I begin with the name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
“And by the Mercy of Allaah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you.” Qur’an 3:159
The construction industry parlance is, the higher the building, the deeper the foundation. In essence, for most towering structures, there is an almost corresponding deep foundation beneath the earth so that it can stand the test of time. This can be seen as a statement of fact because it is somewhat consistent with simple logic and reasoning.
Humility as a worthy virtue is one of the greatest blessings that Allaah Exalted be He, can bestow upon any of His servants. He who has been so gifted has at his disposal a tool to conquer the hearts of men. Conversely, he who has been denied this blessing will undoubtedly become blameworthy in the eyes of men even if he is highly placed in the society.
In the amazing descriptions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) given in the Qur’an, one of the most apt description was that found in Qur’an chapter 68 verse 4. Allaah says: “And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted (standard of) character.” In the books of Tafseer (Exegesis of the Qur’an) it was said that what is meant by this verse is that his nature and character were patterned according to the Qur’an, and he abandoned his natural disposition (that is, the carnal nature). So whatever the Qur’an commanded, he did it, and whatever it forbade, he avoided it. Along with this, Allaah gave him the exalted character, which included the qualities of modesty, kindness, bravery, pardoning, gentleness and every other good characteristic.
He is the best of Allaah’s creations, he had the strongest bond with Allaah and was favored with the highest level of prestige yet humility was inseparable from him. He gave his companions ride (as was with the case of ibn Abbas, Mu’adh bin Jabal), he played with them (as was with the case of Zaahir), he participated in trench digging with them (as was with the case of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib during Al-Ahzab), he would busy himself with household chores (as was narrated by Aisha (may Allaah be pleased with her) and the examples are endless.
As Muslims, what are the lessons to be learned here?
It is common knowledge that a man becomes more and more ennobled by the virtue of his humility. The more he humbles himself before his Creator and interacts humbly with people the more he becomes admirable, loved and respected by one and all. The skyscrapers and high rise buildings that define the skyline of cities like Dubai, New York, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Tokyo are mostly resting on a deep foundation footing without which their imposing heights and eye catching masterpiece would have been impossible. Imagine those buildings standing on a shallow footing, a small breeze can easily force them to crumble like the house of cards.
Similarly, the higher with respect to status and authority a man aspires to attain, the lower he must be willing to bring himself down the slope of humility. A man becomes dignified and is held in high esteem in the presence of Allaah and equally in the eyes of men the more he humbles himself. While he becomes ignoble and lowly the more he seeks to exalt himself above others and the more arrogant his disposition dictates.
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To substantiate this submission, there is an authentic narration from the Prophet (Peace be upon him) recorded by Imam Muslim on the strength of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)) that he said: “Wealth does not decrease because of charity and Allaah increases His slave in honor when he forgives others. And no one humbles himself before Allaah but Allaah will raise him (in status).”
One of the commentators of this hadith Imam An-Nawawi said: “Allaah will raise him in status in this world and give him status in people’s hearts as a result of his humility and will equally raise him in status in the Hereafter.
To tame pride, the servant needs to constantly remind himself of his hidden sins and that Allaah has been kind enough to have bestowed upon him great bounties and that he does not deserve the blessings conferred on him by Allaah. Above all, each servant must always remember the fact that the most beloved of Allaah is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) yet he was the most humble.
In conclusion, just as deep foundations are dug for skyscrapers and high rise buildings so shall man humble himself low in order to gain high status.
Mr Abdul can be reached on twitter at: @Penabdull, Instagram: @Penabdul
