2 Islamic articles on: Dealing with arrogance and pride in Islam

Table of contents for the topic Dealing with arrogance and pride in Islam
  1. Superficial knowledge versus true knowledge
  2. Dealing with Sufism making you feel arrogant and superior

IslamQA: Superficial knowledge versus true knowledge

Assalamualaikum. A few days ago you posted a quote "Superficial knowledge breeds arrogance; true knowledge induces humility." by Sh. Dr. Yasir Qadhi. Since you have dealt with lots of knowledge, may I know your opinion of this quote? Thank you very much and have a blessed day.

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Knowledge is like other blessings; the more we have of it the more likely we are to consider ourselves self-sufficient and superior to others. Knowledge can also cause a person to attain a higher status and gain the respect and admiration of others. Both of these create the danger that a person will become arrogant as their knowledge increases. In the Middle East I have seen this most clearly among university professors, many of whom unfortunately consider themselves extremely superior to everyone around them. They are often extremely proud and narrow-minded.

The true knowledge that Yasir Qadhi refers to is knowledge of our human limits and our status compared to God’s greatness. This knowledge unfortunately leaves the mind rather quickly. We always tend toward feelings of arrogance and self-sufficiency unless we have constant reminders of our status. The best reminder in my view is the Quran. A person who reads it daily is likely to be protected from the danger of arrogance and various other dangers. I believe there is no way for a person to remain truly balanced, steadfast and pious unless they read the Quran daily.

IslamQA: Dealing with Sufism making you feel arrogant and superior

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. Thank you in advance for answering the questions. Last year I learned about tasawwuf & was immediately hooked. The problem now is lately I've been feeling rather self-righteous & troubled that other doesn't have the same 'in-tasawwuf' way of thinking. I feel this is a sign of arrogance and try to fix it, but somehow I always automatically compare others' view with mine & dismiss them. Do you have any advice? Thank you very much again for answering.

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

I would say that is a natural stage on the way of a person who seeks spirituality. It is a strong sign that you still have much further to go until you acquire spiritual maturity and start to appreciate the divinely-given transcendence of each human soul and love them and appreciate them as your equal before God. I recommend reading the Quran daily, an hour a day seems sufficient to wipe out feelings of self-satisfaction and arrogance.

Whenever you see a negative characteristic develop in yourself, it is a sign that your connection with God is not close enough or is on the wrong grounds. The Quran is the best foundation for building and maintaining a relationship with God because it constantly points out our errors, failings and smallness in the sight of God, helping us never fall into the trap of self-satisfaction. Merely focusing on other acts of worship such as dhikr is not good enough and is bound to allow bad characteristics to grow in you. You need the Quran to constantly nudge you back onto the right track so that you remain guided. There is no alternative to the Quran for building and reforming your character.

Best wishes inshaAllah.