And do not walk upon the earth proudly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height. (Al-Isra’: 37)
How important is being humble?
“Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing.” (Al-An’am :43).
We must not make this mistake and close our eyes and hearts to God’s call to humility before Him. We must not let Satan trick us into believing that our problems have nothing to do with our relationship with God.
The essence of being Muslim is being humble. The word ‘Muslim’ itself means to submit oneself in ultimate humility to Allah.
The main pillar of worship, Ibadah, is the prayer. The congregational prayer is performed in rows where all men stand before Allah as equals. There is no special place for the rich or powerful, and the meek and the poor are not relegated to the back rows. Each man bows his head in humility knowing that his brothers, on either side of him, are equally important in the sight of Allah. Only one thing raises one man or woman above another – piety. True piety or righteousness is not achievable without cultivating a sense of humility.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not like to be treated like a grand ruler or king. He forbade people from standing up in his presence or from kneeling down to him in respect. He lived in a simple house and ate simple food. Despite being a Prophet and a person of significant following, he never used his God-given position to live a life of ease. He lived a life not of affluence but of humility and modesty.
“He was the most generous of people [in hand, and the most big-hearted of them] in breast. He was the most truthful of people in speech, the most gentle of them in temperament, and the most noble of them in his relations.” [Tirmidhi]
Be humble.
