Islam & the Modern World · Screens, AI & the Self
Comparison, envy and the eye
In short
- 1.Look to those below you and not to those above, so you do not belittle God's favour (Sahih Muslim 2963).
- 2.Q 20:131 forbids straining the eyes toward what others have been given.
- 3.Both halves are addressed: the one who envies and the one who displays.
The claim being examined
Curated feeds are treated as harmless, when they train a constant comparison of your life against everyone's highlights.
The Islamic position
Islam names envy directly, prescribes gratitude and looking to those with less, and forbids the display that provokes it.
Analysis
The Islamic vocabulary here is precise. Hasad, envy, is prohibited and the Prophet, peace be upon him, warned against it as consuming good deeds; the wider instruction in Sahih Muslim 2963 is to look at those below you in worldly terms rather than above, so as not to belittle God's favour upon you — which is a directly actionable reversal of the comparison a feed produces. Q 20:131 addresses the Prophet himself with the instruction not to strain his eyes toward the enjoyment given to various groups, describing it as the splendour of worldly life and a test. The second half is less often mentioned: display is also implicated, since Islam discourages ostentation (riya) and the Prophet, peace be upon him, warned that whoever wears a garment of ostentation will be clothed in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection (Sunan Abu Dawud 4029, graded hasan). On the research, correlational studies link upward social comparison on image-based platforms with lower body satisfaction, but the field is contested and effect sizes are debated, so present it as a plausible pattern rather than proof. Contentment (qana'ah) is the positive term and gratitude the practice: Q 14:7 promises increase for the grateful.
From the Qur'an
وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ
Do not strain your eyes toward what We have given some of them to enjoy.
لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ
If you are grateful, I will surely increase you.
From the Bible
From the Sunnah
Look at those below you and do not look at those above you, for it is more suitable that you do not belittle the favour of Allah upon you.
Sources
Sahih Muslim 2963 · Sunan Abu Dawud 4029 · Qur'an 20:131 · Sahih Muslim 2963
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