Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #11 Jealousy

When we read the Quran, there is

one emotion or one sentiment

that is negative per se, and we have

to struggle. We have to fight. We have

to strive

to go beyond it and to master it.

And this is the one that we all

know is jealousy.

Jealousy is,

a feeling

which is very subtle, and we need to

get the right understanding.

When, for example, you have somebody who has

something, for example,

wealth

or qualities or intelligence or brain or beauty,

the fact that you are looking at it

and you can you can,

like it and envy what he or she

has, it's not per se negative. It depends

what you are going to do with it.

If you hope for him to lose it,

this is the negative,

emotion, and this is jealousy.

If you are trying to understand that you

can compete

and try to get it,

through your own work, this could be very

positive.

But what we have to protect ourselves

from, it's this envy, this, very negative feeling

that,

that we we want the worst with,

for the other and not to try to

master your emotion and at the same time

to come and to try to be better.

These are important teachings, and the prophet, peace

be upon him, was

saying, he said, be careful be careful with

jealousy

because this is a very negative,

a very negative,

feeling.

Why do we have to be? Because

jealousy is eating

all your good actions,

everything which which is good in yourself,

eating it as

the fire

is eating,

the wood. So this is a relationship where

it's a it's a distraction.

It's a spiritual distraction if you nurture towards

the the people,

something which is negative.

The starting point of everything

is just to remember that Allah created the

universe and created us, and some are high

and other are down. Some have and others

don't. And then

what we need to understand with the people

who can be intelligence and others who are

less intelligence,

this is.

So

it's,

the way Allah created the

world. So accepting this is the starting point

of saying, okay. If now I have less,

should

I desire for him or her to have

less or try to struggle with my own

self to try to get more and to

try to reach and to try to improve.

This is life. So it's a competition for

the good, not an emotion for the bad,

which is completely

the opposite.

Our spiritual journey, it's to hope for the

people

to be good with what they have and

with what we don't have to try to

struggle to get it. It could be intellectual.

It could be social. It could be cultural,

whatever.

At the end, this is a struggle for

the best avoiding the negative emotions and jealousy.

It's a negative one.

Remember to tell the people you love that

you love them. Life is fragile.