Page 50 - The Arrogance of Satan

48
THE ARROGANCE OF SATAN

of Satan, who was driven out by Allah due to his arrogance,
poses a mortal danger to mankind. That is because, Satan, for
the purpose of drawing man nearer to him, and making him
a devoted follower, strives primarily to infect people with
arrogance. A person seized by the disease of arrogance loses

his conscientiousness and wisdom. Arrogance hardens the
heart. This is why, contrary to the wiles of Satan, believers are
encouraged to be modest:
... Your Allah is One God so submit to Him. Give good
news to the humble-hearted. (Surat al-Hajj: 34)
The effects of Satan' s influence may appear in various
forms. As is known, rather than employing what Allah has
granted him to draw nearer to Him, and feeling grateful to
Him, Satan became pretentious. Failing to consider that Allah
could reduce him to insignificance whenever He wills, He

revolted against Allah' s command. Indeed, the adherents of
Satan show forth this quality of his in many ways. For
instance, though a person might render some service to Allah,
he should consider this service as an opportunity granted by
his Lord to earn His good pleasure. Otherwise, believing that
one can attain success by one' s own efforts, without having
been under Allah' s ordinance, and being boastful thereof,
would be errant. Because, attributing that success to one' s
own abilities, and being proud is a characteristic peculiar to
Satan. Indeed, Qarun, who believed that his wealth was an
outcome of his qualities, and thus, boasted, "…I have only
been given it because of knowledge I have…" (Surat al-
Qasas: 78), is an important example of one who was severely
punished by Allah for his evildoing. The Prophet Muhammad
(saas), too, told believers to abstain from being boastful: