The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 361
Arrogance 361. The Sufis have said that there are many types of low qualities inside a person, like evil spirits, and they continue to be expelled till the last of them is left which is arrogance. It can be expelled only by Divine grace, which is won through sincere striving and supplications. . Many persons deem themselves humble but suffer from some type of arrogance. Therefore, one must seek to avoid even the subtlest types of arrogance, which are generated sometimes by wealth, when a wealthy one deems others misers who cannot be his equals; sometimes arrogance is generated by family and caste, when a person deems himself of high caste and looks down upon others as of low caste. . . . . Sometimes arrogance is generated by learning. A person makes a mistake in speaking and an arrogant one immediately seizes upon his mistake and shouts that he cannot utter a single word right. In short, there are diverse types of arrogance and all of them deprive a person of virtue and stand in the way of his beneficence towards his fellow beings. All of them must be shunned. But this calls for a type of death. So long as a person does not accept such a death Divine blessing does not descend upon him nor does God become responsible for him. [Malfūzāt, vol. VI, pp. 401-403]. What is Islām? To die for the sake of God;. And forsake all desires of self for His pleasure. . Those who accepted death are the ones who are destined to live forever;. Life is not attained in this path except through the humble acceptance of death. . Brazenness and arrogance are the characteristics of. Satan the accursed;