Cure for Jealousy

Q: I have this bad quality of jealousy for some of my classmates who are more intelligent than me. I make Dua that Allah removes this quality. What else can I do, because it’s destroying me and preventing me gaining knowledge?

A: Firstly, congratulations on your concern for spiritual wellness. Indeed jealousy, according to hadith, destroys good deeds like fire devours (dry) twigs. But let’s make sure whether the feeling you experienced is indeed jealousy. If your heart burns with annoyance at the achievements of your classmates, and you wish they must not achieve what they have, or that something bad should happen to them, then this is definitely a sign of real jealousy. You need to treat this malady urgently. If you do not experience the above; you do not wish bad for your classmates, nor do you burn inside you over their feats; instead you wish to achieve the same as them, then this is not jealousy but envy and is not haraam in Shariah. As for the cure to jealousy, do the following: a) Make regular dua for the people you are jealous of; ask Allah to increase their skills and achievements; b) Sometimes give them gifts, if possible; c) Contemplate that whatever they have achieved, is only through the Grace of Allah, and He has the Right to confer His Grace upon whomsoever He wishes. These few activities are guaranteed to cure the evil trait of jealousy, insha Allah.