Model of an atom - The basic particle of all creation
So what is the size of an atom, again? A scientific figure with too many decimal points, but in simple comparative language, there are millions of atoms in each grain of sand. Do you get the picture of how mega-tiny microscopic I'm talking about? That's the size, of exactly one atom, of pride that pushes you far away from even smelling the scent of Paradise. That's not me talking. In the words of Prophet Mohammad, Messenger of Allah, RasoolAllah Sal'Allahu alehe wa'alehi wasallam, "No one who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise," (Muslim, 91).
Let's put pride under our own Islamic electron microscope today and study it in light of Quran and Hadith.
Pride - The Devil's Trait
The first incidence of the display of pride and arrogance is known to all. It was Iblees, the leader of angels, who stood arrogantly before Allah and refused to bow before Prophet Adam (a.s.). "I am better than him," he boasted, "You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." So think again whose footsteps are you following, what status he has been demoted to, and what would be the fate of his followers.
1. Pride of being more knowledgeable or better off
There is a lot of this kind of pride going around these days simply because people are gaining more religious, academic, and professional knowledge. Degrees, diplomas, and certifications at times do more than just pinning a badge of qualification on a person. They also pin a badge of pride. A doctor, having passed through a tenure of several years of hard studies to get to where he or she is, may talk down everyone else who has a medical opinion. A company's chief executive officer may think everyone else is an underachiever. A person who has completed a religious course may look down upon everyone else as a sinner or somebody less in stature than them.
2. Pride of one's ancestors
Another common pride is that which one feels for his or her ancestoral heritage. Some may be proud about belonging to an influential tribe and others may have royal or noble roots. Some may be from a generation of aristocrats and others may have ancestors from a popular township.
3. Pride of being more beautiful and/or rich
Being rich and beautiful is a blessing that requires utmost offering of gratitude to Allah and service and politeness to His Creation.
Influences of media have created a major social dysfunction of praising "plastic beauty" and disgracing the rest. Men and women are not comfortable in their own skins because others who have inherited "artificial, make-believe skins" are proud to put themselves up for display. The rich and famous parade the streets with pompous displays of wealth reflecting from their clothes, the vehicles they drive, and even the food they eat.
Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Whilst a man was walking, dragging his garment with pride, with his hair nicely combed, Allah caused the earth to swallow him and he will go on sinking until the Day of Resurrection." (Al-Bukhari, 3297)
This does not imply that one should not dress and look beautiful. Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people." (Muslim, 91)
Modesty is a trait that is required of a Muslim as essentially as that of his or her devotion to Allah.
The Right Kind of Pride
Being a Muslim is a matter of pride because you are following the best theological philosophy of One Creator. This pride is the right kind of pride and qualifies as a self-esteem booster, however, if expressed in a wrong way it would again be disqualified as a forbidden aspect of personality. Prophet Mohammad (saww) prescribed various ways to express this pride in one's Creator. He asked the people to exalt Allah and proclaim that there is no God but Him. The chants of Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great) and Laa ilaha illAllah (There is no God but Allah) are expressions of Islamic pride and of rising in honor. Unfortunately, they've been misused so much by hostile elements that they've become restricted in meaning only as war cries. That is not true.
Don't Nuke Your Destiny
Paradise is our destiny and one atom of pride is enough to become that atom bomb which can nuke our destiny. In simple words, don't blow it up out of sheer arrogance.
Another proud being was the Pharaoh (Firaun) the ruler of Egypt in the days of Prophet Moses (a.s.). He was boastful of his stature, riches, and lands so much that he rejected the truth i.e. the Oneness of Allah. He rejected Prophet Moses (a.s.) as Allah's prophet and put him to tests and trials in combat with magicians. We all know what happened to him.
Types of Pride1. Pride of being more knowledgeable or better off
There is a lot of this kind of pride going around these days simply because people are gaining more religious, academic, and professional knowledge. Degrees, diplomas, and certifications at times do more than just pinning a badge of qualification on a person. They also pin a badge of pride. A doctor, having passed through a tenure of several years of hard studies to get to where he or she is, may talk down everyone else who has a medical opinion. A company's chief executive officer may think everyone else is an underachiever. A person who has completed a religious course may look down upon everyone else as a sinner or somebody less in stature than them.
2. Pride of one's ancestors
Another common pride is that which one feels for his or her ancestoral heritage. Some may be proud about belonging to an influential tribe and others may have royal or noble roots. Some may be from a generation of aristocrats and others may have ancestors from a popular township.
Being rich and beautiful is a blessing that requires utmost offering of gratitude to Allah and service and politeness to His Creation.
Influences of media have created a major social dysfunction of praising "plastic beauty" and disgracing the rest. Men and women are not comfortable in their own skins because others who have inherited "artificial, make-believe skins" are proud to put themselves up for display. The rich and famous parade the streets with pompous displays of wealth reflecting from their clothes, the vehicles they drive, and even the food they eat.
Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Whilst a man was walking, dragging his garment with pride, with his hair nicely combed, Allah caused the earth to swallow him and he will go on sinking until the Day of Resurrection." (Al-Bukhari, 3297)
This does not imply that one should not dress and look beautiful. Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people." (Muslim, 91)
Modesty is a trait that is required of a Muslim as essentially as that of his or her devotion to Allah.
The Right Kind of Pride
Paradise is our destiny and one atom of pride is enough to become that atom bomb which can nuke our destiny. In simple words, don't blow it up out of sheer arrogance.
