The measuring habit, named

The Qur'an speaks about the eye and what it reaches for, and notice where it puts the problem. It puts it in the looking, not in the person who has the thing. The words for piling up and boasting about it are already in the text, which means none of this is new. What is new is the size of the sample.

Qur’an and Sunnah

أَلۡهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ

Striving for more distracts you

Qur’an 102:1

حَتَّىٰ زُرۡتُمُ ٱلۡمَقَابِرَ

until you go into your graves

Qur’an 102:2

وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيۡنَيۡكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعۡنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزۡوَٰجࣰ ا مِّنۡهُمۡ زَهۡرَةَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لِنَفۡتِنَهُمۡ فِيهِۚ وَرِزۡقُ رَبِّكَ خَيۡرࣱ وَأَبۡقَىٰ

and do not gaze longingly at what We have given some of them to enjoy, the finery of this present life: We test them through this, but the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting

Qur’an 20:131

ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لَعِبࣱ وَلَهۡوࣱ وَزِينَةࣱ وَتَفَاخُرُۢ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَتَكَاثُرࣱ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَوۡلَٰدِۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيۡثٍ أَعۡجَبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصۡفَرࣰّ ا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَٰمࣰ اۖ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ عَذَابࣱ شَدِيدࣱ وَمَغۡفِرَةࣱ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَٰنࣱۚ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ

Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure

Qur’an 57:20

Translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an, Oxford University Press, 2004.

What the research says

Festinger L (1954). A Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117 to 140 doi

People need to know how they are doing. Where there is no objective standard available, they work it out by comparing themselves with other people, and they prefer to compare with people who are similar to themselves. The drive is ordinary and it is in everybody. A feed does not create it. It changes who is in the sample.