ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islamic Ethics Lecture 13: The Cure of Arrogance, According To Imām ‛Alī (A) First one must understand what arrogance is and where it comes from, then he will realize how great a sin it is. Arrogance is a state of feeling important, feeling that one has a special place. Reality is taken from him and he only uses his imagination. Everyone, in reality, is nothing. Every body is from dirt and will return to dirt.

One's self is also in real need, his life, health and property are not in his hands. The Commander of the faithful (a) says in one of his speeches found in Nahj al-Balāghah : “O' creatures of Allah! Allah created you without you having a choice and takes care of you for as long as you are alive.”[^1] Man is naturally needy, low and in reality nothing. Imām ‛Alī (a) said in another tradition: “I'm surprised about the person who is arrogant.

At the beginning he was unclean semen and at the end he will be a decomposed body and between these two he is good for nothing.”[^2] Right now, under our skin, is najis blood and it is known what is in our stomachs and intestines. One Becomes The Measure Of Reality When Arrogance Grows In One’s Spirit Arrogance is the reason behind many of the sins that man commits. One will not accept reality if arrogance is left to grow.

One will stand against the truth; one will even think that he himself is the truth. He will think that his own opinions and customs are correct; he will not be a servant of Allah anymore. He will not serve Allah's friends ( awlīyā Allah ). They will be like those who were arrogant and stood up against the Commander of the faithful (a), they either did not pay allegiance to him or they disobeyed him after they paid allegiance. What creates arrogance and what strengthens it?

Arrogance Because Of Property Is The Result Of Being Ignorant About Reality The first thing that creates arrogance is property. The natural result of an increase in wealth is an ignorant form of arrogance. I said that arrogance stems from ignorance, because a rational person would understand that wealth does not add anything to his existence. There is no difference between him and a poor person, even if he has millions of dollars.

But, when his wealth is increases he sees himself better than poor people. Have you heard the tradition where the Messenger of Allah (S) was sitting with a rich person and a poor person entered and sat next to his rich brother in Islam?