Aslam

The Prophet said: Such people will come soon who will read the Quran but it will not cross their throats. They will say: We have read the Quran. Who is better in Quran reading than us?
Than he said to his companions: O my followers, these people will come out from amongst you. They are fuels of Hell. For this reason, Hazrat Omar said: Don't be included within the proud learned men. Your education will not be able to remove your ignorance in that circumstance. For this reason, he did not give permission to Tamimdari when he sought his permission to deliver lectures. Rather he said that it was equal to murder. Once Hazrat Hazaifa led prayer of the people. He said after prayer:
Pray behind another Imam as a thought occurred in my mind that there is nobody among my people better than myself. When a reputed companion like Hazrat Huzaifah is not safe from this, what will be our condition? Those who had perfect education passed away in the first and second centuries of Heijra. The Prophet said: Soon there will come such a condition over the people in which a man doing one-tenth of divine services of yours will get salvation. But for this good news, people of this age would have been ruined.

SECOND CAUSE OF PRIDE IN RELIGIOUS SERVICES

The religious men are not free from pride. The form of pride of a man regarding worldly matters is that he thinks that the people should come to him and not to others, that they should stand up for him to show respect and that they should broadcast his piety among the general public. The form of pride of a man in religious matters is that he thinks that he has only got salvation and the people are ruined. The Prophet said: When you hear a man say "Men are ruined," know then that he is ruined among

260 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III

them. He also said: It is sufficient for the sin of a man that he hods

his brother Muslim as mean. It is reported that a man called

"Khliy" was a great sinner among the children of Israil. He was

one day passing by a religious man upon whose head a piece of

cloud was giving shade. Khaliy thought while passing by him

that God would show mercy on him if he would keep his

companionship. When he went to him, the religious man

thought: I am a religious man and this man is a great sinner. How

can he sit with me? He said to him: Co away from me. God then

revealed to the Prophet of that age: Tell both of them to do divine

service afresh. I have forgiven the great sinner and spoiled the

virtues of the religious man. In another narration, the piece of

cloud drifted away from above the head of the religious man and

went above the head of the sinner. Know from this that God

examines the heart of a religious man. When a sinner becomes

modest for God and most in God-fear, he becomes obedient to

God with all his heart.