All pride and arrogance starts from the feeling that you are inadequate. So when something good happens to you, or you achieve something, you feel proud, because that proves that you are not inadequate. Unfortunately, it can also make you arrogant.
The first entity to show pride and arrogance was Shaytan or as he is often called especially in the story of Adam, Iblees. He was filled with pride and arrogance because he thought that he was better than Adam. He felt superior. That feeling of superiority, "I am better than you", is the root of all pride and arrogance.
One thing that all the things that we feel superior about have in common is that they are almost exclusively related to matters of the dunya (worldly life). Love of the dunya and all its trappings actually push you further away from Paradise. Being, or appearing superior by dunya standards might just be more of a hindrance than a help. It is our God consciousness (taqwa) that makes a difference; being superior in that respect is the only superiority that counts.
The Prophet (ﷺ) often counseled his companions about the importance of humility. He said, ... Anyone who possesses half a mustard seed of arrogance in his heart will not be granted admission to Paradise”. [Sahih Muslim]
The remedy for pride and arrogance, and the means by which one can keep well away from pride and arrogance, is as simple as remembering who you are; just a human being with the same humble beginnings, with a mother and father like everybody else. We all cry the same salty tears and bleed the same red blood. And we all have the same purpose in life; to worship Allah. We must also remind ourselves that all rizq (provision) comes from Allah. You might earn more money but it is Allah that allowed you to acquire the skills to do so. You might be more handsome or beautiful, but it is Allah that determined the quality of your genes. When we receive something that we perceive as a special blessing from Allah we should remind ourselves to be thankful and grateful. One step up from that would be to strive to use that blessing for the sake of Allah and to benefit humankind or this planet in some way.
Another remedy for arrogance is to remember Allah; to keep Him in the forefront of our minds, if possible, at all times. Remember that Allah sees all, even what is in the hearts of each person. As Muslims we are blessed with a way or a system of remembering. We pray five times a day at least, we use specific words of remembrance, and we are encouraged to make du’a and remember Allah often. We use these methods to become close to Allah, to obey His commands and please Him. In doing so we protect our own hearts from the sins of desire and greed and the sins involved in feeling superior to those around us.
This dunya is important because it is our ultimate test; not because it allows us to store up goods and chattels. We want to feel good about ourselves because we have achieved God consciousness and not because we take our rizq and deceive ourselves into thinking we created it ourselves. Pride and arrogance should be banished from our lives and replaced with kindness and compassion.
Take the opportunity of these last 10 days of Ramadhan to work on our hearts. Worship as if you are going to die tomorrow.
May Allah purify our hearts, remove even a half mustard seed of arrogance from our hearts, and make us of the muttaqeen (people with taqwa). Ameen.
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