الغَيرةُ

POSSESSIVENESS *

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2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘My father Abraham
[i.e. the prophet] was very possessive
[i.e. guarding of his own self-worth] and I am even more possessive than him. Allah abases the one who has no sense of self-worth from among the believers.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 248, no. 33]

3– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily Allah, most High, is possessive, and verily the believer is possessive. Allah is possessive over a believer when he approaches that which Allah has prohibited him from.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 7072]

4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily the fragrance of Paradise can be smelt from a distance of five hundred years, but neither the one who is insolent towards his parents not the cuckold will ever smell it.’ When asked, ‘O Prophet of Allah, what is a cuckold?’ he replied, ‘It is one whose wife commits adultery with his knowledge of it.’
[al-Faqih, v. 3, p. 444, no. 4542]

5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The worth of a man is in proportion to his ambition … his courage is in proportion to his self-esteem, and his chastity is in proportion to his possessiveness
[i.e. over his own wife].’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 47]

6- Imam Ali (AS) said, 'A man who is possessive
[over his own wife] will never commit adultery.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 305]

7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Verily Allah is possessive over the believer, so let him who is not possessive become possessive
[through a sense of self-worth], for verily he has a degenerative heart.’
[al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 204, 455]

8– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, is very possessive and loves every possessive one, and as a result of His possessiveness
[over His servants], he has prohibited indecent acts, both those done in public as well as those done in secret.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 535, no. 1]

9– The Messenger of Allah (AS) said, ‘There is possessiveness that Allah likes, and possessiveness that Allah dislikes. That which He likes is the possessiveness during doubt or misgiving
[about one’s wife], and the
[over]possessiveness He dislikes is in a situation where there is no
[reason to] doubt.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 7067]

10– Imam Ali (AS) said in his will to his son, al-Hasan (AS), ‘Beware of being overpossessive
[of your wife] in a situation that does not necessitate it, for verily that will lead a wife of sound character from among them to become weak. Rather judge them carefully so that when you see a fault, you hasten your reproach of it, both major and minor
[faults].’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 214, no. 1]

11– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘A woman’s overpossessiveness is
[tantamount to] infidelity, whereas a man’s overpossessiveness is
[part of his] faith.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 124]

12– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Women’s overpossessiveness is jealousy, and jealousy is the root of infidelity. Verily when women are overpossessive, they become enraged, and when they are enraged, they disbelieve, except the Muslim women from among them.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 505, no. 4]

13– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘There is no jealous possessiveness
[warranted] in what is lawful …’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 537, no. 1]

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* ghira: This word, that has been translated as possessiveness, denotes a possessiveness stemming from a sense of self-honour and self-worth, where a man who has the quality of ghira would be a possessive or jealous husband, seen as a positive trait because of its stemming from self-honour. When ghira is ascribed to Allah, it denotes His being deserving of and demanding exclusive worship, loyalty and adherence. In other texts, ghira has been translated equally as jealousy, zeal, and fervour. In this text therefore, it will be translated according to its connotations in individual traditions (ed.)