In the Name of
Allah, Most
Gracious, Most
Merciful.
All praise and
thanks are due
to Allah, and
peace and
blessings be
upon His
Messenger.
How do you
develop
humility?
Sheikh Ahmad, a
senior lecturer
and Islamic
scholar at the
Islamic
Institute of
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada,
states:
"Kibr or false
pride is
undoubtedly one
of the most
heinous of all
sins, for it is
not becoming of
Man—who is a
servant of
Allah—to act
proudly. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings be
upon him) said,
"No one who
harbors an
atom's weight of
pride in his
heart can hope
to enter
Paradise." Allah
has warned those
who act proudly
of terrible
chastisements in
the Hereafter.
The opposite of
pride is
humility. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings be
upon him) acted
as a perfect
role model of
humility for us.
Thus he was
never tired of
reminding
himself that he
was a servant of
Allah. He used
to say, "I am a
servant of
Allah; I sit
like a servant
and eat like a
servant." He
also said,
"Whoever humbles
himself for the
sake of Allah,
Allah will exalt
him and enhance
his honor and
dignity." It is,
therefore,
imperative that
we develop the
attitude of
humility.
So
How do you
develop
humility?
As Imam al-Ghazali
has stated, the
only way one who
is guilty of
pride (kibr) can
condition
himself to be
humble is by
using both the
cognitive and
practical
resources and
using them to
acquire the
habit of
humility.
1. The cognitive
steps involve
knowing first
why you are
acting so
proudly and then
convincing
yourself against
it. For
instance, if you
are proud
because of the
wealth you
possess, then
you should think
of what became
of those who
were wealthy and
acted proudly.
Think of the
terrible fate of
Pharaoh, Nimrod,
Qaroon, etc.
Think of those
rich people who
never benefited
from their
riches; rather
their riches
became a source
of doom and
gloom for them.
2. You should
also remind
yourself of your
true status as a
creature of
Allah. You was
born of a
despicable drop
of semen; that
was your
beginning. As
for your end,
you will be
reduced after
death to a
rotten corpse
eaten by worms
and finally
disintegrating
into the earth.
How can anyone
who is aware of
his true nature
act so proudly?
On the other
hand, think of
the Prophet of
Allah (peace and
blessings be
upon him) who,
in spite of
being the best
and the chosen
servant of
Allah, was
always so humble
that he never
set himself
apart from his
people in any
way. Thanks to
his humility,
Allah has
exalted his
status. As
opposed to this,
the status of
those who acted
proudly became
diminished in
the sight of
Allah as well as
people; people
today only
remember them
with utmost
contempt and
derision.
3. To reinforce
this concept
further, list as
many verses and
Hadiths as you
can find that
speak about the
terrible
punishments or
fate awaiting
those who are
proud.
Now coming to
the practical
tips to counter
pride and learn
humility. We
cannot break any
bad habit unless
we acquire the
opposite habit.
So if you wish
to break the
habit of pride,
you should do
what the humble
people do
consistently
until humility
becomes a second
nature with you.
This will be
easy when you
use every
opportunity to
be humble when
you meet people.
You should be
consistent in
this behavior
until humility
is acquired as a
habit, just as
you had acquired
the habit of
being proud.
Concomitantly
with all of
these, turn to
Allah in
repentance and
pray to Him to
inspire you with
humility. You
can use the
following
supplications:
Allaahumma innee
a`aoodhu bika
min ash-shiqaqi
wa an-nifaaqi
wasoo' al-akhlaaq
(O Allah I seek
refuge and
protection in
You from
discord,
hypocrisy and
all base morals
and character).
Allaahumma
habbib ilaynaa
al-imaana wa
zayyinhu fee
quloobinaa wa
karrih ilaynaa
al-kufra wa al-fusuqa
wa al-`isyaana
(O Allah! Make
faith dear to
our heart and
beautify it in
our heart, and
make us hate
unbelief,
corruption and
disobedience) ."
Allah Knows Best