Pride is a major vice, it is the first vice ever committed. It was this vice that led Iblis (Shaytan) to disobey his Creator, Allaah, and turned him into the worst creature. Allaah has told us in His Noble Book that He hates the proud and arrogant people. Allaah says, "And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allah likes not each arrogant boaster. " (Q31 :18) and in another verse He says, "Verily, Allah does not like such as are proud and boastful; (Q4:36)".
What is Pride? Narrated Abdullah Ibn Masud (RA): "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) observed: "He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his hearers) said: "Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine." He (the Prophet) remarked: "Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is shunning the truth (out of self-conceit) and having contempt for the people. "" (Muslim).
Here, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has described for us what is actually called pride: it is to feel too important to accept the truth and to looking down at people as if they do not deserve any respect. Pride is divided into two: inward and outward. Inward pride is a quality within the self, and outward pride is action that appears through the limbs. According to Shayk Uthman Ibn Fudi (popularly known as Uthman dan Fodio), "The name pride (kibr) is more appropriate for the inward quality.
As for action, it is the result of that quality, and you must know that the quality of pride demands action. When it appears on the limbs, it is called arrogance (takabbur), and when it does not manifest itself, it is called pride (kibr)." . He continued and said: "If someone sees the other as his equal, he is not considered arrogant. He must see that he has a rank and someone else has a rank, and then see his rank as above the others rank. When he exalts his own value in relationship to someone else, he despises the one below him and puts himself above the others company and confidence."
Evil effects of Pride: It leads to disobedience of Allaahs command: Allaah says, " (Remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Truly, I am going to create man from clay". So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him." So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them: except Iblis (Shay tan) he was proud and was one of the disbelievers. (Allah) said: "0 Iblis! What prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I have created with both My Hands. Are you too proud (to fall prostrate to Adam) or are you one of the high exalted?" [Iblis] said: "I am better than he, You created me from fire, and You created him from clay." - (Q38:71)
So Iblis was proud in his heart and arrogant in his act. He refused to bow when Allaah commanded him to. What was his excuse? He was better than Adam! He made a comparison between himself and Adam and concluded that since he was better than Adam, there is no way he is going to prostrate to him, even if it involves disobeying Allaah, his Creator! See how pride moves people against the command of their Lord.
It turns one away from the remembrance of Allaah: Allah says: "I shall turn away from My Ayat (verses) those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayat (proofs, evidences etc.), they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness (monotheism, piety, and good deeds), they will not adopt it as the Way, but if they see the way of error (polytheism, crimes and evil deeds), they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, etc.) and were heedless (to learn a lesson) from them." (Q7:146). If this were to be the only evil effect of pride, it would have been sufficient as a reason to stay away from it. Not only would Allaah turn the arrogant people away from His signs, they would not even be able to avoid ways of errors.
It is a barrier to faith: The Shaykh ibn Fudi further stated: "The harm it does is immense. How could its harm be other than great when it comes between a man and all the qualities of the muminun (believers)? Those qualities are the doors to the Garden. Pride locks a" those doors because it is impossible for him to want for the believers what he wants for himself while there is anything of self-importance in him." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself." (Bukhari)
When you feel too important to accept the truth and you look down at people, how is it possible that you will wish for them what you wishforyourself? It prevents one from being humble: Humility is one of the characteristics of the people of Paradise. This quality is however impossible for a proud and arrogant person to have. In fact pride is one of qualities of the people of Hell-Fire. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Shall I inform you about the people of Paradise? They comprise every obscure unimportant humble person, and if he takes Allah's Oath that he will do that thing, Allah will fulfill his oath (by doing that). Shall I inform you about the people of the Fire? They comprise every cruel, violent, proud and conceited person " (Bukhari)
The Proud will be in Hell: Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA): "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) said: "Allah Most High says: Pride is my cloak and majesty is my lower garment, and I shall throw him who view with me regarding one of them into Hell." (Abu Dawud) Some manifestations of pride in dressing: Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (RA): Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Whoever drags his clothes (on the ground) out of pride and arrogance, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection. "(Bukhari). And Abu Hurayrah (RA) also narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) said: "The part of an Izar which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire." (Bukhari).
In our days, we. see some people letting their garment down below their ankles and they insist that it is not out of pride. So we might ask is there a worse pride than knowing what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) and his Companions did and taking a way that is different from theirs? What stops them from emulating the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) and his Companions?
In race and ancestry: Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "One who fights under the banner of a people who are blind (to the cause for Which they are fighting, i.e. do not know whether their cause is just or otherwise), who is puffed up with family pride, calls (people) to fight for their family honour, and supports his kith and kin (i.e. fights not for the cause of Allah but for the sake of his family or tribe)--if he is killed (in this fight), he dies as one belonging to the days of Jahiliyyah." (Muslim)
Cure for pride: One way of curing oneself of pride is to know and recognize yourself and to know and recognize your Lord. That will be enough to remove your pride. Whoever knows and recognizes his own self as it should be known and recognized, knows that it is not worthy of greatness, and I that true greatness and pride are only for Allah. It is enough for us to reflect on one verse of the Book of Allah. Allah says: "Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned? Verily, We have created man from Nutfah drops of mixed semen (discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer, seer." (Q76:1-2)
As for the beginning of man, he was "a thing unremembered". What is lower and meaner than non-existence? He was in nonexistence. Then Allah created him from the basest of things. He created him from earth and then from a sperm-drop, then a blood clot, then a lump of flesh. He neither heard, saw, felt, moved, spoke, touched, perceived, nor knew. Then He made the flesh bones, and then clothes the bones in flesh. In another ayah, Allaah says: "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa" (Q49:13).
So before you start exalting yourself above others, think over these verses. Allaah says that the most honourable people with him are those who have taqwa, not people of a certain colour or from a certain place or of any other physical consideration. And before you rush to say that you are one of those with taqwa, remember Allaahs words, "So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keep his duty to Him" (Q53:32) One should also look at how Allaah dealt with those who were arrogant before in other to learn lessons from their story: the story of Shay tan has already been told but what was his punishment? Allaah says: "Then get out from here, for verily, you are outcast. And verily!, My Curse is on you till the Day of Recompense." (Q38:77-78).
As for Qarun, Firaun, Haman who were arrogant in the land, Allaah says, "And (We destroyed also) Qarun (Korah), Firaun, and Haman. And indeed Musa came to them with clear Ayat (proofs, evidences, etc.), but they were arrogant in the land, yet they could not outstrip Us (escape Our punishment). So We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them were some on whom We sent Hasiban (a violent wind with shower of stones) [as the people of Lout], and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah [torment - awful cry, etc. (as Thamud or Shuaibs people)], and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qarun] (Korah)], and of them were some whom We drowned [as the people of Nuh (Noah), or Firaun and his people]. It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves. (Q29:39-40)
This reflection on the words of Allaah should be sufficient for curing one of pride, and all help is from Allaah.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited