Library Ethics Greater Sins Chapter 35 Pride or Arrogance Superiority of Humility
Superiority of Humility
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Superiority of Humility
The importance and significance of humility as a human characteristic can be judged by the fact that the Almighty Allah has commanded His Messenger to practice humility:
“And make yourself gentle to the believers.”
(Surah al-Hijr 15:88)
And He praised His servants who have imbibed this quality in the following words.
“And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness…”
(Surah al-FurqÄn 25: 63)
In the Shiite traditions the Imam has to be superior in every quality, including humility. Amir ul-Mu’minÄ«n ‘Ali (a.s.) says:
“If it has befitted Allah to allow some of His creatures to be proud he would have permitted it for His special servants, the saints and the prophets.” But the Being of the Almighty is pure from all bad qualities. He made pride detestable for them and liked humility for them. Thus they kept their chests near the ground, their foreheads smeared with dust they continued to bow down before the believers in humility and remained in a weak condition on the Earth.”
The Holy Prophet (S) says:
“The best person near me on the day of QiyÄma and the most proximate to me will be only one who has the best behaviour and is most humble.”
(BihÄr al-AnwÄr)
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says:
“There are two angels in the heavens who are appointed on the people so that one who is humble may be exalted in status by them and one who is proud and arrogant may be degraded and humiliated by them”.
(al-KÄfi Vol. 2, Chapter of Pride)
Amir ul-Mu’minÄ«n ‘Ali (a.s.) says,
“Pride is that from which Allah has protected His believing servants through Prayer, Zakat and fasts on the appointed days. So that their organs and body parts may have peace, the glance is cast down by a feeling of helplessness, humiliates the self, making the hearts humble it removes ego from them. Because the delicate parts of the body are smeared with dust during the as-Sajda. And the seven special parts fall on the earth and express their lowliness. And in fasting the stomach touches the back in obedience to His command.”
(Nahjul Balagha, Khutba Qasiya, 92)
