An innocent young boy,
Yearning for warmth and love,
Instead he faced disloyalty,
Cast away in a deep dark well.
How did he end up in the darkness?
Who threw him in there?
What led them to such evil,
Was it the devil’s snare?
A fire that kindled from within,
Engulfing them in flames of envy,
The brothers of Yusuf (عليه السلام),
Began conspiring out of jealousy.
From throwing Yusuf (عليه السلام) in the well,
Severing ties of kinship,
To lying and deception,
With fake blood and fake tears.
From breaking Yaqub’s (عليه السلام) trust,
To wounding his emotions,
Their sins were spiraling out of hand,
All from a spark of jealousy.
O People, Beware! Jealously creeps silently.
A person is soaking in abundance,
Blessed by the Almighty, and
Yet you feel an ache in your heart
You want their blessings withdrawn,
You feel hatred and malice.
That, in fact, is jealousy,
It takes away your own peace.
A sin that fogs the conscience,
Although a part of human nature,
It fills you with vengeance,
A true believer must conquer.
Remind Yourself, O Believer!
Do I believe in Allah’s ﷻ wisdom ?
Or do I question His blessings?
Whom He grants and how He apportions them?
Remind Yourself, O Believer!
He is Al-Jawad, will He ever withhold?
Allah ﷻ loves that His servants ask, so
Ask and His bounties will surround you.
Remind Yourself, O Believer!
Is not Al-Qadeer capable of giving you?
So love for your brother when he is blessed,
The way you would love it for yourself.
And thus is jealousy kept at bay,
Iman guarded, still awake.
Keep reminding, keep remembering,
That is how faith perseveres.
Lastly, O Reader!
In this chapter of timeless lessons,
Protect yourself when you are blessed,
By Yaqub’s (عليه السلام) wisdom: guard blessings with discretion.
REFERENCES:
- quran.com/12
- https://islamqa.info/en/answers/12205
Written by: Hafsa Shaikh
Edited by: The Editorial Team
© The Islamic Reflections Blog