KEYWORDS:
Amr al-maruf: ordering to do good actions, i.e., commanding others to obey Allah's
commandments.
Nahy al-anil al-munkar: commanding others that they should not violate Allah's
commandments.
Jihad: struggle, fight.
The twelfth malady of the heart is conceit. Conceit is one's holding or deeming his/her self to be
superior to others. Such a person feels good inside when he thinks himself to be superior to
others. Self love (Ujb) is a feeling of superiority. In this case one does not think of himself as
superior to a specific person or persons but in a generalized sense sees one's self and deeds as
superior. Conceit is a very disagreeable trait and is prohibited (Haram). It is a sign of forgetting
one's creator or Lord. Many religious men are inflicted with this disease. In one hadith,
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "A person who has an atom's weight of conceit in his
heart will not enter Paradise." The opposite of conceit is humility (Tawazu). It is a feeling of
equality. A humble person holds himself equal with others. He does not hold himself to be either
superior or inferior to others. Humility is a very valuable trait for a human being. In a hadith
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Good news for humble persons." A humble person does
not think of himself as inferior to others. He is neither a base nor a lazy person. He earns his
money by permissible (Halal) means and gives much to charity or as a gift to others. He
establishes acquaintances with scholars or scientists. He also feels compassion toward poor
people. In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "A humble person who
earns his money by permissible (Halal) means, who has an agreeable nature, who is very
mild toward others, and who does not harm anyone else is a very beautiful person," and "A
person who humbles himself for the sake of Allahu ta’ala will be raised to superior ranks
by Allahu ta’ala." Treating a conceited person with equal conceited behavior is permissible
(Jaiz). Allahu ta’ala is proud (Mutakabbir) toward His creatures. Allahu ta’ala has pride
(Kibr). A person will earn rewards (Thawab) when he treats a conceited person with equal
conceited behavior. Anyone who treats a conceited person humbly would be considered a self
oppressing person. It is also permissible to be conceited toward those who deviated from the
right path and toward the rich people. Responding with conceited behavior towards them is not
for the purpose of showing one's superiority but for waking them up to reality. Being proud and
haughty against the enemy during the war is very rewarding. This type of haughtiness is called
"Huyala." When one is donating to charity, one should have a sort of conceit mixed with cheer
and joy. His conceit is not directed toward the receiver but instead to despise the given property
or money. It indicates that one is not a slave of property or money. In one hadith, Rasulullah,
peace be upon him, said, "The giving hand is superior to the receiving one." Being proud
toward the hypocrites or those who behave ostentatiously is also permissible (Jaiz). It is
permissible to be humble toward those who are below one's rank or position but one should be
careful to avoid extremes. Extreme humility is called "Tamalluk". Extreme humility is only
permissible toward one's spiritual master or toward an Islamic scholar. Extreme humility
(Tamalluk) is not permissible toward anybody else. It is reported in one hadith, "Tamalluk is
not a part of Islamic ethics."
Poem:
To a teacher and medical doctor,
Necessary to do "Tamalluk".
One is for inner soul, the other for outwardly,
They are servants for curing these diseases.
Among the various conceited behaviors, the worst kind is to be conceited toward Allahu ta’ala.
Namrod had that character. He declared himself to be God. He threw the prophet into the fire
because he was sent by Allahu ta’ala to counsel him. Pharaoh was another one of these fools. He
declared his divinity in Egypt and said that he was the strong god of Egypt. Allahu ta’ala sent
prophet Moses (Musa), peace be upon him, to advise him but he refused to believe and thereafter
he was drowned by Allahu ta’ala in the Suez Sea. People who are similar in nature, i.e., who do
not believe in the creator of the universe, are called atheists (Dahri). [People with similar
atheistic characters appear in almost every century. For example, Mao and Stalin killed and
tortured millions of people and destroyed religious men, Islamic scholars and books and inflicted
terror and fear upon their nations. They carried out their desires by using force and after a while
they were spoiled. They began to have delusions that they possessed the superior qualities
possessed by the Creator and said so to others. They banned importing of Islamic literature into
their country and banned reading them. They executed those who talked about religion or Allahu
ta’ala. And finally, they could not protect themselves from the wrath of Allahu ta’ala and got
destroyed and annihilated. They are remembered with damnation and disgust just like their
historical peers who were also remembered with hatred. Some people who were brainwashed and
poisoned with the harmful atheistic propaganda of Mao and Stalin assumed power in some Arab
countries through trickery. These people have started to imitate these communist leaders and
became cruel dictators and started to practice a regime which is harmful to Islam. They have not
taken a lesson from history, i.e., how the lives of those tyrants ended with great tragedy. They
neither think about the great disasters awaiting them in this world nor do they think about the
punishments of the next world.]
Many people also looked down on our Prophet Rasulullah, peace be upon him, and said, "Is this
the Prophet that is sent by Allahu ta’ala?" The disbelievers of Mecca said, "It would have been
better if this Qur'an has descended to one of the leaders of Mecca." This conceited behavior of
disbelievers toward the great man of religion has taken place throughout the Islamic history.
Such behavior by these powerless creatures, who were unaware even about the construction of
their own bodies, was a declaration of war toward their Owner and Creator who is the most
powerful in all respects. Once, the devil also behaved with conceit and said that he was created
out of fire and Adam was created out of clay, therefore, he was superior when Allahu ta’ala
ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, and thus the devil rebelled toward
Allahu ta’ala. When the devil observed that the fire was giving light and was very sublime, it
thought that it was superior to water and soil. In reality the real superiority is through humility,
not through conceit. There will be soil in heaven and it will smell like musk. There is no fire in
heaven. Fire is a means of punishment in hell. Fire in this world destroys whatever it touches but
on the other hand soil is useful as a building material. Creatures live on the soil (earth). Treasures
are buried under the soil. Ka'ba was built from the soil. Even though the light of fire ends the
darkness of the night and brings light unto earth but the soil causes flowers and fruits to grow.
Hadrat Muhammad, peace be upon him, the most superior of all created beings, resides in the
earth.
In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Allahu ta’ala communicates to
us, being almighty (Kibriya), being superior and great (Azamat) are my attributes. I will
throw those into hell without any mercy who try to share these attributes with Me," and
"Anyone having an atom's weight of conceit 'Kibr' in his heart will not enter the heaven."
When he was asked whether those who like to dress clean clothes and use clean shoes would be
included in this category, he answered, "Allahu ta’ala is all Gracious (Jamil) and loves those
who possess grace (Jamal)" or in other words, Allahu ta’ala loves graceful people. [People who
cleanse themselves to avoid having an ugly and disgusting appearance or in order not to get a
nickname for having an ugly appearance or in order to look good and beautiful are called "people
having grace." The things that are necessary to support life barely are classified as "bare
necessities". Using "bare necessities" in such a way to look lovely and beautiful is considered as
having grace. For example, having a dress is a "necessity" of life. While everyone needs a dress
to cover themselves, using the dress in such a fashion to look lovely constitutes as having grace.
Ornamenting one's body, dress or the thing one uses in order to impress others or to obtain
superiority over others is called "Zinat". "Zinat" are the things that are beyond the "bare
necessities" (as described above) but necessary to protect one's body, health, honor or value. It is
not permissible for a man to use "Zinat" under any circumstances. On the other hand, for women,
it is not permissible to use "Zinat" amongst men who are strangers to them.]
Every work and act of Allahu ta’ala is beautiful. He also loves persons with beautiful morals and
character. This hadith informs us that conceited people, like those other sinners, will not enter
heaven without punishment. The destination for those who cannot enter heaven will be hell
because there is no place other than these two in the hereafter. Anyone who has an atom's weight
of belief will not reside in hell forever and will enter heaven ultimately. Anyone who has
committed a grave sin without repentance for it will suffer his due punishment first if he cannot
attain any intercession and then will be let into heaven. Anyone who enters heaven once will
never be thrown out of it. In the following hadiths, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Any
believer (Mumin) who was not a conceited person, who was not a deceiver, and who did not
violate others' rights will enter heaven without questioning." and "A believer (Mumin) who
violates others' rights is a blemished and defected believer." One may borrow money in order
to meet the necessities of life, but one must pay it back as soon as one has the means. The above
hadith cautions against violating others' rights. These rights comprise the money one borrows
without needing it or not paying it back after having the means or borrowing through illegitimate
prohibited means or the money promised to be paid to the wife (Mahr money) but is not paid
back yet and obligation of teaching the religious knowledge to others which one did not carry out
yet. Rasulullah, peace be upon him, before his death called his son-in-law Hadrat Ali, may
Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, and told him, "Oh Ali! I owe money to such and such
Jewish person. Pay him back!" He had borrowed some barley from him earlier. His last
request to Hadrat Ali, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, was that he should pay him
back. Hadrat Abdullah bin Salam, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, who was one of the
leading Jewish scholars of that time, recognized the prophethood of Rasulullah, peace be upon
him, by just speaking to him once and thus became Muslim. One day, he was seen carrying wood
on his back. People, in the community, who saw him this way asked him why he was carrying
wood on his back while he was rich and had so much money. He said he was doing in order to
save his soul from conceit. If a rich man carries his own goods in order to avoid paying money to
a porter, that would be lowliness (Tazallul). But if he does it in order to follow the Sunnat of
our Prophet, peace be upon him, and in order to avoid carrying out the desires of his soul, it is a
good action which brings rewards (Thawab). In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said,
"During the Day of Gathering (Qiyamat), Allahu ta’ala will not speak to three classes of
people and will punish them very severely, these are: a fornicating old man, a lying head of
state and a conceited poor man." Abu Ubayda bin Jarrah, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased
with him, the commander of the Muslim army in Damascus, along with others around him went
out to welcome Caliph Hadrat Umar. Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him,
and his slave were riding the camel at alternating time intervals. The time arrived for his slave to
ride the camel when they were about to enter Damascus. Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well
pleased with him, came down from the camel and let his slave ride the camel. He held the strings
of the camel and walked. While he was passing by a small stream, he took off his special shoes
(Mash) and soaked his feet in the water. Commander Hadrat Ubayda, may Allahu ta’ala be well
pleased with him, seeing him doing all of these said to him, "Oh Caliph! Why are you acting this
way? All the people of Damascus, especially the Byzantinians are gathered here to see the leader
of the Muslims. They are looking at you. They will not approve or like the way you are
behaving." Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, replied, "Oh Aba Ubayda!
Your expressions are very harmful for these people. These people will think from your sayings
that a man gains honor by riding a camel (vehicle) or by dressing in ornamented dresses. They
will not understand that a man gathers honor by being a Muslim and by worshiping. We were
lowly people. [We were slaves at the hand of the Persian kings.] Allahu ta’ala honored us by
making us Muslims. If we seek superiorities other than those which Allahu ta’ala gave us, Allahu
ta’ala will make us lowly again, lowlier than everything else." Superiority (Izzat) is with Islam.
Anyone who follows the ethics of Islam will be superior. Anyone who dislikes these rules and
looks for superiorities in other things will be lowly. Another order of Islam is humility. Anyone
who behaves humbly will be superior and will rise above others. Anyone who has pride
(Takabbur), and haughtiness will be lowly.In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "On the Day of Gathering (Qiyamat), the
people who were conceited in the world would be raised from their graves like small ants,
lowly and disgraced. They will be small like an ant but they will be in the form of a human
being. Everyone will look down upon them as lowly creatures. They will be thrown into the
"Bolis" canyon of hell which is the deepest canyon of hell and which has the severest
punishment of all. This canyon is called "Bolis" because the people who are thrown there
will lose all their hope for ever getting out. They will be lost within the fire. When they ask
for water, they will be served with the pus of the residents of hell." Abu Hurayra, may Allahu
ta’ala be well pleased with him, the governor of the city of Madina, was carrying wood on his
back. Muhammad bin Ziyad, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, recognized him and
said to the people around him, "Open the way for the governor!". The young people there were
puzzled by the humility of the governor. In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
said, "There was a conceited person among the previous communities (ummats) of the
prophets who would walk around with his long dress touching the ground. His behavior
offended Allahu ta’ala. He ordered the earth to swallow him." and "Riding a donkey,
dressing wool clothes and milking a cow shows that the performer of these actions is not a
conceited person."
Conceit is caused by the following seven reasons: knowledge or religious knowledge,
performing good deeds or worships, lineage, beauty, strength, property and ranks. Existence of
these attributes with ignorants causes conceit in them.
Although knowledge causes conceit, its medicine is also knowledge.
It is very difficult to obtain
remedy for knowledge which causes conceit. Knowledge is a very valuable thing. A person who
possesses knowledge thinks of himself as superior and honorable. It is more correct to say that
his knowledge is not real knowledge but is in fact, ignorance. Real knowledge teaches one his
weaknesses and shortcomings as well as the superiorities and greatness of Allahu ta’ala. It
increases one's fear toward Allahu ta’ala and humility toward His creatures and causes him to
respect the rights of others. Learning and teaching this type of knowledge is obligatory and is
called "Ilm al-nafi". It causes one to perform worships only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. The
remedy for knowledge which causes conceit is to know the following two items: The first one is
to know that the superiority of knowledge is relative. That is, it depends on the pure intention of
the person who possesses the knowledge. One should not learn in order to become religious
leaders ("Imam" or "mufti") or in order to achieve fame as a religious person. The second one is
to know that one should learn in order to practice according to that knowledge and in order to
teach others and one should perform these only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. The sheer
knowledge which does not accompany practice (Amal) or sincerity (Ikhlas) is harmful. In a
hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "The possessor of the knowledge who learns not
for the sake of Allahu ta’ala will be forced to sit on the fire in the hell." Learning in order to
obtain property, ranks and fame is in this category. Learning in order to obtain worldly
possessions or to be more precise, learning religious knowledge in order to advance one's
worldly possessions is like eating excrements with a golden spoon. Such a person is a religious
thief. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Those who Learn religious
knowledge in order to gain worldly possessions will not smell the scent of the heaven." It is
permissible (Jaiz) and even necessary to learn scientific knowledge in order to gain worldly
possessions. Another hadith communicates about two types of scholars: "There will be two
types of scholars in my community (Ummat). The first one will be useful to human beings
through their knowledge. They will not expect any benefit for their teaching. Fishes in seas,
animals on earth and birds in skies will pray for these types of persons. Alternately, the
person whose knowledge is not beneficial to others and uses his knowledge in order to gain
worldly possessions will be forced to wear a halter made of fire in the hell." The Qur'an
informs us that all the creatures in the skies and on the earth praise Allahu ta’ala. The
scholars mentioned in the hadith, "Scholars are inheritors of the prophets," are the ones
who follow the examples of Rasulullah, peace be upon him. The scholar (Alim) who practices in
accordance with Islam is like a source of light which illuminates its environment. The following
hadiths are famous: "In the Day of Gathering 'Qiyamat', a religious scholar will be thrown
into hell. People who were in hell and who knew this person will gather around him and
ask him why he was punished this way while he was the one on earth who communicated
the orders of Allahu ta’ala to others. He will answer by saying, Yes! I would tell you that it
is a sin and don't do it but I would do it myself, and I would not do while I would tell you to
do it. That is why I am suffering this punishment now," and "While I was taken to skies
during the night of ascendance (Miraj), I saw some human beings. They were being
punished by having their lips clipped with scissors made of fire. I asked Gabriel about
them. He said they were the holy preachers who advised others to do what they would not
do themselves," and "Soldiers of hell will punish the sinning memorizers (Hafizs) of holy
books before they will punish idol-worshippers. Because, the sin which is carried out
knowingly is much worse than the one which is done unknowingly." The companions of the
Prophet were very profound scholars therefore, they were as afraid of small sins as they were of
grave sins. The memorizers (Hafizs) mentioned in this hadith might very well be memorizers of
the Old Testament because sinner Muslims will not suffer heavier punishment than disbelievers
or they will be the ones of the followers (Ummat) of our Prophet, peace be upon him, but they
will be the ones who slighted orders of Islam, e.g., by not paying attention to permissibles
(Halal) and prohibited actions (Haram), and thus become disbelievers. In one hadith,
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Scholars are trusted representatives of the prophets as
long as they do not intermingle with government officials and do not run after collecting
worldly goods. When they start to collect worldly goods and start to intermingle with
government officials, they are considered to be violating the trust of the prophets." A
trusted person is expected to protect the goods which are entrusted to him. Similarly, religious
scholars should be protecting the religious knowledge from corruption. Once, Rasulullah, peace
be upon him, was visiting the "Ka'ba". He was asked who was the worst person. He answered,
"Do not ask the worst ones! Ask about the good ones. The evil scholars (alims) are the
worst of all human beings." Because, they knowingly commit sins. Jesus (Isa), peace be upon
him, once said, "Evil scholars are like a piece of rock which blocks the waterway. Water cannot
penetrate through the rock. Therefore, the rock stops the running of the water." An evil religious
scholar resembles to a sewer system. From a distance it looks like a reinforced concrete system
but it is filled with sewage. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "During the Day
of Gathering (Qiyamat), the worst punishments will be applied to religious scholars who
did not practice in accordance with their knowledge." For this reason, hypocrites (Munafiq),
in other words, those disbelievers who fake as being Muslims, will go to the deepest part of hell.
Because, they remained as disbelievers knowingly and through stubbornness. A person who
learns religious knowledge obtains either eternal salvation or falls into eternal disaster. In one
hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Some people who will be punished in hell will
generate very bad smell. Others around them will suffer more from the bad smell than
from the fire. When asked about the reason for their bad smell, they will answer by saying
that they were religious scholars but they did not practice in accordance with their
knowledge." Abuddarda, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, once said, "If a person
holding any kind of a religious rank does not practice in accordance with his knowledge, he
couldn’t be called a scholar (Alim)." The devil had knowledge about all religions but did not
practice in accordance with that knowledge. Let's assume that a person is left alone in a desert
and has ten swords and other weapons in his possession. Furthermore let's assume that he is a
very brave person with knowledge of how to use these weapons. If he does not use the weapons
against an attacking lion, what good are the weapons? None at all, is it? Similarly, learning the
answers of one hundred thousand religious questions does not do any good to a person unless he
puts this knowledge into practice. Also, if a sick person knows how to remedy his sickness but
does not apply his knowledge toward obtaining that remedy, he does not benefit from his sheer
knowledge.
In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "In the time period close to Doomsday,
most worshipers will be ignorant of their religion and majority of men who possess an
authoritative position in religion will be sinners (Fasiks). " The sinner religious man referred
to in this hadith will be mixing with government officials in order to obtain materialistic gains.
According to Sufyan al-Sawr, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, there is a special valley in
hell which is made of fire. This valley will be reserved only for the punishment of hypocrites
who memorize the Qur'an but also mix with the government officials. Again, Sufyan, may
Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, stated the following: he was very advanced in the knowledge
of interpreting the Qur'an. He was able to interpret a verse in thirty-three different ways. Then,
he went to a reception given by the ruler (Sultan) of the time and lost all his knowledge because
of the effects of the food he consumed at that reception. Muhammad bin Salama, may Allahu
ta’ala be pleased with him, says that the state of a memorizer of Qur'an who waits by the door of
the people who are in charge of government affairs in order to obtain some material gain is
worse than a fly which sits on a piece of dirt.
The hadith, "The person who has been given knowledge by Allahu ta’ala but does not
transmit the knowledge to others will be punished severely during the day of Judgement by
a halter made of fire" was quoted earlier. Religious men who do not teach the knowledge to
qualified persons are the ones referred to by this hadith. The fifth verse, "Do not give your
possessions to dissolute persons" of the chapter of "Nisa" of the Qur'an prohibits one to teach
knowledge to base and lowly hypocrites.
The following hadith, "Islam will spread everywhere. Muslim businessmen will travel freely
by ships at big seas to other countries for commerce. Muslim warriors riding their horses
will go to the other countries. Later on, some memorizers (Hafiz) of the Qur'an will appear
and will boast by saying, 'Is there anyone who can recite the Qur'an better than me?' or 'Is
there anyone who knows more than me?' They will be the firewood of hell," points out that
their recitation of the Qur'an with hypocrisy and their boasting will lead them to hell.
In another hadith, it was pointed out, "Anyone who claims to be a scholar indeed is an
ignorant." Persons who present themselves to be knowledgeable about everything, for example,
by answering every question or giving an interpretation of everything they see are actually
displaying their ignorance. He who states that he does not know the answer but will study and
then answer the question is an advanced scholar. When they asked Rasulullah, peace be upon
him, what is the most valuable place on earth, he answered, "I don't know, if my Lord informs
me, I will tell you." Then, he asked this to Archangel Gabriel and received a similar answer
from him. Then, Gabriel asked Allahu ta’ala and received the answer, "Masjids-Muslim houses
of worship." When 198th verse of the chapter of "A'raf" of the Qur'an which says, "Command
forgiveness and performing good deeds" was descended, Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
asked Gabriel to interpret its meaning. Gabriel said, "Let me learn from my Lord" and left.
When he returned he said that Allahu ta’ala commanded by saying, "Get close to those who run
away from you! Give generously to one who does not give you! Forgive those who oppress
you!" When Sha'bi, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, was asked a question he answered
by saying he didn't know the answer. The questioner told him that, since he is the religious
authority (Mufti) of Iraq, it was inappropriate for him to say he does not know the answer.
Sha'bi, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, replied him, "Even archangels have said they
didn't know. His answering the same way would be perfectly appropriate." Imam Abu Yusuf,
may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, answered one question by saying, he doesn't know the
answer. People then said that he is paid from the government treasury for answering questions
but he doesn't know the answers. He answered them by saying that he gets paid for the things he
knows and that if he were to get paid for the things he doesn't know, the whole budget of the
government treasury wouldn't be enough. Establishing friendships with ignorants who do not
follow their souls would be better than establishing friendships with religious persons who are
slaves of their souls. A religious person's being conceited because of his holding a religious post
is the utmost sign of his ignorance because having knowledge leads one into being a humble and
modest person and protects one from being haughty and conceited.
It is forbidden to be conceited or haughty. Pride (Kibr) is an attribute of Allahu ta’ala. Being
proud (Kibriya) or the attribute of pride is appropriate for Allahu ta’ala. When a human being
holds the view that his soul is lowly his value will increase in the sight of Allahu ta’ala.
Conversly, a person who thinks himself worthy and superior will not have any value in the sight
of Allahu ta’ala. Any scholar who does not know the harm of being conceited and haughty
should not be considered a real scholar. Gaining more knowledge increases one's fear of Allahu
ta’ala and one cannot dare to commit sin. For this reason, all prophets were humble persons.
They were very much afraid of Allahu ta’ala. They did not possess vices like conceit and self
love (Ujb). One should not treat youngsters and sinners (fasiks and fajirs) with conceit.
Alternatively, it is necessary to treat conceited persons with equal conceit. A scholar, upon
seeing an ignorant should say to himself that he commits sin because of his ignorance but I am
committing sin despite my knowledge or upon seeing another scholar should say to himself that
he knows more than me and practices according to his knowledge with sincerity (Ikhlas) but I
don't do like him or I am not like him, or upon seeing an older person than himself should say to
himself that he performed more worships than me, or upon seeing youngsters should say to
himself that those youngsters have less sin than me, or upon seeing his friends who are at his age
should say to himself that I do not know what they are doing but I know my own sin therefore, it
is necessary to scorn those who are known as sinners (Himself) or upon seeing those who
deviated from the right path or a disbeliever, he should say to himself that it is not known to
anyone how one's life will end thus, I should ponder about how my life will end up. Therefore he
should not treat those with conceit either but he should not love them. Especially persons who
deviated from the right path and disbelievers are enemies of Sunnat of our Prophet, peace be
upon him. They try to put out the light emanating from the Sunnat of our Prophet, and try to
spread fabricated actions (Bidat) in religion along with corruption. Also, they try to discredit
"Ahl as-sunnat scholars" as well as try to give wrong meanings to hadiths of our Prophet and
verses of the Holy Qur'an and thus try to demolish Islam insidiously.
[The books published by our organization are all translated from the books of famous "Ahl assunnat
scholars". These books do not contain any of our own thoughts. In all of our books, we
are striving to relate to the youngsters about the greatness of the "Ahl as-sunnat scholars". We
are communicating them that the only way to reach the happiness of the next world (Akhirat) is
the way taught by the "Ahl as-sunnat scholars". We are striving to introduce this way of
happiness and salvation to humanity and we are not expecting any worldly benefits for these
actions from anyone. Those who deviated from the right path, or "la-madhhabiyya" or all other
types of enemies of Islam might not like our striving to distribute these books and therefore
invent extraordinary lies and slanders about our books. Since they do not possess the necessary
Islamic knowledge, they cannot challenge us in this regard. They cannot also claim that we are
making profit by selling these books because we are not. Everyone knows that. Most of the time,
we send these books free of charge to anyone who asks for them. We hear that some people are
telling others that these books contain unsound knowledge but when we challenge them to show
what part is unsound they say, Oh! We just heard that from others. That is the way they told us.
Alhamdulillah, conscious youngsters do not believe these lies and slanders and the number of
people who read our books are increasing day by day.]
One should not love these destructive people who try to divide Muslims. One should also ponder
how his life will end and how Allahu ta’ala has decreed in eternal past about his end. One cannot
know definitely, while living here, who will have higher degrees in the hereafter. Many of those
who held religious posts died in a state of disbelief. Many disbelievers ended their lives in a state
of belief. Considering all of the things said above, one who says that a disbeliever will be in hell
and he himself will be in heaven would be claiming to have knowledge of the hidden (Gayb) and
such a claim would put him into state of disbelief. Therefore, it is not permissible to be conceited
toward any person.
A person might argue the following: it is necessary to advise others, i.e., disbelievers and persons
who deviated from the right path, not to perform prohibited actions but obviously one cannot
advise them if one sees himself lower than them. Besides, the way our Lord performs His actions
are such that a person will die in a state which represents the way of his living. In some instances
the opposite of this also occurs but these instances are rare. Furthermore, Allahu ta’ala praises
believers and says that they are superior to disbelievers. We would answer the argument as
follows: it is necessary not to love them because Allahu ta’ala ordered us "Not to love them"
not because we are superior to them. The following example will clarify this point further. While
a ruler (Sultan) is sending his young son along with a servant to some distant location, he
instructs the servant to beat his son if he does not behave himself. Later on, when the son
misbehaves the servant beats him according to the instruction of the ruler. While he is beating
the son, the servant knows that he is not superior to him. Therefore, he cannot treat him with
conceit. Similarly, a believer's not loving disbelievers resembles to this example. Allahu ta’ala
informed us that believers are superior but this is not due to their selves being superior but
instead its due to their superior belief. Pssessessors of belief will be superior. Infinite superiority
will show itself at the last breath.
Worship's being a valuable worship depends on some conditions. A Muslim does not waste his
time with non-beneficial things (Malayani). The first caliph Hadrat Abu Baqr, may Allahu ta’ala
be pleased with him, said that they were not performing seventy permissible (Halal) actions lest
they would do one prohibited (Haram) action. Therefore, no one should depend on his worships
and become conceited. Acceptance of a worship depends on its proper intention. It should only
be performed for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. It is not easy to obtain such pure intention. Purifying
cleansing one's soul (Nafs) could only be achieved through piety (Taqwa). "Taqwa" means
one's not performing forbidden deeds. It is very difficult for anyone who does not have a
cleansed soul to perform worship only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala.
Bragging with one's ancestry and showing conceit is a sign of ignorance and stupidity. Cain
(Kabil) was the son of "Adam", peace be upon him. Canan (Kan'an, Yam) was the son of Noah
(Nuh), peace be upon him. Their fathers’ being prophets did not save them from disbelief. Those
who brag with their ancestry should observe the state of their ancestors now. Didn't they become
a piece of soil now? Is it reasonable to brag about a piece of soil? One also should not brag with
their piousness but instead should try to be a pious person like them.
Most women are conceited about their beauty. But, beauty does not endure. It goes away fast. It
does not become a permanent property of a person. Bragging about something which is
temporarily given to her would be stupidity. Physical beauty, accompanied with a beautiful heart,
i.e., spiritual beauty, is very precious. Cleanliness of the heart would be apparent by the person's
adherence to the Sunnat of our Prophet, peace be upon him. If the heart, spirit and ethics of
human beings are not held as superior, they become no more than animals. They become even
lower than the animals. They will be like a machinery which is filled with dirt and needs
cleaning up and maintenance. They will resemble to a worn out machinery which always
requires fueling, cleaning up and repair. Would it be fitting for such a person to be conceited and
see himself superior to others? It is more fitting for him to be a humble person.
Being conceited about one's youth and strength would also be ignorance. In general, strength of
muscles and sense organs exists in greater amounts in animals than in man. Thus, the animals
should be conceited toward human beings, shouldn't they? Moreover, who can ever claim that he
will always stay young and strong, or will never be ill, or will never have an accident? Is there
anyone in the recorded history of mankind who never lost his youth and strength or breath?
Therefore, would it be reasonable for anyone to brag or to be conceited about something which
one possesses temporarily for a short period of time and which also exists in animals.
It is also not befitting for a human being to brag and to be conceited about one's property,
children, rank, and position because, these are not inherent superior properties of him. They are
temporal and transitory things that leave human beings very quickly. Besides, they even exist in
unethical and lowly persons. Actually, they exist amongst those persons most of the time. If
these were things that cause superiority, people who do not have these or who had them but later
on lost them would necessarily be very lowly persons. If having property is a cause of honor then
a thief would be considered an honored man because he possesses stolen property even if it is for
a short period of time.
Hatred (Hiqd) should also not a cause of conceit. The dictionary meaning of hatred is to have
hate or to keep a grudge. One hates someone with his heart. He will be angry at somebody who
is equal or superior to him. Since he cannot do anything about it, he would become conceited
toward that person. This kind of person cannot be humble toward those who deserve humility,
and cannot accept their righteous words and advice. He tries to show everybody that he is better
than that person. Even when he wrongfully hurts someone, he does not apologize.
Jealousy (Hasad) also causes conceit. One wants things possessed by others for himself. He
wants others not to have them. He also refuses to listen to the righteous words of those whom he
is jealous of. He does not want to ask and learn anything from them. Even though he knows their
superiority, he still treats them with conceit.
Hypocrisy (Riya) also causes conceit. A person who has this habit treats strangers with conceit
in the presence of his friends. But when he is alone with the stranger, he does not treat him with
conceit. Islamic scholars should use dresses which would be fitting to their honor and should act
with dignity in order to protect themselves from the conceited people. For this reason, the great
Islamic scholar, Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, said that
scholars should have a larger head cover and have large sleeves in their gowns. The preachers
will get rewards of worshiping if they beatify themselves with new and clean dresses. If they are
not respected, then their words will not have any effect on others because ignorants judge people
by their dress and by their looks. They don't understand the value of his knowledge or virtues.
Most people are not aware of their conceited behavior. Therefore, it is necessary for one to know
the signs of conceit. When a conceited person enters a new place, he wants everyone there to
stand up. This does not apply to a scholar who goes some place to preach and knows that people
there respect him. If he wishes for those people to stand, that would not be conceit. In general, if
one himself wants to sit but requires others to stand, that would be conceit. Hadrat Ali, may
Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, said, "Anyone who wants to see what a person of hell
looks like should look at the person who himself sits but requires others to stand." The
companions may Allahu ta’ala, be well pleased with them, loved Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
more than anything else in the world but they would not get up when he comes along to join
them because, they knew that Rasulullah, peace be upon him, would not want them to get up for
him. But, besides all these, when an Islamic scholar (Alim) comes along, one should stand up in
order to show respect for his knowledge. Yahya bin Kattan, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with
him, after completing the late afternoon (Asr) "salat" prayer, was sitting by the "minaret" and
leaning against its wall. Some of the famous scholars of his time came along. One of them was
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him. They asked him questions
about knowledge of hadith. He answered all of their questions. They were all standing while he
was sitting. He did not tell any of them to sit down, and none of them dared to sit down. Their
conversation continued until the time of sunset. The general custom is that a younger scholar will
be seated in a higher seat than an older, ignorant man. A student should not start to speak before
his teacher, should not sit in his seat in his absence, and should not walk ahead of him on the
street. If a person loves others to get up and stand up for him but knows that this love and desire
is not proper and wants to get rid of this love, then his love is considered a natural tendency or it
is generated through the instigation of the devil. In both cases, it is not a sin because the control
is not in his hands. It happens out of his own will.
Another sign of conceit (Kibr) is desiring not to walk alone but desiring that someone should
walk behind himself or loving to ride an animal while his students walk alongside the animal.
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, was going toward the "Baki" cemetery of the city of Madina.
Some people saw him and started to walk behind him. Rasulullah, peace be upon him, stopped
walking and commanded them to walk ahead of him and he followed them. When he was asked
for the reason for his behavior he said, "I heard the sound of their steps. I required them to
walk ahead of me in order to prevent an atom’s weight of conceit coming into my heart." It
is obvious that he would not have any conceit in his heart but this was a way of communication
or teaching to his companions. According to Abuddarda, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him,
when the number of persons who walk behind a conceited man increase in number, the conceited
man's spiritual distance from Allahu ta’ala also increases.
The following actions also indicate conceit: not visiting acquaintances or friends, not wanting
someone to sit alongside him, not to sit together with sick or ill persons, not to perform the
necessary housework, not to purchase and bring the necessary items that one's household
requires, not wanting to dress in one's used dresses, not wanting to dress in work clothes at the
workplace. Accepting the invitations of persons who are lower than himself indicates humility
but not accepting the invitations of the poor while attending invitations of the rich indicates
conceit. The following actions are considered hypocrisy when done in front of others and conceit
when done alone or in front of others: not providing necessities of his relatives and family
members, not accepting the righteous warnings and arguing with those who advise him, and not
thanking those who point out his shortcomings.
Being a humble person requires knowing one's origins, e.g., where he came from and where he is
going. He did not exist before. Later, he became a weakling infant who could not move. He is
now a person who is always in fear of becoming sick or dying. At the end, he will die, rot away
and become soil. He will become livestock for the insects. His sufferings are similar to a
prisoner's suffering, e.g., one who is waiting for execution by hanging, i.e., in the jail of the
world. He waits every minute for news of his punishment. He will die. His body will become a
carcass and will be food-stock for the insects. He will suffer punishment in the grave. After all of
this, he will be raised from death and will be punished with the sufferings of the last Judgement
day. Which one of the following would be better fitting for a person, a person who is living with
the fear of being punished eternally in hell or a person having humility or a person with conceit?
Allahu ta’ala, who is the Creator, the Raiser, the Protector of human beings, the all-Powerfull
who has no likeness and who is the only Ruler and the Almighty says, "I don't like conceited
persons," and "I like humble persons." Hence, which one would be more befitting for
weakling human creatures? Could a sensible person who recognizes the greatness of Allahu
ta’ala ever be conceited? Human beings must show and demonstrate their weaknesses and
lowliness to Allahu ta’ala at all times. Therefore, at all times and at any and every occasion they
must show their weakness and humility to Him. Abu Sulaiman Darani, may Allahu ta’ala be
pleased with him, says, "If anyone tries to reduce me down to a lower state than I am in now or
insults me in order to lower my position, none would be able to do it because I know that I am in
a position lower than anyone could ever think as the lowest of all degradations and insults." Is
that ever, be possible? Can anyone ever think of himself as the lowliest of all? Even, lower than
the devil and Pharaoh? Because, these two [and Stalin, Mao and their followers who are the
greatest enemies of Islam and humanity] are the worst of all of the disbelievers. One should
reason with himself by thinking in the following manner: obviously, people who introduce
themselves as gods and kill and torture millions of people in order to satisfy their egos are the
worst of all of the disbelievers. Allahu ta’ala cursed them and therefore punished them by giving
them the worst kind of disbelief and pitied me and gave me belief. If He had desired, He could
have done the opposite also. Alhamdulillah, thanks be to Allahu ta’ala! Since He did not do so,
and since I did sin so much up to this time and since I do not know how will I be at my last
breath, I must be a humble person.
In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said: "Allahu ta’ala ordered me to be a humble
person. None of you should behave with conceit toward none of the others!" According to
this hadith we should be humble toward non-Muslim citizens (Zimmi) and those who come to
visit our country with permission (passport) as well as visiting businessmen and tourists. Since it
is necessary to be humble toward everybody, it is a necessary conclusion of this hadith that it
would not be permissible to hurt them in any way.
[This hadith and its explanation by "Ahl as-sunnat scholars" clearly indicate that it is not
permissible for those Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries (Dar-ul-harb) to attack and
violate the rights, properties and honor of the citizens of that country. Stealing, rioting, hurting
others, violating the laws of the land, insulting the governing persons, violating tax-laws,
avoiding payments of tolls or fares, and all similar behaviors which are not compatible with the
honor of Islam and Islamic ethics are not permissible. In the disbelievers' countries, not violating
the Christian laws does not mean recognizing them as "Ulul-amr." No one’s orders causing
rebellion to Allahu ta’ala will be carried out. This type of orders of the "Ulul-amr" or this type
of order of the other disbelievers who are in position to harm others will not be fought back.
Fighting back against the government or violating the laws will cause instigation (Fitna).
Causing instigation is forbidden (Haram) and is a grave sin. "Fiqh" books or in other words
"Islamic law books" at their chapters which covers the subject of force or coercion (Ikrah) and
third volume, 55th letter of Muhammad Ma'sum's Maktubat include explanation of this matter.
Anyone living in Muslim countries (Dar-ul-Islam) or in non-Muslim countries (Dar-ul-harb),
despite the above-mentioned hadith of our Prophet, causes distress to disbelievers or interferes
with their government or disciplines or violates their laws would be committing sin. Moreover
his actions will might make an impression on all peoples of the world that Muslims and Islam are
evil, barbaric and unattractive. He will be making a great disservice and treason to Islam.
"Jihad" means ordering others to do good (Amr al-maruf) and ordering Muslims not to do the
prohibited actions (Nahy al-anil al-munkar.) Amr al-maruf, means introducing Islam to
disbelievers in order to save them from the disaster of disbelief. Nahy al-anil al-munkar, means
teaching necessary religious information (Ilm al-hal) to Muslims as well as stopping them from
doing evil deeds (Haram actions). Both of these can be done in three ways, by utilizing one's
body, by utilizing mass media, and by praying. The first one is carried out against the imperialist
forces and dictators who obstruct the communication of good news, i.e., Islam to their poor
citizens who are in disbelief (Kufr) because they were not aware of Islam and thus they imitated
other disbelievers or they were forced, tortured or pressured by the imperialists and oppressive
dictators into disbelief. By using the most modern weaponry and techniques, these evil forces
will be fought and destroyed and thus the nations who live miserably under their rule will be
freed from slavery and then Islam will be introduced and taught to them and they will be offered
to become Muslims willingly and lovingly. If they elect not to become Muslims, they will be
allowed to live and practice their religion of choice alongside with Muslims under the Islamic
state which provides freedom, equality and justice to all. This type of fight (Jihad) is done only
by Islamic states or by the army of the Islamic states. It is never permissible for any individual
Muslim to attack and rob any other disbeliever without the prior order, permission and
knowledge of an Islamic state. Islamic religion punishes severely those Muslims who murder any
citizen of another state with whom the Islamic state has a peace accord. As can be seen clearly
from the foregoing, in the Islamic religion, fighting does not mean destroying other countries or
killing other people. What it really means is striving for the introduction of Islam to others so
that they might become Muslims willingly and lovingly and save themselves from the eternal
disasters. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, the companions may Allahu ta’ala, be well pleased
with them, and real Islamic states, for example Ottomans, all performed this type of fighting.
They never attacked people who were weak and unable to defend themselves. They fought
against the enemies of Islam, disbeliever dictators, imperialists and deviated and separatist
people who carried Muslim names, who were becoming a shield over these people to whom
Islam wanted to reach and communicate its message. They fought against them and destroyed
their imperialist power and freed enslaved people who were living miserably under their
torturous power. They, taught them Islam and thus provided opportunity for them to become
Muslims of their own free will and thus helped them to find the eternal happiness.
The second duty of the Islamic army of the Islamic state is the protection of the Muslims and
Islam and warring (making Jihad) against the disbelivers and deviated separatist people who
attack Islamic countries in order to destroy and annihilate Muslims and Islam. Allahu ta’ala
orders in the Anfal surah that the Islamic state during the time of peace should investigate and
learn and produce the new weapons manufactured at the disbelivers countries. The government
officials who does not carry out and produce this weapons would be disobeying the Shari’at and
also would be responsible for the death of millions of Muslims and weakining of Islam because
of not being able to counter the attacks of their enemies.
The second kind of Islamic fight is to introduce Islam to all peoples through all kinds of
communication means. This type of fight is done only by Islamic scholars with the help and
control of Islamic states. In our era, enemies of Islam,i.e., missionaries, communists, freemasons,
and people who do not follow any school of thought (la-madhhabiyya) are attacking Islam by
using all kinds of communications means. They are trying to deceive human beings and even
ignorant Muslims through fabricated lies and slanders and thus trying to destroy Islam. Recently,
in 1992, we have heard that Christians made-up eleven questions and distributed them to all
Islamic countries. The scholars of the Bangladesh wrote answers to these and thus disgraced
these Christian clergy who was behind this plot. The Hakikat book-store located in Istanbul
added these answers under the name of "Al-Akazib-ul-jadidatul-hiristyaniyya" to the book
Assirat-ul-mustakim and now distributing it throughout the world. Also, another group, i.e.,
Kadiyanis (Ahmadiyyas), Bahais, followers of Mawdudi, people of Tablig al-Jama’at, people of
"Salafiyya" and those people who do not adhere to any school of thought (la-madhhabiyya) and
wahhabis are deviating from the correct path of Islam by deriving wrong and corrupt meanings
from the Qur'an and hadiths. Some of them who really stretch things are becoming disbelievers.
They all spread their corrupt and deviated beliefs by publishing books, magazines and booklets
and by way of radios. They spend millions for this purpose. On the one hand, they are destroying
Islam from within by deceiving "Ahl as-Sunnat Muslims", i.e., "Sunni Muslims" and on the other
hand, they are introducing to all peoples an Islam which is not pure and correct. Among all these
various propaganda, people who want to become Muslims are becoming bewildered and they are
either giving up the idea of becoming Muslims or entering into a wrong path and presume that
they have became Muslims.
Today, the greatest fight (Jihad) is performed by "Ahl as-Sunnat scholars" against the
desctructive and cunning propagandas of the internal and external enemies of Islam through
spreading the teachings of the knowledge of "Ahl as-sunnat", i.e., the way of our Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his companions by using all kinds of communications
means to all peoples of the world.
The third type of fight is done through prayer. It is "Fard al-ayn" or in other words it is a must
duty for every Muslim to perform this type of fight. Not performing this type of fight will be a
grave sin. Performing this third type of fight is done by praying for those who perform the first
two types of fight. Those who are doing the first two types of fight are in need of the prayers of
those who are not actively participating in the first two types of fight. All prayers performed with
sincerity will surely be accepted.
Allahu ta’ala without any doubt will help those who trust the help of Allahu ta’ala and comply
with the orders of religion and perform the above-mentioned three types of fight (Jihad). Allahu
ta’ala would not accept the prayers of those who do not prepare themselves for the fight and who
do not prepare the necessary newest war equipment beforehand and who do not establish strong
brotherhood and love among themselves but instead assume that they do their duty of fight byjust making prayers. There are condition for the acceptance of the prayer (dua.) These conditions
requires us sticking to the causes which would provide the results asked by the prayer (dua.) As
we have mentioned above, in order to be successful in fight, we have to follow the orders of
Islam. Islam orders us to prepare ourselves for fight. The first type of fight requires acquisition of
the most modern weaponry and training on how to use them. Moreover, it also requires
discipline and obedience to the leaders and military commanders who are in charge as well as
avoiding separatist movements. If there are trusts (Waqf) who raise money in order to meet
above-mentioned requirements, every Muslim who has the means should help such trusts.
Helping "Ahl as-sunnat scholars" or trusts which support such scholars would also constitute
fight (Jihad) through property. Allahu ta’ala in the next world (Akhirat) is promising Paradise
for those Muslims who do fight (Jihad) through their body, property or money. Ali Muhammad
Bahli, in his book Muftiy-yi majahid written in Persian explains Jihad at length.]
The following hadith says, "Congratulations to the people who obtained the blessings and
who do the following actions: who practices humility, who knows himself as a deficient
servant, who earns his money by permissible (Halal) means and spends on useful and
beneficial things, who combines the knowledge of canonical law (Fiqh) and "knowledge of
Tasawwuf" (Hikmat), who observes the limits of forbidden (Haram) and permissible
(Halal) things, who pities poor people, who performs his business for the sake of Allahu
ta’ala, who has good morals, who does not do wrong things to others, who practices
according to his knowledge, who distributes extra wealth to others and who limits his
speaking."
Humility (Tawazu) could also be practiced by some in order to make a joke of it or by some
hypocrites in order to obtain worldly goods and ranks or by some others because they are afraid
of something. This type of humility is a vice. Getting rid of this vice requires elimination of the
things that cause it. Anyone who gets rid of the things that cause a vice will obtain true humility.
Amr al-maruf: ordering to do good actions, i.e., commanding others to obey Allah's
commandments.
Nahy al-anil al-munkar: commanding others that they should not violate Allah's
commandments.
Jihad: struggle, fight.
The twelfth malady of the heart is conceit. Conceit is one's holding or deeming his/her self to be
superior to others. Such a person feels good inside when he thinks himself to be superior to
others. Self love (Ujb) is a feeling of superiority. In this case one does not think of himself as
superior to a specific person or persons but in a generalized sense sees one's self and deeds as
superior. Conceit is a very disagreeable trait and is prohibited (Haram). It is a sign of forgetting
one's creator or Lord. Many religious men are inflicted with this disease. In one hadith,
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "A person who has an atom's weight of conceit in his
heart will not enter Paradise." The opposite of conceit is humility (Tawazu). It is a feeling of
equality. A humble person holds himself equal with others. He does not hold himself to be either
superior or inferior to others. Humility is a very valuable trait for a human being. In a hadith
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Good news for humble persons." A humble person does
not think of himself as inferior to others. He is neither a base nor a lazy person. He earns his
money by permissible (Halal) means and gives much to charity or as a gift to others. He
establishes acquaintances with scholars or scientists. He also feels compassion toward poor
people. In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "A humble person who
earns his money by permissible (Halal) means, who has an agreeable nature, who is very
mild toward others, and who does not harm anyone else is a very beautiful person," and "A
person who humbles himself for the sake of Allahu ta’ala will be raised to superior ranks
by Allahu ta’ala." Treating a conceited person with equal conceited behavior is permissible
(Jaiz). Allahu ta’ala is proud (Mutakabbir) toward His creatures. Allahu ta’ala has pride
(Kibr). A person will earn rewards (Thawab) when he treats a conceited person with equal
conceited behavior. Anyone who treats a conceited person humbly would be considered a self
oppressing person. It is also permissible to be conceited toward those who deviated from the
right path and toward the rich people. Responding with conceited behavior towards them is not
for the purpose of showing one's superiority but for waking them up to reality. Being proud and
haughty against the enemy during the war is very rewarding. This type of haughtiness is called
"Huyala." When one is donating to charity, one should have a sort of conceit mixed with cheer
and joy. His conceit is not directed toward the receiver but instead to despise the given property
or money. It indicates that one is not a slave of property or money. In one hadith, Rasulullah,
peace be upon him, said, "The giving hand is superior to the receiving one." Being proud
toward the hypocrites or those who behave ostentatiously is also permissible (Jaiz). It is
permissible to be humble toward those who are below one's rank or position but one should be
careful to avoid extremes. Extreme humility is called "Tamalluk". Extreme humility is only
permissible toward one's spiritual master or toward an Islamic scholar. Extreme humility
(Tamalluk) is not permissible toward anybody else. It is reported in one hadith, "Tamalluk is
not a part of Islamic ethics."
Poem:
To a teacher and medical doctor,
Necessary to do "Tamalluk".
One is for inner soul, the other for outwardly,
They are servants for curing these diseases.
Among the various conceited behaviors, the worst kind is to be conceited toward Allahu ta’ala.
Namrod had that character. He declared himself to be God. He threw the prophet into the fire
because he was sent by Allahu ta’ala to counsel him. Pharaoh was another one of these fools. He
declared his divinity in Egypt and said that he was the strong god of Egypt. Allahu ta’ala sent
prophet Moses (Musa), peace be upon him, to advise him but he refused to believe and thereafter
he was drowned by Allahu ta’ala in the Suez Sea. People who are similar in nature, i.e., who do
not believe in the creator of the universe, are called atheists (Dahri). [People with similar
atheistic characters appear in almost every century. For example, Mao and Stalin killed and
tortured millions of people and destroyed religious men, Islamic scholars and books and inflicted
terror and fear upon their nations. They carried out their desires by using force and after a while
they were spoiled. They began to have delusions that they possessed the superior qualities
possessed by the Creator and said so to others. They banned importing of Islamic literature into
their country and banned reading them. They executed those who talked about religion or Allahu
ta’ala. And finally, they could not protect themselves from the wrath of Allahu ta’ala and got
destroyed and annihilated. They are remembered with damnation and disgust just like their
historical peers who were also remembered with hatred. Some people who were brainwashed and
poisoned with the harmful atheistic propaganda of Mao and Stalin assumed power in some Arab
countries through trickery. These people have started to imitate these communist leaders and
became cruel dictators and started to practice a regime which is harmful to Islam. They have not
taken a lesson from history, i.e., how the lives of those tyrants ended with great tragedy. They
neither think about the great disasters awaiting them in this world nor do they think about the
punishments of the next world.]
Many people also looked down on our Prophet Rasulullah, peace be upon him, and said, "Is this
the Prophet that is sent by Allahu ta’ala?" The disbelievers of Mecca said, "It would have been
better if this Qur'an has descended to one of the leaders of Mecca." This conceited behavior of
disbelievers toward the great man of religion has taken place throughout the Islamic history.
Such behavior by these powerless creatures, who were unaware even about the construction of
their own bodies, was a declaration of war toward their Owner and Creator who is the most
powerful in all respects. Once, the devil also behaved with conceit and said that he was created
out of fire and Adam was created out of clay, therefore, he was superior when Allahu ta’ala
ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, and thus the devil rebelled toward
Allahu ta’ala. When the devil observed that the fire was giving light and was very sublime, it
thought that it was superior to water and soil. In reality the real superiority is through humility,
not through conceit. There will be soil in heaven and it will smell like musk. There is no fire in
heaven. Fire is a means of punishment in hell. Fire in this world destroys whatever it touches but
on the other hand soil is useful as a building material. Creatures live on the soil (earth). Treasures
are buried under the soil. Ka'ba was built from the soil. Even though the light of fire ends the
darkness of the night and brings light unto earth but the soil causes flowers and fruits to grow.
Hadrat Muhammad, peace be upon him, the most superior of all created beings, resides in the
earth.
In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Allahu ta’ala communicates to
us, being almighty (Kibriya), being superior and great (Azamat) are my attributes. I will
throw those into hell without any mercy who try to share these attributes with Me," and
"Anyone having an atom's weight of conceit 'Kibr' in his heart will not enter the heaven."
When he was asked whether those who like to dress clean clothes and use clean shoes would be
included in this category, he answered, "Allahu ta’ala is all Gracious (Jamil) and loves those
who possess grace (Jamal)" or in other words, Allahu ta’ala loves graceful people. [People who
cleanse themselves to avoid having an ugly and disgusting appearance or in order not to get a
nickname for having an ugly appearance or in order to look good and beautiful are called "people
having grace." The things that are necessary to support life barely are classified as "bare
necessities". Using "bare necessities" in such a way to look lovely and beautiful is considered as
having grace. For example, having a dress is a "necessity" of life. While everyone needs a dress
to cover themselves, using the dress in such a fashion to look lovely constitutes as having grace.
Ornamenting one's body, dress or the thing one uses in order to impress others or to obtain
superiority over others is called "Zinat". "Zinat" are the things that are beyond the "bare
necessities" (as described above) but necessary to protect one's body, health, honor or value. It is
not permissible for a man to use "Zinat" under any circumstances. On the other hand, for women,
it is not permissible to use "Zinat" amongst men who are strangers to them.]
Every work and act of Allahu ta’ala is beautiful. He also loves persons with beautiful morals and
character. This hadith informs us that conceited people, like those other sinners, will not enter
heaven without punishment. The destination for those who cannot enter heaven will be hell
because there is no place other than these two in the hereafter. Anyone who has an atom's weight
of belief will not reside in hell forever and will enter heaven ultimately. Anyone who has
committed a grave sin without repentance for it will suffer his due punishment first if he cannot
attain any intercession and then will be let into heaven. Anyone who enters heaven once will
never be thrown out of it. In the following hadiths, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Any
believer (Mumin) who was not a conceited person, who was not a deceiver, and who did not
violate others' rights will enter heaven without questioning." and "A believer (Mumin) who
violates others' rights is a blemished and defected believer." One may borrow money in order
to meet the necessities of life, but one must pay it back as soon as one has the means. The above
hadith cautions against violating others' rights. These rights comprise the money one borrows
without needing it or not paying it back after having the means or borrowing through illegitimate
prohibited means or the money promised to be paid to the wife (Mahr money) but is not paid
back yet and obligation of teaching the religious knowledge to others which one did not carry out
yet. Rasulullah, peace be upon him, before his death called his son-in-law Hadrat Ali, may
Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, and told him, "Oh Ali! I owe money to such and such
Jewish person. Pay him back!" He had borrowed some barley from him earlier. His last
request to Hadrat Ali, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, was that he should pay him
back. Hadrat Abdullah bin Salam, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, who was one of the
leading Jewish scholars of that time, recognized the prophethood of Rasulullah, peace be upon
him, by just speaking to him once and thus became Muslim. One day, he was seen carrying wood
on his back. People, in the community, who saw him this way asked him why he was carrying
wood on his back while he was rich and had so much money. He said he was doing in order to
save his soul from conceit. If a rich man carries his own goods in order to avoid paying money to
a porter, that would be lowliness (Tazallul). But if he does it in order to follow the Sunnat of
our Prophet, peace be upon him, and in order to avoid carrying out the desires of his soul, it is a
good action which brings rewards (Thawab). In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said,
"During the Day of Gathering (Qiyamat), Allahu ta’ala will not speak to three classes of
people and will punish them very severely, these are: a fornicating old man, a lying head of
state and a conceited poor man." Abu Ubayda bin Jarrah, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased
with him, the commander of the Muslim army in Damascus, along with others around him went
out to welcome Caliph Hadrat Umar. Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him,
and his slave were riding the camel at alternating time intervals. The time arrived for his slave to
ride the camel when they were about to enter Damascus. Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well
pleased with him, came down from the camel and let his slave ride the camel. He held the strings
of the camel and walked. While he was passing by a small stream, he took off his special shoes
(Mash) and soaked his feet in the water. Commander Hadrat Ubayda, may Allahu ta’ala be well
pleased with him, seeing him doing all of these said to him, "Oh Caliph! Why are you acting this
way? All the people of Damascus, especially the Byzantinians are gathered here to see the leader
of the Muslims. They are looking at you. They will not approve or like the way you are
behaving." Hadrat Umar, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, replied, "Oh Aba Ubayda!
Your expressions are very harmful for these people. These people will think from your sayings
that a man gains honor by riding a camel (vehicle) or by dressing in ornamented dresses. They
will not understand that a man gathers honor by being a Muslim and by worshiping. We were
lowly people. [We were slaves at the hand of the Persian kings.] Allahu ta’ala honored us by
making us Muslims. If we seek superiorities other than those which Allahu ta’ala gave us, Allahu
ta’ala will make us lowly again, lowlier than everything else." Superiority (Izzat) is with Islam.
Anyone who follows the ethics of Islam will be superior. Anyone who dislikes these rules and
looks for superiorities in other things will be lowly. Another order of Islam is humility. Anyone
who behaves humbly will be superior and will rise above others. Anyone who has pride
(Takabbur), and haughtiness will be lowly.In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "On the Day of Gathering (Qiyamat), the
people who were conceited in the world would be raised from their graves like small ants,
lowly and disgraced. They will be small like an ant but they will be in the form of a human
being. Everyone will look down upon them as lowly creatures. They will be thrown into the
"Bolis" canyon of hell which is the deepest canyon of hell and which has the severest
punishment of all. This canyon is called "Bolis" because the people who are thrown there
will lose all their hope for ever getting out. They will be lost within the fire. When they ask
for water, they will be served with the pus of the residents of hell." Abu Hurayra, may Allahu
ta’ala be well pleased with him, the governor of the city of Madina, was carrying wood on his
back. Muhammad bin Ziyad, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, recognized him and
said to the people around him, "Open the way for the governor!". The young people there were
puzzled by the humility of the governor. In the following hadiths Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
said, "There was a conceited person among the previous communities (ummats) of the
prophets who would walk around with his long dress touching the ground. His behavior
offended Allahu ta’ala. He ordered the earth to swallow him." and "Riding a donkey,
dressing wool clothes and milking a cow shows that the performer of these actions is not a
conceited person."
Conceit is caused by the following seven reasons: knowledge or religious knowledge,
performing good deeds or worships, lineage, beauty, strength, property and ranks. Existence of
these attributes with ignorants causes conceit in them.
Although knowledge causes conceit, its medicine is also knowledge.
It is very difficult to obtain
remedy for knowledge which causes conceit. Knowledge is a very valuable thing. A person who
possesses knowledge thinks of himself as superior and honorable. It is more correct to say that
his knowledge is not real knowledge but is in fact, ignorance. Real knowledge teaches one his
weaknesses and shortcomings as well as the superiorities and greatness of Allahu ta’ala. It
increases one's fear toward Allahu ta’ala and humility toward His creatures and causes him to
respect the rights of others. Learning and teaching this type of knowledge is obligatory and is
called "Ilm al-nafi". It causes one to perform worships only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. The
remedy for knowledge which causes conceit is to know the following two items: The first one is
to know that the superiority of knowledge is relative. That is, it depends on the pure intention of
the person who possesses the knowledge. One should not learn in order to become religious
leaders ("Imam" or "mufti") or in order to achieve fame as a religious person. The second one is
to know that one should learn in order to practice according to that knowledge and in order to
teach others and one should perform these only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. The sheer
knowledge which does not accompany practice (Amal) or sincerity (Ikhlas) is harmful. In a
hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "The possessor of the knowledge who learns not
for the sake of Allahu ta’ala will be forced to sit on the fire in the hell." Learning in order to
obtain property, ranks and fame is in this category. Learning in order to obtain worldly
possessions or to be more precise, learning religious knowledge in order to advance one's
worldly possessions is like eating excrements with a golden spoon. Such a person is a religious
thief. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Those who Learn religious
knowledge in order to gain worldly possessions will not smell the scent of the heaven." It is
permissible (Jaiz) and even necessary to learn scientific knowledge in order to gain worldly
possessions. Another hadith communicates about two types of scholars: "There will be two
types of scholars in my community (Ummat). The first one will be useful to human beings
through their knowledge. They will not expect any benefit for their teaching. Fishes in seas,
animals on earth and birds in skies will pray for these types of persons. Alternately, the
person whose knowledge is not beneficial to others and uses his knowledge in order to gain
worldly possessions will be forced to wear a halter made of fire in the hell." The Qur'an
informs us that all the creatures in the skies and on the earth praise Allahu ta’ala. The
scholars mentioned in the hadith, "Scholars are inheritors of the prophets," are the ones
who follow the examples of Rasulullah, peace be upon him. The scholar (Alim) who practices in
accordance with Islam is like a source of light which illuminates its environment. The following
hadiths are famous: "In the Day of Gathering 'Qiyamat', a religious scholar will be thrown
into hell. People who were in hell and who knew this person will gather around him and
ask him why he was punished this way while he was the one on earth who communicated
the orders of Allahu ta’ala to others. He will answer by saying, Yes! I would tell you that it
is a sin and don't do it but I would do it myself, and I would not do while I would tell you to
do it. That is why I am suffering this punishment now," and "While I was taken to skies
during the night of ascendance (Miraj), I saw some human beings. They were being
punished by having their lips clipped with scissors made of fire. I asked Gabriel about
them. He said they were the holy preachers who advised others to do what they would not
do themselves," and "Soldiers of hell will punish the sinning memorizers (Hafizs) of holy
books before they will punish idol-worshippers. Because, the sin which is carried out
knowingly is much worse than the one which is done unknowingly." The companions of the
Prophet were very profound scholars therefore, they were as afraid of small sins as they were of
grave sins. The memorizers (Hafizs) mentioned in this hadith might very well be memorizers of
the Old Testament because sinner Muslims will not suffer heavier punishment than disbelievers
or they will be the ones of the followers (Ummat) of our Prophet, peace be upon him, but they
will be the ones who slighted orders of Islam, e.g., by not paying attention to permissibles
(Halal) and prohibited actions (Haram), and thus become disbelievers. In one hadith,
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Scholars are trusted representatives of the prophets as
long as they do not intermingle with government officials and do not run after collecting
worldly goods. When they start to collect worldly goods and start to intermingle with
government officials, they are considered to be violating the trust of the prophets." A
trusted person is expected to protect the goods which are entrusted to him. Similarly, religious
scholars should be protecting the religious knowledge from corruption. Once, Rasulullah, peace
be upon him, was visiting the "Ka'ba". He was asked who was the worst person. He answered,
"Do not ask the worst ones! Ask about the good ones. The evil scholars (alims) are the
worst of all human beings." Because, they knowingly commit sins. Jesus (Isa), peace be upon
him, once said, "Evil scholars are like a piece of rock which blocks the waterway. Water cannot
penetrate through the rock. Therefore, the rock stops the running of the water." An evil religious
scholar resembles to a sewer system. From a distance it looks like a reinforced concrete system
but it is filled with sewage. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "During the Day
of Gathering (Qiyamat), the worst punishments will be applied to religious scholars who
did not practice in accordance with their knowledge." For this reason, hypocrites (Munafiq),
in other words, those disbelievers who fake as being Muslims, will go to the deepest part of hell.
Because, they remained as disbelievers knowingly and through stubbornness. A person who
learns religious knowledge obtains either eternal salvation or falls into eternal disaster. In one
hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Some people who will be punished in hell will
generate very bad smell. Others around them will suffer more from the bad smell than
from the fire. When asked about the reason for their bad smell, they will answer by saying
that they were religious scholars but they did not practice in accordance with their
knowledge." Abuddarda, may Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, once said, "If a person
holding any kind of a religious rank does not practice in accordance with his knowledge, he
couldn’t be called a scholar (Alim)." The devil had knowledge about all religions but did not
practice in accordance with that knowledge. Let's assume that a person is left alone in a desert
and has ten swords and other weapons in his possession. Furthermore let's assume that he is a
very brave person with knowledge of how to use these weapons. If he does not use the weapons
against an attacking lion, what good are the weapons? None at all, is it? Similarly, learning the
answers of one hundred thousand religious questions does not do any good to a person unless he
puts this knowledge into practice. Also, if a sick person knows how to remedy his sickness but
does not apply his knowledge toward obtaining that remedy, he does not benefit from his sheer
knowledge.
In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "In the time period close to Doomsday,
most worshipers will be ignorant of their religion and majority of men who possess an
authoritative position in religion will be sinners (Fasiks). " The sinner religious man referred
to in this hadith will be mixing with government officials in order to obtain materialistic gains.
According to Sufyan al-Sawr, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, there is a special valley in
hell which is made of fire. This valley will be reserved only for the punishment of hypocrites
who memorize the Qur'an but also mix with the government officials. Again, Sufyan, may
Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, stated the following: he was very advanced in the knowledge
of interpreting the Qur'an. He was able to interpret a verse in thirty-three different ways. Then,
he went to a reception given by the ruler (Sultan) of the time and lost all his knowledge because
of the effects of the food he consumed at that reception. Muhammad bin Salama, may Allahu
ta’ala be pleased with him, says that the state of a memorizer of Qur'an who waits by the door of
the people who are in charge of government affairs in order to obtain some material gain is
worse than a fly which sits on a piece of dirt.
The hadith, "The person who has been given knowledge by Allahu ta’ala but does not
transmit the knowledge to others will be punished severely during the day of Judgement by
a halter made of fire" was quoted earlier. Religious men who do not teach the knowledge to
qualified persons are the ones referred to by this hadith. The fifth verse, "Do not give your
possessions to dissolute persons" of the chapter of "Nisa" of the Qur'an prohibits one to teach
knowledge to base and lowly hypocrites.
The following hadith, "Islam will spread everywhere. Muslim businessmen will travel freely
by ships at big seas to other countries for commerce. Muslim warriors riding their horses
will go to the other countries. Later on, some memorizers (Hafiz) of the Qur'an will appear
and will boast by saying, 'Is there anyone who can recite the Qur'an better than me?' or 'Is
there anyone who knows more than me?' They will be the firewood of hell," points out that
their recitation of the Qur'an with hypocrisy and their boasting will lead them to hell.
In another hadith, it was pointed out, "Anyone who claims to be a scholar indeed is an
ignorant." Persons who present themselves to be knowledgeable about everything, for example,
by answering every question or giving an interpretation of everything they see are actually
displaying their ignorance. He who states that he does not know the answer but will study and
then answer the question is an advanced scholar. When they asked Rasulullah, peace be upon
him, what is the most valuable place on earth, he answered, "I don't know, if my Lord informs
me, I will tell you." Then, he asked this to Archangel Gabriel and received a similar answer
from him. Then, Gabriel asked Allahu ta’ala and received the answer, "Masjids-Muslim houses
of worship." When 198th verse of the chapter of "A'raf" of the Qur'an which says, "Command
forgiveness and performing good deeds" was descended, Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
asked Gabriel to interpret its meaning. Gabriel said, "Let me learn from my Lord" and left.
When he returned he said that Allahu ta’ala commanded by saying, "Get close to those who run
away from you! Give generously to one who does not give you! Forgive those who oppress
you!" When Sha'bi, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, was asked a question he answered
by saying he didn't know the answer. The questioner told him that, since he is the religious
authority (Mufti) of Iraq, it was inappropriate for him to say he does not know the answer.
Sha'bi, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, replied him, "Even archangels have said they
didn't know. His answering the same way would be perfectly appropriate." Imam Abu Yusuf,
may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, answered one question by saying, he doesn't know the
answer. People then said that he is paid from the government treasury for answering questions
but he doesn't know the answers. He answered them by saying that he gets paid for the things he
knows and that if he were to get paid for the things he doesn't know, the whole budget of the
government treasury wouldn't be enough. Establishing friendships with ignorants who do not
follow their souls would be better than establishing friendships with religious persons who are
slaves of their souls. A religious person's being conceited because of his holding a religious post
is the utmost sign of his ignorance because having knowledge leads one into being a humble and
modest person and protects one from being haughty and conceited.
It is forbidden to be conceited or haughty. Pride (Kibr) is an attribute of Allahu ta’ala. Being
proud (Kibriya) or the attribute of pride is appropriate for Allahu ta’ala. When a human being
holds the view that his soul is lowly his value will increase in the sight of Allahu ta’ala.
Conversly, a person who thinks himself worthy and superior will not have any value in the sight
of Allahu ta’ala. Any scholar who does not know the harm of being conceited and haughty
should not be considered a real scholar. Gaining more knowledge increases one's fear of Allahu
ta’ala and one cannot dare to commit sin. For this reason, all prophets were humble persons.
They were very much afraid of Allahu ta’ala. They did not possess vices like conceit and self
love (Ujb). One should not treat youngsters and sinners (fasiks and fajirs) with conceit.
Alternatively, it is necessary to treat conceited persons with equal conceit. A scholar, upon
seeing an ignorant should say to himself that he commits sin because of his ignorance but I am
committing sin despite my knowledge or upon seeing another scholar should say to himself that
he knows more than me and practices according to his knowledge with sincerity (Ikhlas) but I
don't do like him or I am not like him, or upon seeing an older person than himself should say to
himself that he performed more worships than me, or upon seeing youngsters should say to
himself that those youngsters have less sin than me, or upon seeing his friends who are at his age
should say to himself that I do not know what they are doing but I know my own sin therefore, it
is necessary to scorn those who are known as sinners (Himself) or upon seeing those who
deviated from the right path or a disbeliever, he should say to himself that it is not known to
anyone how one's life will end thus, I should ponder about how my life will end up. Therefore he
should not treat those with conceit either but he should not love them. Especially persons who
deviated from the right path and disbelievers are enemies of Sunnat of our Prophet, peace be
upon him. They try to put out the light emanating from the Sunnat of our Prophet, and try to
spread fabricated actions (Bidat) in religion along with corruption. Also, they try to discredit
"Ahl as-sunnat scholars" as well as try to give wrong meanings to hadiths of our Prophet and
verses of the Holy Qur'an and thus try to demolish Islam insidiously.
[The books published by our organization are all translated from the books of famous "Ahl assunnat
scholars". These books do not contain any of our own thoughts. In all of our books, we
are striving to relate to the youngsters about the greatness of the "Ahl as-sunnat scholars". We
are communicating them that the only way to reach the happiness of the next world (Akhirat) is
the way taught by the "Ahl as-sunnat scholars". We are striving to introduce this way of
happiness and salvation to humanity and we are not expecting any worldly benefits for these
actions from anyone. Those who deviated from the right path, or "la-madhhabiyya" or all other
types of enemies of Islam might not like our striving to distribute these books and therefore
invent extraordinary lies and slanders about our books. Since they do not possess the necessary
Islamic knowledge, they cannot challenge us in this regard. They cannot also claim that we are
making profit by selling these books because we are not. Everyone knows that. Most of the time,
we send these books free of charge to anyone who asks for them. We hear that some people are
telling others that these books contain unsound knowledge but when we challenge them to show
what part is unsound they say, Oh! We just heard that from others. That is the way they told us.
Alhamdulillah, conscious youngsters do not believe these lies and slanders and the number of
people who read our books are increasing day by day.]
One should not love these destructive people who try to divide Muslims. One should also ponder
how his life will end and how Allahu ta’ala has decreed in eternal past about his end. One cannot
know definitely, while living here, who will have higher degrees in the hereafter. Many of those
who held religious posts died in a state of disbelief. Many disbelievers ended their lives in a state
of belief. Considering all of the things said above, one who says that a disbeliever will be in hell
and he himself will be in heaven would be claiming to have knowledge of the hidden (Gayb) and
such a claim would put him into state of disbelief. Therefore, it is not permissible to be conceited
toward any person.
A person might argue the following: it is necessary to advise others, i.e., disbelievers and persons
who deviated from the right path, not to perform prohibited actions but obviously one cannot
advise them if one sees himself lower than them. Besides, the way our Lord performs His actions
are such that a person will die in a state which represents the way of his living. In some instances
the opposite of this also occurs but these instances are rare. Furthermore, Allahu ta’ala praises
believers and says that they are superior to disbelievers. We would answer the argument as
follows: it is necessary not to love them because Allahu ta’ala ordered us "Not to love them"
not because we are superior to them. The following example will clarify this point further. While
a ruler (Sultan) is sending his young son along with a servant to some distant location, he
instructs the servant to beat his son if he does not behave himself. Later on, when the son
misbehaves the servant beats him according to the instruction of the ruler. While he is beating
the son, the servant knows that he is not superior to him. Therefore, he cannot treat him with
conceit. Similarly, a believer's not loving disbelievers resembles to this example. Allahu ta’ala
informed us that believers are superior but this is not due to their selves being superior but
instead its due to their superior belief. Pssessessors of belief will be superior. Infinite superiority
will show itself at the last breath.
Worship's being a valuable worship depends on some conditions. A Muslim does not waste his
time with non-beneficial things (Malayani). The first caliph Hadrat Abu Baqr, may Allahu ta’ala
be pleased with him, said that they were not performing seventy permissible (Halal) actions lest
they would do one prohibited (Haram) action. Therefore, no one should depend on his worships
and become conceited. Acceptance of a worship depends on its proper intention. It should only
be performed for the sake of Allahu ta’ala. It is not easy to obtain such pure intention. Purifying
cleansing one's soul (Nafs) could only be achieved through piety (Taqwa). "Taqwa" means
one's not performing forbidden deeds. It is very difficult for anyone who does not have a
cleansed soul to perform worship only for the sake of Allahu ta’ala.
Bragging with one's ancestry and showing conceit is a sign of ignorance and stupidity. Cain
(Kabil) was the son of "Adam", peace be upon him. Canan (Kan'an, Yam) was the son of Noah
(Nuh), peace be upon him. Their fathers’ being prophets did not save them from disbelief. Those
who brag with their ancestry should observe the state of their ancestors now. Didn't they become
a piece of soil now? Is it reasonable to brag about a piece of soil? One also should not brag with
their piousness but instead should try to be a pious person like them.
Most women are conceited about their beauty. But, beauty does not endure. It goes away fast. It
does not become a permanent property of a person. Bragging about something which is
temporarily given to her would be stupidity. Physical beauty, accompanied with a beautiful heart,
i.e., spiritual beauty, is very precious. Cleanliness of the heart would be apparent by the person's
adherence to the Sunnat of our Prophet, peace be upon him. If the heart, spirit and ethics of
human beings are not held as superior, they become no more than animals. They become even
lower than the animals. They will be like a machinery which is filled with dirt and needs
cleaning up and maintenance. They will resemble to a worn out machinery which always
requires fueling, cleaning up and repair. Would it be fitting for such a person to be conceited and
see himself superior to others? It is more fitting for him to be a humble person.
Being conceited about one's youth and strength would also be ignorance. In general, strength of
muscles and sense organs exists in greater amounts in animals than in man. Thus, the animals
should be conceited toward human beings, shouldn't they? Moreover, who can ever claim that he
will always stay young and strong, or will never be ill, or will never have an accident? Is there
anyone in the recorded history of mankind who never lost his youth and strength or breath?
Therefore, would it be reasonable for anyone to brag or to be conceited about something which
one possesses temporarily for a short period of time and which also exists in animals.
It is also not befitting for a human being to brag and to be conceited about one's property,
children, rank, and position because, these are not inherent superior properties of him. They are
temporal and transitory things that leave human beings very quickly. Besides, they even exist in
unethical and lowly persons. Actually, they exist amongst those persons most of the time. If
these were things that cause superiority, people who do not have these or who had them but later
on lost them would necessarily be very lowly persons. If having property is a cause of honor then
a thief would be considered an honored man because he possesses stolen property even if it is for
a short period of time.
Hatred (Hiqd) should also not a cause of conceit. The dictionary meaning of hatred is to have
hate or to keep a grudge. One hates someone with his heart. He will be angry at somebody who
is equal or superior to him. Since he cannot do anything about it, he would become conceited
toward that person. This kind of person cannot be humble toward those who deserve humility,
and cannot accept their righteous words and advice. He tries to show everybody that he is better
than that person. Even when he wrongfully hurts someone, he does not apologize.
Jealousy (Hasad) also causes conceit. One wants things possessed by others for himself. He
wants others not to have them. He also refuses to listen to the righteous words of those whom he
is jealous of. He does not want to ask and learn anything from them. Even though he knows their
superiority, he still treats them with conceit.
Hypocrisy (Riya) also causes conceit. A person who has this habit treats strangers with conceit
in the presence of his friends. But when he is alone with the stranger, he does not treat him with
conceit. Islamic scholars should use dresses which would be fitting to their honor and should act
with dignity in order to protect themselves from the conceited people. For this reason, the great
Islamic scholar, Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him, said that
scholars should have a larger head cover and have large sleeves in their gowns. The preachers
will get rewards of worshiping if they beatify themselves with new and clean dresses. If they are
not respected, then their words will not have any effect on others because ignorants judge people
by their dress and by their looks. They don't understand the value of his knowledge or virtues.
Most people are not aware of their conceited behavior. Therefore, it is necessary for one to know
the signs of conceit. When a conceited person enters a new place, he wants everyone there to
stand up. This does not apply to a scholar who goes some place to preach and knows that people
there respect him. If he wishes for those people to stand, that would not be conceit. In general, if
one himself wants to sit but requires others to stand, that would be conceit. Hadrat Ali, may
Allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him, said, "Anyone who wants to see what a person of hell
looks like should look at the person who himself sits but requires others to stand." The
companions may Allahu ta’ala, be well pleased with them, loved Rasulullah, peace be upon him,
more than anything else in the world but they would not get up when he comes along to join
them because, they knew that Rasulullah, peace be upon him, would not want them to get up for
him. But, besides all these, when an Islamic scholar (Alim) comes along, one should stand up in
order to show respect for his knowledge. Yahya bin Kattan, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with
him, after completing the late afternoon (Asr) "salat" prayer, was sitting by the "minaret" and
leaning against its wall. Some of the famous scholars of his time came along. One of them was
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him. They asked him questions
about knowledge of hadith. He answered all of their questions. They were all standing while he
was sitting. He did not tell any of them to sit down, and none of them dared to sit down. Their
conversation continued until the time of sunset. The general custom is that a younger scholar will
be seated in a higher seat than an older, ignorant man. A student should not start to speak before
his teacher, should not sit in his seat in his absence, and should not walk ahead of him on the
street. If a person loves others to get up and stand up for him but knows that this love and desire
is not proper and wants to get rid of this love, then his love is considered a natural tendency or it
is generated through the instigation of the devil. In both cases, it is not a sin because the control
is not in his hands. It happens out of his own will.
Another sign of conceit (Kibr) is desiring not to walk alone but desiring that someone should
walk behind himself or loving to ride an animal while his students walk alongside the animal.
Rasulullah, peace be upon him, was going toward the "Baki" cemetery of the city of Madina.
Some people saw him and started to walk behind him. Rasulullah, peace be upon him, stopped
walking and commanded them to walk ahead of him and he followed them. When he was asked
for the reason for his behavior he said, "I heard the sound of their steps. I required them to
walk ahead of me in order to prevent an atom’s weight of conceit coming into my heart." It
is obvious that he would not have any conceit in his heart but this was a way of communication
or teaching to his companions. According to Abuddarda, may Allahu ta’ala be pleased with him,
when the number of persons who walk behind a conceited man increase in number, the conceited
man's spiritual distance from Allahu ta’ala also increases.
The following actions also indicate conceit: not visiting acquaintances or friends, not wanting
someone to sit alongside him, not to sit together with sick or ill persons, not to perform the
necessary housework, not to purchase and bring the necessary items that one's household
requires, not wanting to dress in one's used dresses, not wanting to dress in work clothes at the
workplace. Accepting the invitations of persons who are lower than himself indicates humility
but not accepting the invitations of the poor while attending invitations of the rich indicates
conceit. The following actions are considered hypocrisy when done in front of others and conceit
when done alone or in front of others: not providing necessities of his relatives and family
members, not accepting the righteous warnings and arguing with those who advise him, and not
thanking those who point out his shortcomings.
Being a humble person requires knowing one's origins, e.g., where he came from and where he is
going. He did not exist before. Later, he became a weakling infant who could not move. He is
now a person who is always in fear of becoming sick or dying. At the end, he will die, rot away
and become soil. He will become livestock for the insects. His sufferings are similar to a
prisoner's suffering, e.g., one who is waiting for execution by hanging, i.e., in the jail of the
world. He waits every minute for news of his punishment. He will die. His body will become a
carcass and will be food-stock for the insects. He will suffer punishment in the grave. After all of
this, he will be raised from death and will be punished with the sufferings of the last Judgement
day. Which one of the following would be better fitting for a person, a person who is living with
the fear of being punished eternally in hell or a person having humility or a person with conceit?
Allahu ta’ala, who is the Creator, the Raiser, the Protector of human beings, the all-Powerfull
who has no likeness and who is the only Ruler and the Almighty says, "I don't like conceited
persons," and "I like humble persons." Hence, which one would be more befitting for
weakling human creatures? Could a sensible person who recognizes the greatness of Allahu
ta’ala ever be conceited? Human beings must show and demonstrate their weaknesses and
lowliness to Allahu ta’ala at all times. Therefore, at all times and at any and every occasion they
must show their weakness and humility to Him. Abu Sulaiman Darani, may Allahu ta’ala be
pleased with him, says, "If anyone tries to reduce me down to a lower state than I am in now or
insults me in order to lower my position, none would be able to do it because I know that I am in
a position lower than anyone could ever think as the lowest of all degradations and insults." Is
that ever, be possible? Can anyone ever think of himself as the lowliest of all? Even, lower than
the devil and Pharaoh? Because, these two [and Stalin, Mao and their followers who are the
greatest enemies of Islam and humanity] are the worst of all of the disbelievers. One should
reason with himself by thinking in the following manner: obviously, people who introduce
themselves as gods and kill and torture millions of people in order to satisfy their egos are the
worst of all of the disbelievers. Allahu ta’ala cursed them and therefore punished them by giving
them the worst kind of disbelief and pitied me and gave me belief. If He had desired, He could
have done the opposite also. Alhamdulillah, thanks be to Allahu ta’ala! Since He did not do so,
and since I did sin so much up to this time and since I do not know how will I be at my last
breath, I must be a humble person.
In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said: "Allahu ta’ala ordered me to be a humble
person. None of you should behave with conceit toward none of the others!" According to
this hadith we should be humble toward non-Muslim citizens (Zimmi) and those who come to
visit our country with permission (passport) as well as visiting businessmen and tourists. Since it
is necessary to be humble toward everybody, it is a necessary conclusion of this hadith that it
would not be permissible to hurt them in any way.
[This hadith and its explanation by "Ahl as-sunnat scholars" clearly indicate that it is not
permissible for those Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries (Dar-ul-harb) to attack and
violate the rights, properties and honor of the citizens of that country. Stealing, rioting, hurting
others, violating the laws of the land, insulting the governing persons, violating tax-laws,
avoiding payments of tolls or fares, and all similar behaviors which are not compatible with the
honor of Islam and Islamic ethics are not permissible. In the disbelievers' countries, not violating
the Christian laws does not mean recognizing them as "Ulul-amr." No one’s orders causing
rebellion to Allahu ta’ala will be carried out. This type of orders of the "Ulul-amr" or this type
of order of the other disbelievers who are in position to harm others will not be fought back.
Fighting back against the government or violating the laws will cause instigation (Fitna).
Causing instigation is forbidden (Haram) and is a grave sin. "Fiqh" books or in other words
"Islamic law books" at their chapters which covers the subject of force or coercion (Ikrah) and
third volume, 55th letter of Muhammad Ma'sum's Maktubat include explanation of this matter.
Anyone living in Muslim countries (Dar-ul-Islam) or in non-Muslim countries (Dar-ul-harb),
despite the above-mentioned hadith of our Prophet, causes distress to disbelievers or interferes
with their government or disciplines or violates their laws would be committing sin. Moreover
his actions will might make an impression on all peoples of the world that Muslims and Islam are
evil, barbaric and unattractive. He will be making a great disservice and treason to Islam.
"Jihad" means ordering others to do good (Amr al-maruf) and ordering Muslims not to do the
prohibited actions (Nahy al-anil al-munkar.) Amr al-maruf, means introducing Islam to
disbelievers in order to save them from the disaster of disbelief. Nahy al-anil al-munkar, means
teaching necessary religious information (Ilm al-hal) to Muslims as well as stopping them from
doing evil deeds (Haram actions). Both of these can be done in three ways, by utilizing one's
body, by utilizing mass media, and by praying. The first one is carried out against the imperialist
forces and dictators who obstruct the communication of good news, i.e., Islam to their poor
citizens who are in disbelief (Kufr) because they were not aware of Islam and thus they imitated
other disbelievers or they were forced, tortured or pressured by the imperialists and oppressive
dictators into disbelief. By using the most modern weaponry and techniques, these evil forces
will be fought and destroyed and thus the nations who live miserably under their rule will be
freed from slavery and then Islam will be introduced and taught to them and they will be offered
to become Muslims willingly and lovingly. If they elect not to become Muslims, they will be
allowed to live and practice their religion of choice alongside with Muslims under the Islamic
state which provides freedom, equality and justice to all. This type of fight (Jihad) is done only
by Islamic states or by the army of the Islamic states. It is never permissible for any individual
Muslim to attack and rob any other disbeliever without the prior order, permission and
knowledge of an Islamic state. Islamic religion punishes severely those Muslims who murder any
citizen of another state with whom the Islamic state has a peace accord. As can be seen clearly
from the foregoing, in the Islamic religion, fighting does not mean destroying other countries or
killing other people. What it really means is striving for the introduction of Islam to others so
that they might become Muslims willingly and lovingly and save themselves from the eternal
disasters. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, the companions may Allahu ta’ala, be well pleased
with them, and real Islamic states, for example Ottomans, all performed this type of fighting.
They never attacked people who were weak and unable to defend themselves. They fought
against the enemies of Islam, disbeliever dictators, imperialists and deviated and separatist
people who carried Muslim names, who were becoming a shield over these people to whom
Islam wanted to reach and communicate its message. They fought against them and destroyed
their imperialist power and freed enslaved people who were living miserably under their
torturous power. They, taught them Islam and thus provided opportunity for them to become
Muslims of their own free will and thus helped them to find the eternal happiness.
The second duty of the Islamic army of the Islamic state is the protection of the Muslims and
Islam and warring (making Jihad) against the disbelivers and deviated separatist people who
attack Islamic countries in order to destroy and annihilate Muslims and Islam. Allahu ta’ala
orders in the Anfal surah that the Islamic state during the time of peace should investigate and
learn and produce the new weapons manufactured at the disbelivers countries. The government
officials who does not carry out and produce this weapons would be disobeying the Shari’at and
also would be responsible for the death of millions of Muslims and weakining of Islam because
of not being able to counter the attacks of their enemies.
The second kind of Islamic fight is to introduce Islam to all peoples through all kinds of
communication means. This type of fight is done only by Islamic scholars with the help and
control of Islamic states. In our era, enemies of Islam,i.e., missionaries, communists, freemasons,
and people who do not follow any school of thought (la-madhhabiyya) are attacking Islam by
using all kinds of communications means. They are trying to deceive human beings and even
ignorant Muslims through fabricated lies and slanders and thus trying to destroy Islam. Recently,
in 1992, we have heard that Christians made-up eleven questions and distributed them to all
Islamic countries. The scholars of the Bangladesh wrote answers to these and thus disgraced
these Christian clergy who was behind this plot. The Hakikat book-store located in Istanbul
added these answers under the name of "Al-Akazib-ul-jadidatul-hiristyaniyya" to the book
Assirat-ul-mustakim and now distributing it throughout the world. Also, another group, i.e.,
Kadiyanis (Ahmadiyyas), Bahais, followers of Mawdudi, people of Tablig al-Jama’at, people of
"Salafiyya" and those people who do not adhere to any school of thought (la-madhhabiyya) and
wahhabis are deviating from the correct path of Islam by deriving wrong and corrupt meanings
from the Qur'an and hadiths. Some of them who really stretch things are becoming disbelievers.
They all spread their corrupt and deviated beliefs by publishing books, magazines and booklets
and by way of radios. They spend millions for this purpose. On the one hand, they are destroying
Islam from within by deceiving "Ahl as-Sunnat Muslims", i.e., "Sunni Muslims" and on the other
hand, they are introducing to all peoples an Islam which is not pure and correct. Among all these
various propaganda, people who want to become Muslims are becoming bewildered and they are
either giving up the idea of becoming Muslims or entering into a wrong path and presume that
they have became Muslims.
Today, the greatest fight (Jihad) is performed by "Ahl as-Sunnat scholars" against the
desctructive and cunning propagandas of the internal and external enemies of Islam through
spreading the teachings of the knowledge of "Ahl as-sunnat", i.e., the way of our Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his companions by using all kinds of communications
means to all peoples of the world.
The third type of fight is done through prayer. It is "Fard al-ayn" or in other words it is a must
duty for every Muslim to perform this type of fight. Not performing this type of fight will be a
grave sin. Performing this third type of fight is done by praying for those who perform the first
two types of fight. Those who are doing the first two types of fight are in need of the prayers of
those who are not actively participating in the first two types of fight. All prayers performed with
sincerity will surely be accepted.
Allahu ta’ala without any doubt will help those who trust the help of Allahu ta’ala and comply
with the orders of religion and perform the above-mentioned three types of fight (Jihad). Allahu
ta’ala would not accept the prayers of those who do not prepare themselves for the fight and who
do not prepare the necessary newest war equipment beforehand and who do not establish strong
brotherhood and love among themselves but instead assume that they do their duty of fight byjust making prayers. There are condition for the acceptance of the prayer (dua.) These conditions
requires us sticking to the causes which would provide the results asked by the prayer (dua.) As
we have mentioned above, in order to be successful in fight, we have to follow the orders of
Islam. Islam orders us to prepare ourselves for fight. The first type of fight requires acquisition of
the most modern weaponry and training on how to use them. Moreover, it also requires
discipline and obedience to the leaders and military commanders who are in charge as well as
avoiding separatist movements. If there are trusts (Waqf) who raise money in order to meet
above-mentioned requirements, every Muslim who has the means should help such trusts.
Helping "Ahl as-sunnat scholars" or trusts which support such scholars would also constitute
fight (Jihad) through property. Allahu ta’ala in the next world (Akhirat) is promising Paradise
for those Muslims who do fight (Jihad) through their body, property or money. Ali Muhammad
Bahli, in his book Muftiy-yi majahid written in Persian explains Jihad at length.]
The following hadith says, "Congratulations to the people who obtained the blessings and
who do the following actions: who practices humility, who knows himself as a deficient
servant, who earns his money by permissible (Halal) means and spends on useful and
beneficial things, who combines the knowledge of canonical law (Fiqh) and "knowledge of
Tasawwuf" (Hikmat), who observes the limits of forbidden (Haram) and permissible
(Halal) things, who pities poor people, who performs his business for the sake of Allahu
ta’ala, who has good morals, who does not do wrong things to others, who practices
according to his knowledge, who distributes extra wealth to others and who limits his
speaking."
Humility (Tawazu) could also be practiced by some in order to make a joke of it or by some
hypocrites in order to obtain worldly goods and ranks or by some others because they are afraid
of something. This type of humility is a vice. Getting rid of this vice requires elimination of the
things that cause it. Anyone who gets rid of the things that cause a vice will obtain true humility.
