“If enmity arises from envy, it becomes nothing but pure torment. For envy first burns and destroys the envier himself; its pain consumes him from within.¹⁾ The one envied may suffer little or no harm at all.

The remedy for envy is this: the envier should reflect on the eventual outcome of the thing he envies. He will then understand that worldly beauty, power, rank, and wealth possessed by his rival are transient and fleeting—bringing little benefit but much trouble. As for spiritual virtues, there is no room for envy in them at all. And if one still feels envy toward such virtues, it means either he is insincere—seeking to ruin his own share of the Hereafter in this world—or he unjustly suspects the other of insincerity and thereby commits wrongdoing.”²⁾

“Backbiting (ghibah) is the vile weapon most often used by people of enmity, envy, and stubbornness. A person of dignity and self-respect never stoops to wield such a filthy weapon.”³⁾

“If a person fails to equip himself with the knowledge and discipline that lead to inner–outer harmony, he becomes a hollow, plasticized being—outwardly adorned, inwardly corrupt. In such a case, there remains no meaningful distinction between him and an animal. For a human being to truly reflect the state of ‘ahsan-i taqwim’ (the best of forms), he must unfold his God-given potentials and live a life oriented toward becoming the insan al-kamil (the complete or perfected human). This truth may also be expressed thus: Human nature is not static—it cannot remain where it is. If one does not aspire to higher ideals, the lower self (nafs), woven from desires such as lust, anger, hatred, stubbornness, envy, and greed, together with the evil influences of satanic forces, will drag him down—lower than the animals, as the Qur’an says: ‘They are like cattle; rather, they are further astray.’ (7:179)”⁴⁾

“Those who cannot accomplish anything without the support of a few local institutions or foreign powers may find it hard to understand a movement that depends on nothing but the people’s affection and God’s grace. Those who do not know how to give without taking cannot comprehend the spirit of self-sacrifice for the sake of serving humanity—beginning with their own nation. Yet it is clear to everyone that the efforts of which I am only an encourager are in truth a people’s initiative, and that the ‘water turning its mill’ flows from the pure heart of Anatolia itself. Still, there are those who, unable to divert this spring in the direction they wish, now seek to dry it up with jealousy, envy, and spite.”⁵⁾

“Inner corruptions such as arrogance, envy, self-admiration (ujb), ostentation (riya), boastfulness, and ego-centrism are among the greatest obstacles to perceiving and feeling truth as it really is. Similarly, sins—each a step toward unbelief and misguidance—become veils that block the light of truth.”⁶⁾

“In addition to the blindness that comes from being too near-sighted about one’s own faults, there are other kinds of blindness that can afflict friends: blindness from jealousy, blindness from envy, and blindness from rivalry.”⁷⁾

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