Arrogance

[MNK]

Salaam everyone,

I would appreciate your assistance in resolving the following query.

According to a hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. ' Whoever has a grain of arrogance in their heart shall not enter paradise'

How does one recognise a 'grain' in their heart..surely it would be so small it would go unnoticed...?

What constitutes this arrogance? Some say its not following your religion... e.g. waht if someone believes in the sha'adah, prays, fasts etc but still watches movies, listens to music (e.g. while exercising) ...however that person knows it is wrong and he does not do these things to show off..rather it is like 'taking the easy way out' for enjoyment purposes.. but that person is relying on Allah's forgiveness through good deads and supplication .. is this still arrogance?

Jazakallah

[elji]

the meaning of this hadith is not always literal. I believe in this hadith as there is a mention of pride and arrogance in the quran.

This "arrogance" and pride attitude is so severe that the prophet uses a grain analogy to empahsise the importance of ridding yourself from it.

May Allah help us all!

[IbnAbdulHakim]

the pride talked about in that hadith is known as "Kibr".

Check this out:

Reasons for Kibr
listed by Ibnul Qayyim Al Jawziyyah (rahimullah)

We were taught some of the reasons for arrogance. Ibnul Qayyim (Rahimullah) mentions the four most common reasons for people falling into kibr or arrogance. These could also be reasons for people splitting away form each other or thinking that their belief is better and thus more deserving of honor than others. We are using the definition of kibr as stated by the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa Sallam). The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa Sallam) said,

“al Kibr is when you argue with the truth and you look down upon people.”

Arguing with the truth means to argue with clear evidences. For example when someone says the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa Sallam) said so and so and you sau “but” and follow it up with an excuse thats not valid in order to justify a preconcieved idea. Also to look down upon people includes taking away their rights, being unjust to them and oppressing them. The following four reason were mentioned by Ibnul Qayyim (rahimullah) as the most prevalaent ones in his time,a nd they apply to us as well:

Aql - Logic or intellect
Qiyaas/Fiqh - Analogy or Madhabee Rulings
Dhawq - Personal Feelings - whims, desires, or maybe even personal intuitions
Siyaasa - Politics
There might be others besides these that are reasons for arguing with the truth or looking down upon others. Some examples of how these cause a person to become arrogant are:

1. Aql - Intellect


People use their intellect to gain arrogance, they try to outsmart others at times to seem superior. Eventually, if it is not controlled, it gets to people’s head that they think that they are always right or their reasoning is always right. Logic and intellect is used to gain arrogance. In order for soemone to respond to intellect or logic, it requires a smarter logic to overcome the other logic or reasoning. The only thing that cuts off the roots of this intellectual argumentation which might go to and fro is revelation. Our teacher gave us a very powerful statement. He said, “Knowledge without revelation is speculation” which is so true.

This can apply not only to people looking down upon others or oppressing them but it also is true for rejecting the truth. So many are the examples and the sects that have developed in Islamic history that have rejected the truth which is revealed in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of RasoolAllah (sal Allahu alayhi wa Sallam), by relying solely on their intellect and giving it more importance than it actually deserves.

2. Qiyaas/Fiqh or Analogy or Madhabee rulings


This is very common in our lives today and it was soemthign that had become frequent in Ibnul Qayyim’s time. People often would rather stick tot he ruling of their madhab even if went agains the proof. This became so common and it still is today. A statement that I remember that Ustadh Muhammad alShareef mentioned in in one of his lectures or in a Q&A session was that of some of the die-hard Malikis that used to say “We will follow Khaleel even if it opposes the daleel”. Khaleel also known as Matn al Khaleel is a basic maliki text that any beginning Maliki has to study, and some of the Malikis would say we will follow it even if it will oppose the dallel, which is the textual proof. So Ibnul Qayyim mentions that the Madhab’s ruling is oen of the reasons people might reject the truth when it is presented to them.

3. Personal Feelings - Dhawq

The example mentioned here in class were some of the Sufis who ascribe new ideas or beliefs or acts of worship, even if they aren’t found in the Sunnah to reject the truth or make it a basis of their actions or worship. Also they use these personal feelings, intuitions, whims, and desires to make themselves look better than others as well. The concept of kashf falls under this as well. When people have these illussions or intuitions to do things even if it went against the Sharee’ah or has no basis in the Sharee’ah.

4. Politics

People sometimes use politics to show their might and get what they want in order to reject the truth. The example given here are the Shee’ah or Raafidah, they rejected the truth because of political reasons. Also this can apply tot he rulers and people in authority as well. They tend to do things and follow things for purely political reasons. The example sof this are many in our time and need not be mentioned explicitly.

May Allah help us become more humble and show us humility in our worship and daily life, and remove any kibr we might have in ourselves.

Allah knows Best.

[aboosait]

the meaning of this hadith is not always literal. I believe in this hadith as there is a mention of pride and arrogance in the quran.

This "arrogance" and pride attitude is so severe that the prophet uses a grain analogy to empahsise the importance of ridding yourself from it.

May Allah help us all!

Luqman (Luqman)

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
(31:18)

English / Muhammad Asad

31:18 “And turn not thy cheek away from people in [false] pride, and walk not haughtily on earth: for, behold, God does not love anyone who, out of self- conceit, acts in a boastful manner.

English / Yusuf Ali

31:18 "And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loveth not any arrogant boaster

[elji]

Luqman (Luqman)
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
(31:18)English / Muhammad Asad

<b>31:18 “And turn not thy cheek away from people in [false] pride, and walk not haughtily on earth: for, behold, God does not love anyone who, out of self- conceit, acts in a boastful manner.</b>

English / Yusuf Ali

<b>31:18 "And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loveth not any arrogant boaster</b>

Thanks

[C.G.Jung]

Aql - Logic or intellect
Qiyaas/Fiqh - Analogy or Madhabee Rulings
Dhawq - Personal Feelings - whims, desires, or maybe even personal intuitions
Siyaasa - Politics
There might be others besides these that are reasons for arguing with the truth or looking down upon others.

Faith.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

^ you would use faith to argue with the truth and look down upon others??

[C.G.Jung]

^ you would use faith to argue with the truth and look down upon others??

Faith is a perpetual cop-out use to avoid dealing with an issue. It's true because the quran says so. Some example are with hijab. A symbol that is contradictory. Used (subjectively) to raise the image (not status) of women through a form of modesty (subjective) at the same time degrading those who do not cover up. I use subjective because it goes into 'Dhawq - Personal Feelings - whims, desires, or maybe even personal intuitions'. Then one can see Muslim (obviously not all) calling disbelievers dirty, but they have the perfect role-model for that. The quran calls disbelievers blind deaf and dumb, it has jews turned into pigs and apes. The ghusl/ablution also gives Muslims an feeling that they are cleaner.. physically and metaphysically.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

^ lol

those who do not cover up degrade themselves.
Those who disbelieve only belie themselves.
Those who refuse to believe are indeed dumb/deaf and blind, because the truth is manifest.
Those who are muslim and likewise follow the injunctions to regularly perform ghusl/wudhu and siwaak aswell as MANY other recommendations for purity will indeed be more cleaner then MANY others.

Finally i advise you to stop thinking with hate, why dont you see the beauty your invited to, stop looking towards what you percieve to be ugly and look towards the beauty. See the high respect islam gives to women, see the high respect islam gives to elders, see the kindness it encourages/the humility and many many other things.

Have an open mind, use your logic, and see WHY does islam say this?


look for the truth, and dont look with hatred.



you reminded me of a joke lol this might lighten the mood:

Once a stewerdess was passing by the toilet of an airplane when she noticed a man with a beard washing his feet in the sink.
"please refrain from doing that sir" she asked, "your feet is dirty and you will cause the sink to be dirty".
The man looked at her and asked, "how many times a day do you wash your face?" ,
puzzled she replied "perhaps 2 or 3 times", smiling the man replied "i wash my feet five times a day, therefore my feet is cleaner then your face".


IMPORTANT NOTE:L ITS JUST A JOKE :p

[C.G.Jung]

^ lol

Why are laughing?

those who do not cover up degrade themselves.

So you are confimring what said?

Those who disbelieve only belie themselves.

They do? Even if they believe in themselves, that does not denote arrogance.

Those who refuse to believe are indeed dumb/deaf and blind, because the truth is manifest.

Truth is not manifest, despite how many times the Quran repeats this unsubstantiated claim. If truth was manifest, science and many other disiplines would not have developed many rules on how to determine the truth.

Those who are muslim and likewise follow the injunctions to regularly perform ghusl/wudhu and siwaak aswell as MANY other recommendations for purity will indeed be more cleaner then MANY others.

Does it? I don't think sharing the same water as other is sanitary.

Finally i advise you to stop thinking with hate,

What hate?

why dont you see the beauty your invited to, stop looking towards what you percieve to be ugly and look towards the beauty.

Beauty is not objectively defined.

See the high respect islam gives to women, see the high respect islam gives to elders, see the kindness it encourages/the humility and many many other things.

So do many other things.

Have an open mind

My mind is open to emperical means of understanding. If you mean credulity, I'll pass.

use your logic

I would rather use the logic determined by society, it is called argumentation theory.

and see WHY does islam say this?

Says what?

look for the truth

What determines truth?

and dont look with hatred.

What hatred. Is this projection?

you reminded me of a joke lol this might lighten the mood:

Once a stewerdess was passing by the toilet of an airplane when she noticed a man with a beard washing his feet in the sink.
"please refrain from doing that sir" she asked, "your feet is dirty and you will cause the sink to be dirty".
The man looked at her and asked, "how many times a day do you wash your face?" ,
puzzled she replied "perhaps 2 or 3 times", smiling the man replied "i wash my feet five times a day, therefore my feet is cleaner then your face".

This is (or may be) funny because it is terrible logic. Affirming the consequent. I can wash my face and it will remain clean for some time. Wash my feet, and the moment I step on a surface, it is dirty, even putting on a shoe.

IMPORTANT NOTE:L ITS JUST A JOKE :p

Yes, it is just a joke. You said use logic, so I used logic.

[C.G.Jung]

Opps, I forgot the smiley.. still no confirmation email.. so can't edit still.

Yes, it is just a joke. You said use logic, so I used logic. :D

[aboosait]

Faith.

Wikipedia says,

Faith has three general implications which can be implied either exclusively or mutually;


To Trust:

Believing a certain variable will act or has the potential to act a specific way despite the potential influence and probability of known or unknown change.
To have faith in ones spouse that he/she will keep a promise of commitment
To have faith that the world will someday be peaceful
To have faith in a person to pay you back


To believe without reason:

Believing impulsively, or believing based upon personal 'hopes'



To believe with reason:

Believing in some evidence that points to a greater fact
Which of these do you mean when you say faith is "one of the reasons for arguing with the truth or looking down upon others".

[IbnAbdulHakim]

Why are laughing?
sorry if it caused offence :)


So you are confimring what said?
I confirm what the Quran states, but your understanding of it is wrong, and the way i understand it is completely different.


They do? Even if they believe in themselves, that does not denote arrogance.
Believing in yourself? You mean having courage? Being confident in your self? If you wish to have faith in yourself by all means do so, but i still consider it arrogance to not believe in the creator and i'll explain why later by the will of ALlaah.


Truth is not manifest, despite how many times the Quran repeats this unsubstantiated claim. If truth was manifest, science and many other disiplines would not have developed many rules on how to determine the truth.
You need science to prove the existence of God?
You make it seem like men have lost all intelligence, cant you ponder and reflect yourself over this grandeur which is your very existence, the first proof...


Does it? I don't think sharing the same water as other is sanitary.
It is not to drink, it is to wash :). We drink from different containers, or we may use the same container but with care. It is indeed sanitary, and you will not be able to prove otherwise


What hate?
read your first reply to me, it clearly denotes some hatred or bias or ill feelings.


Beauty is not objectively defined.
beauty if what islaam makes of people who follow its roots, find one man who follows the true pristine and clear teachings of Muhammad sallallahi alaihi wasallaam and see if you find him repulsive... if you do find him repulsive, then ask others to see how they find you...



So do many other things.
Your correct, but islaam teaches us how to implement this,

Modesty - Hijaab
Kindness - Being hospital, spreading salaam, prefering others over yourself
Cutting down on crime - capital punishment, cutting off hands etc


My mind is open to emperical means of understanding. If you mean credulity, I'll pass.
Then how can you think that when a woman is covered up her status is lowered? I look at the women on the streets all exposed during the saturday nights and i feel saddened inside that humanity has gone so low. How can fathers and mothers allow their daughters to walk around like that? Do the brothers not feel anything at the millions of prying eyes on their sisters? Do the husbands feel no jelousy?

What kind of time are we in... our prophet laid out far better foundations...



I would rather use the logic determined by society, it is called argumentation theory.
by all means discuss, but ALWAYS think about what your encouraging, and what im discouraging. Hopefully you will see something different if you take this view.


Says what?
see why does islaam ask the women to cover up/be modest etc, and any other teachings of islaam which you are curious about.



What determines truth?
i actually have to tell you this? Keep searching, if you want a short brief explenation from me then i will say that the truth is what has been the truth since the time of Adam. So why dont you try to find it? Muhammad is on the path of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah and Adam. He follows them all, only thing is he follows them in the perfect way, not the distorted way, and this is the truth.

If you find me to be lie'ing then look into the scriptures yourself and look for the similarities...


This is (or may be) funny because it is terrible logic. Affirming the consequent. I can wash my face and it will remain clean for some time. Wash my feet, and the moment I step on a surface, it is dirty, even putting on a shoe.

is the feet cleaner before or after its been washed?

[C.G.Jung]

I confirm what the Quran states, but your understanding of it is wrong, and the way i understand it is completely different.

LoL. So how are they degrading themselves?

Believing in yourself? You mean having courage? Being confident in your self? If you wish to have faith in yourself by all means do so, but i still consider it arrogance to not believe in the creator and i'll explain why later by the will of ALlaah.

The belief in a creator is presumptuous. It comes with a pity for those who do not believe. This pity is arrogance.

You need science to prove the existence of God?

The scientific method or any method that emperically determines something is the only way to prove anything.

You make it seem like men have lost all intelligence, cant you ponder and reflect yourself over this grandeur which is your very existence, the first proof...

That doesn't make any sense.. Oh and unsubstantiated claims and circular logic is not proof.

It is not to drink, it is to wash :). We drink from different containers, or we may use the same container but with care. It is indeed sanitary, and you will not be able to prove otherwise

You are claiming the positive, that is is sanitery, so you must prove otherwise.

read your first reply to me, it clearly denotes some hatred or bias or ill feelings.

No, you are only projecting. Be more specific on what gave you your opinion.. and that is all it is, an opinion derived from your projecting.

beauty if what islaam makes of people who follow its roots, find one man who follows the true pristine and clear teachings of Muhammad sallallahi alaihi wasallaam and see if you find him repulsive... if you do find him repulsive, then ask others to see how they find you...

More subjectivity.

Your correct, but islaam teaches us how to implement this,

Modesty - Hijaab

Modesty can be implemented in many way, most not even involving clothing. Modesty is a subjective.

Kindness - Being hospital, spreading salaam, prefering others over yourself

This is unsubstantiated and seemingly common with many societies.

Cutting down on crime - capital punishment, cutting off hands etc

This was practice way before, and is amoung one of the worse way to improve societies. You think god would have given ways to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. The "making an example of" is a very human thing.

Then how can you think that when a woman is covered up her status is lowered?

Where did I say this. You projecting again.

I look at the women on the streets all exposed during the saturday nights and i feel saddened inside that humanity has gone so low.

See, there is your arrogance, mainly brought about through indocrination and projecting that indoctrination.

How can fathers and mothers allow their daughters to walk around like that?

Why? What wrong with it?

Do the brothers not feel anything at the millions of prying eyes on their sisters?

A couple of double standerds here. Women look at men with sexually, and so do the womens brothers towards other women.

Do the husbands feel no jelousy?

Why would they be jealous?

What kind of time are we in... our prophet laid out far better foundations...

Are they?

i actually have to tell you this? Keep searching, if you want a short brief explenation from me then i will say that the truth is what has been the truth since the time of Adam.[/quote]

If Adam even existed.. most likely not since the storey was based off Gilgameshes Enkidu.

So why dont you try to find it?

Find what?

Muhammad is on the path of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah and Adam.

Most of the people never existed. The only sure bet is Muhammad.

is the feet cleaner before or after its been washed?

Obviously after.. but so what? You put on a pair of shoes and their dirty again. Unless you wash the floors and shoes as much as your feet.