envy is almost never found except among relatives acquaintances and companions. we see a foreigner ruling a country and they hardly find in themselves any dislike for that then a man from their own country rules them and hardly any of them can get rid of his dislike for that. this is despite the fact that perhaps this ruling man i mean the local man is more compassionate and considerate of them than the foreign ruling man. people are only afflicted in this matter because of their excessive love for themselves and that each one of them because of his love for himself loves to be the first to reach the desired stations without being preceded to them. so if they see the one who was with them yesterday today being the first to them and ahead of them they become saddened by that and it becomes difficult and hard for them to be the first to reach them and they are not satisfied with his compassion for them or his kindness to them because their souls are attached to the goal of what this first one has reached and nothing else. nothing else pleases them and they do not find rest without it. as for the foreign owner because they did not see his first condition they cannot imagine the perfection of his precedence over them and his favor over them and that would be the least of their grief and sorrow. perhaps in such a case one should refer to reason and ponder this matter what i say.
التحاسد لا يكاد يكون إلا بين الأقرباء والمعاشرين والمعارف. فإنا نرى الرجل الغريب يملك أهل بلد ما ولا يكادون يجدون في أنفسهم كراهة لذلك، ثم يملكهم رجل من بلدهم فلا يكاد أن يتخلص ولا واحد منهم من كراهيته لذلك، هذا على أنه ربما كان هذا الرجل المالك أعني البلدي أرأف بهم وأنظر إليهم من المالك الغريب. وإنما يؤتى الناس في هذا الباب من فرط محبتهم لأنفسهم، وذلك أن كل واحد منهم من أجل حبه لنفسه يحب أن يكون سابقا إلى المراتب المرغوب فيها غير مسبوق إليها فإذا هم رأوا من كان بالأمس معهم اليوم سابقا لهم مقدما عليهم اغتموا لذلك وصعب واشتد عليهم سبقه إياهم إليها، ولم يرضهم منه تعطفه عليهم ولا إحسانه إليهم، لأن أنفسهم متعلقة بالغاية مما صار إليه هذا السابق لا غير لا يرضيهم سواه ولا يستريحون دونه. وأما المالك الغريب فمن أجل أنهم لم يشاهدوا حالته الأولى لا يتصورون كمال سبقه لهم وفضله عليهم فيكون ذلك أقل لغمهم وأسفهم. وقد ينبغي أن يرجع في مثل هذا إلى العقل ويتأمل في هذا الأمر ما أقول.