“And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster” (Quran 31:18).
“And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster” (Quran 31:18).
Pride and arrogance are destroyers of faith – it deeply cuts into one’s spirituality and can damage another’s feeling of well-being and happiness as well. As Muslims, it remains our duty to protect our morals of humbleness, respect, and empathy.
We must ensure we are continuously remembering our duty to treat everyone with the same feelings of respect we would expect from others. After all, we all are only servants of Allah and therefore have no right to harbor any feelings of pride or arrogance.
Here are 10 verses from the Quran that reminds us of the dangers of pride and arrogance, in the hopes that we may all strive to become better Muslims:
1. Evilness and Pride
“It shall be said: Enter the gates of hell to abide therein; so evil is the abode of the proud” (Quran 39:72).
Here, the Quran reminds us just how evil the feeling of pride can be – it not only damages oneself but it damages all those around the ones with pride. We must not forget the seriousness in combatting pride – and how deeply evil it can become.
2. The Hearts are Sealed for Those with Pride
“Thus does Allah set a seal over the heart of every proud, haughty one” (Quran 40:35).
This powerful verse is a reminder of the terrifying loss of faith and goodness that comes from pride – here the Quran states that Allah will “set a seal over the heart” of those who harbor pride and arrogance. A seal over the heart, that grows from pride, will deeply affect one’s faith and connection to Allah Himself, Who we should forever be striving to become closer with.
3. Pride is Ignorance
“…so (as for) those who do not believe in the hereafter, their hearts are ignorant and they are proud” (Quran 16:22).
By equating the concepts of ignorance with having pride, the Quran teaches us that to have pride itself is to be blatantly ignorant. We must not become those who from meaningless pride and arrogance become embarrassingly ignorant, and forget our true purpose in life: to worship Allah alone in everything that we do here on earth.
4. Doing Good Will Help Combat Pride
“Then as for those who believe and do good, He will pay them fully their rewards and give them more out of His grace, and as for those who disdain and are proud, He will chastise them with a painful chastisement” (Quran 4:172-173).
Here, the Quran reminds us that being a good and blessed person is the opposite of those with pride and arrogance – it is a powerful statement on just how evil and condemning it is to be a person who boasts of pride and selfishness. We must always strive towards being on the side of those who do good, to help not only ourselves but the society we live in as well.
5. Let Go of Pride to Embrace the Blessings of Allah
“And your Lord says, Call upon Me, I will answer you, surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased” (Quran 40:60).
Pride encompasses not only how we deal with others but how we deal with Allah Himself – for those who get caught up in becoming powerful and arrogant in this world, they can easily fall into the trap of believing that Allah is not worthy of submission and servitude. We must not become arrogant in order to keep ourselves as faithful worships of Allah.
6. Pride Will Make Your Deaf to the Call of Allah
“But my call has only made them flee the more: And whenever I have called them that Thou mayest forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, cover themselves with their garments, and persist and are puffed up with pride” (Quran 71:6-7).
Once fueled by feelings and emotions of pride, it can become easy to forget how to listen or to humble oneself – and this can ruin the relationship you have with not only those around you but with Allah Himself as well. To become deaf to the call of Allah, as this verse alludes to, will destroy both faith and our ummah. It, therefore, remains imperative that we continuously struggle towards ridding ourselves of feelings of pride and arrogance.
7. Pride Will Lead to Sin
“And when it is said to him, guard against (the punishment of) Allah; pride carries him off to sin; therefore hell is sufficient for him; and certainly it is an evil resting place” (Quran 2:206).
On top of pride and arrogance already being a thing of evil, here the Quran reminds us that it can also lead one down a path of committing more sin and acts that are unfaithful towards our duty to Allah. Pride and sin are partners in bringing a Muslim towards the path to punishment and abandonment by Allah – and while we recognize that Allah Knows Best, it remains imperative on our part to ensure we are not actively allowing ourselves to fall in that path.
8. Pride Will Only Hurt Other Muslims
“And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster” (Quran 31:18).
Here we are reminded by the Quran that our pride and arrogance will not only damage our own well-being, but it can also damage and hurt those people around us who remain innocent. We must remember to stay humble and respectful towards others, and remind ourselves of the fact that we are all unique but also equal creations of Allah – we have absolutely no right to think ourselves better than another human being on earth.
9. Acknowledge Allah’s Power to Help Destroy Pride
“And they control not for themselves any harm or profit, and they control not death nor life, nor raising (the dead) to life” (Quran 25:3).
Once understood, the notions of pride and arrogance are embarrassingly shameful – how can one continue to act with pride with the knowledge that everything on earth, including our power and weaknesses, is a creation of Allah? At the end of the day, we have no power over anything, and we must attribute and remain thankful for everything to Allah and Allah alone.
10. Recognize the Beauty of Humbleness
“And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness…” (Quran 25: 63).
To walk through life with the quiet humbleness and inner strength reflective of great Islamic figures such as the Prophet Muhammed should be a characteristic of us all. Unfortunately, it can become easy to fall into the trap of having feelings of pride and arrogance – while recognizing that we all fall prey to sin and should with genuine feelings of repent be praying to Allah for guidance, it is also imperative on us all to ensure we are not becoming one of the ignorant who believes themselves above everything else in this world. Let us all pray we are given the blessing to find beauty in humbleness and strength in selflessness.
Sources found here.
