Chapter IX: Evils of Pride and Vanity
Wise saying. Hazrat Abu Bakr said: No Muslim shall hold in contempt another Muslim as he who is small among the Muslims is great near God. The sage Wahab said: When God created Adam, He looked to him and said: You are unlawful for every proud man. Mohammad-b-Hussain said: Whenever something of pride enters into the mind of a man, small or great, his wisdom to that proportion is reduced. Solaiman wasonce asked: Is there any sinner whose virtues do not do him any benefit? He said: A proud man.
DEMERITS OF PRIDS AND SIGNS. The Prophet said: God will not look towards him who walks with garment out of pride.
He also said: Once a man was feeling delight looking at his dress.
God ordered him to be drowned underneath the earth upto the Resurrection Day. The Prophet said: When my followers will walk with pride and their servants will be the inhabitants of Persia and Byzantium, God will place some of them to rule over others. The Prophet said: He who thinks himself great and discloses pride in his behaviour will meet with God in His enraged condition. God says: Don't walk upon the earth with pride. You can neither pierce through the earth, nor reach the height of a mountain - 10 : 37 Quran.
MERITS OF MODESTY AND HUMILITY. The Prophet said: God increases the honour of a man by virtue of his pardon.
God raises him up who takes to modesty for pleasure of God. The Prophet said: There is no such man with whom there are not two angels. They fix reign to his mouth. When he raises up his head, they lower it. When he is modest, they say: O God, raise up his head. The Prophet said: He who shows modesty being powerful, spends what he earns lawfully, shows kindness to the helpless and the destitute and keeps company with the wise and the learned is blessed. The Prophet said: God humiliates him who takes pride. God makes him solvent who takes middle course in spending. God makes him poor who is extravagant. God loves him who remembers him most.
Once the Prophet was taking meal with some of his companions. At that time, a beggar came and stood at his door, he was crippled being attacked with paralysis and the people began to hate him. The Prophet gave him permission to come in and kept him seated on his thigh and said: Take food. A man of the Quraish saw this and prohibited him being greatly hateful of
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him. It was seen that he died afterwards of this disease. The
■ Prophet said: My Lord gave me option of either of the two things
- slavery with the office of prophethood or reign with the office of
prophethood. I could not determine as to which of these two I
should choose and therefore I raised my head towards my friend
Gebriel who said: Be humble to your lord. I said: I choose slavery
with prophethood. God sent revelation to Moses: I accept the
prayer of one who humbles himself before My glory, who does
not boast over My servants, keeps My fear attached to his heart,