his laxity for one of them is what deprived him and prevented him from achieving his hope. although if this predecessor was a brother cousin relative acquaintance or fellow countryman it would be better for the envious person and more hopeful for his good and safer from his evil since between them is the connection of circumcision which is a natural connection and his plot. also if there must be among the people leaders kings the wealthy and the multipliers and the envious person is not one of those who hopes and expects that what is theirs will become his or that whoever becomes him will benefit from it then his hatred has no face in reason at all because it is the same to him whether he remains among them or becomes someone else whose condition in not benefiting from them is his condition. also we say the rational person may restrain his animal self with the insight of his rational self and the strength of his angry self until he restrains it from attaining delicious and appetizing things rather than that in which there is no desire or pleasure and in which there is harm to both the soul and the body. i say envy is something that has no pleasure and if it does have any it is much less than other things of pleasure and it is harmful to the soul and the body. as for the soul because it distracts it distracts its thoughts and occupies it so that it does not have time to act in what benefits the body and it is exposed to the bad symptoms that come with it to the soul such as prolonged sadness worry and thinking. as for the body because when these symptoms occur to the soul it is exposed to prolonged sleeplessness and poor nutrition and this is followed by a bad complexion a bad appearance and a corrupt temperament. if the wise man restrains his desires with his mind which brings him closer to delicious desires after they are something that leads to harm then it is more appropriate for him and more appropriate for him to strive to erase this symptom from himself and forget it.
تراخيه، فإن أحدهما هو الذي حرمه وأقعده عن بلوغ أمله. مع أنه إذا كان هذا السابق أخا أو ابن عم أو قريبا أو معرفة أو بلديا كان أصلح للحاسد وكان أرجى لخيره وآمن من شره، إذ بينهما وصلة التختن وهي وصلة طبيعية وكيده وأيضا فإنه إذا كان لا بد أن يكون في الناس الرؤساء والملوك والمثرون والمكثرون ولم يكن الحاسد ممن يؤمل ويرجو أن يصير ما هو لهم إليه أو إلى من صار إليه انتفع هو به فليس لكراهيته أن يبقى عليه وجه في العقل بتة، لأنه سواء عليه بقى فيهم أو صار إلى غيرهم ممن حاله في عدم انتفاعه بهم حاله وأيضا فنقول إن العاقل قد يزم ببصيرة نفسه الناطقة وقوة نفسه الغضبية نفسه البهيمية حتى يرعها من إصابة الأشياء اللذيذة الشهية عما لا شهوة ولا لذة فيه، وفيه مع ذلك مضرة النفس والبدن جميعا. وأقول إن الحسد مما لا لذة فيه، وإن كان فيه منها شئ فإنه أقل كثيرا من سائر الأشياء من اللذات، وهو مضر بالنفس والجسد. أما بالنفس فلأنه يذهلها ويعزب فكرها ويشغلها حتى لا تفرغ للتصرف فيما يعود نفعه على الجسد وعليها لما يعرض معه للنفس من العوارض الرديئة، مثل طول الحزن والهم والفكر. وأما بالجسد فلأنه يعرض له عند حدوث هذه الأعراض للنفس طول السهر وسوء الاغتذاء، ويعقب ذلك رداءة اللون وسوء السحنة وفساد المزاج. وإذا كان العاقل يزم بعقله الهوى المقرب إليه الشهوات اللذيذة بعد أن تكون مما يعقب مضرة فأولى به وأولى أن يجتهد في محو هذا العارض عن نفسه ونسيانه