Page 51 - The Arrogance of Satan

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Examples Of Arrogance In The Qur' an

Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble, so that no one
boasts over another, or oppresses another. (Muslim)

One must remember that Satan approaches man
stealthily, avoiding notice. He is in no hurry. With repetition
and persistence, he can gradually deceive people, a method
that proves successful over the long term. If one fails to be on
the alert against this stealthy method of Satan, its effect
strengthens in time. For instance, if a person would enjoy
some minor success, Satan would jump on the opportunity to
tempt him. The insinuations made by Satan into the mind of
that person would probably not include discernable
expressions of arrogance. Such a person would, for instance,
not openly say, "It is I alone who have accomplished this
task." Satan employs a more deceptive strategy; he penetrates
deeply into one' s heart, but gradually. If a person fails to
recognise that his success belongs to no one but Allah alone,
he, in time, starts to believe in his own abilities and think that
he possesses power independent of Allah.
If this sentiment turns into a permanent state of mind,
conceit becomes one of his character traits. Such a person is a
law unto himself; he does what he considers right, and sees
himself better and wiser than anyone else. The inner-voice
that insinuates feelings of superiority in him becomes louder.
A person infected in such a way suffers from detrimental
spiritual afflictions. In time, his heart grows insensitive to
Allah' s signs. Indeed, the Qur' an reveals that only those
who are not vain can truly believe in Allah' s signs:
The people who truly believe in Our Signs are those
who fall to the ground prostrating when they are
reminded of them, and glorify their Lord with praise,
and are not arrogant. (Surat as-Sajda: 15)