A Benefit from Ash-Shaykh al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him, regarding the meaning of Envy and Jealousy:

The Second Chapter: Mistakes which are Compulsory to Beware of

Firstly: Envy and Jealousy

“It is unhappiness for what Allah has bestowed upon others of bounties, whereas it does not (merely mean) wishing the blessing to be removed from others rather it is just by a person disliking what Allah has bestowed upon others of bounties, so this is envy, whether he wished it (i.e. the bounty and blessing) to be removed or to remain whilst disliking it for him. As this has been affirmed by Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, where he said: envy is the unhappiness of a person for what Allah has bestowed upon others of bounties while the human-souls are mostly not free from envy, meaning the soul could be forcefully disposition upon it however it came in the hadeeth ‘if you envy then do not transgress and if you have an (evil) thought then do not implement it’ meaning that it is obligatory upon the person if he sees from his heart any form of envy for others then he should not transgress whether be in speech or actions, for verily that is from the traits of the Jews, those who Allah said regarding (them):

: {أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَقَدْ آتَيْنَا آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَآتَيْنَاهُمْ مُلْكًا عَظِيمًا} [النساء: 54]

“Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His Bounty? Then We had already given the family of Ibrahim the Book and Al-Hikmah (As-Sunnah), and conferred upon them a great kingdom.

Hence the envious commits several forbidden acts:

Firstly: His unhappiness of what Allah has decreed, for verily his displeasure for what Allah has bestowed this person with of bounties is actually a dislike for what Allah has decreed to occur and an opposition to the preordainment of Allah azza wajal.

Secondly: That envy devours goods deeds as the fire devours pieces of wood because generally the envious transgresses the envied by mentioning some of that which he dislikes and by distancing the people from him and by degrading his value and the likes of that

Thirdly: What befalls the heart of the envious of sorrow – while the hell-fire will devour him severely -, so whenever he sees this blessing upon this envied one he would become distressed and depressed whereas he begins to observe this person, (so) every time Allah bestows upon him any bounties he becomes sad and distressed and depressed throughout his worldly affairs.”

Reference: The Book of Knowledge, page 54.