Page 72 - Islam: The Religion of Ease

ISLAM: THE RELIGION OF EASE

have nothing in their breasts except for ambition which
they will never be able to fulfill. Therefore seek refuge
with Allah. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Surah
Ghafir: 56)
More importantly, haughty people, since they cannot attain
any of their ambitions, lose Allah's love. Allah expresses this in
one of His verses:
Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness
and do not strut about arrogantly on the Earth. Allah
does not love anyone who is vain or boastful. (Surah
Luqman: 18)
Modest people on the other hand, never experience the ago-
nies and pressures of haughty people. Of course, everyone
would like to own the best of everything and be best at every-
thing. But those who aim at these objectives in order to satisfy
their worldly desires, to grow in the eyes of people, and acquire
respect are at the worst disadvantage. A humble person wants
these things in order to win Allah's approval and reward. When
he accomplishes something or acquires some quality, he knows
that none of these are by his doing but are rather the result of the
blessings Allah has been so kind as to grant him. He thanks
Allah for giving these to him, and causing success, beauty, and
blessing to enhance his destiny. As a result, he is not saddened
when he loses one of them. He knows that this is a test for him
and he trusts Allah. He lays claim to neither success, nor failure,
neither beauty, nor ugliness. Knowing that all these are created
to test him in this world, he lives in the comfort and peace of this
knowledge.
Bediuzzaman briefly defines the discrepancy between the
lives of haughty and modest people as:

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