Chapter on Self-Admiration Regarding Lineage

I said: And what is self-admiration regarding lineage?

He said: Esteeming one's own worth on account of fathers and ancestors. If they were among the people of honor in this world—those who were honored in worldly matters through religion—he esteems his own worth on account of them, and forgets the grace of the Lord, exalted and glorified, upon him, since He created him from among the noble righteous ones, and lifted from him the disgrace of lowly standing.

Perhaps, had He made him lowly in lineage, he would have been angered by that and affiliated himself with someone other than his fathers, and disdained them. So he forgets what Allah, exalted and glorified, raised from him of tribulation, and what He bestowed upon him of the blessing of making him from the offspring of His saints (awliyā') and the people of obedience to Him. He thus neglects what is due upon him of gratitude (shukr) and what became obligatory upon him of the proof [of God's favor], and that so long as he possesses [this blessing], when he esteems his own worth on account of his fathers, he becomes self-admiring (mu'jab), and neglects gratitude and the obligation of the proof, until it occurs to him—nay, he may become certain—that he is saved without any deed, and that he is forgiven despite the abundance of his sins, even if he does not repent.

So he uses that to dominate others, and becomes arrogant, and boasts over others, and scorns and disdains whoever is beneath him in lineage—whether a relative, a neighbor, or anyone else. He struts in his gait, and sees that other people are like slaves. Indeed, some of them may hold that the community are servants belonging to him, so he contradicts [the way of] his fathers in their deeds, and desires that others should be [regarded] the same as him before Allah, exalted and glorified. That is delusion regarding Allah, exalted and glorified, and ignorance of His command.

I said: What negates that?

He said: By his knowledge of what is obligatory upon him of gratitude to Allah, exalted and glorified, for what He bestowed upon him, since He made him from among

This deviant idea is taken from the ideas of the Shia, who hold that the imāma (leadership) transfers inwardly from one imam to another imam. The deviants among the later Sufis adopted it as well.

that he will be recompensed for his own deeds, not the deeds of his fathers, and that they were saved only through obedience, and through it they were ennobled. Others equal to them in lineage did not believe nor obey, and they were in the sight of Allah, Mighty and Glorious, more evil than swine and dogs. And that if one opposes their path, the ruling upon him is that he will be consigned to a dwelling other than theirs — which is the Fire — and he will never be saved except by his own deeds, or the mercy of Allah, Mighty and Glorious. Among the evidence for that is the saying of Allah, Mighty and Glorious: «Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you» [49:13].

That is because al-Harith ibn Hisham, Suhayl ibn 'Amr, and Khalid ibn Asid objected on the day of the Conquest [of Mecca] when Bilal gave the call to prayer upon the Ka'ba. Al-Harith ibn Hisham said: "Does this black slave give the call to prayer upon the Ka'ba?" So Allah, Mighty and Glorious, revealed: «Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you» [49:13]. This was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim.

And among the evidence is his ﷺ saying: "Indeed Allah, Mighty and Glorious, has removed from you the disgrace of the Age of Ignorance (jahiliyya). All of you are the children of Adam, and Adam was from dust."

So let one know that his origin and the origin of all the children of Adam is one, and that he was favored over them through lineage and righteousness in [the line of] forefathers, so that he may consider how he gives thanks (shukr), and that only his own deeds will benefit him, not the deeds of his fathers.

And among the evidence for that is his ﷺ saying: "O assembly of Quraysh! Allah will not meet people on the Day of Resurrection [rewarding them] for their deeds while you carry them upon your necks. You will say: 'O Muhammad! O Muhammad!' and I will say: 'Thus'" — meaning, he turns away. And when Allah, Mighty and Glorious, commanded him to warn his nearest kinsfolk, he called them out clan by clan, until he came to [say]: "O Fatima, daughter of [Muhammad] — " and he said: "O Safiyya, daughter of 'Abd al-Muttalib — "

"Work for yourselves, for I cannot avail you anything against God."

Rather, Abu Hurayra and others narrated it.

So if he does that and commits his heart to it, and he recognized himself, his self-delusion departed from him, and he feared being among those who are impressed with themselves and met [God] with gratitude, and he feared sin, and that one besides him might be saved — woe to you — while he himself was more God-fearing before God, Exalted and Glorified.

So when he recognized himself with this knowledge and placed it at this station, his pride diminished, as did his vanity and his contempt for others. Rather, he should humble himself and emulate his forefathers, for indeed God, Exalted and Glorified, only elevates them through their humility before Him.

I said: Indeed the hadith has come from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said — following his statement: "O Fatima! O Safiyya! Work for yourselves, for I cannot avail you anything against God — except that you have a kinship tie which I shall honor with its due connection." And he said: "Shall my progeny hope for my intercession while the sons of Abd al-Muttalib do not hope for it?" So by this statement he has indicated that he will single out his relatives with intercession. Likewise, every righteous person will, by this analogy, intercede for his relatives.

He said: That is indeed fitting for him to hope for. And it is generally known that the Prophet does not intercede, nor any of the righteous, except for one upon whom God is angry, and He intended that His mercy be the cause of the intercession of His Prophet, peace be upon him, and some of His saints [awliyā'] for him. But whoever incurs the anger of God, Exalted and Glorified, upon him — He does not grant me permission, and I find no means to intercede for him.

Do you not see when He mentioned His angels: «And they do not intercede except for one with whom He is pleased» [21:28]? Qatada said: On the Day of Resurrection. Mujahid said: Only for one with whom He is pleased. And whoever is interceded for without [God's prior approval being] made generally known, He has informed that He is angry with him.

Do you not see that the Prophet's statement: "A group from among my companions on the left side shall be brought before me, and I shall say: O Lord!"

He will say: "My companions! You do not know what they innovated after you."

And if he hopes for intercession, he is one who fears that he might disobey God, Mighty and Glorious, and that He would be wrathful with him. It may be that He is wrathful with him, and so He does not grant intercession for him, and He does not permit anyone to intercede for him. And despite what he hopes from the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ, all the Muslims hope for the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ, even if he has been singled out for intercession by his relatives. But do not feel safe from the wrath and loathing of God, Mighty and Glorious.

So when his qalb (heart) holds fast to this, fearing and hoping, he does not become filled with self-admiration, nor does he feel proud, nor does he boast, nor does he act arrogantly. And how could he be filled with self-admiration and act arrogantly when he is not secure from being one upon whom God, Mighty and Glorious, is wrathful — worse than the apes and the swine?

And how could he feel secure from that when those whom he regards as safe — the people of noble lineage in religion and in worldly life, and the best of creation after the Prophet ﷺ — when creation wished at a certain moment, out of fear of the punishment of God, Mighty and Glorious, that they could become like beasts in nature, out of fear of His wrath?

He is only amazed at himself because they feared this very fear — and they possessed precedence, merit, and a prior standing with God that he does not possess. And even if he did possess merit, he would be more deserving of fearing God, Mighty and Glorious, as they were — fearing their Lord, Mighty and Glorious.

I said: What do you say about one who has noble lineage in worldly matters — righteous forefathers more than most people in matters of lineage — yet he has no merit? What is the basis of his self-admiration?

Contempt for people, such that he reproaches them for their lineages and backbites them and finds fault with them, and he regards for himself —

I said: What is in that?

He said: The knowledge that the origin of it, in the beginning, is that all people share the same origin. «His creation is like their creation» and He did not favor him over them in anything in creation, since the creation is one, the father is one, the mother is one, and death and tribulation are upon his neck, and reckoning is upon him, and reward and punishment are before him, and that he has merited punishment through his sins, and that upon him is shukr (gratitude) — since He placed him in a position that does not disgrace him, so that he would not be lowly in the estimation of people.

And regarding that gratitude, it is upon him [to recognize] that his forefathers who preceded in shirk (associating partners with God) — he is not impressed by them, nor does admiration befit them, nor [do they possess] any worth in the sight of God, Mighty and Exalted. Rather, a dog is better in the sight of God, Most High, than them, as the Prophet said:

"Let a people cease boasting of their forefathers who have become fuel in Hell, or they will surely be more contemptible in the sight of God, Mighty and Exalted, than the dung beetles that push filth with their noses."

And the hadith from the Prophet is that he said:

"Two men boasted before Moses, peace be upon him. One of them said: 'I am so-and-so son of so-and-so,' counting up to ten [generations] with him. 'And who are you?' So God, Mighty and Exalted, revealed to Moses, peace be upon him: 'Say to the one who boasted of his forefathers: nine of them are among the people of the Fire, and you are their tenth in the Fire.'"

And even if among his forefathers there was one who possessed righteousness and religion, then it is as I have described to you.

I said: If his forefathers were not a root among the Arabs, nor leaders in obedience and righteousness, but rather they were [people] of nobility in dominion and might of old — what is the wonder in that?

He said: It is aggrandizing one's worth, and forgetting what his forefathers came to of punishment, and that what they were in was a disgrace upon them in the sight of people of intellect, and a blemish in the sight of God, Mighty and Exalted. Yet he sees that he possesses superiority over others, and looks down upon them, and is arrogant toward them, and forgets the consequence of what they were in, and abandons shukr (gratitude) — since God, Mighty and Exalted, brought him out from among them.

except His religion. He favored him and singled him out with Islam and blessing, and exchanged it for him with the honor of Islam, making «his honor among them the honor of Islam» [TN: approximate Quranic allusion]. He despises those beneath him in lineage, and boasts and is arrogant, such that he sees himself as better than those who preceded him in righteousness and prior standing. And perhaps that bequeathed to him deceit against Islam and enmity toward the religion, for they were despicable people whom his forefathers defeated and overcame, and they inherited their lands and their homes through truth and the victory of the religion.

I said: Then what removes that?

He said:

His knowledge of what they were in, of tyranny over the servants of God, Mighty and Majestic, and corruption in His earth, and disbelief and denial thereof, and what they came to of punishment and death, and what is due upon him from God, Mighty and Majestic, for He brought him out from among them and did not make him like them, and exchanged for him the honor of Islam and the adornment of faith — for there is no boasting with the people of the Fire nor with their great numbers.

And even if they possessed, along with that, nobility in the world in opinion and speech, and excellence in diplomatic conduct toward those who sought their counsel — since God, Most High, has removed from him what was upon him of those by whom he would be reproached, such as the Zanj and others, and upon him in that regard is lowliness in the measure of worldly standing — as shukr (gratitude) for his trial [TN: or "for His testing him"], since nothing befell him.

And along with that, the self-admiration ('ujb) regarding his forefathers is something that passes away, through knowledge of their true measure in the sight of God, Mighty and Majestic, and in the sight of His friends among the believers. None is magnified except one whom God, Mighty and Majestic, magnified, and none is diminished except one who is diminished in the sight of God, Mighty and Majestic.

Chapter on Self-Admiration with Great Numbers

I said: And what of self-admiration ('ujb) with great numbers of children, servants, clients, kinfolk, companions, and followers?

He said: Seeking to amass them, adorning oneself with them, and boasting over others; relying upon them with caution, and relying upon their numbers, and forgetting reliance upon God, Mighty and Majestic — as some of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ did. And the majority of the hypocrites were of this type. And whoever among them did not openly profess his hypocrisy attempted to make the prescriptions of Islam submit to his caprice, and acted upon corrupt interpretation in pursuit of that.

For God, Mighty and Majestic, revealed: «on the day of Hunayn, when your great numbers pleased you», when one of them said: "We shall not be defeated today due to lack of numbers!" So he relied upon great numbers and neglected the remembrance of God, Mighty and Majestic. «Yet it availed you nothing». They were rebuked for that, and for boasting in great numbers and might over those among the believers and the disbelievers. As the disbelievers said: «We are greater in wealth and children».

So the one impressed with his great numbers over people acts tyrannically, and grows bold in reviling and fighting and striking others, relying upon their great numbers to support and defend him. And that emboldens him to deny rights, to commit iniquity and oppression through reliance upon great numbers.

And through self-admiration (ʿujb), he wrongs others more than what comes from oppression and tyranny alone.

I said: What negates that?

He said:

By your knowledge of your own weakness and their weakness, and that whoever God, Mighty and Majestic, does not aid has no helper, and whoever God, Mighty and Majestic, does not protect has no protector. And that relying upon them rather than relying upon God, Mighty and Majestic, is something by which its possessor deserves abandonment from God, Mighty and Majestic, such that neither their gathering nor their great numbers avail him. And if God does not hasten that upon him, still he should not be deluded, but should expect it swiftly — for the best community upon the face of the earth, they experienced this at Hunayn. So how shall the disobedient wrongdoer who is excessive against his own soul experience it?

And by his knowledge that the gathering will disperse from him, and that he will be left alone in the throes of death, then he will die and they will surrender him to trial, and they will avail him nothing against God, Mighty and Majestic. And that everyone who sought aid through them and they aided him in tyranny or oppression — all of that is recorded against him and he shall be recompensed for it on the day when a person flees from his father, his wife, and his sons. And the one who is impressed with them, gathered together — rather, on the Day of Resurrection he will wish, if God, Mighty and Majestic, does not pardon him, that they would be his ransom from the Fire.

And that shukr (gratitude) is due upon him for what God gave him of great numbers and made him among the people of great numbers. And that if he neglects gratitude, he will have angered God, Mighty and Majestic, thereby, and they will not avail him anything against God, nor will they be able to ward off from him the slightest thing in religion or worldly life.

So when his heart holds fast to this knowledge, self-admiration is removed from him thereby, and he is roused to action, and he fears what is decreed, and he relies upon the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and not upon any other than Him.

Chapter on Wealth

And what is feared regarding it [wealth]:

He said:

Until it leads to aggrandizing it, amassing it, and relying upon it, and boasting about it, as they said: «We are more abundant in wealth and children» [Saba':35], and seeking through it desires that are not lawful, and looking down upon the poor through it, and growing bold through it in committing injustice, and exalting oneself over the poor and regarding them with contempt. As was narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he saw a wealthy man who had gathered up his garments and drawn them back lest the clothes of a poor man sitting beside him should touch them. So the Prophet ﷺ said to him:

"Did you fear that his poverty would pass onto your wealth?"

I said: How then does the servant dispel that?

He said: By knowing that he has only been tested with it as a trial and tribulation, and that the rights incumbent upon him thereby are greater and more obligatory than those upon the poor, and that he is exposed to ruin — unless he gives thanks to his Lord, exalted and glorified. So he has mercy on himself from zakat (obligatory alms) and is apprehensive about it, and sees the poor person as having a favor over him since the trial has been removed from the poor one, and [recognizes] the obligation of the abundance of rights upon him — of hajj (pilgrimage), zakat, maintaining ties of kinship, hosting the guest, sharing with the neighbor, and other things.

The righteous were indeed apprehensive because of its abundance, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, Khabbāb, and others among them were apprehensive about that.

Three days would pass upon him in the path of God while I had with him only a qīrāṭ or two qīrāṭs,

fleeing from abundance due to his knowledge of its danger, and out of zuhd (renunciation) regarding it.

among those who say: "The majority are the least in intellect, except for a servant of God whom..." And he said, meaning:

«from his right and his left, and from before him and from behind him.»

When his qalb (heart) holds fast to this, he despises himself, fears for it [his wealth], magnifies the poor person, because he [the poor person] suffers less tribulation than him. Do you not see what befell the one whom admiration at his abundance led to that which is not lawful for him?

In zuhd (renunciation) [regarding] other than God, exalted and majestic:

[regarding] the earth:

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

"A man was strutting in a robe of his" — or he said: "in two cloaks of his that pleased him — in his self-admiration, when God commanded the earth and it swallowed him, and he continues to be convulsed in it until the Day of Resurrection."

So he fears what admiration with wealth and adornment may lead to of punishment. The most debased is one who sees himself as better than another, when he has not been tried with the like of what that other was tried with. Do you not see the hadith of Abu Dharr? He said: I was with the Prophet ﷺ and he said to me:

"O Abu Dharr, raise your head and look at the most elevated man you see in the mosque."

So I raised my head, and there was a man strutting in a robe. I said: "This one." He said:

"Raise your head and look at the most lowly man in the mosque."

And there was a man upon whom were two tattered garments. I said: "This one." He said:

"O Abu Dharr, this one is better in the sight of God than an earth-full of the likes of that one,"

because one is not elevated in His sight except through obedience, not through wealth or anything else.

When his heart holds fast to this, he fears the abundance of his wealth, and he sees that the poor person is better than him, and that he was only given surplus through tribulation and trial, and the great weight of obligatory rights.

And he recognizes that God, exalted and majestic, has bestowed upon him through wealth, so let him examine how he shows shukr (gratitude) for it, and that he does not know whether he has shown gratitude to God, exalted and majestic, as is due to Him. So he feels apprehension about that, and admiration with wealth departs from him, God willing.

I say: I have seen that most scholars call one who is arrogant out of self-admiration [by that name], and they describe admiration with the attribute of kibr (pride).

He said: The first origin of the reprehensible thing [i.e., kibr (arrogance)] is, for one who conceals it, that one be in a state of 'ujb (self-admiration), and the self-admiring person can scarcely be saved from arrogance.

So if self-admiration was that which brought forth arrogance — meaning arrogance from it and through it — then it has the characteristics of arrogance upon it , because it [i.e., self-admiration] has indicated the characteristics of arrogance.

He esteems greatly what he has been given, whether of religion or worldly things, and does not magnify himself through it over anyone. So that self-admiration occurs when he forgets the bounty of God, Exalted and Glorious, in that. When he then magnifies himself through it over others, and looks down upon others — because when he admires himself and does not despise others, he was self-admiring but was not arrogant. But when he admires himself and then looks at others and says within himself, "I am better than him," holding him in contempt, scorning him, then at that point it is called self-admiration and arrogance, because it is self-admiration that stirred him to arrogance.

And arrogance is not the same as self-admiration.