Twenty-three Sufi masters have called “arrogance” and “jealousy” the root of spiritual maladies, for these indicate discontentment with the Divine decree. It was arrogance that led Satan to challenge God and be condemned by Him forever.
The Quran tells the story of Iblis (Satan), who was once a jinn of standing devoted to God. “‘Behold’, thy Lord said to the angels, ‘I am about to create man from clay: When I have fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him’.
So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together: Not so Iblis: he was haughty, and became one of those who reject Faith. Allah said: ‘O Iblis! What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with my hands? Art thou haughty? Or art thou one of the high and mighty ones?’ Iblis said: ‘I am better than he: thou created me from fire, and him thou created from clay’. Allah said: ‘Then get thee out from here: for thou art rejected, accursed. And My curse shall be on thee till the Day of Judgment’”.
Pride is one of Allah’s exclusive attributes as symbolised in His name, Al Mutakkabir, The Proud One. The spirit of Islam is entering into a state of humility before Allah. As His slaves, there is no room for pride for we have to submit completely to Him. Prophet Mohammad said, “No one with an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise”.
Imam Junayd of Baghdad, the 10th century Sufi, taught that “before attempting to know God, one must empty the heart of arrogance. God turns the arrogant ones from an understanding of His book”. The Quran clearly says, “I will divert My signs from those who show arrogance”.
No one likes arrogance, but few see it in themselves. Arrogance is seeing oneself better than others, be it because of power, lineage, money, colour or any other attribute. The Quran denounces those who are boastful and arrogant, declaring that people of taqwa, abstinence from all harmful deeds, are the noblest people. It is easy to fool people with outward behaviour, but ultimately it is the inner state that matters with God.
Arrogant tyrants like Pharaoh are amongst the most villainous of rulers in world history. Justice follows vice, and those who are patient, grateful, humble and sincere are rewarded by God while the arrogant are doomed to suffer both in this world and the Hereafter.
There are different kinds of arrogance; the first type is when a person thinks himself superior to others. The second kind is when a person shows contempt for others. The third form is when one believes that he is born of superior lineage. Other forms of arrogance can be due to one’s beauty, wealth, strength, power or knowledge.
Historically, one of biggest social evils in history has been racism and the caste system based on the belief of a higher birth rank. The Quran denounces such false claims of superiority, proclaiming that the only rank that matters is one’s relationship with God. “Indeed the most honourable of you in the sight of God is the most God fearing of you. God is all knowing and all aware”.
The Sufis teach that if you are aware of your humility, you are among the arrogant ones. Humility by nature leads to gratitude, for when one is humble before God, only then can one recognise the vast mercy bestowed upon us by the Almighty.
Effective ways of keeping tendencies of arrogance in check is to remember our origins — that we came from God and will ultimately return to Him. We should concern ourselves with removing all the things that are ugly and establishing a sincere and sound relationship with God.
Moses once asked Allah, “Oh my Lord! Who is the most deserving of your wrath and displeasure?” He said, “It is one whose heart is filled with arrogance, tongue abusive, eyes lustful, hands miserly and whose character is doubtful”.
— Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com
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