17: Arrogance and Humility - A Disease of the Heart and its Antidote
Arrogance and Humility (Kibr wa Tawadu')
A Disease of the Heart and its Antidote
"Surely, Allah loves not those steeped in arrogance."
(Quran 16:23)
Definition of Pride and Arrogance
Pride is ... Fakhr
- sense of one's value
- pleasure taken in one's achievement, possessions, position or association
- conceit, haughtiness, excessively high opinion of one's self coupled with a contempt for others
Arrogance is ... Kibr + 'Ujb + Fakhr + 'Ajrifah
- the vain attitude/act/habit of exalting one's own importance, arising from an assumption
of one's superiority over others regarding one's fame, knowledge, achievements, physical
features / strength, culture, rank, religiosity.
{ Note that not every matter of pride is tainted with arrogance }
Consequences of Arrogance
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"That person who has an atom's weight of pride in the heart will not enter Paradise"
The Prophet's grandson, Hasan said:
"Annihilation of people lies in three (negative) characteristics: arrogance, greedy desires and envy.
Arrogance causes damage to your way of life and Iblees was cursed due to it,
Greed is the enemy of the soul and Adam (pbuh) was expelled from the Garden due to it,
Envy is the path to wickedness and Qabil (Cain) killed Habil (Abel) due to it."
Remember, that often "pride ends in humiliation, while humanity brings honor". (Proverbs 29:23)
{ Note that humility does not in any way imply humiliation }
Genuine Humility
- Imam Al-Ghazali advised us to carefully evaluate the smallness of the vacacy we leave upon our death.
That should make us realize how insignificant a place we occupy in this world.
Wise ones have advised us that it is sufficient proof of a person's unculturedness that he exalts in the perception of his own importance. - Confucious said that humility is the foundation of all virtues, while St. Augustine remarked that in that soul in which the virtue of humility does not exist there can be no other virtue except in mere appearance.
- Note that a sign of humility is not to assume one's self as humble, for the one who considers himself humble has lost his humility.
- Also be cognizant of the fact that humility lies in the modesty of the heart and not in physical appearance.
The second Caliph 'Umar reprimanded a person who bent forward in prayer due to what he claimed to be humility. Hadrat 'Umar pointed to his heart and said "Humility is in here" (AtTaqwa Hahuna).
Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq said: "Be careful of hypocritical humility, where the body appears humble but the heart is not humble". - There is great wisdom in the analysis that genuine humility attracts while lack of humility subtracts
and artificial humility detracts. It is a noted fact that the person who sincerely looks up to God
rarely looks down upon people.
Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet (pbuh), often recited this du'aa:
"O Allah! Humble in me the opinion of myself and magnify in me (the consciousness of) Your Grandeur"
Humility as a means of Elevation
- Allah considers one of the primary qualities of the true Believer to be Khushu' - "genuine humility
which is coupled with spirituality" (Q 23:2), (Q 34:18).
Wise indeed is the reflection that
Allah elevates those who humble themselves
Zoroaster said that humility is more beautiful even in rags than pride in gold.
Humility as an Obligation
- Remember that, "Allah certainly loves not the vainglorious, the arrogant" (Q 4:36)
- Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is reported to have said: "Allah has revealed to me that you should humble yourself to the extent that no one boasts over another, nor anyone oppresses another."