Hiqd can be roughly translated as rancour or malice. Al-Jahiz defined it as:
“هو إضمارُ الشَّرِّ للجاني إذا لم يتمَكَّنْ من الانتقامِ منه، فأخفى ذلك الاعتقادَ إلى وَقتِ إمكانِ الفُرصةِ”
(تهذيب الأخلاق)
“It is harboring evil toward the one who has wronged you when you are unable to take revenge on him; so you conceal that belief until the opportunity arises.”
The primary reason for rancour can be found in Al-Jahiz’s definition. Namely, that when someone is not able to properly process their anger and hurt, it turns into rancour and malice towards the person who hurt them. Hence, the importance of forgiveness and finding proper avenues to release and process pent-up anger and hurt, which will be covered in a separate article, Inshallah. This highlights something I’ve mentioned numerous times in this series, which is that these various diseases of the heart are interconnected. If someone is angry with another person, then that anger can quickly turn into malice, which eventually will most likely lead to envy. The Prophet ﷺ famously advised his companion, “Do not get angry.”, thereafter the companion pondered on the Prophet's ﷺ statement and came to the realization that anger is the root cause of many evils. Hence, why Shaytan strives to cause animosity and anger among Muslims and humanity:
وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: «إن الشيطان قد أيس أن يعبده المصلون في جزيرة العرب ولكن في التحريش بينهم»[رواه مسلم].
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Satan has despaired of being worshipped by those who pray in the Arabian Peninsula, but he seeks to sow discord among them.”
Hence, the importance of not getting angry and, more generally, avoiding situations where anger is bound to happen, like arguing, insulting, and mocking. The scholars mention that one of the main causes of malice is the love and pursuit of power, and this dunya:
- قال الفضيل بن عياض -رحمه الله-: «ما من أحد أحب الرياسة إلا حسد وبغي وتتبع عيوب الناس،وكره أن يذكر أحد بخير» وهذا مشاهد في أوساط الموظفين والعاملين.
Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad said:
“No one loves leadership except that it leads him to envy, wrongdoing, and seeking out the faults of others, and he dislikes that anyone be mentioned with good.”
As the great Imam Shaafie beautifully said:
ومن يذق الدنيا فإني طعمتها ... وسيق إلينا عذبها وعذابها
فلم أرها إلا غروراً وباطلاً ... كما لاح في ظهر الفلاة سرابها
وما هي إلا جيفة مستحيلة ... عليها كلاب همهن اجتذابها
فإن تجتنبها كنت سلماً لأهلها ... وإن تجتذبها تنازعتك كلابها
Whoever tastes this world, I have indeed tasted it—its sweetness and its bitterness have been brought to us.
I saw it as nothing but delusion and falsehood, like a mirage that appears on the back of a barren desert.
It is nothing but a decaying carcass, around which dogs gather, eager to seize it.
If you avoid it, you will be safe from its people; but if you pursue it, its dogs will tear you apart.
There are many hadiths of the Prophet warning us from rancour, from them:
“تُفتَحُ أبوابُ الجنَّةِ يومَ الاثنينِ و الخميسِ، فيغفرُ اللهُ عزَّ وجلَّ لِكلِّ عبدٍ لا يُشرِكُ باللهِ شيئًا، إلَّا رجلًا كانَ بينَه وبينَ أخيهِ شحناء، فيقول: أنظروا هذينِ حتَّى يصطلحا، أنظِروا هذينِ حتَّى يصطلِحا ،أنظِروا هذينِ حتَّى يصطلِحا
خلاصة حكم المحدث : صحيح”
“The gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and Allah forgives every servant who does not associate anything with Him, except a man between whom and his brother is rancour. It is said: Delay these two until they reconcile.”
Likewise:
“دبَّ إليكُم داءُ الأمَمِ قبلَكم الحسَدُ والبغضاءُ هيَ الحالِقَةُ لا أقولُ تحلِقُ الشَّعَرَ ولكن تحلِقُ الدِّينَ والَّذي نفسي بيدِهِ لا تدخُلوا الجنَّةَ حتَّى تؤمِنوا ولا تؤمِنوا حتَّى تحابُّوا أفلا أنبِّئُكُم بما يثبِّتُ ذاكُم لكم أفشوا السَّلامَ بينكُم
خلاصة حكم المحدث : في سنده مولى للزبير وهو مجهول
الراوي : الزبير بن العوام | المحدث : المباركفوري | المصدر : تحفة الأحوذي الصفحة أو الرقم : 6/378”
“The disease of the nations before you has crept into you: envy and hatred. It is the shaver—I do not say it shaves hair, but it shaves the religion. By the One in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of what establishes that for you? Spread salām among yourselves.”
One of the characteristics of the best of Muslims and the people of Paradise is the absence of any rancour in their hearts:
“أفضلُ النَّاسِ كلُّ مخمومِ القلبِ ، صدوق اللِّسانِ ، قالوا ، صدوقُ اللِّسانِ نعرِفُه فما مخمومُ القلبِ ؟ قال التَّقيُّ النَّقيُّ ، لا إثمَ فيه ، و لا بغْيَ ، ، و لا غِلَّ ، و لا حسَدَ
خلاصة حكم المحدث : إسناده جيد رجاله ثقات”
“The best of people are those with pure hearts and truthful tongues.” They said: “We know the truthful tongue, but what is a pure heart?” He said: “It is the pious, clean heart—no sin in it, no transgression, no rancour, and no envy.”
Uthman ibn Affan said: “No one can harbor ill feelings in his heart except that Allah exposes that on his face and tongue”. This statement from Uthman indicates that Hiqd leads to many other sins, for example, hasad (which was highlighted in my article on hasad), likewise refusing people’s rights and harming them, and transgressing their honour in the form of backbiting, stealing, and the like, to varying degrees.
You reflect on your own shortcomings and how Allah shows you clemency, so shouldn’t you do the same:
{ وَلَا یَأۡتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلۡفَضۡلِ مِنكُمۡ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن یُؤۡتُوۤا۟ أُو۟لِی ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰكِینَ وَٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِینَ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَلۡیَعۡفُوا۟ وَلۡیَصۡفَحُوۤا۟ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن یَغۡفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُور رَّحِیمٌ }
“Let not those of virtue and wealth among you swear not to give to relatives, the needy, and those who emigrated in the path of Allah. Let them pardon and overlook. Would you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
[Surah An-Nūr: 22]
You should try to find contentment in Allah's decree and realize the reality of this worldly life and what truly matters. This will naturally lead you to let go of these things that disconnect you from Allah and the hereafter. Ibn Qayim highlights the importance of Al-Rida (Being pleased with Allah and His Decree) in مدارج السالكين:
قال ابن القيم -رحمه الله- في الرضا: إنه يفتح للعبد باب السلامة فيجعل قلبه نقيًّا من الغش والدغل والغل، ولا ينجو من عذاب الله إلا من أتى الله بقلب سليم، كذلك وتستحيل سلامة القلب مع السخط وعدم الرضا، وكلما كان العبد أشد رضا كان قلبه أسلم، فالخبث والدغل والغش: قرين السخط، وسلامة القلب وبره ونصحه: قرين الرضا وكذلك الحسد هو من ثمرات السخط، وسلامة القلب منه ومن ثمرات الرضا.
“It opens for the servant the door of safety, making his heart pure and free from deceit, malice, and rancor. And none will be saved from the punishment of Allah except the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. Likewise, the soundness of the heart is impossible with displeasure and lack of contentment. The more content the servant is, the sounder his heart becomes. Impurity, malice, and deceit are companions of displeasure, while the soundness of the heart, its righteousness, and sincerity are companions of contentment. Likewise, envy is one of the fruits of displeasure, whereas a sound heart is free from it and is among the fruits of contentment.”
Always making dua that Allah gives us a clean heart:
قال تعالى: {وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ} [الحشر: 10].
“And those who come after them say: ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts any resentment (or ill-feeling) toward those who believe. Our Lord, indeed You are Most Kind, Most Merciful.’”
4. Spreading Sallam among one another:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «والذي نفسي بيده، لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا، ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا، أو لا أدلكم على شيء إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم؟ أفشوا السلام بينكم» [رواه الإمام مسلم].
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“By the One in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I not direct you to something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread peace (salam) among yourselves.”
5. Trying to stay away from backbiting and rumours, focusing on ourselves, families, and projects:
قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: ««لا يبلغني أحد عن أحد من أصحابي شيئًا فإني أحب أن أخرج إليكم وأنا سلم الصدر»» [رواه أحمد]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Let no one convey to me anything about any of my Companions, for I love to come out to you while my heart is sound and free of ill-feeling.”
Understanding that this person was only able to harm you due to:
A sin you did, so you can purify yourself
To raise your ranks and test your patience
Try to have gratitude for being in the position of the one who can forgive, not the one who is the oppressor.
The dunya is a test, and Allah clearly mentions that people are part of the test:
{ وَمَا أَرسَلنَا قَبلَكَ مِنَ ٱلمُرسَلِینَ إِلَّا إِنَّهُم لَیَأكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَیَمشُونَ فِی ٱلأَسوَاقِ وَجَعَلنَا بَعضَكُم لِبَعض فِتنَةً أَتَصبِرُونَ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِیرا }
[Surah Al-Furqān: 20]
“And We did not send before you any of the messengers except that they ate food and walked in the marketplaces. And We have made some of you as a trial for others—will you be patient? And your Lord is ever Seeing.”
Ibn Qayyim mentioned that all good character can be found in AbdulQadir Jilani’s statement:
كن مع الله بلا خلق و مع الخلق بلا نفس
Be with Allah without the people, Be with the people without yourself.
This statement is profound beyond words, but the essence of it is the ability to detach yourself from the creation and attach yourself to the Creator. That you worship Allah without taking into consideration the people and their thoughts, assumptions, or opinions concerning you:
{ إِنَّمَا نُطعِمُكُم لِوَجهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِیدُ مِنكُم جَزَاء وَلَا شُكُورًا }
“We feed you only for the sake of Allah; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks.”
[Surah Al-Insān: 9]
And at the same time, when it comes to your interaction with the creation, you are with them without yourself. Meaning you focus on dishing out your responsibility and fulfilling your duty, not expecting much or anything from them since you know that your reward and status can only be given and truly measured by your Creator. Thus, by doing this, you can free yourself of the captivity of the creation and reach a higher plane of living where your heart is connected to the hereafter while your body is connected to this world (as mentioned by Ibn Qayyim). If someone can reach this stage, then the harm they will incur from people in their path of servitude to Allah will not bother them much, because they will not give them much consideration in a general sense. Once someone reaches this, naturally, their character will improve and their overall ability to let go of their concern for drama, conflicts, and human ego. To aspire to reach this level, someone needs to be able to let go of their ego and focus on what is pleasing to Allah, instead of what their inner desires call for.
You remind yourself that you are not in control of this person and their affairs. He has a Lord just like you, who will hold him accountable for their shortcomings and any wrong they did, including to you.
You do not allow other people’s words to penetrate and manipulate you, refusing to give others that control over you.
You understand that the true enemy is Shayṭān, as Yūsuf said:
{ وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَیۡهِ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّداۖ وَقَالَ یَـٰۤأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأۡوِیلُ رُءۡیَـٰیَ مِن قَبۡلُ قَدۡ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّی حَقّاۖ وَقَدۡ أَحۡسَنَ بِیۤ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَنِی مِنَ ٱلسِّجۡنِ وَجَاۤءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡبَدۡوِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ بَیۡنِی وَبَیۡنَ إِخۡوَتِیۤۚ إِنَّ رَبِّی لَطِیف لِّمَا یَشَاۤءُۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡعَلِیمُ ٱلۡحَكِیمُ }
“…after Shayṭān had caused discord between me and my brothers…”
[Surah Yūsuf: 100]
He attributed the evil actions of his brothers to Shayṭān because he understood that, at the end of the day, it is Shayṭān who is truly pure evil and leads some of creation astray. It is narrated that a man told Wahb ibn Munabbih that so and so had insulted him, and Wahb said to him:
“و ما وجد الشيطان رسولا غيرك!”
“Did Shayṭān not find any messenger other than you?”
Likewise: “It was said to one of the righteous predecessors: ‘So-and-so speaks ill of you.’ He said: ‘I will anger the one who commanded it—may Allah forgive me and him.’ It was said: ‘Who commanded it?’ He said: ‘Shayṭān.’”
Hence, why Al-Hajjaj ibn Al-Fafsah said: “It has reached us that in some of the scriptures: whoever seeks forgiveness for the one who wronged him has defeated Shayṭān.”
The person should remember that even if they are given the chance to enact their revenge, there is one whose might and power is much greater than his own, who will hold him accountable for any wrong done, regardless of whether he deems it to be justifiable.
Understand that this life is not a test and was not designed to be a world of justice and recompense—that is what the hereafter is for. So do not measure your oppressor’s success by their worldly accomplishments. “Do not read worldly outcomes as moral verdicts.” Hence why the Salaf would say: “Do not let the ظلم of the one who wronged you seem great, for he has only harmed himself and benefited you.” Al-Fudayl ibn Iyaad said it perfectly:
قال الفضيل بن عياض: حسناتك من عدوك أكثر منها من صديقك
“Your good deeds from your enemy are more than from your friend.
On the Day of Judgment, true justice will be served, and people’s real worth will be seen, hence why it was said:
“إنما الغناء و الفقر بعد العرض على الله”
“True richness and poverty are only after the judgment before Allah.”
Meaning that only on the day of judgement, after Allah has judged us, will we truly see who is rich with good deeds and going to Jannah, and who is entering the hellfire
You should seek refuge from the whispering of Shayṭān and his probings. Shayṭān is the one who will come to you in the form of an adviser, saying: “You should not stand still after hearing such humiliating words, otherwise you will become humble in the sight of people.” At this moment, he should repel these thoughts, telling himself: “Do you fear that you should become humble in the sight of people and do not fear being humble in the sight of Allah?” (Mukhtaṣar Minhāj al-Qāṣidīn)
You find comfort in the Prophet’s example that, despite all the harm that was done to him, he consistently found within himself to let grudges go and not take revenge for himself:
“ما رأيتُ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ منتَصِرًا مِن مظلِمةٍ ظُلِمَها قَطُّ ما لم تُنتَهك محارمُ اللَّهِ فإذا انتُهكَ من محارمِ اللَّهِ شيءٌ كانَ أشدَّهم في ذلِك غضبًا وما خُيِّرَ بينَ أمرينِ إلَّا اختارَ أيسرَهُما ما لم يَكن مأثمًا”
“I never saw the Messenger of Allah take revenge for a wrong done to him, unless the limits of Allah were violated. And whenever he was given a choice between two matters, he chose the easier one so long as it was not sinful.” (Aisha)
In fact, a fascinating fact is that the Prophet “never applied his intellectual gifts and prophetic status for anything other than guiding humanity aright”. And we find great scholars of Islam following this example, such as Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, whose students would say: “I wish I treated my friends the way Ibn Taymiyyah treated his enemies and opposition.”
Finally, try to build within yourself the capacity for naṣīḥah. And as Ibn Rajab mentions, the reality of naṣīḥah is not simply giving advice but rather:
“هي عناية القلب للمنصوح له كائنا من كان”
“It is the sincere concern of the heart for the one being advised, whoever he may be.”
That a Muslim can reach the state where they sincerely want good for Allah’s creation. And many of the Salaf said that this was the characteristic that truly made Abu Bakr the greatest, his love for Allah and his sincere desire for goodness for His creation.
And we find this in the lives of the salaf:
In the book Az-Zuhd by Imām Aḥmad, it is narrated that a man from the companions of Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, who was from Khurāsān, came to Makkah. He would sit with Fuḍayl in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and speak with him.
Then one day, the man from Khurāsān stepped aside, and some of his dinars—either sixty or seventy—were stolen from him. He went out weeping. Fuḍayl said to him, “What is wrong with you?”
He replied, “My dinars have been stolen.”
Fuḍayl said, “Is it over them that you are weeping?”
He said, “No. You have made me and him stand before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and my mind became aware of the weakness of his argument, so I wept out of mercy for him.”
نذكر ذلك لبعض العارفين. فقال له: إن لم يكن حزنك على أنه قد صار في هذه الأمة من يعمل هذا العمل، أكثر من حزنك على ذهاب مالك، لم تؤد النصيحة لله عز وجل في المسلمين.
It was said something similar by some of the agnostics: “If your sorrow over the presence of such a sin in the ummah is not greater than your sorrow over your lost wealth, then you have not fulfilled sincere counsel to Allah regarding the muslims.”
Sources:
Imam al-Ghazali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din.
Ibn al-Jawzi, At-Tib al-Ruhani (الطيب الروحاني).
Ibn Qudamah, Muratkhasar Minhaj al-Qasidin.
Abu ‘Umar, Diseases of the Hearts.
Ibn Daud, A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, The concise treatise on dealing with the unjust thief
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