It Is narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas'ud that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), observed: He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride¹⁶⁴ shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace¹⁶⁵. Pride is disdaining the truth¹⁶⁶ (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people¹⁶⁷.

It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: None shall enter the Fire (of Hell) who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of Iman and none shall enter Paradise who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride.

• Conceit refers to excessively high opinion of oneself, egoism, egotism, swelled head, vainglory or vanity.
• Holy Quran: In Surah 31, verses 18-19, a pious man, Luqman giving advice to his son says:

• In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 34, Allah T'ala speaks about the arrogance of Shaitan (Satan):

2:34: And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith.

• Similar evil response by disbelievers of Truth  is mentioned elsewhere in the Quran. For example,

The example of Iblis:

Returning to the example of Iblis, the Shaitan (Satan), scholars like Ibn-Kathir mention that he attained his high rank with the angels due to his worship and obedience to Allah T'ala. His rank caused him to develop Kibr and he forgot his Creator. See what happened to an otherwise pious Jinn, with such a high status in the audience of God, the Almighty, due to his Kibr (pride and self-conceit). He looked down upon Adam. This is a grave warning to the Imams, ulema, shaikhs, Islamic workers and Muslims in general. You spend your life time in daily prayers, fasting, zakat, Hajj, stand in devotion at night, read Quran, deliver Jumuah Khutbas and other speeches on Islam. People call you shaikh, Imam, 'Alim,a Muttaqi,..., and a small pride, kibr and fakhr takes root in your heart. You now call your self an Alim, a shaikh, an Imam, or a pious person, and start counting and talking about your good deeds,... I did this.... when I did it, I got results,...

That may lead to ruins just like it ruined Iblis. May Allah T'ala save us all from Hellfire. Ameen.

The example of the Prophets and Sahabah:

A Muslim does not harbor kibr, fakhr or pride. Instead he is happy to be a Muslim and is grateful to His God for the blessings bestowed upon him. At every Muslim victory, the Prophet and his Sahabah bowed down their hearts and heads to Allah T'ala in Shukr and repentence. In Surah An-Nasr, Allah T'ala teaches us:

SUCCOUR, DIVINE SUPPORT, CHAPTER NO. 110 110.001 When comes the Help of God, and Victory, 110.002 And thou dost see the people enter God's Religion in crowds, 110.003 Celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and pray for His Forgiveness: For He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and Mercy).

They knew well that all blessings are from Allah T'ala and are not their works. Never think of your self as superior to any one else. As a Muslim, be happy, be grateful for the favors of Allah T'ala. Do not look down upon any one, instead, we should be concerned about the salvation of every human being, just like a doctor cares about his patients.

• It is a popular saying that a tree that bears fruit is closer to the ground than the trees which don't.

May Allah T'ala erase any wrong which this article puts in us and keep and nourish in us all what is good. Ameen.

• See also: On Pride in Sahih Muslim

compiled by Ishaq Zahid
September 6, 2001