Islam Guidance

Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid Caliph, once arranged for an old man in Yemen who had seen the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) personally to come to Baghdad and visit him. As the old man was very weak, he was brought on a stretcher. On entering his court, Haroon welcomed and made the Old man sit beside his throne. He then asked him whether he had seen the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) personally. The Old man in his weak and lowly voice replied:
“Yes, I used to sit near the pulpit and hear his hadiths (sayings)”.
Harun asked him to describe the main features and appearance of the Prophet and he said:
“The Prophet looked handsome and of sound physique. He had black and curly hair. His face was luminescent. He was fond of perfume and made use of it so much so that his fragrance would remain behind for quite some time wherever he passed”.
Harun then asked whether he remembered any saying of the Prophet. The Old man said that he could still remember one in which he said:
“Man grows old but two qualities in him remain young; greed and far-flung hopes”.
Harun was very happy to meet the Old man and hear from him about the Prophet. He then instructed to his people to present him with a handsome gift of money and return him home to Yemen comfortably. As he was being carried away, the Old man asked to be returned to the Caliph as he had an important matter to discuss with him. On arrival in the court, the Old man said:
“O’ Caliph! Tell me whether this gift of money you gave me was only the first and the last or whether I should come every year to receive a similar gift from you?”
On hearing this, Haroon laughed and said:
“You had rightly quoted the Prophet as saying that the two qualities of greed and long hopes remain young and active even in old age”.
Harun then promised the Old man that he could expect repeated gifts as long as he lived but alas! The greedy Old man was not even destined to enjoy the first gift he had received and died on his way to Yemen.
In order to free oneself from the evil of greed, one should think of the harmful consequences. One should realize that it is the characteristic of animals that are restricted in satisfying their desires. He should train himself to exercise self-control and have the virtue of contentment which enables one to satisfy himself with little and devote more time in the service of his Creator.  The instinct of greed should instead be applied for acquiring more knowledge and awareness and for earning more and more of the pleasure of Allah (S.W.T) in obedience to Him.
Imam Baqir (A.S) has compared the greedy with a silk-worm saying:
“The greedy man in his love of the world is like a silk-worm; the more it wraps itself in its cocoon, the less chance it has of escaping from it, until finally it dies of grief”.

Derived from: Almujtaba Islamic Articles Page

Jealousy is a very dangerous and destructive disease, which afflicts most people. Very few people are protected from its destruction. Jealousy is dangerous both on the individual as well as the social level. Like termites, it causes gradual destruction of the individual on a personal level, and the society at large.
And for ‘Imaan (Faith)’, it is as dangerous as fire is, for dry wood.
Jealousy means to be disgusted and upset about a bounty conferred on another person, and to hope that the person is deprived of the bounty. For instance, to be jealous of a brilliant student who has passed his exam, and wish that he had failed. Or to be jealous of a profit earned by a businessman and wish that he had suffered a loss instead.
It is this jealousy which prevented Satan from prostrating in front of prophet Adam (A.S), and as a result, he became the subject of Allah’s anger. In reality, Satan could not stand the honor and esteem that prophet Adam (A.S) enjoyed near Allah. Similarly in his jealousy, Qaabeel killed Haabeel, and the brothers of prophet Joseph (A.S) threw him in to the well. It was nothing but envy, which compelled Bani Umayyad to oppose Islam, and prevented them from accepting the prophet Hood of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) and Imamate of the commander of the faithful (A.S). Thus, the greatest affliction of jealousy is that it prevents a person from accepting the truth.
No wonder Imam Sadiq (A.S) warns:
"Jealousy destroys the faith as fire destroys wood."
(Usul-e-Kafi, vol. 2)
In another tradition he (A.S) declares:
Foundation of disbelief (kufr) is based on three things:
1) Greed
2) Pride
3) Jealousy.
If one is jealous of Allah’s bounties like health, intelligence, wealth and stature, bestowed on others, then that person is in fact disputing with Allah’s Judgement and this takes a person closer to infidelity and polytheism. Instead of being jealous one should pray to Allah to bestow on him those bounties, as Allah’s treasures are limitless and Allah is not troubled in granting bounties to His creatures.
Jealousy is not the means for acquiring success. Instead, one should strive for success, by struggling for it in a legitimate manner, constantly seeking Allah’s help and Imam’s (A.S) guidance. One who is jealous should realize that his jealousy will not affect the other person in the least, but he will only harm himself.
Therefore, one must refrain from jealousy, and should seek Allah’s protection from this spiritual disease. By pondering over the verses of Surah Falaq we become aware of the destructive effects of jealousy.

Adopted from: Al Muntazar