Ethics

Adopted from the book : "Pride" by : "Mujahidali A.R. Sheriff"

There are various acts of man which can prove Kibr against Allah (s.w.t.). An ignorant person always considers himself to be powerful enough in managing things his way. He thinks that whatever he does is a result purely of his own efforts and does not stop to consider himself nothing more than a weak creature of Allah (s.w.t.). One would often hear such characters praising themselves and boasting that "I did so and so" or "I will do so and so." Referring to them in the Holy Qur’an, Almighty Allah says : "There is naught in their breasts but (a vain desire) to become great, which they shall attain not" (Al-Mo'min/56)

When Pride develops in man, a stage comes whereby he may also declare himself as God or even mightier than Him. The incidents of Firoun and Namrood are the best examples.

Firoun claimed to the children of Israel saying : "I am your Lord, the Greatest." (An-Nazi’aat/24)

And justified his lordship saying : "Is not the land of Egypt mine and these rivers flowing from my beneath?" (Zukhruf/51)

Firoun, out of sheer arrogance also said : "I have not known for you a Lord other than myself." (Al-Qasas/38)

As for Namrood he claimed to be a giver of life and death when he said : "I give life and cause death." (Al-Baqarah/258)

To prove himself right he ordered two men to be brought before him. He killed one and spared the life of the other.

Disobedience to Allah (s.w.t.) is Kibr

Disobedience to Allah (s.w.t.) i.e. disobeying His commandments or discontinuing His worship is also a kind of Kibr (Pride). However; people who disobey Allah (s.w.t.) fall in one of the following two categories :

(a) those who disobey the commands of Allah (s.w.t.) and do not fulfill their obligation intentionally. Such kind of people are not only proud but also considered as "Kafirs" i.e. disbelievers.

Referring to Iblees who went against the command of Allah (s.w.t.) and did not prostrate before Adam (a.s.), Allah (s.w.t.) says : "He (Shaytan) refused and was proud, and he was one of the Unbelievers" (Al-Baqarah/34)

(b) Those who disobey the commands of Allah (s.w.t.) and do not fulfill their obligation unintentionally.

Such people do not deny or refute the commands of Allah (s.w.t.) but sin against Him, either due to ignorance or are otherwise captives of their desires and lusts. This category cannot be branded as disbelievers but are sinners. Imam Ali Bin Hussein (a.s.) says in his Du’a well known as "Du’a-e-Abi Hamza Thimali" : "O my Lord ! I did not defy You when I disobeyed You wanting to reject Your Lordship. I did neither undermine Your command, and nor disregard Your threats and nor challenge Your punishment. But it was a mistake which occurred accidentally. I let myself be seduced (by shaytan) and my lust overcame me ..."

To avoid Supplication (Du'a) is Kibr

There are people who do not supplicate to Allah (s.w.t.). The reason could be either ignorance about the importance of supplication or a sense of sufficiency with their material benefits and thus finding it unnecessary to supplicate. It should always be that however much a person considers himself to be fulfilled, he still continuously requires the favors of Allah (s.w.t.). When the children of Israel (Bani Israel) were suffering due to a severe drought and parts of the river Nile had dried up, they came to Firoun, who was not only the ruler of Egypt but also claimed to be God.

For sometime, Firoun was confused and acknowledged that despite vast wealth and claim to being god, it was not within his capacity to provide water for Bani Israel. The only alternative for him was to sincerely supplicate and as a result his wish was granted. However, the story does not end here. Immediately after the heavy rains, Firoun forgot this special favor of Allah and claimed that it was him who had restored the water. Again they were afflicted with the same curse and again Firoun had to pray. This way, it continued thrice until Iblees suggested to Firoun to stop his false claims. It is accepted by all that wealth, fame and power is not everything we require in this world. Those who thought so, led miserable lives and history is full of such examples. There are other aspects in our lives which can be fulfilled if only Allah (s.w.t.) wishes. For instance our health. Inspite of the medical progress, we human beings can not fully have control over our health. Some or the other sickness takes us with surprise in our day to day lives. In order to save ourselves from such sickness and other disasters, we need the help of Allah (S.W.T.) which can only be granted through supplication.

Imam Ali bin Hussein (a.s.) says : If you want Allah to converse with you then recite Qur’an and if you wish to converse with Allah then supplicate.

In another place, addressing Allah (s.w.t.) in one of his supplications, Imam (a.s.) says : "... so you named your du’a a worship and abandoning it, a pride."

Therefore in conclusion, to avoid supplication is also Kibr.