Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘Alayh)
Pride and
greatness are exclusive attributes of Allah Ta’ala. He is the Only One worthy
of such qualities.
Amongst Allah
Ta’ala’s Beautiful Names are: “Al-Mutakkabir” (The Supreme), “Al-Kabeer” (The
Greatest), “Al-Jaleel” (Majestic), “Al-Qawi” (Most Strong), and “Al-Qaadir”
(All-Powerful). Many more attributes make evident Allah Ta’ala’s Greatness and
Power. The entire Qur`aan Shareef is an exposition of Allah Ta’ala’s Supremacy
and Greatness.
Man’s
helplessness, weakness and vulnerability becomes manifest when he recognizes
his Creator. When there is no recognition, man considers his own might, strength,
power and force as great. This is the deception of nafs and shaytaan.
When anyone
makes the claim that he is great, he inevitably faces humiliation and ruin.
Fir`aun
uttered the greatest lie, that he is the Lord, Most High, and for all his
claims of being so powerful, the
waters of the Red Sea overwhelmed him and he drowned.
Allah Ta’ala
relates:
فَقَالَ أَنَا۫ رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلٰى ۖ
“And he said: ‘I am
your supreme Lord.’”
فَأَخَذَهُ اللّٰهُ نَكَالَ الْاٰخِرَةِ وَالْأُوْلٰى ؕ
“So, Allah seized
him for an exemplary punishment in the Hereafter and the present world.”
[Surah An-Nazi’aat 79 : 24 / 25]
ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْاٰخَرِيْنَ ؕ
Then We drowned the others.
[Surah Ash-Shu`ara 26 : 66]
Qa’run made a
claim of being independent of Allah Ta’ala. This was his pride due to his great intelligence and due to the great
wealth he had amassed. He had so much of wealth that the keys to his wealth
were too many to count.
وَاٰتَيْنٰهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوْزِ مَاۤ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهٗ
لَتَنُوْۤاُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِى الْقُوَّةِ ق
“…And We had given
to him such treasures as their keys would weigh too heavy
for a strong group of people…”
for a strong group of people…”
[Surah Al-Qasas 28 : 76]
قَالَ إِنَّمَاۤ أُوْتِيْتُهٗ عَلٰى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِيْ ط
“He said: ‘This is given to me because of the knowledge (I
have) with me.”
[Surah Al-Qasas 28 : 78]
What became
of him?
On his claim
of being independent, on his pride and arrogance, and his rejection of Allah
Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala caused the earth to swallow and digest him and his wealth.
فَخَسَفْنَا بِهٖ وَبِدَارِهِ الْأَرْضَ قف
“Then We made him
and his home sink into the earth…”
[Surah Al-Qasas 28 : 81]
In history,
we learnt of the Spanish Armada. It was described as “invincible” – only to find
itself being defeated.
When the
Titanic set off on its maiden voyage, the claim was that it was “unsinkable”. It sank on its first journey.
A famous
boxer made a huge claim: “I am the
greatest.” When he made this claim, he was floored.
Alhamdulillah,
Allah Ta’ala destined Islam for him and he realized that Allah Ta’ala is the
greatest. When diagnosed with sickness, he openly acknowledged: "Allah
gave me this illness to remind me that I'm not number one – He is. I’m not the
greatest, Allah is.”
The claim of
superiority and greatness does not befit the slaves and servants of Allah
Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala does not like that His Creation claims a quality which is
solely and exclusively His.
Allah Ta’ala wants us to recognize His Superiority, Greatness and Power, and submit ourselves as slaves do, before their Master. This submission and humility earns one closeness to Allah Ta’ala and His special Mercy and Favours.
Allah Ta’ala wants us to recognize His Superiority, Greatness and Power, and submit ourselves as slaves do, before their Master. This submission and humility earns one closeness to Allah Ta’ala and His special Mercy and Favours.
Allah Ta’ala
describes these servants who will receive His special Mercy as:
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمٰنِ الَّذِيْنَ يَمْشُوْنَ عَلَى
الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا
“The servants of
Ar-Rahmaan (The All-Merciful) are those who walk on the earth, humbly…”
[Surah Al-Furqaan 25]
The more the
success of a person, the more the humility his success should generate. …Take a
lesson from the tree: When laden with
fruit, the branches bend in humility. If they have to show their “greatness”
they will snap or break.
Similarly,
when a slave of Allah Ta’ala tries to show his greatness and independence, he
‘breaks’…
Allah Ta’ala said: “Pride
is My cloak and Greatness is My garment; so whoever competes with Me regarding
these two will be thrown into the Hellfire.[1]”[2]
May Allah Ta’ala purify us of
the diseases of Kibr (pride) and Ujub (vanity) and grant us the reality of
Abdiyyat (servitude) and Tawaadhu (humility).
[1] Sunan Abu Dawud
[2] The implied meaning is
Pride and Supremacy belong to Allah Ta’ala Alone.
