If you want to save yourself from arrogance, know how mysteriously Arrogance finds room in your heart.
Allah (swt) warns all human beings: " Know that your wealth and children are a test." [Quran 8:28]
" He raised some of you over others in ranks, to test you with what He granted you." [Quraan 7:165]
So if our material wealth is just a test then why do we try to show it off so eagerly?
Famous last words of the leader of Arrogants, who had a higher status than other Jinns but lost everything after becoming Arrogant!!! He ended up trading Heaven with Hell just because of his arrogance.
'Arrogance' first sin that was ever committed in the Heavens.
Satan is the leader of arrogant people. Since he was also blessed by Allah and was given a higher status and was allowed to hang out, side by side along with angels in Jannah/paradise where other Jinns were not allowed. Because of his ignorance, he started to believe that he was better than the human that God had just then created. He got kicked out of the Paradise because you don't belong in Jannah if you are cultivating arrogance in your heart. That should tell you the severity of this sin.
"Iblis was arrogant and one of the disbelievers." [surah sad:74]
*Means arrogance and, with it vanity, equals to associating partners with Allah and disbelief. Satan often uses this weapon as a last resort, to misguide a believer.
Some examples of people who had all the reasons to be arrogant but they stayed humbled through out their lives and did not forget their Lord: King David (as), a real life Six Million dollar man, he could bend and mold iron and copper like it was made of wax. His son, King Soloman/ Suleiman (as), who was the richest King that ever ruled the face of earth!!! And he not only ruled over men but also over Jinns and animals and Winds but he was as humble as an ordinary person can be. King Joseph of Egypt / Yusuf (as) who was blessed with the type of beauty that was out of this world, but that did not make him indulge into the acts of arrogance or evil. What would you have done, if you were blessed with such extremes of power?
What you have is nothing as compared to what these Prophets had, and still at times you think you are so much better than others?
Arrogance is an 'erroneous assumption' of a person that he has an existence apart from and independent of Allah and that he has accquired his qualities of his own doing.
The reasons leading to feelings of arrogance in people are basically the same and generally are linked to:
* Power and wealth,
* Beauty and youth,
* Status, Prestige and esteem,
* Intelligence, Enlightment and education.
These qualities that contribute up arrogance in people are not the features that make a person superior, in fact they are all blessings and in return of which a man must feel grateful to Allah!!!
*True believers don't give any credit to themselves instead they thank Allah and always say that he has been very blessed by Allah otherwise he himself was nothing.
"Take advantage of the five, before five;
your wealth before your old age,
your health before your sickness,
your wealth before your poverty,
your free-time before your preoccupation, and
your life before your death." [ Sahih, Al-Hakeem ]
You can not be too arrogant about anything:
When Satan fails in his many attempts to misguide 'a true believer of Islam', he doesn't give up at that, he just changes his tactics. He uses the old rule of arrogance. He starts whispering thoughts in the ears of the believer convincing him that he is so very faithful and that he is so much better than others and how he definitely deserves Jannah, in other words the poor faithful ends up committing the sin of Takabur/ arrogance. And Paradise is Haram for anyone who has arrogance/ pride in his heart as little as the size of a black seed!!!
If you think you are so religious that you deserve Jannah, know that even if you spent your entire life fasting and praying, still you are not worth entering Jannah!!!
No one will reach Jannah except for Allah's mercy.
"On the day of Judgement Allah will allow His obedient servants into the Paradise by His Mercy and divide it amongst them according to their hasanahs and deeds." (Hassan-Al-Basri)
If you do good deeds, then you do them for your own good, Allah doesn't need your donations or prayers, He has uncountable angels praising Him day and night, without ever stopping for a second.
* Means dont be so proud of your family-name or your tribe because in front of Allah only the most righteous ones deserve the superiority.
Beauty fades, and all new things expire after some time, then you need to replace them with newer models!!!
We buy outrageously expensive items to show off, and to boost our egos but we forget the fact that those cars, or any other feel-good items, will deteriorate after some years and their memory will also fade away from the minds of people, we try to impress so desperately. And also, those people would die and so would you, so if nothing is ever lasting in this whole process, then why are you wasting so much money over useless things???? Just to get a pleasure of few days or months? Why not invest it on something that will bring us ever lasting joys and benefits us forever??????
Undoubtedly Allah knows everything they conceal and everything they declare. Surely He does not loves those who are arrogant (and proud.) [16:23]
* Because hidden-arrogance is of the worst kind, when they dont boast openly but they believe that they are 'the most intelligent' and 'the most upright' and they try to maintain a perfect image in the eyes of people.They are well aware that being modest is recognized as a 'virtue' and therefore they pretend to be so!!!! They fear losing the approval of others rather, than fear of Allah and seeking His pleasure.
"O you who believe, don't let your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah and whoever does so - it is they who are the losers." [63:9]
Walk humbly and lower your voice - the harshest of all voices is the voice of ass. [31:18-19]
Thus you should not grieve over anything you miss nor be proud of anything He has bestowed upon you. Allah loves not those, who are arrogant, proud ( conceited, prideful boasters.) [57:22-23]
Thus they have grasped that this world and everything in it is temporary and that they need to prepare for the eventuality of Paradise.
* Cannot stand criticism,
* Praise is what pleases him,
* Greatly fears making mistakes,
* Humiliate others when he discovers their mistakes.
* Arrogance prevents him from loving or being loved by others,
* Is unable to enjoy anything,
* Others cannot feel relaxed or enjoy his company.
* Is always in a diseased and disturbed state of mind
* His inner world is a place of distress and anxiety,
* Constant struggle of his mind, consumed with devious
thoughts, and schemes, exhausts him, makes him age
before his time.
"If you give thanks (by worshiping Allah alone), I will give you more (of My Blessings);
but if you are thankless, verily My punishment is indeed severe." [14:7]
* Means, We should always adopt humility and be grateful to Allah for everything because Gratitude leads to increase in the Favors of Allah. And if we refrained from Shukr / gratitude, then vanity and pride will find room in our hearts and will only lead us to misery and punishment in this world and Hereafter.
shows us how little we really need to live and to get by. >>>>>>
If your answer is Yes, then Congratulations, you are on the right path, the path that would lead you to the unimaginable everlasting joys of Paradise, where you will have no fear of ever loosing your extremely valuable properties, and sky high mansions overlooking lakes that originate from the center of Heaven, where everything is of gold silver and precious gems. And nothing in that world would ever break, or loose value or expire,........ the feel-good toys of this world, only last for few years after that they are worth nothing.
"The lust for pilling up things of this world diverts you,
until you come to the graves." [102:1-2]
like movie stars, here's a message form Allah (swt):
" Do not be in awed by their wealth or their children. Allah only wishes to punish them with these things in this life and allow their souls to die while they are in a state of disbelief." [Quran 9:83]