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Superiority and pride belong to Allah Almighty alone. Allah praised Himself saying: {And to Him belongs pride in the heavens and earth, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.} [Surat al-Jāthiyah: 37] He also says: {He is Allah, there is no god except Him, the King, the Most Holy, the Source of Peace, the Giver of Belief, the All-Controller, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him.} [Surat al-Hashr: 23]
Our Lord, Exalted be He, is Supreme and Exalted above all defects and evil things and above wronging His servants.
He is Superior to the tyrants among His servants who claim grandeur.
Indeed, He is Supreme and High above anything bad or evil and above whatever does not befit His perfection and excellence.
Superiority denotes the absence of any defect, deficiency, or imperfection.
Superiority is an innate attribute of the Almighty Lord, unlike some people who pretend to be superior to others, while they are not.
Superiority and pride befit Allah Almighty alone, for He alone is the King and Owner and all others are owned; He alone is the Lord and Creator and all others are servants and created beings. Indeed, He is the sole Possessor of the attributes of perfection, beauty, majesty, and grandeur.
Therefore, Allah Almighty takes this attribute exclusively for Himself and threatens anyone assuming it with severe punishment.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said:
“Allah Almighty said: ‘Pride is My robe, and majesty is My lower garment. If anyone disputes with Me over one of them, I will throw him in Hellfire.’”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd; Sahīh (authentic)]
Al-Khattābi said: “He used the robe and lower garment as an example to say - and Allah knows best -: As nobody lets others share his robe and garment with him, likewise, no created being should share pride and majesty with Me.”
The status befitting a created being is that of servitude, obedience, and submission to the Great and Superior Lord, the Owner of Honor and Majesty. It is probably for this reason that we proclaim the greatness and grandeur of Allah in the position of bowing and prostration in prayer.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to say during bowing and prostration in prayer: “Subhān dhil-jabarūt wa al-malakūt wa al-kibriyā’ wa al-‘azhamah (Glory be to the Owner of might, dominion, pride, and greatness).” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd; Sahīh (authentic)]
Allah Almighty purified His prophets and righteous servants from arrogance and pride. They used to seek refuge with Him from pride and arrogance: {But Moses said: “Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning.”} [Surat Ghāfir: 27]
Whoever possesses this attribute of pride and arrogance, his soul will be spoiled and his heart will be stamped with a seal of rust. {...Thus does Allah seal every heart of an arrogant tyrant.} [Ghāfir: 35] {...There is not within their breasts except pride, [the extent of] which they cannot reach...} [Surat Ghāfir: 56]
The leader of the arrogant is Satan, {Except Satan; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers.} [Surat Sād: 74] Arrogance is also the trait of tyrannical kings like Pharaoh: {And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would not be returned to Us.} [Surat al-Qasas: 39]
Another example is a man who has great wealth and many children and who begins to feel proud because of them. Arrogance does actually sneak into his heart, driving him to reject the truth. This is like Al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah about whom Allah Almighty says: {Then he turned back and was arrogant.} [Surat al-Muddaththir: 23]
Arrogance causes destruction to the nations that deny the truth, {As for ‘Ād, they were arrogant on the earth without right...} [Surat Fussilat: 15]
And about the people of Prophet Sālih (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty says: {Those who were arrogant said: “Verily, we disbelieve in what you believe in.”} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 76]
The arrogant will end up in Hellfire; what an evil destination! {...Is there not in Hell a residence for the arrogant?} [Surat az-Zumar: 60]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The arrogant will be gathered on the Day of Judgment resembling tiny particles in the image of men. They will be covered with humiliation everywhere. They will be dragged into a prison in Hellfire called Būlas and submerged in the Fire of Fires, drinking the drippings of the people of Hellfire.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Sahīh (authentic)] May Allah keep us away from this.
A person who begins to feel arrogant and superior should look inside himself in a wise and deep manner and not look at his outside with a superficial and bestial look.
Let him remember the origin of his existence, where he came from, and that his end in this worldly life will be nothing but a rotten corpse.
It is related that Mutraf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhīr looked at Al-Muhallab ibn Abu Safrah as he was wearing a fine garment, which he was dragging behind on the ground and walking arrogantly. Thereupon, he said: “O Abu ‘Abdullah, what is this gait which Allah and His Messenger dislike?” Al-Muhallab said: “Do you not know me?” He said: “No, I know you. You began as a little drop of sperm and will end up as a dirty corpse, and inside you is urine and stool.”
If only people think about what lies inside them, none of them would feel arrogant or superior.
Al-Munāwi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “A person should not despise anyone, for the despised one may have a purer heart, better deeds, and a more sincere intention. Despising people brings loss, humiliation, and disgrace.”
Ibn Taymiyyah said: “A fearful sinner is better than an arrogant worshiper.”
A wise person should act modestly, sit with the knowledgeable and the weak, visit the sick, observe those who die or suffer afflictions, and consider the stories of arrogant people to see how they rose and ultimately fell and what happened to them.
As if you did not hear about what happened to people in the past.
Neither do you see what will happen to those who live in the present.
So, if you are unaware of what happened to them, here are their dwellings;
they were ruined by the wind and the passage of time.
O Allah, we implore You by Your name “Al-Mutakabbir” to strengthen us, conceal our faults, forgive our sins, and not to make us among the arrogant, O Lord of the worlds!