Displeasure with blame is a well-known disease of the heart.
Concern with people's opinions and desiring their praise and
displeasure at their criticisms
are a barrier from achieving the station of excellence in
worship. Overcoming that barrier is through the realization
that there is no benefit or harm unless it comes from [God],
the Possessor of all dominion, Exalted and Majestic is He.
Furthermore, what is prohibited from this disease is what
leads to the prohibited, just as Imam al-Ghazali has elaborated.
The perfection of sincerity is that you do not give notice to
any
praise or blame that emanates from people.
Discussion
The next disease is the displeasure with blame. Blame is not
something that we would naturally embrace. It runs against human nature to love
it. But the problem is when the fear of blame is coupled with the urgent desire
for praise and approval by others, which is often the case. Being concerned
with "creation's opinion" places a barrier between a person and the
station of ihsan, excellence in worship. ("Creation" here simply
means other people, as opposed to being concerned with God's pleasure.) This is
considered a disease because the result is guiding one's actions in deference
to the praise of people or in an attempt to avoid their blame or disapproval,
irrespective of the integrity and soundness of one's actions.
What we saw in the Companions of the Prophet pbuh was complete
loyalty to the ethics of Islam. Many times they were confronted with decisions
that would evoke displeasure among the people and tribes around Madinah; but
they still made them in accordance to the teachings of the Prophet pbuh. The more
that we worry about how our decisions will be received by men, the thicker the
veil becomes with regard to God and His guidance.
Thus have We made you a middle nation, so that you may be
witnesses for humankind (QURAN, 2:143), a nation that enjoins justice and
reminds humanity of God's rights. When people give up enjoining what is right
or even admitting that there are absolute and objective values that are not
subject to the whims of mankind, then evil spreads. The best of witnesses was
the Prophet pbuh, then his Companions, and then their Successors. Each generation
subsequently takes on this office of witnessing, although hardly to the degree
exhibited in the early generations. At the end of earthly time, the world will
virtually be without witnesses to truth, and truth itself will be scarce. No one will defend it. According to Imam al-Biqa'i, one
of the signs of the end of time is the giving of the world to the disbelievers,
with Muslims abandoning Islam and its claim upon Muslims to defend the truth
and censure what is wrong. Sidi Ahmad al-Zarruq once said, the truth has the
power to penetrate the hearts of people even those whose hearts have a seal. Humanity
has the right to have witnesses living among them, those who are willing to defend
the truth no matter how unpopular it may be.
Imam Mawlud says that overcoming this fear of blame is through
the realization that there is no benefit or harm except by God's permission and
plan. This sounds familiar, since it is the recommended cure for many of the diseases
discussed so far. Two of God's most excellent names are al-Nafi and al-Darr,
the Giver of Benefit and the Bringer of Harm. Those are attributes of God that
no one else has in the least. It is only God who can benefit and only He who
can permit harm. If a person is worried about how others receive him, then he
or she is not aligned with reality.
The Prophet pbuh said to Ibn Abbas, "Be mindful of God, and God
will protect you. Be mindful of God, and you will find Him in front of you. If
you ask, ask of God. If you seek help, seek help from God. Know that if the
whole nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would
benefit you only with something that God had already prescribed for you. And if
[the whole nation] were to gather together to harm you, it would harm you only with
something that God had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted
and the ink has dried."
This does not mean that one should be reckless with his or her
safety. Nor does it mean that one should not take precaution. The Prophet pbuh in
the Battle of Uhud wore two coats of mail, and none knew more of God's power
and authority than he. Being aware of God's attributes does not mean that
people should stop using their intellect, for we live in a world of causes.
There is room for diplomacy and discretion, particularly of knowing when it is
best to say the truth. This discretion, however, is not informed by the fear of
blame, but rather by clarity regarding one's objectives. Wisdom is completely
different from seeking the approbation of others. The Prophet pbuh said that it is
the highest form of struggle (jihad) to speak the truth in the face of a
tyrant.
Imam Mawlud says that the inordinate fear of blame can lead a
person to engage in prohibited matters or neglect obligations. If one worries
about how people will receive him when he practices his faith, this can stop
him from performing obligations. The fear of blame interferes with faith. Deeds
that are done for the sake of God cannot share other intentions, namely,
pleasing people or seeking their favor. Doing something for the sake of God is
the manifestation of strong faith. Whether someone praises you or not is
entirely inconsequential.
Boasting is counted among these peculiarities. It is defined as
your praising yourself for good qualities.
You should deem its vertiginous mountain as insignificant—by
which I mean, of course, arrogance. [Do this] if you desire it
to collapse to the ground.
Do that by knowing your Lord and knowing yourself, for
whoever knows these two is humbled and feels insignificant.
The station of arrogance negates the station of gratitude, just
as humility, by its nature, engenders gratitude.
Avoid and beware of humiliation and lowliness; in fact,
display pride with the affluent and arrogant one.
Definition
Imam Mawlud speaks next about fakhr, which is the loathsome
practice of boasting. Exceptionally odious is the practice of bragging about what
one has not done or exerted any effort toward, like bragging about one's
ancestry and borrowing from some past nobility. Boasting is a problematic
behavior that universally evokes objection and is considered a spiritual
disease. No one likes a boaster, the person who walks with a swank and swagger,
the person who cannot be in the company of others without speaking about
himself or drawing attention to what he has done. God Himself reveals His
dislike of bragging: God does not love the arrogant and boasting ones (QURAN,
31:18, 57:23). The Arabs used to shout out, "I am the son of so and
so!" claiming somehow that one's pedigree suffices as a mark of one's
status and privilege, an ethic that loomed large in pre-Islamic Arab social
structure. Mawlana al-Rumi composed the lines, "Be not content with
stories of those who went before you. Go forth and create your own story."
Strive to be among those whom others speak of with veneration.
Imam Mawlud mentions the force behind the culture of boasting,
namely, arrogance (kibr). "Deem that mountain insignificant," he
says, "if you desire to sink it to the ground." Arrogance comes from
the same Arabic root that signifies growth, either in mass or age. With
arrogance, what is alluded to is self-aggrandizing and the glorification of the
self.
The most villainous beings in history were filled with arrogance
and false pride: Satan, Pharaoh, the opponents of the Prophet and many
nefarious tyrants since. The Prophet pbuh warned against arrogance: "No one
will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart."
God said, I will divert My signs from those who show arrogance without right
(QURAN, 7:146), that is, God recompenses the arrogant ones by turning them away
from understanding His Book, His prophets, and His signs placed in the horizons
and in one's own self. God also says that He sets a seal upon the heart of
every arrogant tyrant (QURAN, 40:35); and, He does not love those who wax
arrogant (QURAN, 16:23). One of the attributes of God the Exalted is al-Mutakabhir
(the Proud), which is reserved for Himself. It is not becoming for anyone to
have any of it in his or her heart.
Justice follows every vice. When it comes to arrogance, its
possessors will end up being the most abject people in the Hereafter; they will
envy those whom they once thought to be beneath them in honor and status, those
who were patient, grateful, and humble in this life. There are many passages of
the Quran and hadith that support this.
There are different qualities and kinds of arrogance. The first
type is when a person deems himself superior to others. Imam al-Ghazali said,
"People of knowledge are in greater danger of arrogance than anyone
else" because the knowledge they have attained may lead them to feelings
of superiority.
The second type is arrogance displayed in a person who shows
contempt and scorn to others. Once a man saw an old woman calling to the
Prophet pbuh in a boisterous manner; the
Prophet pbuh stopped to speak with her, showing
no sign of annoyance. When the man saw the Prophet's calm reaction, he said,
"Muhammadis a man unlike the kings
of other lands." It is a marvel how some people act arrogantly because of
their perceived piety, while the Prophet pbuh
himself—"the best of creation"—remained humble.
The third type of arrogance is related to lineage. In some
cultures, if one is aware of his "high birth," he is obliged to
behave nobly. The Arabs were that way. If a man was born into a clan known for
generosity, it was mandatory for him to be generous. One of the blights of many
societies is racism, when people feel and act superior simply because of their
race. The Quran lays waste to false claims of superiority and states that the
only rank that matters relates to one's relationship with God; Indeed, the most
honorable of you in the sight of God is the most Godfearing of you. Surely, God
is all-knowing, all-aware (QURAN, 49:13).
Many people are honored by having lineage traceable to the
Prophet pbuh and his family. While this is indeed an honor in itself, it is
something to be venerated when one's actions are likewise honorable. It is
said, "If your actions hold you back, your lineage will not speed you
up." Imam al-Haddad once said, "No person of any consequence should
respect or praise an ignorant man, even if he is of noble birth and virtuous
ancestry. For to respect and praise such a person in his presence may have an
adverse effect on him. It may deceive him concerning God, render him neglectful
of proper behavior, and distract him from gathering provision for the Hereafter."
Treatment
As for the cure for arrogance, there are several aspects. First,
we should remember our humble organic origins. As the Quran reminds us, we are
created from a drop of semen (QURAN, 75:37). One of the righteous forebears, to
dramatize our humbleness, said, "A man carries between his two sides
feces." In other words, what is the source of a person's arrogance? God
says, Perished is man! How ungrateful he is! From what stuff did He create him?
From a sperm drop He created him and proportioned him? (QURAN, 80:16-19); Let
man reflect from what he was created. He was created from an ejected fluid that
issues from between the loins and the ribs (QURAN, 86:5-7); Has there come over
man a time when he was nothing remembered. We created man from a sperm drop
mixed in order to try him (QURAN, 76:1-2). These reminders suppress any
uprisings of arrogance and conceit.
In Islam, we have religious heroes for a reason. To study the
personalities of the Companions of the Prophet is to study incredibly great
people who were humble. Abu Hurayrah—the illustrious repository of prophetic hadith—once
sat in the company of another person who immediately moved his feet away from
Abu Hurayrah out of respect for this august Companion of the Prophet. But Abu
Hurayrah objected: "Why did you move your feet?" The man said,
"Out of deference to you." Abu Hurayrah replied, "For someone
like me? I do not see anyone in this gathering worse than me."
A cousin of Ali ibn Abi Talib asked him, "Who is better,
you or Abu Bakr?" Ali answered, "Abu Bakr." And when asked the
same question about Umar, he answered, "Umar." He then asked him,
"What rank do you have." Ali said, "I am a Muslim among
many." It is astonishing to hear people nowadays, who do not come close to
the stature, knowledge, wisdom, and piety of Ali, who nonetheless are so easily
offended when they perceive others have slighted them. And acts we perceive as
humble today are often attempts at attaining the mere appearance of humility.
Ibn Ata'illah said, "If you're aware of your humility, then
you are arrogant." But scholars say the following, "If you are not
like the real people, at least mimic them." It is better to simulate
humility than to be an outright arrogant man. Imam al-Ghazali says, "If
one wishes to master calligraphy, then he must go to a master calligrapher and
repeat what he does."
The fourth aspect is arrogance owing to beauty. The cure is to
realize that beauty can be the most illusory of things. Social conditioning
impacts our sense of beauty more that we would admit. But even if we were to
ignore this, why should beauty ever be a cause of arrogance, that obnoxious
sense of superiority for something one had nothing to do with? First of all,
God is the Fashioner; it is He who gives all things their shapes and forms.
Second, beauty wanes, as the pressures of age and stress tear down flesh. And
what we are left with is what we should have focused on in the first place, the
content of our character, our beliefs, and our deeds.
The fifth is arrogance due to wealth. The affluent are notorious
for showing contempt to those of lesser means. This is not to say that all
wealthy people exhibit this. There are generous men and women who recognize the
source and responsibility of wealth. But they tend to be the exception.
The sixth is arrogance based on strength. A man once came up to
the Prophet pbuh and challenged him to wrestle. The Prophet pbuh agreed, and twice the Prophet pbuh threw him to the ground. The man was
astounded that the Prophet pbuh was able to
do that. "I've never been thrown to the ground," he said. The man's
arrogance was rooted in his personal strength, which he thought none could
match.
The seventh is arrogance for having a lot of something, like a
teacher having many students and then seeing himself as being better than
another teacher. The same is true with those who boast of having many friends, especially
those in so-called high places.
The eighth is arrogance for having knowledge. This is
particularly insidious, given that knowledge is an honorable matter. A
knowledgeable person may believe himself to be superior to others due to the
veneration shown to him.
These are the various causes that sow the seeds of arrogance.
God created humanity and has given it what He has not given to much of His
creation. The intellectual and volitional capacities of humankind are great responsibilities.
Ironically, these capacities have the potential of causing people to forget
that every blessing we have is a gift from God and something that we are
responsible for. The Quran states, [God] has created death and life to test you
as to which of you is best in deed (QURAN, 67:2); Have We not given [man] two
eyes, a tongue, and two lips, and shown him the two highways [of good and
evil]? Yet he does not attempt the steep road [of good] (QURAN, 90:8-11). The
steep road here is spending on the orphan, relieving the distressed, and all
good acts that are difficult for the arrogant ones, who feel their wealth,
strength, and prestige are born out of their own devices. People rejected the
Prophet's message not because they were not convinced. They knew that what the
Prophet pbuh brought was the truth from God
Himself. But they rejected him out of arrogance. Many find the Muslim prayer
objectionable because of its postures of humility and awe before God. What they
struggle with is not merely the postures but their aversion to submit to God,
being His servant. People have a problem with that, claiming that they are
"free." Astonishingly, these same "free" people are in
bondage to their whims and passions.
Imam Mawlud says that the key to avoiding or removing this
disease is to know yourself, your origins, and your ultimate return. The
Prophet pbuh said, "I am the best of the children of Adam and I am not
boasting." His honor was entirely based on his servitude to God the
Exalted—not wealth, lineage, power, or authority. Whoever is humbled for the
sake of God, God elevates in rank. Haughtiness and gratitude cannot coexist in
one vessel. Those who are grateful, God increases in goodness. The station of
arrogance invites only humiliation.
Imam Mawlud says humility, by nature, leads to gratitude, for
when one is humble before God the Exalted, only then does one see the vast
mercy God bestows upon His creation, even upon liars and disbelievers.
Imam Mawlud's conclusion to this discussion touches upon the
Islamic ethic of wasata, that is, moderation. In itself, humility is a
praiseworthy virtue, but when carried out excessively it results in abasement.
According to some classical Christian theological paradigms, abasement is
praised. But in Islam, it is not. Imam Mawlud calls it dhul, not in the sense
in which he starts his poem, where he speaks of dhul as humility required for
proper courtesy with God. In this context, it is abject abasement before
people. It is similar to the abasement that God the Exalted afflicted upon past
communities because of their flagrant rejection of God, their derision of His
apostles, and their mockery of His laws. Abject humiliation is disapproved of
even in the face of tribulation. Those who face tests with dignity and patience
are praised. A hadith states, "A believer never humiliates himself."
Being humble is different from humiliation.
Having dhul with respect to God is different from dhul with
respect to creation. Imam Abd al-Qadir alJilani once said, "All the doors to
God are crowded except for one: the door of humility and humbleness." Having
humbleness is one of the secrets of success, although it is hard on the soul. It
is said, "Among the most noble things of this world is a rich man who is humble."
