How do we Treat the Disease of Arrogance

 

 

The first step in treating arrogance is for a person to look at their own reality with a realistic perspective and to reflect on that. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "What does the son of Adam have to do with pride? His beginning is a sperm drop, and his end is a corpse. He does not provide for himself, nor can he avert his death."[1]

 

In discourse of addressing arrogance, Al Imam Al Khomeini (may Allah sanctify his secret) said: "O human being, who was nothing at the beginning, lying dormant in the eons of non-existence and infinite void, what is less than nothing and non-existence on the page of existence? Then, when God's will willed for you to emerge into the realm of existence, due to your limited and deficient capacities, your triviality, and your unworthiness to receive the divine grace, you were taken out from the matter of the world, the first material substance, which is nothing but pure potential and absolute weakness, into the form of physicality and corporeality, which are the basest of existences and the lowest of beings. From there, you were brought forth as a sperm drop, which if touched by your hand, you would reject and purify yourself from… There, you were transformed into a clinging substance and a chewed lump, nourished by sustenance whose name is embarrassing to hear, and shameful. But since this is the state of all, and such is their affliction, the embarrassment and affliction fade as they spread, for at each of these stages, you were the most degraded and humiliated of existences, devoid of perception both outwardly and inwardly, innocent of all perfections. Then, His mercy enveloped you, and He made you capable of life, for life manifested in you despite being in one of the most deficient states… His mercy gradually increased your capacity to manage the affairs of your life until you became worthy of appearing in this world… After He granted you, by His power, your apparent and inner faculties, you still remained weak and trivial… You are not able to maintain your youth and beauty. If a calamity strikes you or you fall ill, you are not capable of averting it… And so, in all your affairs, you remain a humble, wretched servant with no power over anything. If you were to compare your share of existence and perfection with that of other beings, you would find that you, the entire Earth, and even the entire solar system hold no value against this corporeal world, which is the lowest and smallest of worlds.[2]

 

Contemplating the fate of the arrogant and what has befallen them in this world, from losing all its possessions to their descent as naked beings into the grave, where worms consume their bodies, serves as a powerful lesson for a person to rid themselves of arrogance.

 

There are numerous religious texts on this topic. Among them, Allah says: "Enter the gates of Hell, to abide therein, and how vile is the dwelling of the arrogant."[3]

 

The Noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The arrogant will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment like little ants in the form of men, humiliation enveloping them from every side."[4]

 

Al Imam Al Baqir (pbuh) said: "Honor is the garment of Allah, and arrogance is its wrapper; whoever takes a piece of it, Allah will throw him into Hell."[5]

  

[1] Bin Abi talib, Nahjul Balagha, Al Imam Ali, page 556

[2] Al Khomeini, Allah’s Soul, The Forty Hadiths, page 98-99

[3] Surah Al Nahel verse 29

[4] Al Tabarsi, Hussain, Mustadral Al Wasail, part 12, page 31 

[5]Al Kulayni, Muhammad, Al Kafi, part 2, page 309