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The Prophet ﷺ said,
“No one who has an atom’s-weight of Pride in his heart will enter Paradise.” A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He ﷺ said, “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty, Pride means rejecting the truth and looking down on people”
[Sahih Muslim].Commentary:
The word or the name for arrogance/pride in Arabic is ‘Kibr’. This is the inner quality of pride. The name of the outward quality is ‘Takabbur’ which means arrogance.
Arrogance is a blameworthy characteristic which is the feature of Iblees and his followers in this world, those on whose hearts Allah has placed a seal.
Signs
of a Person Having Pride/Arrogance:
– He doesn’t like others to have what he has
– He cannot avoid anger
– He cannot avoid being jealous of others
– He doesn’t accept advice from others
– He
doesn’t want to listen or accept advice
from a learned person or
even attend lessons
– When advising people he always puts them down
– When speaking he will say good remarks about himself
– When he speaks he speaks with pride to let people know he has knowledge
– He deals with people in bad way
– He walks in bad way
– He has looks down at people because he is wealthier, or has a better appearance.
The cure for arrogance involves Knowledge and Action which involves the following remedies:
Firstly, you should know and recognise your Lord and know and recognise your own self as you should be recognised, and that you are not worthy of greatness and that true greatness and pride are only for Allah.
Secondly, you should think of yourself as being just like other people and realize that they are like you; they were born from a mother and a father just as you were, and that taqwa (piety, fear of Allah) is the true criterion of superiority.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqoon (the pious)” [Al-Hujuraat, 49:13].
And finally, know and realize that on the Day of Resurrection the person with pride will be gathered in a small form like an ant which will be trampled underfoot as The Prophet ﷺ said: “On the Day of Resurrection, the arrogant will be gathered like ants in the form of men. Humiliation will overwhelm them from all sides. They will be driven to a prison in Hell called Bawlas, with the hottest fire rising over them, and they will be given to drink of the juice of the inhabitants of Hell, which is teenat al-khabaal”
[Narrated by al-Tirmidhi -].Arrogant people are hated by other people just as they are hated by Allah; people love humble, tolerant and gentle people, and they hate those who are harsh and cruel to people.
And Allah knows best!