Page 68 - The Basic Concepts in the Qur’an

Modesty and Arrogance

Modesty is one of the most essential concepts of which we are repeatedly reminded in the
Qur’an. Being modest and humble are signs of faith, while arrogance is a characteristic peculiar
to disbelief.
If modesty is assumed to be akin to faith, and arrogance to disbelief, it is because faith
leads man to understanding and wisdom, while disbelief hinders him from acquiring these
virtues. Building a consciousness of Allah through wisdom, the individual who has faith in his
heart never dares to conduct himself in an arrogant way. He readily concedes that Allah has
control over everything and he, as a man, is only a servant being endowed with many favors. A
man of understanding sees the power of Allah in everything and realizes his own weaknesses;
Man is weak; he feels hungry, he is prone to diseases, suffers pain. He can never prevent
himself from growing older. He did not create himself and likewise he cannot avoid death.
With a body prone to weaknesses, he is destined to live for a certain period of time, then he is
laid in his grave. Ultimately he will turn to his Creator. He has no reason whatsoever to display
arrogance. Even if he thinks he has, the fact remains that everything he is, or has, is the gift of
Allah. It is his duty to be grateful rather than display arrogance. Acknowledgement of the
Creator manifests itself in the way a person conducts himself. He is completely aware of his
weakness in the eyes of Allah; yet he does not display this to others. On the contrary, he is
known to others for his dignity, honour, modesty, self–confidence and maturity.
Lacking the brains to conceive of Allah, unbelievers remain in the grip of their own vain
arrogance and pride. They perceive themselves as having separate identities independent of
Allah. Personal plus points like intelligence, wealth, good looks, and renown become matters
on which they praise themselves. They never understand that these are endowments made by
Allah and can be withdrawn at any time. Another aspect of the unbeliever’s character is the
inferiority complex. This is generally the consequence of not being able to attain a particular
status, position or standard of living. Totally unaware of such key concepts as submission to
Allah and putting one’s trust in Him, unbelievers can suffer from different kinds of complexes,
mostly those of inferiority or superiority. Their state is defined in the Qur’an as follows:
Those who dispute about the signs of Allah, without having been invested with any
authority, nothing in their breasts but the quest of greatness—which they shall never
attain: Seek refuge, then, in Allah. It is He Who hears and sees all things.
(Al-Ghafir, 56)
A man in this state finds everything insignificant except his own personal existence. In his
eyes, everything is a means to satisfy his ego. He is constantly at pains to praise himself. He
denies his failures and never admits that he is the kind of man who is likely to make mistakes.
At some point, he develops an intense hatred for religion. That is basically due to the fact that
religion teaches man the unique truth, that he is merely a servant of Allah whose existence is
totally dependent on Him. Yet, wholly engulfed in self-esteem, he becomes totally blind to the
truth shown by religion. In this negation of englightenment, he holds strictly to his own stance
on life. The Qur’an refers such people as follows:

And they rejected those Signs in iniquity and arrogance, though their souls were
convinced thereof: so see what was the end of those who acted corruptly!
(Al-Naml, 14)