The Disease of Arrogance

The Prophet is narrated to have said:

لا يَدخُلُ الجَنَّةَ مَن كانَ في قَلبِه مِثقالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِن كِبرٍ، قال رَجُلٌ: إنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أن يَكونَ ثَوبُه حَسَنًا ونَعلُه حَسَنةً، قال: إنَّ اللهَ جَميلٌ يُحِبُّ الجَمالَ، الكِبرُ بَطَرُ الحَقِّ، وغَمطُ النَّاسِ.

“No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” A man said: “A person likes his clothes to be nice and his shoes to be nice.” He said: “Indeed, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.”

الراوي : عبدالله بن مسعود | المحدث : مسلم | المصدر : صحيح مسلم

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud | Reported by Muslim | Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

One thing we benefit from this hadith is a clear definition of what arrogance is: “to look down on others and to refuse to accept the truth.”

The primary cause of arrogance is self-amazement, since someone will only look down on others if he deems himself higher than them due to some perceived virtue or possession he fancies himself as having that others do not. For example, superficial knowledge can be a major source of arrogance, hence why it has been said:

طغيان العلم أشد من طغيان الذهب و الفضة

“The transgression of knowledge is more severe than the transgression of gold and silver.”

Likewise, Imam Ghazali mentions in al-Ihya: “people of knowledge are in greater danger of arrogance than anyone else” (3:347), because the knowledge they have attained may lead them to feelings of superiority.

Thus, the cause of arrogance can vary depending on why someone is self-amazed. Is it due to your car and wealth, your looks and the attention you draw, or perhaps your lineage and tribe you cling to? Hence, the person afflicted with this disease needs to self-diagnose the reason behind their sense of grandeur. Likewise, self-amazement could be defined simply as an inability to view or acknowledge one’s faults. Thus, the more someone is blind to their own shortcomings, the more likely they are to be arrogant.

The evil effects of arrogance can be summed up in the reality of Iblis. Fundamentally, the thing that made Shaytan commit disbelief was not his rejection of the existence of Allah, but his refusal to submit due to his pride and arrogance:

{ وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوۤا۟ إِلَّاۤ إِبۡلِیسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ }

“And [mention] when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam,’ and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.”

[Surah Al-Baqarah: 34]

Imam al-Tabari comments on this saying: “Even though this is Allah narrating to us about the devil, it is in reality reprimanding those who are similar to the devil, those who are arrogant to submit to the commands of Allah and humble themselves to His obedience.” (Jami‘ al-Bayan 1/510)

Hence, we find that those who came after him, who also rejected their messengers, were afflicted with this same disease of arrogance, that even when they knew the truth, they still rejected it due to their arrogance:

{ وَإِنِّی كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوۤا۟ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمۡ فِیۤ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡا۟ ثِیَابَهُمۡ وَأَصَرُّوا۟ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُوا۟ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارا }

“And indeed, every time I called them so that You might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with great arrogance.”

[Surah Nūḥ: 7]

{ ۞ قَالُوۤا۟ أَنُؤۡمِنُ لَكَ وَٱتَّبَعَكَ ٱلۡأَرۡذَلُونَ }

“They said: ‘Should we believe you while the lowest people follow you?’”

[Surah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ: 111]

{ فَأَمَّا عَاد فَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَقَالُوا۟ مَنۡ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةًۖ أَوَلَمۡ یَرَوۡا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِی خَلَقَهُمۡ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنۡهُمۡ قُوَّة وَكَانُوا۟ بِـَٔایَـٰتِنَا یَجۡحَدُونَ }

“As for ‘Ād, they were arrogant upon the earth without right and said, ‘Who is greater than us in strength?’ Did they not see that Allah, who created them, is greater than them in strength? But they were rejecting Our signs.”

[Surah Fuṣṣilat: 15]

{ وَقَـٰرُونَ وَفِرۡعَوۡنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَۖ وَلَقَدۡ جَاۤءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتِ فَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ سَـٰبِقِینَ }

“And [We destroyed] Qarun, Pharaoh, and Haman. And Moses had certainly come to them with clear proofs, but they were arrogant in the land, and they were not outrunners [of Our punishment].”

[Surah Al-ʿAnkabūt: 39]

{ وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَیۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَقَفَّیۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ بِٱلرُّسُلِۖ وَءَاتَیۡنَا عِیسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتِ وَأَیَّدۡنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلۡقُدُسِۗ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاۤءَكُمۡ رَسُولُۢ بِمَا لَا تَهۡوَىٰۤ أَنفُسُكُمُ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرۡتُمۡ فَفَرِیقا كَذَّبۡتُمۡ وَفَرِیقا تَقۡتُلُونَ }

“And We certainly gave Moses the Book and followed him up with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that every time a messenger came to you with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? So a group you denied and another group you killed.”

[Surah Al-Baqarah: 87]

{بَلِ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِی عِزَّة وَشِقَاق}

“But those who disbelieve are in arrogance and dissension.”

[Surah Ṣād: 2]

This is why the Qur’an and Sunnah give stern warnings about the danger of pride, because it prevents guidance and learning from happening. Hence, Allah says:

{ سَأَصۡرِفُ عَنۡ ءَایَـٰتِیَ ٱلَّذِینَ یَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَإِن یَرَوۡا۟ كُلَّ ءَایَة لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوا۟ بِهَا وَإِن یَرَوۡا۟ سَبِیلَ ٱلرُّشۡدِ لَا یَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِیلا وَإِن یَرَوۡا۟ سَبِیلَ ٱلۡغَیِّ یَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِیلاۚ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔایَـٰتِنَا وَكَانُوا۟ عَنۡهَا غَـٰفِلِینَ }

“I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they see every sign, they will not believe in it; and if they see the path of guidance, they will not take it as a path; but if they see the path of misguidance, they will take it as a path. That is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.”

[Surah Al-Aʿrāf: 146]

As the scholars say, two people will never learn: the arrogant and the shy. And in reality, it is the polar opposite of our true status as slaves of Allah. Hence, the Prophet said:

لا يدخلُ الجنَّةَ من كانَ في قلبِه مثقالُ ذرَّةٍ مِن كِبْرِ

“No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.”

ألا أُخبِرُكُم بأهلِ الجَنَّةِ؟ قالوا: بَلى، قال صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم: كُلُّ ضَعيفٍ مُتَضَعِّفٍ، لو أقسَمَ على اللهِ لأبَرَّه، ثُمَّ قال: ألا أُخبِرُكُم بأهلِ النَّارِ؟ قالوا: بَلى، قال: كُلُّ عُتُلٍّ جَوَّاظٍ مُستَكبِرٍ. وفي روايةٍ: بهذا الإسنادِ بمِثلِه، غيرَ أنَّه قال: ألا أدُلُّكُم.

“Shall I not inform you of the people of Paradise?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “Every weak person who is considered weak, if he were to swear by Allah, He would fulfill it.” Then he said: “Shall I not inform you of the people of the Fire?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “Every harsh, proud, and arrogant person.”

From the interesting things with arrogance is that a person always gets the opposite of what they were seeking. The Prophet said:

من تواضع للهِ رفعَه اللهُ.

“Whoever humbles himself for Allah, Allah raises him.”

What can be understood from this by means of مفهوم المخالفة is that those who are arrogant, Allah humiliates and lowers them in the eyes of the people. As ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said:

“When a person humbles himself, Allah raises him up. So he is lowly to himself, yet Allah makes him great in the eyes of the people. But when he is arrogant and raises himself up, Allah puts him down and disgraces him, so he is great in his own eyes, yet Allah has belittled him in the eyes of the people to the point that they see him as lower than a donkey.” (Sharḥ al-Sunnah of al-Baghawi 13/171)

• You see yourself as a “religious person” and look down on others who may be struggling to practice their faith.

• You love that people stand for you.

• You love and seek to always be distinguished in a sitting.

• You love to be served and do not do any housework, seeing it as being below you.

• You expect people to refer to you with specific titles and treat you a certain way; when they fail to do so, you feel angry and offended.

• You reject the truth when it is presented to you, especially if the person is someone you deem to be below you in status and lineage.

• You have a disdain and find it difficult to be around people who come from a lower socio-economic background, finding them to be beneath you.

• You remember your humble origins as a sperm drop. Hence why you find Allah reiterating this reality many times in Meccan surahs when addressing the arrogant Quraysh who rejected the message due to their arrogance:

{ فَلۡیَنظُرِ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ }
So let man observe from what he was created.

[Surah Aṭ-Ṭāriq: 5]

{ خُلِقَ مِن مَّاۤء دَافِق }
He was created from a fluid, ejected.

[Surah Aṭ-Ṭāriq: 6]

• You ponder over your limitations and meek beginning, compared to Allah’s perfection. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said it clearly when he said:

عجباً لابن آدم كيف يتكبر وقد خرج من مجرى البول مرتين
How astonishing is the son of Adam—how can he be arrogant when he came out of the passage of urine twice?

Then when you realize how fleeting human life and strength are, that at any moment Allah could take your life away, these are realities that should break someone’s ego and sense of grandeur.

• You recognize the end consequences of those that are arrogant:

{ قِیلَ ٱدۡخُلُوۤا۟ أَبۡوَ ٰ⁠بَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِینَ فِیهَاۖ فَبِئۡسَ مَثۡوَى ٱلۡمُتَكَبِّرِینَ }
It will be said, “Enter the gates of Hell, abiding eternally therein; and wretched is the residence of the arrogant.”

[Surah Az-Zumar: 72]

• You remember that these blessings you have are from Allah, and can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye by Allah, understanding that they are simply a test from Allah to see how you will behave, as the Prophet said:

الدُّنيا حُلوةٌ خضِرةٌ وإنَّ اللهَ مُستخلِفَكم فيها فناظرٌ كيف تعملون
Indeed, this world is sweet and green, and Allah has appointed you as successors in it to see how you will act.

• Visiting the sick, the weak, the poor, and the destitute and spending time with them.

• If your lineage is what is making you feel superior and arrogant:

  • You understand that Islam came to strictly remove this type of jāhil thinking, as the Prophet said:

  • لا فضلَ لعربيٍّ على عجميٍّ ، ولا لعجميٍّ على عربيٍّ ، ولا لأبيضَ على أسودَ ، ولا لأسودَ على أبيضَ - : إلَّا بالتَّقوَى ، النَّاسُ من آدمَ ، وآدمُ من ترابٍ
    There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a white over a black, nor a black over a white—except by piety. All people are from Adam, and Adam is from dust.

  • You understand that you do not truly know the final destination of your forefathers you brag about; it is possible that they will be in Hell.

• If you are arrogant due to your strength and looks:

  • These do not matter in the sight of Allah, the One who will judge you on the Day of Judgment, as the Prophet said:

    إِنَّ اللهَ تعالى لَا ينظرُ إلى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأمْوالِكُمْ ، ولكنْ إِنَّما ينظرُ إلى قلوبِكم وأعمالِكم
    Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearances or your wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds.

  • You remind yourself that this strength and beauty can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye through illness and accidents, recognizing that they are simply tests from Allah.

• If you are arrogant due to your money:

  • This money is not yours; this is from Allah.

  • It can leave as fast as it came.

  • Ibn al-Jawzī said:
    “True richness is not by you possessing something but by you being free of needing it.”

• If your arrogance is due to your knowledge:

  • Know that this knowledge comes from Allah and it is a test.

  • Imam al-Shāfiʿī says:

    العلم ثلاثة أشبار فمن دخل في الشبر الأول تكبر, ومن دخل في الشبر الثاني تواضع، ومن دخل في الشبر الثالث علم أنه لايعلم
    Knowledge is three spans: whoever enters the first span becomes arrogant, whoever enters the second becomes humble, and whoever enters the third realizes that he does not know.

  • Also compare yourself to the true people of knowledge; you will realize that you don’t know anything.

  • You’re deficient in knowledge by thinking you’re better than people due to your knowledge.

• If your arrogance is due to your worship:

  • Know that these acts of worship are only due to the help of Allah and not because of anything inherent within you.

  • Looking at your actions as being complete is a sign of deficiency.

  • You understand that no one knows their end abode:

فوالَّذي لا إلَهَ غيرُهُ إنَّ أحدَكُم ليعملُ بعملِ أَهْلِ الجنَّةِ حتَّى ما يَكونُ بينَهُ وبينَها إلَّا ذراعٌ ثمَّ يسبِقُ علَيهِ الكتابُ فيُختَمُ لَهُ بعملِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فيدخلُها ، وإنَّ أحدَكُم ليعملُ بعملِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حتَّى ما يَكونَ بينَهُ وبينَها إلَّا ذراعٌ ثمَّ يسبِقُ علَيهِ الكتابُ فيُختَمُ لَهُ بعملِ أَهْلِ الجنَّةِ فيَدخلُها
By the One besides whom there is no deity, one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only an arm’s length between him and it, then what has been written overtakes him and he performs the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it. And one of you may perform the deeds of the people of the Fire until there is only an arm’s length between him and it, then what has been written overtakes him and he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.

Ideally, from this we can understand the gravity of this sin that is often overlooked in our community, especially in the time we are living in, which pushes us to think in terms of “me, myself, and I” and to develop narcissistic ideas of grandeur and uniqueness. In the end, all we can do is make dua and ask Allah to save us, as Hudayfah ibn al-Yaman said:

قال حذيفة بن اليمان رضي الله عنه: “ليأتين على الناس زمان لا ينجو فيه إلا من دعا بدعاء كدعاء الغريق.”
Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “There will come upon the people a time when none will be saved except the one who supplicates like the supplication of a drowning person.”

[Ṣifat al-Ṣafwah 1/290]

Sources:

• Imam al-Ghazali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din.

• Ibn al-Jawzi, At-Tib al-Ruhani (الطيب الروحاني).

• Ibn Qudamah, Muratkhasar Minhaj al-Qasidin.

• Abu ‘Umar, Diseases of the Hearts.

• Ibn Daud, A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine.