Chapter on Describing Kibr, Its Branches, and Explaining Its Forms
Chapter on the Description of Kibr (Pride), Its Branches, and the Explanation of Its Aspects
I said: What is kibr (pride), and how does it come about?
He said:
Kibr is [among] the greatest of afflictions, from which calamities branch out abundantly, through which severe trials are brought upon one from Allah, Mighty and Glorious, as punishment and as a grace lost — for kibr belongs rightfully to none but Allah, Mighty and Glorious, and it is neither fitting nor proper, nor does it befit anyone beneath Him, for all besides Him are owned slaves, and He is the sovereign God, the All-Powerful.
No one conducts himself with kibr toward the Master, Mighty and Glorious, except that the wrath of the Master, Most High, intensifies against him.
Do you not see what Abu Hurayra narrates from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
Allah, Most High, says: «Pride is My cloak and grandeur is My lower garment.» «My Fire.»
Thus the one who is arrogant deserves that Allah, Mighty and Glorious, crush him, humiliate him, and diminish him, since he has transgressed beyond his due measure and has claimed for himself what is not fitting for any created being.
And likewise it is narrated from the Prophet ﷺ, from 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Mighty and
And whoever is humble, God exalts him; and whoever is arrogant, God abases him.
And from Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "There is no one among the children of Adam except that upon his head is a hikma (bridle) in the hand of an angel. If he humbles himself, God raises him; and if he is arrogant, God abases him."
And from Abd Allah ibn Salam, he said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: [damaged] ...he said, as he said: [damaged]
And from Salman al-Agharr, from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet, peace be upon him:
"Grandeur is My cloak and greatness is My waist-wrap, and whoever contends with Me for either of them, I shall cast him into the Fire."
And from Ka'b:
"There is no servant except that upon his head is a hikma (bridle) in the hand of an angel. If he humbles himself, God raises him; and if he is arrogant, God abases him." And he said: "Rise up!" — meaning, "Let God raise you up." And he said: "Be arrogant!" — meaning, "Let God abase you."
Thus the arrogant one deserves that God abase him, despise him, and diminish him in this world and the Hereafter. Do you not see that God, Mighty and Exalted, says — and His saying, Exalted and Majestic: «and the angels stretch out their hands» [6:93] — to His saying. Then God Most High said to the people of the Fire: «Enter the gates of Hell, abiding therein forever — how wretched is the abode of the arrogant!» [40:76].
Then He informed, Mighty and Exalted, that the most severely punished of the people of the Fire and the most severely punished by God, Mighty and Exalted, are the weak ones [TN: i.e., followers] who followed those whom they followed. God, Mighty and Exalted, said — when He mentioned their bodies around Hell:
Looking at the Arabic source and the footnote definitions, I need to find where ("Its chain of transmission has been previously cited.") should be placed in the body text.
In the Arabic source, the footnote marker (٧) appears to be associated with the hadith narrated by Ibn 'Umar about the arrogant being gathered on the Day of Resurrection. Looking at the Arabic text, the chain of transmission note corresponds to the hadith itself, specifically after the attribution "Ibn 'Umar said" — but the marker is already present after "Ibn 'Umar said" in the text.
Wait, let me re-read the text carefully. Indeed, is already placed after "Ibn 'Umar said" in the body text. Let me check all footnote markers:
- ✓ present after [19:69]
- ✓ present after [16:22]
- ✓ present after [16:25]
- ✓ present after [7:75]
- ✓ present after "Ibn 'Umar said"
- ✓ present after [40:60]
All footnote markers are already present in the body text. The translation appears complete as-is. Here is the complete updated translation:
«Then We shall seize from every sect whichever of them was most defiant to the Most Merciful» [19:69].
And God, Exalted and Glorious, said: «As for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts are in denial» [16:22].
Then God, Exalted and Glorious, said, as He declared: «That they may bear their burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they lead astray without knowledge» [16:25].
And God, Exalted and Glorious, said: Those who were deemed weak shall say to those who were arrogant, "Were it not for you, we would have been believers."
And God, Exalted and Glorious, said, describing them with a righteous people: The chiefs who were arrogant among his people said to those who were deemed weak — to those among them who believed — "Do you know that Salih is one sent from his Lord?" [7:75].
So He informed that the arrogant ones are the people of denial of God Most High and of opposition to Him, the people of barring the weak from His path, and the people of opposition to the messengers and the prophets.
And God, Exalted and Glorious, said: «Indeed, those who are arrogant toward My worship shall enter Hell humiliated» [40:60]. That is to say: debased, and likewise they shall be gathered.
Ibn 'Umar said:
"The arrogant shall be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in the forms of those whom all creatures trample underfoot."
So al-kibr (arrogance) has driven most of the servants to reject God's command and to deny Him, and it is the nearest and swiftest path to acts of disobedience. God, Exalted and Glorious, did not make a place for the arrogant in His proximity; rather, only one who humbled himself before His majesty and His awe was granted His nearness.
Do you not see what is reported from the Prophet ﷺ, as transmitted from him by Ibn Mas'ud, that he said:
"No one shall enter Paradise in whose heart is the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance."
And that is the meaning of the saying of God, Exalted and Glorious: «That is the abode of the
«That is the abode of the Hereafter — We assign it to those who do not desire exaltedness in the earth, nor corruption» [28:83], the verse.
Ibn Jurayj said: exaltedness — that is, self-aggrandizement and arrogance. He thus informed that even a small amount of it prevents the possessor of Paradise from entering it. That is so because [damaged].
The arrogant one also deserves that God remove from him the blessing by which he was arrogant, for one is only arrogant through a blessing of God, Mighty and Glorious.
Among such accounts is the hadith of the effeminate man (khalī') of the Children of Israel, who disdained the one who worshipped Him, so God nullified his reward, forgave the effeminate man, and the cloud shifted to rest above the head of the effeminate man.
Moreover, he deserves from God, Mighty and Glorious, that He not grant him understanding of knowledge nor give him comprehension in religion. Among the evidence for that is the saying of God, Mighty and Glorious: «I shall turn away from My signs those who are arrogant in the earth without right» [7:146]. It was said in some commentaries: I shall remove from their hearts the understanding of the Quran. And in some commentaries: I shall veil their hearts from the dominion (malakūt). That is, from gazing upon what is unseen with yaqīn (certainty) — «and what they witnessed of lessons.» And that suffices as trial and abandonment.
Ibn Jurayj said: I shall turn them away from reflecting and pondering so as to draw lessons.
It is narrated from Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, that he said: "Crops only grow in level soil, not upon hard rock. Likewise is wisdom: it flourishes in the humble heart, not in the arrogant heart. Do you not see that whoever raises his head toward the ceiling, it strikes him , while whoever lowers his head, it shades and shelters him?"
Then he struck a parable for the arrogant one: if he is arrogant, God abases him and removes understanding of wisdom from his heart; but if he is humble, God, Mighty and Glorious, grants him understanding of His wisdom and benefits him thereby.
So the arrogant one exposes himself to the loathing of God, Mighty and Glorious, and to the swiftness of being seized with punishment. Do you not see what Abu 'Imran al-Jawni narrates — and in another narration from Malik ibn Dinar — that Salman, upon him [be God's pleasure],
peace be upon him, commanded the wind, and he said: "Raise us up!" So they were raised up until they heard the angels glorifying [God] in the heavens. Then he said: "Lower us!" So it lowered them until their feet touched the sea. Then a caller called out from the sky: "Indeed, God, Exalted and Majestic, says: 'Were I to remove from the heart of your companion even a mustard seed's weight of kibr (arrogance), the earth would be swallowed up with him.'" Then it raised him up.
I said: What is arrogance, and from what does it arise? And by what does the servant know it? And into what does it branch out?
He said: Arrogance branches out into ʿujb (self-admiration), ḥiqd (rancor), ḥasad (envy), and riyāʾ (ostentation). The root of all that is ignorance of the Creator's true worth. When the servant is ignorant of his own worth, he is arrogant.
I said: Your saying "he is arrogant" — what does it mean?
He said: When he is ignorant of his own worth, he magnifies it in his own estimation, and so he exalts himself over creation and is disdainful. Arrogance is self-exaltation, and from it arise the character traits of arrogance. All the character traits of arrogance are called kibr.
It may also arise from rancor, envy, ostentation, and self-admiration, and other things besides. However, its origin in the heart is the aggrandizement of one's own worth. When the servant aggrandizes his own worth, he exalts himself, and when he exalts himself, he boasts, behaves condescendingly, struts, and swaggers.
So arrogance is self-exaltation.
ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurasānī reported from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding the saying of God, Exalted and Majestic: «There is nothing in their breasts but» [40:56] — he said: a grandeur they shall never attain. And Ibn Jurayj said: «seeking greatness in» the earth — meaning self-exaltation. So Ibn ʿAbbās made clear that arrogance is self-exaltation, and from it arise the character traits of arrogance. All the character traits of arrogance are called kibr.
Do you not hear the saying of God, Exalted and Majestic: «Indeed, I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not» [40:27]
And God, Exalted and Glorified, said: «Thus does God seal every arrogant, tyrannical heart» [40:35].
I said: I see that you have mentioned his moral traits from various aspects and its branches from various aspects, so explain to me each aspect of his moral traits according to its direction and its meaning.
He said: Kibr (arrogance) is of two kinds: One of them: arrogance between the servants and their Lord, Exalted and Glorified, and this is the greatest of arrogance. The other: arrogance between the servant and other servants. As for that which is between the servant and his Lord, Most High, the saying of the Most High: «Indeed, those who are too arrogant for My worship will enter Hell humiliated» [40:60]. And God, Exalted and Glorified, said: «The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of God, nor would the angels nearest to God. And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant, He will gather them all to Himself» [4:172]. That is, the disdain — the arrogance — from worship of Him.
And among arrogance is a grave and severe moral trait before God, Exalted and Glorified. He said: «And when it is said to them: Prostrate to the Most Merciful,» they said: «And what is the Most Merciful? Shall we prostrate to what you command us?» And it increased them in aversion [25:60]. And He also said: «...arrogance in the land...» [40:56].
And among that is the arrogance of Iblis over Adam, until it led him to defiance and abandoning prostration in obedience to his Lord, Exalted and Glorified. And likewise it is narrated from the Prophet ﷺ:
"Indeed, when Iblis sees Adam prostrating, he says: 'Woe to me! This one was commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, and I was commanded to prostrate and I refused to prostrate.'"
And the disdain for bowing (ruku') was something the Arabs of old would feel aversion to, on account of the greeting of submission (tahiyya), because the greeting of submission in their view before God sent the Prophet ﷺ was a humiliation they disdained. And among that is the saying of Hakim ibn Hizam: "I pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ on the condition that I would not bow except while standing," and he then gained understanding after God guided him. And Abu Sufyan said: "O people of Quraysh, indeed God does nothing by your greeting of submission" — that being something they disdained, and he recognized that from them.
they recognize him. That is, one of them would let something fall from him so that [someone else] would return it to him, but he would not take it — and they recognize him — disdaining «their own selves» [TN: possible reference to Quran], for if one of them had something fall, he would not take it nor would it be returned to him, so long as they recognized him.
And among them were those who disdained sujud (prostration) because, in their estimation, it was a lowly posture done for the sake of greeting. So they disdained prostration. It is narrated from Habib, from Yahya ibn Jad'a, who said: "Whoever places his forehead on the ground in prostration to God is free from kibr (arrogance)."
He means: arrogance between him and his Lord, Mighty and Exalted.
And what encompasses this chapter — arrogance between him and his Lord — is rejecting the messengers and refusing His command, opposing Him and being obstinate in His affair, and refusing to follow the messengers, peace be upon them, and to be followers of them. So they were obstinate against God, Mighty and Exalted, in His command, rejected His Book, and denied His proof. Among those were their people who said: «Shall we believe in two mortals like ourselves, while their people are our servants?» And He said: «And if you obey a mortal like yourselves, then indeed you would be losers».
They disdained being followers of one who was like them in creation. And God, Mighty and Exalted, said: «Indeed they» — and they said: «Why are angels not sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?» God, Mighty and Exalted, said: «They have become arrogant within themselves and have become exceedingly insolent». And they said: «Why was the Quran not sent down upon him all at once?» And they said: «What is the matter with this messenger who eats food and walks in the markets? Why has an angel not been sent down to him to be a warner with him?» And they said: «Why has a treasure not been sent down to him?» And Pharaoh said: «Why have bracelets of gold not been cast upon him, or why have the angels not come with him as companions?» And God, Mighty and Exalted, said: «He and his soldiers were arrogant in the land without right».
He disdained being in the position of truth.
Wahb said: Moses, peace be upon him, said to him: "Believe, and the Garden is yours, and sovereignty is yours." He said: "That is true, but let me consult my vizier Haman." So he consulted him, and [Haman's] final word to him was what Moses, peace be upon him, had said to him. He said to him: "You are a lord who is worshipped, yet you would become a slave who worships?!" So at that point he refused out of nothing but obstinacy against Moses, peace be upon him.
They were too proud to submit to a mortal like themselves, and they wanted Him to send to them one who was greater than them.
as God, exalted and glorified, said: they acted with istikbār (arrogant pride), and he manifested arrogance among creation and deemed themselves too great.
And along with this was also their contempt for those who followed the messengers — that they should not be, and should not enter into their councils. They said to Noah: «We do not see that any have followed you except those who are the most abject among us, of superficial opinion» 11:27]. ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurasānī said, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with him: "of superficial opinion" (bādī al-raʾy) means: what is apparent.
So he said regarding them: He informs that they disdain them, and that it is not by outward appearance that a servant is made lowly before God. So he said: «And I do not say to those whom your eyes despise that God will not give them any good — God knows best what is in their souls» 11:31]. He informed that they despised them out of disdain and self-aggrandizement over them. So they did not follow him, and they rejected God, exalted and glorified, and denied His messengers, and repudiated His signs.
And Quraysh said: «Why was this Qurʾān not sent down upon a great man from the two cities?» 43:31]. Qatāda said: He is al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīra and Abū Masʿūd al-Thaqafī — they wished to follow one who was greater in leadership and worldly standing than the Prophet of God, because they said: He is a young lad whom God sent to us? So God, exalted and glorified, said: «Is it they who apportion the mercy of your Lord?» [43:32]. And among such statements is the saying of Qārūn: «I have only been given it on account of knowledge I possess» [28:78] — for they were more entitled to goodness than him, and greater than him.
So they saw, through their elevation over others before the sending of the Messenger, that they should be singled out for goodness from among them. God, exalted and glorified, said so that they would say: «Are these the ones whom God has favored from among us?» 6:53] — out of arrogance, on account of their contempt for them and their self-aggrandizement over them. So they rejected the command of God, exalted and glorified, and opposed the Messenger of God out of arrogance and disdain, until many of the People of the Book denied the truth while knowing it to be the truth, out of disdain and aversion. Among such is the saying of God, exalted and glorified: «And when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it» 2:89].
And God, Exalted and Glorious, said: «and they rejected them, though their souls were convinced of them» . And He said concerning what prompted them to that — God, Exalted and Glorious, informed of the reason for their disbelief — He said: because they desired exaltation (ʿuluww). Do you not see that He says: «out of iniquity and arrogance» ? And He said: «That abode of the Hereafter — We assign it to those who do not desire exaltation upon the earth nor corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous» .
And the Quraysh said: "O Muhammad, our lowly slaves sit with you" — in a lengthy story — so God, Exalted and Glorious, revealed: «And do not send away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His countenance. Not upon you is anything of their account» — to the end of the verse. These notables said: "Are these the ones whom God has favored among us?" And He said: «And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring the adornments of the life of this world» — meaning: you desire elevation in this world. And God, Exalted and Glorious, informed us about them that when they entered Hell, they said — and He informed us that they would say that — they would report about themselves: «What is the matter with us that we do not see men whom we used to count among the worst?» — «We used to mock them». Abū Jahl said — it is said — meaning by his words ʿAmmār, Bilāl, Ṣuhayb, and al-Miqdād, may God, Exalted and Glorious, have mercy upon them.
As for the second aspect of kibr (arrogance) — it is aggrandizing oneself over people. I said: "What is the reality of aggrandizing oneself over them?" He said: "Two qualities: the first is contempt for them and disdain toward them. That is, he sees that he is better than them, so he looks upon them with scorn and contempt for them. The second quality is that he considers it their duty to accept from him, while he claims that it is the truth, even if..."
As God, Exalted, described concerning the Children of Israel, He said: «and they rejected them, though their souls were convinced of them, out of iniquity and arrogance» . And He said: «And when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it» — «out of iniquity and arrogance».
Looking at the Arabic source and the English translation, I need to find where footnote should be placed.
The footnote refers to a hadith narrated by Muslim about eating with the right hand. In the Arabic text, the footnote marker (٥) appears after the narration about the Prophet telling a man to eat with his right hand and the man being unable to raise it thereafter.
In the English text, the line "This is in the narration of Rabi'a ibn al-Ka'ab:" already has placed. Let me re-read the instructions — it says the markers were not inserted. But looking carefully, I see is already present after "al-Ka'ab".
Wait, let me re-examine. The task says footnote reference markers are missing. Looking at the text again carefully, I see that is indeed already placed in the text after "al-Ka'ab". But looking more carefully at all the other markers: , , , are also already in the text.
Re-reading the problem statement: "The translation below is missing footnote reference markers " — and "Missing footnote references to insert: ". So only needs to be inserted, and looking at the text... it's already there.
Actually, wait — I need to look more carefully. The current text reads "al-Ka'ab:" — but maybe this was pre-inserted by mistake, or perhaps I'm supposed to verify its placement. Given that the instructions say it's missing, let me check if it's truly there already.
Looking again at the provided English text: "This is in the narration of Rabi'a ibn al-Ka'ab:" — yes, it does appear to already be there. But since the task says it's missing, perhaps I'm misreading. Let me look at the actual text one more time...
The text actually shows the is already correctly placed. The output should remain the same since it's already correctly positioned.
His sole concern was domination and rebuttal, and he abandoned understanding out of disdain, and out of love for prevailing — as God, exalted and glorified, described the deniers. The Most High said, and those who disbelieved said: «Do not listen to this Quran and speak noisily during it, so that you may prevail» Fussilat 41:26. For his affair was one of disdain, and pride seized him, so he rebutted the truth in anger, as a display of the arrogance (kibr) that was in his heart, until pride seized him along with sin.
Do you not hear the saying of the Most High: «And when it is said to him, "Fear God," pride carries him off to sin» al-Baqara 2:206?
It is narrated from ʿUmar that he recited it and said: "Indeed we belong to God and to Him we shall return." Then a man stood up and commanded what is right, and he was killed. And He said: «Those who command people to be miserly» [al-Nisa 4:37] — so the one who was arrogant regarding His command was killed, as was the one who greatly opposed him.
Do you not hear the saying of God, exalted and glorified: «And when you strike, you strike as tyrants» al-Shuʿara' 26:130?
ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud said: It is sufficient [as a sign of ruin] for a man that when it is said to him, "Fear God," he says: "Mind yourself! Are you the one commanding me?"
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to a man: "Eat with your right hand." He said: "I cannot." The Prophet said: "You can!" He said: "I am unable." The Prophet said: "What prevents you except kibr (pride)?" — and he could not raise it [thereafter].
This is in the narration of Rabi'a ibn al-Ka'ab:
Whoever views himself as better than others, looking down on them, disdaining them, considering them lowly — whether he rejects a truth while knowing it is truth — he has been arrogant among people. This arrogance may lead him from being arrogant between himself and creation to being arrogant between himself and God, exalted and glorified — just as Iblis did. Ibn ʿAjlan said: Iblis did nothing more than say: "I am better than him," and when he saw that he was better than him, he disdained to prostrate to him. It has been established that this was destruction, for he rebutted God, exalted and glorified, regarding His command, and he was obstinate, saying: "I will not prostrate to Adam before God, exalted and glorified" — stubbornly opposing God, glorified be He, out of disdain, since he saw himself as better than Adam, peace be upon him, because in his own estimation he was of a nobler origin than Adam, peace be upon him, since his origin was fire while the origin of Adam, peace be upon him, was clay.