Rejoicing at anothers misfortune is "Shamatat". In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
said, "Do not have 'Shamatat' for another religious brother! If you have 'Shamatat' then
Allahu ta’ala will take the disaster from him and give it to you." It would not be "Shamatat"
if one feels happiness upon hearing the death of an oppressor because one would be saved from
his evil. Being happy upon hearing the disasters and troubles other than death one's enemy is
suffering will be "Shamatat". It will even be worse if one believes that he is the cause of the
disasters and troubles, e.g., by supposing his prayer (Dua) was accepted and that is why his
enemy is suffering. Such belief would cause him to catch the vice of self love (Ujb). One should
think the suffering of his enemy might be deception ("Makr" or "Istidraj") for himself. Therefore,
one should pray for the removal of those troubles. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
said, "A Mumin’s good prayer 'Dua' on behalf of another Mumin brother will be accepted.
An angel will say, 'May Allahu ta’ala give the same goodness to you also!' And then they
will say, Amin! Prayer 'Dua' of an angel will not be rejected." If the enemy is a tyrant(Zalim) and the disasters and troubles he suffers will prevent him from oppressing others, then
being happy about his suffering over those troubles would not be "Shamatat" and would not be a
sin but instead it would be a religious Gayrat. Religious Gayrat is an indication of strength of
one’s belief. It is good to have Gayrat for Allahu ta’ala. It is not so good if it is due to one's
animal desires. In reality, being happy upon hearing of the suffering of the tyrant is not a good
thing but since it prevents him from oppressing others, it became permissible.
said, "Do not have 'Shamatat' for another religious brother! If you have 'Shamatat' then
Allahu ta’ala will take the disaster from him and give it to you." It would not be "Shamatat"
if one feels happiness upon hearing the death of an oppressor because one would be saved from
his evil. Being happy upon hearing the disasters and troubles other than death one's enemy is
suffering will be "Shamatat". It will even be worse if one believes that he is the cause of the
disasters and troubles, e.g., by supposing his prayer (Dua) was accepted and that is why his
enemy is suffering. Such belief would cause him to catch the vice of self love (Ujb). One should
think the suffering of his enemy might be deception ("Makr" or "Istidraj") for himself. Therefore,
one should pray for the removal of those troubles. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
said, "A Mumin’s good prayer 'Dua' on behalf of another Mumin brother will be accepted.
An angel will say, 'May Allahu ta’ala give the same goodness to you also!' And then they
will say, Amin! Prayer 'Dua' of an angel will not be rejected." If the enemy is a tyrant(Zalim) and the disasters and troubles he suffers will prevent him from oppressing others, then
being happy about his suffering over those troubles would not be "Shamatat" and would not be a
sin but instead it would be a religious Gayrat. Religious Gayrat is an indication of strength of
one’s belief. It is good to have Gayrat for Allahu ta’ala. It is not so good if it is due to one's
animal desires. In reality, being happy upon hearing of the suffering of the tyrant is not a good
thing but since it prevents him from oppressing others, it became permissible.
