These are the sincere ones who...

These are the sincere ones who, when being heedless about Allah and cast a look at their good deed, they find happiness and pleasure, whereupon they seek forgiveness of Allah for such a sentiment despite their lofty status with Allah, for the good deeds of the kind ones are the bad deeds of those close to Him.

DEGREES AND LEVELS OF CONCEIT As we have quoted from the imam, may his blessings endure, about pretension, that is, it has three levels, and each level has two degrees the explanation of which has already been indicated, so is the case with conceit: it, too, has the same levels and degrees, The first level is conceit about beliefs. The second is conceit about the faculties. The third level is conceit about deeds.

The first level has two degrees: the first is conceit about belief and true branches of knowledge. The second degree, in contrast, is conceit about disbelief, apostasy and inward beliefs. The second level, too, has two degrees: The first is conceit about good faculties and commendable merits. The second, in contrast, is conceit about bad manners and ugly faculties. The third level, too, has two degrees: conceit about the good deeds.

Contrasting the second degree is conceit about ugly deeds and wrongdoings. LEVELS OF CONCEIT CONSEQUENCES OF CONCEIT LEVELS OF CONCEIT A scholar of the hereafter has divided conceit into two levels.

The conclusion of what he says, with some explanation from our part, is this: Conceit exists in man for a merit the owner of which sees it as a mark of perfection, there is no doubt about it, and everyone considers himself, in his innermost, as being complete, whether in his knowledge, or wealth, or all other forms of perfection.

He, hence, goes through conditions, including fear of losing these perfections, fear of being robbed of that perfection as a whole or in part, or a shortcoming happens to him which spoils his purity. This condition is not described as making anyone wonder.

Also among them is that he does not fear its disappearance, but he feels elated about this perfection, so much so that he sees it as a blessing from Allah Almighty; he renders it to the Almighty, not to himself; such elation and pleasure about perfection is not conceit, either. But man has a third status which is labeled as conceit. He is not concerned about the disappearance of perfection but feels elated about its existence, and he feels glad about it.