Anas ibn Malik relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn away from each other, but rather be servants of Allah as brothers.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Islam enjoins the believers to beware of hatred, malice and the intention to harm others; for these are diseases of the heart whose consequences are destructive to the individual, the community and the society.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab once said: “Let not your hatred be destruction.” It was said, “How is that?” Caliph Umar replied: “When you hate someone, you love to see your companion destroyed.” (Al-Adab al-Mufrad)
This malicious hatred is a major sin that prevents people from entering Paradise. Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The gates of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every servant who does not associate anything with him except a man with hatred between himself and his brother. It will be said: Delay these two until they reconcile, delay these two until they reconcile.” (Sahih Muslim)
In yet another hadith reported by Abdullah ibn Amr: It was said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “Which of the people is best?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Everyone who is pure of heart and truthful in speech.” They said, “Truthful in speech we know, but what is a pure heart?” The Prophet ﷺ said: “It is a heart that fears Allah and is clean. There is no sin in it and neither aggression, malice, nor envy.” (Sunan Ibn Majah)
