where he ends up as someone who casts the evil eye upon others. The person who does so has a wicked, envious, spiteful soul; whenever he sees something that pleases him, an arrow shoots forth from that corrupt soul until it strikes the victim with the evil eye. If envy takes hold of a person, the matter can escalate until he joins the ranks of those whose very glance harms people.

There is no doubt that the giver of the evil eye brings ruin and divine retribution upon himself in proportion to the harm he caused Allah’s servants—whether he injured their wealth, their bodies, or their community. For this reason many scholars maintain that the one who casts the evil eye must make full compensation for whatever he destroys: if his glance ruins a person’s property, children, or anything else, he is held financially liable. They also said that anyone known for such behavior must be detained until he repents; he is imprisoned to protect society from his harm, for he hurts people and his evil must be restrained.

Another evil of envy is that it leads to disunity among Muslims, because the envier is detested and loathed by people, whereas the one whose heart is pure—who loves for his brothers what he loves for himself—is beloved by all. That is why we often say, “By Allah, so-and-so is a good man; there is no envy in his heart,” and, “So-and-so is vile, envious, and spiteful,” and the like.

These, then, are ten harms, all produced by envy. From them we understand the wisdom of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—when he said, “Do not envy one another,” meaning that none of you should envy his brother.

Someone may ask, “A person might feel within himself a desire to surpass others in doing good—does that count as envy?” The answer is no; rather, it is commendable competition in righteous deeds. Allah the Exalted says, “For the like of this let the competitors compete” (Qur’an 37:61). So if