ON THE DISAPPROVAL OF PRIDE

Allâh disapproved of pride in many places in His Book, and He disparaged every tyrannical, proud person. Allâh says:

“I will turn away from My signs those who are unjustly proud in the earth.” (Sûrah al-A‘râf, 7: 146)

“In like manner does Allâh set a seal on the heart of every arrogant, tyrant.” (Sûrah al-Mu’min/Ghâfir, 40: 35)

“They [the Messengers] sought victory, and every tyrant rebellious one failed.” (Sûrah Ibrâhîm, 14: 15)

“Surely He does not like those who are haughty.” (Sûrah an-Nahl, 16: 23)

“They are extremely conceited of themselves and they have exceeded the bounds with utter disdain.” (Sûrah al-Furqân, 25: 21)

“Surely those who are too proud to worship Me shall enter Hell, disgraced.” (Sûrah al-Mu’min/Ghâfir, 40: 60)

Pride is disapproved of in many places in the Qur’ân.

The Messenger of Allâh said: “He who has the equivalent of a mustard seed of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise. And he who has the equivalent of a mustard seed of îmân in his heart will not enter the Hell-fire.”

Abû Hurayrah narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said: “Allâh says: ‘Pride is My upper garment and greatness is My lower garment. Whoever tries to compete with Me in any of these two, I shall fling him into Hell, and I will not bother.’”

Abû Salamah ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmân said: ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr and ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Umar met each other on Mt. Safâ. They spoke to each other and then [‘Abdullâh] ibn ‘Amr departed. [‘Abdullâh] ibn ‘Umar remained crying. The people asked him: “Why are you crying, O Abû ‘Abd ar-Rahmân?” He said: “This person [referring to ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr ] said to me that he heard the Messenger of Allâh saying: ‘He who has the equivalent of a mustard seed of pride in his heart, Allâh will fling him on his face into the Hell-fire.’”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “A person will continue thinking high of himself till he is included among the tyrants. The punishment that shall afflict the tyrants will then afflict him as well.”

One day, Sulâymân ibn Dâ’ûd addressed the birds, the humans, the jinn and the animals saying: “Come out.” They came out comprising 200 000 humans and 200 000 jinn. He was then raised to such an extent that he could hear the soft humming sound of the angels in the heavens, engaged in the glorification of Allâh . He was then lowered [to earth] till his feet touched the sea. He then heard a sound which, if there was in him an atom’s weight of pride, it would have caused him to sink down further than the height that it raised him to.

The Messenger of Allâh said: “There will appear from the Hell-fire a neck which will have two ears to hear with, two eyes to see with and a tongue with which it will speak. It will say: “I have been appointed over three people: (1) every tyrant, rebellious person, (2) every person who invokes other deities with Allâh , (3) those who create [draw] images.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “A miserly person, a tyrant, and a person of evil character will not enter Paradise.” The Messenger of Allâh said: “Paradise and the Hell-fire each one presented its case. The Hell-fire said: ‘The haughty and tyrannical people have been allotted to me.’ Paradise said: ‘How is it that only the weak, lowly and feeble people come to me?’ Allâh said to Paradise: ‘You are My mercy. I show My mercy to whomever I will from among My servants through you.’ He said to the Hell-fire: ‘You are My punishment. I punish, through you, whomever I will.’ ‘And each one of you will have to be filled.’”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “Evil is that servant who shows his pride while he forgets the Almighty, the Highest. Evil is that servant who shows his pride and haughtiness while he forgets the Greatest, the Loftiest. Evil is that servant who is negligent and careless, while he forgets the graveyards and decomposition [of the body]. Evil is that servant who is arrogant and rebellious, while he forgets the beginning and the end [of life].”

Thâbit said: “We heard that someone said: ‘O Messenger of Allâh! Look at how proud such and such person is!’ He replied: ‘Isn’t there death thereafter?’”

‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said: “When death approached Nûh , he summoned his children and said: ‘I order you to do two things and I prohibit you from doing two things. I prohibit you from ascribing partners with Allâh and from pride. I order you to proclaim that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh . Surely if the heavens and the earth, and all that they contain, were placed on one pan of the scale and the proclamation that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh was placed on the other pan of the scale, it would be heavier than the other pan. If the heavens and the earth and all that they contain were a single chain, and the proclamation that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh was placed onto it, it would shatter it. The second thing which I order you to do is to say:

(glory be to Allâh and praise be to Him), because it is the prayer of every single thing and it is through it that every single thing receives sustenance.’”

‘Îsâ said: “Glad tidings to he whom Allâh taught His Book and then he did not die an arrogant person.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “The inmates of the fire will be every stern, harsh, proud, avaricious and miserly person. And the inhabitants of Paradise will be the weak and poor.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “Surely the most beloved of you in our sight and the closest to us in the hereafter shall be those of you who have the best character. The most abhorred of you in our sight and the furthest away from us shall be the prattlers, the boasters and the mutafayhiqûn.” The Companions y said: “O Messenger of Allâh! We know the prattlers and the boasters. Who are the mutafayhiqûn?” He replied: “The proud ones.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “The proud ones will be resurrected on the day of resurrection in the form of tiny specks whom the people will completely trample. They will be in the form of humans but even the smallest of things will be higher than them. They will then be herded towards a prison in Hell which is known as Bûlis. The fire of fires will engulf them and they will be made to drink the pus of the inmates of Hell.”

Abû Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet said: “The tyrants and proud ones will be raised on the day of resurrection in the form of tiny specks. The people will trample on them because of their insignificance in the sight of Allâh .”

Muhammad ibn Wâsi‘ said: “I went to Bilâl ibn Abî Burdah and said: ‘O Bilâl! Your father narrated to me from his father that the Prophet said: ‘There is a valley in Hell that is called Hub-hub. Allâh made it incumbent on Himself that he will inhabit every tyrant in it.’ O Bilâl! Beware that you are not those who are made to inhabit it.’”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “There is a palace in the Hell-fire in which the proud people will be placed and it will then be sealed upon them.” The Messenger of Allâh said: “O Allâh! I seek refuge in You from even a puff of haughtiness.”

He whose soul leaves his body [i.e. he who passes away] while he is devoid of three things, shall enter Paradise. They are: pride, debts and malice.

Abu Bakr said: “No person should look down at any other Muslim, for surely an insignificant Muslim is great in the sight of Allâh .” Wahb said: “When Allâh created the Garded of Eden, He looked at it and said: ‘You are prohibited to every haughty person.’”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn ‘Alî rahimahullâh said: “No amount of pride enters the heart of a person without an equal amount of intelligence leaving his intellect – whether it be little or a lot.” Sulaymân rahimahullâh was asked about an evil with which a good is of no benefit. He replied that it is pride.

While an-Nu‘mân ibn Bashîr was on the pulpit, he said: “Satan has traps and snares. From among his traps and snares are: arrogance with the bounties of Allâh , conceit over the bestowal of Allâh , pride over the servants of Allâh , and following one’s desires in matters other than the essence of Allâh . We ask Allâh for pardon and well-being in this world and in the hereafter through His kindness and beneficence.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “Allâh does not look at a person who drags his lower garment [below his ankles] out of pride.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “There was a person who was vexing his pride because of the shawl that he was wearing, and he became conceited. Allâh suddenly swallowed him into the earth. He is reverberating in it till the day of resurrection.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “He who drags his lower garment out of pride, Allâh will not look at him [with mercy] on the day of resurrection.”

Zayd ibn Aslam narrates: “I went to Ibn ‘Umar . ‘Abdullâh ibn Wâqid passed by him, wearing a new garment. I heard him [Ibn ‘Umar] saying: ‘O my son! Raise your lower garment for I certainly heard the Messenger of Allâh saying: ‘Allâh does not look at the person who drags his lower garment out of pride.’”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “When my followers start walking proudly and the Persians and Romans begin serving them, Allâh will impose some of them over the others.” Ibn al-A‘râbîrahimahullâh said: “This refers to walking proudly and haughtily.”

The Messenger of Allâh said: “He who considers himself to be great and walks proudly will meet Allâh while He is angry with him.”

Abû Bakr al-Hudhalî rahimahullâh narrates: “We were in the company of al-Hasan rahimahullâh when Ibn al-Ahtam passed by us, going towards the palace, wearing a silk jubbah with layers woven over each other over his calves, and his long outer garment sticking out from it. He was walking with pride and arrogance. Al-Hasan rahimahullâh looked at him just once and said: ‘How terrible! How terrible! Walking conceitedly, looking with the corner of his eyes out of pride, puffing his cheeks out of pride, looking at his side with pride! O foolish one! You are looking at your self at bounties for which you neither showed gratitude nor mentioned, which you did not take in accordance with the order of Allâh , and without fulfilling the rights of Allâh therein. In every part of it is a bounty of Allâh and a turnabout for Satan. By Allâh! For a person to walk his natural way or to convulse like a mad man is better for him than to walk [proudly] in this way.’ Ibn al-Atham heard this. He came back and excused himself before al-Hasan rahimahullâh. The latter said: ‘Do not excuse yourself before me. Instead, repent to Allâh . Have you not heard the words of Allâh :

“Do not walk on the earth conceitedly. You will never be able to render the earth asunder nor will you ever reach the mountains in height.” (Sûrah Banî Isrâ’îl/al-Isrâ’, 17: 37)

On one occasion, a youngster wearing beautiful clothes passed by al-Hasan rahimahullâh. He called him and said: “O son of Âdam! You are proud of your youth and you are enamoured by your appearance. It is as though the grave has already covered your body and that you have already received the reward of your deeds. Alas! Treat your heart [and do not become proud by your external appearance] because Allâh wants His servants to rectify their hearts.”

Muhammad ibn Wâsi‘ rahimahullâh saw his son acting conceitedly. He called him and asked him: “Do you know who you are? As for your mother, I purchased her for 100 dirhams. And as for your father, may Allâh not make many like him among the Muslims.”

Ibn ‘Umar saw a man dragging his lower garment, so he said: “Satan has brothers.” He repeated this two or three times.

It is related that Mutrif ibn ‘Abdillâh ibn ash-Shakhîr saw al-Muhallab walking proudly in a silk jubbah. So he said: “O ‘Abdullâh! This is a walk which Allâh and His Messenger detest.” Al-Muhallab replied: “Don’t you know who I am?” He said: “I certainly know who you are. Your beginning was a drop of sperm and the end of you will be a rotting corpse. And between these two stages of your life, you are carrying filth [urine, stool, pus, etc. in your body].” Al-Muhallab then continued and gave up walking in that manner.

It was in this regard that a poet said:

“I am astonished by a person who is conceited by his appearance, when just yesterday he was a drop of sperm. And tomorrow, after this beautiful appearance of his, he will become a rotting corpse in the grave.”

Khalf al-Ahmar said:

“We have a friend who likes to contradict everything. He errs a lot and is rarely correct. Yet, he is more insistent than a dung beetle, and more conceited than a crow when he walks.”

Another poet said:

“When a haughty person said: ‘There is no one like me’, I said to him: ‘O you who are going to depart very soon, why don’t you humble yourself?’”

Dhû an-Nûn al-Misrî rahimahullâh said:

“O you lofty person who thinks that there is none like him! We who are [buried] in the soil send greetings to you. This life is just an enjoyment [for a few days]. When death comes, all the feet are equal [everyone is treated equally – the grave will devour all].”

Mujâhid rahimahullâh said with regard to the following verse:

“He then went to his kinsfolk with pride.” (Sûrah al-Qiyâmah, 75: 33)

In other words, he went haughtily and arrogantly. And Allâh knows best.