Arrogance of the heart
Arrogance happens to be one of the most destructive diseases of the heart. Let us understand why it is so dangerous, how it develops, and how we can overcome it.
يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌۭ وَلَا بَنُونَ
إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍۢ سَلِيمٍۢ
[Surah Shuara: 88-89]
Arrogance leads to kufr, and it is a Satanic trait:
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
[Surah alBaqarah ayat 34]
Arrogance vs faith:
Abdullah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
"Whoever has a mustard seed's weight of pride (arrogance) in his heart, shall not be admitted into Paradise. And whoever has a mustard seed's weight of faith in his heart, shall not be admitted into the Fire."
[Tirmizi]
All pride belongs to God alone
Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ said: Kibriyai meri chadar hai aur azmat meri izaar, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire.
Do not act arrogantly:
وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولًۭا
Zameen me akad kar na chalo, tum na zameen ko phaad sakte ho, na pahado ki bulandi ko pa sakte ho.
[Bani Israil: 37]
Luqman’s advice to his son:
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍۢ فَخُورٍۢ
وَٱقْصِدْ فِى مَشْيِكَ وَٱغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلْأَصْوَٰتِ لَصَوْتُ ٱلْحَمِيرِ
Logoñ se muh pher kar baat na karo, na zameen me akad kar chalo. Allah kisi khud pasand aur fakhr jatane wale ko pasand nahi karta. Apni chaal me aetedal ikhtiyar kar, aur apni awaz zara passt rakh, sab se buri awaz gadho ki hoti hai
[Luqman: 18-19]
Man should remember his origins:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍۢ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
[YaSeen: 77, Nahl: 4]
Dressing well is not Arrogance
Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who has, in his heart, an ant's weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah." Someone said: "A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people."
[Muslim].
Dressing well is recommended
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍۢ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ
Claims of superiority:
1. Lineage and looks/selfie culture
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ
[Hujurat: 13]
Hajjatul Wida Hadith
2. Wealth and luxuries.
Bigger the car, more the arrogance
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطْغَىٰٓ
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰٓ
[Alaq]
بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا
وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ
[Surah Aala]
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌۭ وَلَهْوٌۭ وَزِينَةٌۭ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّۭا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَـٰمًۭا ۖ وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌۭ شَدِيدٌۭ وَمَغْفِرَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۭ ۚ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
[Hadeed: 20]
3. Piety:
فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ
[Najm: 32]
4. Knowledge:
Hence we need to ask God for ilm nafiyah. Knowledge should make man humble.
Prophet's example:
Couldn't be recognised in a crowd
Don't even say I'm better than Yunus
Would walk through the town like an ordinary man
Slept on the floor, ate and wore what others did.
Turned entirely while speaking to someone
Did not approve of people standing for him
Building masjid e nabavi, Khandaq, Fath Makkah etc.
Self appraisal:
Check how you react when you are praised, criticized or denied credit.
How you treat those below you.
Humility dipped in Arrogance!
- My first lesson of 2022
(A Facebook post)
“ This evening, I was performing a rather difficult surgical procedure on a patient. I had to employ some unconventional techniques to remove a wisdom tooth that was crumbling to pieces and positioned in a way that made it hardly visible. 10 minutes into the procedure, I told the patient, “Allah ka shukr hai bohot aram se ho gaya; mujhe lag raha tha daañt nahi niklega.” At this, the patient kept thanking and praising God... instead of thanking and praising me. Ah! Turns out my nafs actually wanted the patient to praise my skills and experience and thank me for relieving her pain. I really felt offended the patient kept praising God and not me, despite the fact that I was praising God myself. So, was my praise for God only a deceitful façade behind which I expected the patient to praise me? This was such a rude wake-up call. ”
Likewise, when we say to someone, “Oh, I didn't deserve this” or “Im sorry, its my fault; I should have been more careful”, most of us expect our addressee to say, “Oh, that is rather humble of you to say that” and “Its not your fault at all, you don't have to feel sorry about it.”
But if the addressee were to say, “Of course you don't deserve it, but take it anyway” or “Of course it's your fault, now go and make amends”, we would feel very offended. This can only mean that our humility and our regrets are only as deep as a puddle. They are shallow words that mean nothing. We taking offence at something we ourselves said a moment back shows that we are actually being arrogant, not humble!
How to inculcate humility
Daily muhasabah (self-accounting).
Every night ask: where did my ego speak today? Where did I shrink from truth? Keep it short — three items is enough. End with sincere dua and istighfar.
One humble act per day.
It can be practical: help someone with a small chore, sweep, carry a bag, clean the masjid. Small, consistent acts chip away at self-importance.
Sit with the deprived, the sick, the lonely ones.
Be appreciative of others. Apologize when wrong.
Rotate service roles in community.
If you lead, arrange for others to lead small projects; if you serve, do it quietly. Commission a rotation of honours so no one sits too long on a pedestal.
Invite correction.
Choose one trusted brother or sister and ask them: “Tell me one blind spot.” Then listen. Don’t explain, don’t defend — just listen. Honesty from others is medicine.
Live visible simplicity.
You don’t have to wear rags; but practice a mode of life where faith decisions guide spending and display. Let gratitude, not comparison, be your marker.
Use the five daily prayers as a calibration.
Make one prayer this week intentionally slow. In sujūd, visualize placing the seat of intellect on the ground; say a short, sincere line: “I am nothing without You.” Repeat.
Remember death—briefly and concretely.
Once a week, sit for five minutes and imagine the grave. Do it not to be morbid but to reset priorities.
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