Page 16 - The Arrogance of Satan

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THE ARROGANCE OF SATAN

superior. They are all blessings in return for which a man
must feel grateful to Allah. However, in case a person fails to
consider that it is Allah Who grants these blessings, and of
the reasons why He grants them, a person grows increasingly
arrogant, and starts to believe that he possesses these
qualities because he deserves them.
While counselling the believers, the Prophet Muhammad
(saas) drew attention to this point, reminding them of the

possibility that the most important assets man thinks he has
may disappear one day, and that he has to make use of them
in a way that pleases Allah while he has them:
Take advantage of five before five; your youth before your old age,
your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty,
your free-time before your preoccupation and your life before your
death. (Al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqee, Saheeh)
In the following pages, we will expand on the nature of
these qualities that cause conceit, and the real truth about the
life of this world, to which man is so passionately attached.

Power and Wealth

An investigation of history reveals that the possession of
power and wealth is a common characteristic of arrogant and
haughty people. Due to the power they held, these people
rejected faith and subjected those around them to oppression.
However, these people, who grew arrogant on account of
their wealth and power, failed to grasp a very important
truth: everyone, whether rich or poor, will one day surely
meet death and be placed under the earth. In death, money
and possessions no longer have any significance. The eternal