Starting Sha'ban, Train Yourself To Head Into Ramadan Without Malice

Abstract

This article examines malice (ḥiqd) as a central disease of the heart in Islamic ethics, particularly during Ramadan as a season of purification. Drawing on Qur’anic guidance, Prophetic teachings, and classical Sunni scholarship, it argues that unresolved anger is the primary root of malice and that its downstream effects—envy, deceit, and the desire to harm—corrode both personal piety and communal trust.