Which element played a great role in the first sin on earth?

When we look at the methods by which Satan promotes evil, we can see something of it in these early encounters whether it was in the Heavens or whether it was on earth and these early encounters between Adam and Eve عليهم السلام and Satan, their children and Satan, elements of jealousy, pride, elements of doubts and fears. These form the general elements, which Satan plays on throughout our lives.

There is an element, an emotional element which has played a great role in the first sin in the Heavens as well as the first major sin on earth. That is jealousy. Iblees or Satan was jealous of Adam عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم because Allah has given him that status which He hasn’t given himself; he rejects it and disobeys God, because he feels he is better than Adam عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم. This is jealousy which leads to pride. These are major evils. Similarly on earth, in the case of Cain and Abel, Qabeel and Habeel, we find again jealousy. Qabeel, Cain jealous of his brother Abel because Allah has accepted his sacrifice. This leads him with the prompting of Satan to commit this major error and because of it Prophet (ﷺ) had said,

“For every soul killed unjustly, the first son of Adam carries a portion of sin for the blood spilled because he was the first to murder.”[1]

Now though we said that people don’t carry the sins of others, if we begin an evil way then all those who follow us, we carry a portion of their sin. Not that we relieve them of it. They carry their sin but we also carry a portion because we are the ones who guided them to it. Just as if we do good, we start a good way, those people who follow that good way, we also gain a portion of the reward from it. So it works on both sides. Now on earth as we said it was the jealousy of Cain leading to the jealousy of his brother.

So it’s very important for us to be aware of this fundamental evil emotion, that of jealousy when it is not in an area which has been prescribed by God. Where jealousy is left to function or to guide us, we become a slave to it, then it creates all kinds of evil. Whether it is jealousy in material things, people develop what they call the Joneses concepts, imitating and want to be keeping up with our neighbors. We see our neighbor buy something new, we want something like it. We see anybody has it, we want something like it. This jealousy, desiring to have for oneself what everybody else has creates this jealousy. Jealousy can cause that person then to commit evil because they may steal or kill or whatever to have these things. It’s very dangerous. And the pride where a person in a response to jealousy develops an attitude where they feel they are better than others, they look down on others; they deny the good of others. These are very evil emotions that we have to be aware of, we have to learn from that initial struggle which took place in the Heavens and on earth between our fore parents Adam and Eve عليهم السلام and the evil one Satan.

Reference:

[1] [Sahih Bukhari: Volume 9, Book 83, Number 6]