Pride And Conceit
Pride and conceit turn people away from God toward their ego which cares only about possessions, individual accomplishments etc. without giving credit to others' contributions or help from God in the form of opportunity or luck.
The Qur'an advises against saying: "I'll do that tomorrow [18:23]". We should always say: "God willing, I'll do that tomorrow"[18:24]. Pride and conceit are not Muslim traits. Muslims should consider their insignificance compared to the universe [Qur'an 19:37-38].
Pride and conceit make people feel superior to others and give them a false sense of entitlement to God's bounty without responsibility to share the bounty with others. God gives individuals different abilities to enable them as a group to handle all the challenges presented by life on earth.
Those with more ability in one area are entitled to enjoy the rewards of that ability but are required to use it to benefit others. Using one's ability to do God's work by helping other people, other creatures, and the environment; is serving God, is worship. We were created to serve and worship God.
Muslims start everything in the name of God ( Bismillah) and end everything by thanking God (Alhamdu lillah). By identifying accomplishments as God's bounty or gifts, the tendency of the ego toward pride and conceit is controlled.
The challenge to the haves, the more gifted, is to be grateful to God and to share the gifts with all creation. The challenge to the have nots, the less gifted, is to be grateful to God while enduring the challenges of life.
The concept of more or less gifted protects the individual from pride and conceit which are more closely associated with accomplishment. We are more gifted in some areas and less gifted in others. Gifts should be extended beyond wealth, power, status, intelligence, health, and physical appearance to include love, friendship, compassion, kindness, etc.
The Qur'an advises the less gifted not to be sorry for what they missed; and the more gifted not to be glad for what they got [57:23]. When all the gifts are considered, we are created equally.
The most honored by God are the most mindful of Him. The mindful of God are defined as: those who believe in the unseen, do their prayers, give from God's bounty, believe in what was brought down to Muhammad and what was brought down before his time, are certain of the hereafter. Those are guided by their Lord and those are the prosperous [Qur'an 2:5].
The Prophet Muhammad once told his companions that he saw crowds at every gate of paradise, trying to get in, except at the gate of humility.
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Revised on 10/3/99
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