Arrogance

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ أَدْنَى الْإِلْحَادِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْكِبْرَ أَدْنَاهُ.

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about a minimum degree of atheism and the Imam said, ‘Arrogance is its minimum.’”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ الْكِبْرُ قَدْ يَكُونُ فِي شِرَارِ النَّاسِ مِنْ كُلِّ جِنْسٍ وَ الْكِبْرُ رِدَاءُ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ نَازَعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ رِدَاءَهُ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا سَفَالًا[1] إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص مَرَّ فِي بَعْضِ طُرُقِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَ سَوْدَاءُ تَلْقُطُ السِّرْقِينَ‌[2] فَقِيلَ لَهَا تَنَحَّيْ عَنْ طَرِيقِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ الطَّرِيقَ لَمُعْرَضٌ‌[3] فَهَمَّ بِهَا بَعْضُ الْق

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Arrogance can be found in mischievous people of all sexes. Pride is the gown of Allah. Therefore, whoever disputes Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, about His gown; it will only bring him low. Once, the Messenger of Allah was passing through one of the streets of Madina. On the w

قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع‌ الْعِزُّ رِدَاءُ اللَّهِ وَ الْكِبْرُ إِزَارُهُ فَمَنْ تَنَاوَلَ شَيْئاً مِنْهُ أَكَبَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَهَنَّمَ.

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘Majesty is the gown of Allah and pride is His loin clothe, therefore, whoever holds to any of these, Allah will throw him in hell.’”

الْكِبْرُ رِدَاءُ اللَّهِ وَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ يُنَازِعُ اللَّهَ رِدَاءَهُ.

“Pride is the gown of Allah. An arrogant person (assuming arrogance) disputes Allah about His gown.”

الْكِبْرُ رِدَاءُ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ نَازَعَ اللَّهَ شَيْئاً مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَكَبَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي النَّارِ.

“Pride is the gown of Allah and whoever disputes Allah in anything about it, Allah will throw him into the fire.”

قَالا لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ

“Whoever in his heart may have an amount of arrogance of the size of an atom he will not be able to enter paradise.”

لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنَ الْكِبْرِ قَالَ فَاسْتَرْجَعْتُ‌[1] فَقَالَ مَا لَكَ تَسْتَرْجِعُ قُلْتُ لِمَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْكَ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ حَيْثُ تَذْهَبُ إِنَّمَا أَعْنِي الْجُحُودَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ الْجُحُودُ.

“Whoever has an amount of arrogance in his heart of the size of a mustard seed, he will not be able to enter paradise.” 1 then expressed astonishment saying, ‘To Allah we belong and to Him we return!’ The Imam asked, ‘What has made you astonish?’ I said, ‘I have not heard such Hadith from you.’ The Imam said, ‘It is no

الْكِبْرُ أَنْ تَغْمِصَ النَّاسَ وَ تَسْفَهَ الْحَقَ‌[2].

“Arrogance is when one belittles the people and calls the truth foolishness.”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ أَعْظَمَ الْكِبْرِ غَمْصُ الْخَلْقِ وَ سَفَهُ الْحَقِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ وَ مَا غَمْصُ الْخَلْقِ وَ سَفَهُ الْحَقِّ قَالَ يَجْهَلُ الْحَقَّ وَ يَطْعُنُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ نَازَعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ رِدَاءَهُ.

“The biggest form of arrogance is to sink (belittle or look down upon) people and consider the truth foolishness.” I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What is to ‘sink’ the people and hoodwink the truth?’ The Imam said, ‘It is ignoring the truth and criticizing the people of truth. Whoever does it has disputed Allah, the Maj

إِنَّ فِي جَهَنَّمَ لَوَادِياً لِلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ يُقَالُ لَهُ سَقَرُ شَكَا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ شِدَّةَ حَرِّهِ وَ سَأَلَهُ أَنْ يَأْذَنَ لَهُ أَنْ يَتَنَفَّسَ فَتَنَفَّسَ فَأَحْرَقَ جَهَنَّمَ.

‘In hell there is a valley for the arrogant people and it is called ‘Saqar’. It complained to Allah of excessive heat and asked Him to allow it to breathe. When it took a breath, it burnt (all of) hell.”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ يُجْعَلُونَ فِي صُوَرِ الذَّرِّ يَتَوَطَّأُهُمُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَفْرُغَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْحِسَابِ.

The arrogant people will be turned into particles on whom people will walk until Allah will finalize (people’s) accounts.’”

قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا الْكِبْرُ فَقَالَ أَعْظَمُ الْكِبْرِ أَنْ تَسْفَهَ الْحَقَّ وَ تَغْمِصَ النَّاسَ قُلْتُ وَ مَا سَفَهُ الْحَقِّ قَالَ يَجْهَلُ الْحَقَّ وَ يَطْعُنُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ.

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘What is arrogance?’ The Imam said, ‘The biggest arrogance is to hoodwink the truth and look down upon the people.’ I then asked, ‘What is to hoodwink the truth and belittle the people?’ The Imam said, ‘It is one’s disregarding and ignoring the truth and his criticizing the people of

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنَّنِي آكُلُ الطَّعَامَ الطَّيِّبَ وَ أَشَمُّ الرِّيحَ الطَّيِّبَةَ وَ أَرْكَبُ الدَّابَّةَ الْفَارِهَةَ[1] وَ يَتْبَعُنِي الْغُلَامُ فَتَرَى فِي هَذَا شَيْئاً مِنَ التَّجَبُّرِ فَلَا أَفْعَلَهُ فَأَطْرَقَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌[2] ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّمَا الْجَبَّارُ الْمَلْعُونُ مَنْ غَمَصَ النَّاسَ وَ جَهِلَ الْحَقَّ قَالَ عُمَرُ فَقُلْتُ أَمَّا الْحَقُّ فَلَا أَجْهَلُهُ وَ الْغَمْصُ

“Once, I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘I eat good food, use good perfumes, and ride good energetic animals and a young man escorts me. Do you see anything tyrannical in it so I should avoid it? Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) remained quiet for a while. He then said, ‘A condemned tyrant is one who ignores people and disregards t

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ ثَلَاثَةٌ لا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ‌ وَ لا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ‌ يَوْمَ الْقِيامَةِ وَ لا يُزَكِّيهِمْ‌ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ أَلِيمٌ‌ شَيْخٌ زَانٍ وَ مَلِكٌ جَبَّارٌ وَ مُقِلٌّ مُخْتَالٌ‌[3].

“The messenger of Allah has said, ‘There are three kinds of people to whom, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will not speak or look to and will not purify them. They will suffer a painful punishment: an old man who fornicates, a tyrant king and an arrogant poor person.”

إِنَّ يُوسُفَ ع لَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّيْخُ يَعْقُوبُ ع دَخَلَهُ عِزُّ الْمُلْكِ فَلَمْ يَنْزِلْ إِلَيْهِ فَهَبَطَ جَبْرَئِيلُ ع فَقَالَ يَا يُوسُفُ ابْسُطْ رَاحَتَكَ‌[1] فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا نُورٌ سَاطِعٌ فَصَارَ فِي جَوِّ السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ يُوسُفُ يَا جَبْرَئِيلُ مَا هَذَا النُّورُ الَّذِي خَرَجَ مِنْ رَاحَتِي فَقَالَ نُزِعَتِ النُّبُوَّةُ مِنْ عَقِبِكَ عُقُوبَةً لِمَا لَمْ تَنْزِلْ إِلَى الشَّيْخِ يَعْقُوبَ فَلَ

“Joseph, Yusuf, peace be upon him, met his old father, Ya’qub and because of majestic feeling of a king he did not dismount. Jibril (Gabriel) descended to him and said, ‘O Yusuf (look on) your palm.’ A shining light came out and went into the sky. Joseph asked, ‘O Jibril (Gabriel), what was that light that came out of

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ إِلَّا وَ فِي رَأْسِهِ حَكَمَةٌ[3] وَ مَلَكٌ يُمْسِكُهَا فَإِذَا تَكَبَّرَ قَالَ لَهُ اتَّضِعْ وَضَعَكَ اللَّهُ‌[4] فَلَا يَزَالُ أَعْظَمَ النَّاسِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَ أَصْغَرَ النَّاسِ فِي أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ وَ إِذَا تَوَاضَعَ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ انْتَعِشْ نَعَشَكَ اللَّهُ‌[5] فَلَا يَزَالُ أَصْغَرَ النَّاسِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَ أَرْفَعَ النَّاسِ فِي أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ.

“Every servant (of Allah) has in his head a certain degree of wisdom being held therein by an angel. When he expresses arrogance the angel says, ‘Be humble, may Allah bring you low.’ Thereafter he thinks himself to be the greatest of people but in the eyes of the people he remains the lowest of all. When he behaves hum

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَتِيهُ‌[6] إِلَّا مِنْ ذِلَّةٍ يَجِدُهَا فِي نَفْسِهِ وَ فِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ تَكَبَّرَ أَوْ تَجَبَّرَ إِلَّا لِذِلَّةٍ وَجَدَهَا فِي نَفْسِهِ.[7]

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘No one expresses arrogance but because of lowliness that he feels in his soul.’ In another Hadith Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) has said, ‘There is no man who expresses arrogance or tyranny but because of lowliness that he feels in his soul.”