Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 190
190 On the other hand, the unrestricted exercise of this instinct gives rise to many undesirable qualities. For instance, it produces envy, that is to say, a desire to advance accompanied by a desire that nobody else should advance. Islam condemns this feeling. One of the prayers taught in the Holy Quran is, 'I take refuge with God from the mischief of an envious person. ' 98 Another moral defect produced by an excess of this instinct is that a man begins to despise the merits of others, and begins to look upon them as positive faults. In Arabic this feeling is called I h tiq a r (scorn). Islam condemns this feeling also. For instance, the Holy Quran says: 'O believers, let not one people despise another, haply that other may be better than themselves, and let not women despise other women, haply the latter may be better than the former. ' 99 If the feeling of scorn continues to develop, the scornful person begins to abuse other people or to taunt them concerning their descent or origin, etc. Islam has forbidden all this. For instance, the Holy Prophet sa says, 'Whenever a man imputes to another a moral or a spiri- tual fault which does not in fact exist (that is to say, when the imputation is by way of abuse or defamation), the same fault will manifest itself in the man who has 98 Al-Falaq, 113:6. 99 Al- H ujur a t, 49:12.