"Wage War Against Yourself" By Shaykh Rabee (hafidhahullaah)

Shaykh Rabee’ Ibn Haadi Al-Madkhalee (hafidhahullaah) said:

“Wage war against yourself from falling into arrogance. An evil characteristic, leading one to disbelief, belittlement of people and rejecting the truth. This is why the wise one (Luqmaan) advised his son not to turn his face away from men, full of pride. This, so that he doesn’t become arrogant towards people.

A person speaks to you while you are haughty turning away from him. Humble yourself. You are a poor person, weak, created from earth, created from a sperm that is of little value, you excrete and go to the toilet many times every day, how can you be arrogant?!

How can you be arrogant towards people while you are in this state? Who are you (to be arrogant)? Then, if a thorn pierces you, you cry because of it, (so) how can you be arrogant towards people?

It is obligatory upon the person to degrade himself if his soul becomes arrogant, haughty and he should remind it of how worthless and lowly it is and that from the most degraded of people are the arrogant ones.

By Allaah, I myself do not look down upon anyone except the arrogant one and (the) liars. By Allaah, I may see the weakest of people and say he is better than me. And I see the arrogant, proud one and he may be whatever level (he has reached), by Allaah, he is the most insignificant of people and most despicable of people to me. There isn’t anyone lowlier than an arrogant person and no one becomes arrogant except from a despicable trait and degraded character and soul.”

[Taken from the appendix of “15 Characteristics Of The Slaves Of The Most Merciful” Pp. 48-49]