Pride

According to the meaning of a Hadith in Mishkaat, Allah Ta'ala degrades a proud person to such an extent that he becomes very insignificant in the eyes of people and yet he can be considering himself a hero / superb /great. One becomes more detestable than a dog and a swine in the eyes of people. This is one's situation in Dunya. In Aakhirah, one's situation will be more alarming because according to a Hadith, a very minute amount of this bad character called pride will prevent one from entering Jannah. Cancer is a disease that deprives a person of all joy of life despite possessing a great fortune. And finally, it takes his life also. People are very afraid of this disease. Likewise, we should be afraid of pride because it has the potential to deprive an individual of his real and eternal well-being. A person adopts all kinds of measures to protect himself against diseases. Regarding pride, a person must take even more precautions because there is no physical illness that can be more serious than this nor is there any disease whose consequences can be more harmful.

Besides, what benefit is there in being proud? What is there in a human being for him to feel proud? Is it sensible for someone who went through the urine passage twice to be proud? Is it reasonable for someone who is washing himself two or three times daily to be proud? Pride is a sign of foolishness. Thus, it is a disease that must be fought at all levels and which requires a good treatment.

[Version française de "L’orgueil" – Al Jamiat – Vol.6 No.11]