they condemned envy as they condemned impatience because its owner hastens the burden of grief and the cost of suffering concern without it benefiting him at all. envy is grief and treachery is meanness. some of the wise men said envy is a vile trait and part of its vileness is that it starts with the closest and then the closest. they claimed that no traitor ever betrayed except because his ambition was too small to be loyal and his ability was too weak to bear hardships in the face of achieving good deeds.
وذموا الحسد كذمهم الجزع، لما يتعجل صاحبه من ثقل الاغتمام، وكلفة مقاساة الاهتمام، من غير أن يجدي عليه شيئا. فالحسد اغتمام، والغدر لؤم. وقال بعض الحكماء الحسد خلق دنيء، ومن دناءته أنه يبدأ بالأقرب فالأقرب . وزعموا أنه لم يغدر غادر قط إلا لصغر همته عن الوفاء، وخمول قدره عن احتمال المكاره في جنب نيل المكارم.