even knew Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam before he ﷺ became a Prophet. They know he ﷺ is honest, not lying, not doing any bad thing. But the biggest thing that destroyed them is envy and proudness.

As it is mentioned in Qur’ān also, ‘وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ’, ‘Wa Qālū Lawlā Nuzzila Hādhā Al-Qur’ānu Alá Rajulin Mina Al-QaryatayniAžīm’, ‘And they say: “Why is not this Qur’ān sent down to some great man of the two towns (Makkah and Tā’if)?”.’ (Qur’ān 43:31).

They say, why is it coming to Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ – they call him ﷺ “Muhammad” only – and not coming to this one. They have one wise man who was living in Arabia. He was a wise man and everybody knew his position is higher than theirs. From their proudness, they were saying some things that the mind doesn’t accept. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla chose Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam and is not asking for peoples’ opinion, “Whom shall I choose? Do you want to make elections?”

Even this man who they said is wise became Muslim later. And they were calling him saying, “Prophecy must be yours. You must be the Prophet.” He told them, “No. Now, I accepted Islām and he ﷺ is the Prophet. The highest one is Sayyidina Muhammad ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.” Even with this, they didn’t accept. This is a very bad character to be proud and envious. This is the character of shayṭān.

Al-ḥamdu liLlāh, if you see somebody, al-ḥamdu liLlāh who has a good business, has enough to live, has a good family, is teaching good adab, good manners, we are happy for them the most. This is the happiness for us and for believers; all believers also. Who are not believers are not happy. Everything they see, even if not for Muslims or for believers, they get envious from anybody. For this, they are fighting the whole time and not happy.

Ṭarīqah people, alhamduliLlah, have good adab, good teaching. It’s been like this the whole time, since the time of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam until now. Who are in the way of Prophet ﷺ, way meaning ṭarīqah, are helpful for each other and for other people also. If they see somebody who’s in need for help, they help him as much as they can.

Of course, after the Ottoman time ended, many things changed in the world; especially in Muslim countries. And when Muslim countries lost good manners, other people also, the whole world lost it. Slowly, slowly this good manner became less and less. And it nearly finished. If you find some people helping or are trying to help, people misunderstand them or don’t believe them.

In the time of Ottomans, there was like ṭarīqah, all ṭarīqah people – there were teachers for the traders and for each occupation. For each what he wants to become. What will this boy be? Maybe he wants to become a butcher. They put him in a butchery to learn how to become butcher with an owner or master. The other wants to become a carpenter. Also the same, they put him in a place with a master of carpentry.

Any profession he must learn like goldsmith or blacksmith or other, they were going through this process. And when they were beginning it, they were beginning with du’ā’, taking him to the shop and beginning with Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm, praying for him.

There are of course many professions, not one, maybe a hundred, two hundred, as much there is. Each must be with the master of the profession he is happy with until many years. And when he finishes – of course there are many degrees. Each degree is called a different name: after 2 years like this, after 4 years, after 6 years.

And when he finishes, they test him, ask him some things and give him a certificate. And of course, during all this time they are teaching him adab, good behavior, respect for the old and young and everyone. After that, they also make a ceremony, du’ā’ and give him this certificate.

These people were helping each other. If there is a customer coming to him, if he sold something and his neighbor near him didn’t sell anything yet, he sends him this customer. He says, “Today I made enough. So the other one must also be happy.” What happens then? This is happy, the other is happy, the other is happy, the whole country becomes happy.

If he said, “No, every customer must be for me. I must take them all,” he also will not be happy because he will think, “O look, these people are looking at me that I have too much business yet they don’t have. They are envying me. I am doing all this, but they cannot do anything.” Also the country becomes an unhappy country.

And it was like this for hundreds of years, until these shayṭān people came and taught them to be envious and to kill each other, to be not happy with anyone. Because in the Ottoman time, they were living with 70 different people, ethnicities. And what we were saying applied to all. It’s not that if he was Muslim, he will not send his customer to the Christian or Jewish or other people. No, if he had a customer, he will send him to the others also. To make everybody happy.

But these shayṭān people make fitnah and make people be against each other. And when this happened, happiness went and fitnah came. And after this, what happened? Maybe millions of them left the country. And they came to this place. From that good country, they came to a place for dunyā. But when coming for dunya, there is no benefit for most of them.

Yes, from envy they destroyed everything and made people miserable. Allāh ﷻ gives provision, rizq for everybody. And you must believe in this. Don’t be envious, in shā’a Llāh.

As we said, millions of people came here. In shā’a Llāh, maybe half of them were Muslim. But when they came here, they lost this also. In shā’a Llāh, may Allāh ﷻ give hidayah for others also, in shā’a Llāh. Because we cannot say this for children or grand grandchildren – ok also for this – but Allāh ﷻ is able to give hidayah for new people also; no problem.

A place like this is, in shā’a Llāh, throwing light in the hearts of people, in shā’a Llāh. Just like the butterflies come to light, may He ﷻ make these people come to Islām through places like this. May Allāh ﷻ give us good understanding, in shā’a Llāh, and keep us safe from every badness, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

21 October 2025/ 29 Rabih Al- Akhir 1447

Dergah Olavarría, Argentina

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