Chapter 4 - On Conceit

“All the world is full of ignorance except places illuminated by knowledge. Knowledge is only arguments unless it is acted upon. And all acts are done out of hypocrisy unless they are done sincerely; and sincerity is subject to disappear unless you consider the final results of your deeds.”

The Almighty God said: “O' ye who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury.” [The Holy Quran: Baqara 2:264] Reminding others of one's generosity is the result of overestimating one's deeds and that equals conceit.”

Almighty God said: “Some of My believing servants ask Me to help them succeed in worshipping Me. But since I love them I do not help them succeed, so that they do not get conceited.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “When God the Almighty gave Abraham the glad tidings of his friendship with God, He revealed to Gabriel: “Gabriel. Guard Abraham so that conceit does not ruin him.”

“Some believers ask Me for help to succeed in God's worship, but I do not make them succeed since that might make them conceited. Some believers are such that they will only improve in poverty, and I fear that they will be ruined if I make them affluent.”

“Some of My believers are such that their religious affairs will not improve unless they are affluent and healthy, so I test them by giving them wealth and health. But some other believers are such that their religious affairs will not improve unless they are ill and poor, so I test them by giving them disease and poverty. I am better aware of what will improve the religious affairs of my believing servants. Some of My believing servants are those who strive hard to worship Me. They get up from their warm beds and spend the night in worship, and suffer hardships for Me. Because I love them, I make them fall asleep one or two nights to safeguard their health. They fall asleep until the morning, and then blame themselves. But if I had left them to themselves to worship Me as much as they please, they might get conceited. This conceit would lead them to mischief in their deeds and this would cause their ruin. Because of their conceit and overestimation of their deeds, they would consider themselves to be superior to others, and think that their worshipping had exceeded the degree of insufficiency. Thus they would get distant from Me thinking that they are close to Me.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “No position is higher than humbleness, and no loneliness is more awesome than conceit. I am amazed at a conceited person who was only a sperm before and will only be a corpse in the future.”

“Satan.” Moses said: “Is that you? God will not let you approach Him.” Satan said: “I have come to greet you because of your position near God.” Moses asked: “What is this hat?” Satan said: “I attract the people to me with it.” Moses asked: “What sin will allow you to overcome men who commit it?” Satan said: “When man gets conceited and overestimates his good deeds, and underestimates his sins, I can overcome him.”

How should I do this?” God the Almighty said: “O' David! Give glad tidings to those who commit sins that I accept their repentance, and forgive their sins. And admonish the honest people so that they fear being conceited due to their deeds, since whoever gets conceited will be ruined.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said in Nahjul Balagheh: “A sin which makes you upset is better for God than a good deed which makes you conceited.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “Conceit is jealous of the intellect.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “The worst fear is of conceit.”

“If sin was not better than conceit for a believer, God would have never let His believing servants commit any sins.”

“I am better aware of what will improve My religion. There are those religious believers who strive to worship Me, and get up from their warm cuddly beds for nighttime supplications. They impose hardships on themselves for My worship. Since I love them, I make them fall asleep to protect their health. They go to sleep and wake up in the morning, and blame themselves. However, they do not know that if I had left them to themselves to worship Me as much as they wanted, they would get haughty and become ruined. This will be due to their conceit to the extent that they think they are better than all others who worship Me, and they have passed all the stages of worshipping, and have perfected it. This will force them away from Me, while they themselves think that they are close to Me. Thus those who do good deeds should not rely on deeds which they do for getting rewards from Me, since if they try, they will trouble themselves and waste their time spending it in My worship. Still they will be deficient, and cannot attain the depth of My Servitude. They cannot attain any of the honor, Heavenly blessings, divine attention and high ranks near Me that they seek. They can only rely on My Mercy, and be pleased with My Favor, and they should have a good opinion about Me and trust. Then they will benefit from My Mercy, and by My forgiving I will take them to Heaven, and Forgive them since I am God the Beneficent and the Merciful and am known by these Names.”

“Three things ruin man and three things save him. The three things that ruin man are stinginess, following selfish desires and conceit. The three things that save man are fearing God in public and in private, moderation at times of affluence and poverty, and being just at times of anger and contentment.”