This “Point of View” article is dedicated to the writings of various intellectuals. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the position of the publication.

From the Quran, it is evident that the first sin in the universe was not related to wine, fornication, or swine—but rather arrogance and egotism: the deluded belief that “I am better than him” — ana khayrun minhu [Quran, 7:12].

Ananiyyah (egotism) means deliberately ignoring the truth and considering others inferior and insignificant (as in baṭr al-haqq wa ghamṭ al-nas). Since man is a dual composition of rational and animal existence, the manifestation of arrogance in human life generally appears in two forms: on the intellectual level and on the practical level.

Therefore, a person must remain highly alert on both fronts—intellectual and practical—and guard himself against the fatal contamination of egotism. He must remain a sincere seeker of truth, and whenever truth and righteousness manifest before him in any form, he should accept it without the least internal resistance or prior bias, and embrace it as a direct grace from God, opening all doors of heart and mind in its support. Supporting the truth is itself a form of supporting the Almighty [Quran, 47:7]. In this world of trial, God always manifests under the veil of truth. In such a condition, the appearance of truth is not merely the appearance of truth in a literal sense—it is, in fact, equivalent to the majestic appearance of the Lord of Glory Himself.

In reality, arrogance and egotism are the greatest lies upon which any individual may stand. Yet, in this universe created by the Almighty, no creature has any basis to erect a false dome of pride or self-worship. There is no room for shirk (polytheism) or pride in the divine order. All grandeur and exaltation belong solely to the Creator and Master, the Omnipotent God—not to any feeble, mortal being.

Prophetic Sayings Regarding Arrogance and Self-Conceit

Due to the extreme reprehensibility of pride and self-conceit, the Prophet [pbuh] declared that such a person will never find a place near God, for all greatness belongs only to Him:

Narrated ʿAbd Allah: The Messenger of God [pbuh] said, “No one will enter Paradise who has even a mustard seed’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” [Sahih Muslim, 266]

Narrated Anas [ra]: The Prophet [pbuh] had a she-camel named al-ʿAzbaʾ, which no other animal could outrun. One day, a Bedouin came riding his camel and surpassed her. This saddened the Muslims greatly, and when the Prophet [pbuh] realized it, he said: “It is a right upon God that nothing is raised in this world but that He brings it down.” [Sahih al-Bukhari, 6501]

Narrated ʿIyaḍ b. Ḥimar: The Messenger of God [pbuh] once stood before us delivering a sermon, and he said: “Indeed, God has revealed to me that you should humble yourselves, so that no one may boast over another or oppress another.” [Sahih Muslim, 7379]

The Demands of Trial

The Creator has established this world for the purpose of testing. This purpose necessitates that throughout life, a person will be repeatedly attacked by destructive impulses such as pride, envy, and egotism. He will be confronted by such tests again and again and will continually be vulnerable to these negative internal states. This is a lifelong struggle. In this world of trial, it is impossible to become entirely free of such feelings.

The remedy is only this: whenever a person is afflicted by such negative states, rather than surrendering to them or deriving satisfaction from them, he should treat them as a “touch of Satan” [Quran, 7:201], and respond with repentance and spiritual retreat. He should immediately turn back to God through tawbah (repentance), istighfar (seeking forgiveness), and deep introspection. By reflecting on his own weakness and transience, and on God’s power and self-sufficiency, he should anchor himself in the position of servitude and exhibit humility. In this way, one can protect oneself from these destructive tendencies through continuous repentance and accountability.

This is exactly what people do in their everyday material life. For instance, when one’s clothing becomes dirty, no one throws it away—instead, they clean it and reuse it. The same principle should apply in the spiritual realm. Here too, as per wa-thiyabaka fa-ṭahhir [Quran, 74:4], a person must continually cleanse the garment of their heart and engage in constant self-examination of their words, deeds, thoughts, and attitudes. This patient and sincere struggle constitutes the ṣalih ʿamal (righteous action) and the ʿibadah (worship) that are eternally required from a human being in this life.

The Tempest of Egotism

A wide and prolonged study of human nature reveals that no individual is completely free from these undesirable feelings of pride, envy, and egotism. Whether high or low, rich or poor, king or beggar, sincere or deceiver, leaders—both religious and secular—all fall prey to some form of hidden arrogance, except those upon whom God bestows His special mercy.

In most cases, the distinction lies only between manifest and hidden pride. In the modern age, the abundance of leisure, easy access to resources, and the cheap pursuit of fame—both online and offline—have intensified egotism and vanity in both men and women to unprecedented levels.

The abundance of opportunities and the downpour of blessings demanded gratitude, but in this era of Dajjal, instead of gratitude, what appears everywhere is almost entirely ingratitude (kufr). Today, even the poor seem no less egotistical than the wealthy. Even children exhibit a strong sense of self-importance.

In such circumstances, only the one whom God, in His special mercy, throws into the whirlpool of spiritual cleansing and who thereby crushes the serpent of egotism hidden within, can survive this venom. Otherwise, the serpent of pride bites everyone—it is exceedingly difficult to escape it.

To combat this, a person must become their own most rigorous critic. Through merciless self-accountability, one must identify and remove every trace of arrogance. In private moments, one must pray earnestly to God, engage in recitation and contemplation, and carry out continuous self-purification.

Alongside this, one must appoint close companions, teachers, family members, and associates as personal auditors and ask them to monitor and critique such tendencies without hesitation. This is the vision of Abraham and the inner struggle (jihad al-nafs) that can safeguard one from this deadly spiritual disease:

“The Abrahamic gaze is hard to cultivate,
While desire hides within chests and paints its own portraits.”