Arrogance in Islam: Its Dangers and Cure

    In our pursuit of pleasing Allah, we keep asking about the best ways to gain Allah’s Pleasure and Satisfaction. Undoubtedly, whatever way we choose starts with fixing the heart and purifying it from its illnesses. It also starts by identifying the illness that eats away at the heart and trying to get rid of it. On the Day of Judgment, which Allah describes as “The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children,” in Surah Ash-Shu’ara, Ayah 88 (يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ), no one will be safe except the person who has a sound heart: “But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart” (إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ), in the following Ayah of the same Surah. Thus, the core of your faith starts and ends with your heart. Some of these diseases not only increase the distance between the believer and Allah but also cause people to feel hatred and anger towards them, such as arrogance.

What Is Arrogance in Islam?

     Arrogance is seeing oneself as superior to others because of certain characteristics that no one else possesses, and seeing everyone else as inferior. It breeds a sense of superiority. Arrogance was the characteristic of Iblees. He was the first creature to commit this sin before Allah. When Allah commanded him to prostrate to Adam, he refused and was arrogant, saying, “I am better than him (Adam). You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.” So, whoever wants to be arrogant should realize that he is acquiring a characteristic of the devils, not a characteristic of the noble angels who obeyed their Lord and prostrated before Him. According to the Holy Qur’an, arrogance is a sin that will most certainly be severely punished.

   The one who considers himself to be the best wants others to know that he is the best. As arrogance grows inside a person, his sense of superiority grows increasingly strong. He starts to despise people, reject their company, and look down on them. As a result, he will not accept advice from others. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people.” An arrogant person tends to show others his superiority so that they see him as the best in every possible way. This means that he may be cruel or unfair to others simply to impose his superiority over them. For example, a father may become angry if his children start a discussion with him, or a husband may refuse to listen to his wife’s opinions or feelings simply because he sees himself as superior and therefore believes that his choices must be the best and correct ones.    

How Arrogance Affects the Heart?   

Arrogance does not stop at the level of feeling superior to others; it can also reach the level of challenging Allah’s commands. We, as Muslims, believe that Allah is the Provider of all created things. All the blessings that people enjoy are granted by Allah. Allah gives and withholds, so the question that naturally arises is: if all the successes and blessings of this life are granted by Allah, what makes human beings so arrogant? The answer to this question is the key to healing the heart from arrogance. Allah mentions in the Quran, in Surah Luqman, Ayah 18: “And do not turn your cheek [in contempt] toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful” (وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that pride is Allah’s cloak and that whoever competes with Him in it will be punished. This is a direct warning against arrogance and a reminder to purify the heart from it.

The Cure

    The believer must have knowledge of his nature and educate himself about Islam and its teachings. He needs to remember that his origin was clay, that he was created from nothing, and that he will eventually return to the earth. He should also fill his heart with fear of challenging Allah by adopting pride, which belongs to His Attributes, and remember that his arrogance may be a reason for Allah’s Anger with him. As explained before, arrogance can lead to Hellfire, as happened with Iblis. We pray to Allah to purify our hearts from the diseases that keep us away from righteousness.

A pure heart begins with humility and knowing our true place before Allah. May Allah protect our hearts from arrogance, fill them with humility, and guide us to what pleases Him.