and they prefer them to themselves even though they are in need. 59:9

He then says: “Whoever is protected from the avarice of his own soul—it is they who will prosper.” 59:9

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf was once seen circumambulating the House praying, “My Lord, shield me from the greed of my soul! My Lord, shield me from the greed of my soul!” When he was asked about it he replied, “If I am safeguarded from the greed of my soul, I am safeguarded from miserliness, injustice, and the severing of kinship bonds,” or words to that effect.

This shuhḥ—the soul’s intense covetousness—leads to miserliness by refusing to share what one holds, to injustice by taking other people’s wealth, to the cutting of family ties, and to envy, which is resenting the special favor granted to someone else. Envy combines both miserliness and injustice: miserliness toward what another has been given and injustice in wishing for that blessing to disappear.

If this is the state of affairs in the realm of desires that are basically lawful, then how much more serious is it in matters that are forbidden, such as fornication, wine-drinking, and the like? When exclusivity occurs in these, two motives emerge:

1. Resentment because of the exclusivity and injustice involved, just as happens with the permissible kinds.
2. Resentment because of the violation of Allah’s right.

Categories of Sins

For this reason sins fall into three categories:

1. Those that involve wronging other people, such as unjustly seizing wealth, withholding rightful dues, envy, and the like.