بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Table of contents:
2. What are its forms & How it kills faith?
2.1 Anger after being admonished
Have you noted the one whose god is his ego? Consequently, God sends him astray, despite his knowledge, seals his hearing and his mind, and places a veil on his eyes. Who then can guide him, after such a decision by God? Would you not take heed?
Quran 45:23
The Quran is filled with guidance, but who will take heed from it, at least not the egoistic one?
Islam means to submit, submit to the divine authority of Allah, consider Him as your own God. But the ones filled with ego, knowingly or unknowingly, reject His authority, and as said in the Quran, make their own ego their God.
Also read: How to kill ego
1. What is ego?
The meaning, as per my understanding, would be to have an unrealistically supreme image of yourself within yourself. It begins with an emotion, but eventually becomes a habit. The chain of habits feels too light until they get too heavy to be broken. Eventually, it shapes our character and character shapes our destiny.That's why
Prophet ﷺ said:
"Shall I not inform you of the people of Hell? They are every haughty, swaggering, and arrogant person."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4918
2. What are its forms & how it kills faith?
Ego manifests itself into various forms in our life, some of the most common are as follows, and these forms further harm the servant, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally as well as socially.
2.1) Anger after being admonished
This is the most typical case, whenever our brother or sister in faith or any admonisher approaches us to admonish, we repel them. Often times when we are reminded of our own flaws by others, there is a sense of anger and hatred that develops in our heart regarding the one who is guiding us.
Which is in it's own self is pretty ironic, isn't it?
Just try to visualize there is someone who is concerned for you and trying to protect you from loss of this life and punishment of the afterlife. And you are hating them because of their concern for you.
As the poet Tarafa says,
" Whenever admonisher approaches you, don't get upset, don't avoid him."
2.2) The Superiority Complex
A person of pride develops personality traits like narcissism, which basically means that he is considering himself best and superior to others. This not just makes a person toxic, but he also suffers loss in his day-to-day life.
Excessive pride and narcissism can lead to depression, anxiety, and interpersonal issues.
Reference: Pincus, A.L., Cain, N.M. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Pathological Narcissism." Annual Review of Clinical Psychology (2007).
Apart from that it has been quoted by various scholars like:
Ibn al-Qayyim
"Arrogance is rejecting the truth and ridiculing people; it is a characteristic of the ignorant."
Source: Madarij as-Salikin
Such people's pride often leads them to places and circumstances where it's almost impossible to get out.
2.3) Drifting away from Allah's Mercy
"The most despicable person to Allah and the farthest from His mercy is the arrogant one who is rough and harsh."
Reference: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2000
Having ego, being arrogant, and filling up with pride seems pretty cool in this modern world, isn't it? Especially when the sins are being glorified by the social media. But what's the point of worldly fame when the person is disliked by Allah?
"Allah does not like any proud and boastful person."
Reference: Surah Luqman, Quran 31:18
What's the point of all the attention you get when the arrogant man is the poorest in the sight of Allah?
"The arrogant man is the poorest in the sight of Allah, for he has no humbleness."
Source: Diwan al-Shafi'i
2.4) Worldly Disturbances
"The humble have hearts filled with peace, but the proud find their lives riddled with stress."
Source: Hilyat al-Awliya
Pride finds its way to hamper our lives and destroy us from all those corners we never expected it to be. As per the researches, arrogance, pride, and ego leads to multiple setbacks like:
1. Interpersonal Relationships: Arrogance often results in poor relationships due to an inability to empathize or accept criticism.
Reference: Campbell, W.K., Foster, C.A. "Narcissism and commitment in romantic relationships." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2002).
2. Effect on Brain Activity: Studies show that ego-centric behaviors activate neural circuits associated with reward, leading to addictive patterns and risk-taking.
Reference: Lilienfeld, S.O. "The Science and Pseudoscience of Narcissism." Perspectives on Psychological Science (2017).
3. Impairment in Teamwork: Pride can hinder collaboration, as arrogant individuals may resist input from others.
Reference: Johnson, R.E., et al. "The Impact of Narcissism on Leadership and Team Processes." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (2012).
4. Reduced Cognitive Flexibility: Studies show prideful individuals often lack adaptability and flexibility in thought.
Reference: Zajenkowski, M., Czarna, A.Z. "The relationship between narcissism and intelligence." Intelligence (2015).
5. Health Risks: Arrogance has been linked to higher blood pressure and stress-related disorders due to heightened sensitivity to criticism.
Reference: Gallo, L.C., et al. "Negative Emotions and Cardiovascular Disease." Health Psychology (2009).
6. Decreased Life Satisfaction: Pride and ego-focused mindsets correlate with lower happiness and life satisfaction.
Reference: Emmons, R.A. "Personal Strivings, Daily Life Events, and Psychological and Physical Well-Being." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1991).
7. Isolation and Loneliness: Arrogant individuals often suffer from loneliness due to a lack of meaningful relationships.
Reference: Raskin, R., Hall, C.S. "A Narcissistic Personality Inventory." Psychological Reports (1979).
8. Career Hindrance: Ego prevents self-improvement by causing individuals to resist feedback, ultimately affecting career growth.
Reference: Brunell, A.B., et al. "Leader emergence: The case of the narcissistic leader." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2008).
9. Increase in Aggression: High ego can lead to aggressive and defensive behavior when self-image is threatened.
Reference: Bushman, B.J., Baumeister, R.F. "Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1998).
2.5) An even Greater loss
"He who has pride in his heart even if it's equal to the weight of a mustard seed shall not enter Paradise."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Hadith 91
Can we even imagine the magnitude of this loss? A person spent his life and thought he's cool, famous, and best of the best. All for a time to come when he founds his entry to paradise closed. And to make things even worse, he will be humiliated. Those who roamed the earth like absolute dictator would be like ants in the form of man in the Akhira.
"A man who is proud will be gathered on the Day of Judgment as a small ant in the form of a man, and he will be humiliated."
Reference: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2492
Apart from the Hadith, haven't you seen around yourself people who were proud due to their beauty, eloquence, wealth, children, wife, companions, etc., have been shattered to dust by death?
Their beauty has been dissolved in the soil,
The eloquent tongue is cut into pieces by roots.
Wealth has been taken by their relatives.
Children have forgotten them.
Wife has married someone else.
Companions have found a better replacement.
When will you wake up?
3. Conclusion
Be humble in this world, for this world will never cease to humble you."
Source: Al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah
Pride literally kills our faith and this blog exactly explains how, through the lens of Quran, Hadith, sayings of scholars and science. May Allah protect us from this sin.
اللهم مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوْبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوْبَنَا عَلَى طَاعتِكَ
O Allah! Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience
Ameen.
Comment down any question or dought you have regarding islam and its doctrines. Future blogs will
Inshallah include the solution to them ☺️
Fiqh & hadith related doughts will be explained by ulema of the specific fields inshallah
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