لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Lesson: 7 Remedy for Egotism
In reply it
must be stated that there are two ways for its remedy: One is abstract and another
detailed.
A - Abstract
remedy: Man should ponder over the Greatness of the Creator of the Universe.
He must understand that Greatness belongs only to Him. He must believe that
the only one god is Waajibul Wujood The indispensable Being and that Power and
Eternity are only his attributes and that, opposed to it or in comparison smallness
and mortality belongs to man himself, he must think over his earlier stages
of life, that is, what was he, how many times and through how much dirty passages
has he passed and even now he is carrying dirt in himself and finally at the
end also he will turn into a carcass.
The Holy Quran
describes thus:Cursed man! How ungrateful is he! Of what thing did He create him? Of a small
life-germ; He created him, then He made him according to a measure, Then as
for the way -- He has made it easy for him, Then He causes him to die, then
assigns to him a grave, Then when he pleases, He will raise him to life again.
Also he should
think about his origin that he was dust in the beginning, and then he was turned
into semen as the Holy Quran mentions:Who made good everything that He has created, and he began the creation of man
from dust. Then he made his progeny of an extract, of water held in light estimation.
Then he should
again ponder over his weakness. In this respect the Holy Book says: Allah
is he who created you from a state of weakness, then he gave strength after
weakness, then ordained weakness and hoary hair after strength; he creates what
he pleases, and he is the knowing, the Powerful.
As a poet has
said: What are we? But nothing in a world of nothingness, nor do we have anything.
And as another
poet says: Sometimes animals eat him away, sometimes potter moulds you as he
likes once when I hit an axe on the ground, I heard a voice full of pain saying
please, I am a scull having eyes and ears. Every face beneath this ground was
once an independent personality and every picture was a picture of a prince
of his time.
How good would
it have been had he been left in that state forever. But he is going to be made
live again after some time and he will be made to stand in a fearful forest.
That is the time when he says In the words of Quran: O! Would that I were
dust.
Detailed
Remedy
Sometimes man
takes the path of egotism for his elegance and soundness. Its remedy is that
he should know that this beauty is not in his hands and many a time it vanishes
as a result of an illness. He should also think that after some time when this
beauty is grounded in the dust it turns into a carcass abhorred by everyone.
So warns the Holy Quran: Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before
him of the generations those who were mightier in strength than he and greater
in assemblage. And the guilty shall not be asked about their faults.
2 - If egotism
of man is due to his strength and power, he must remember that this power is
inferior even to a microbe. This man becomes humble when confronted even with
a mosquito. Summary is that this power and beauty and. All are from the Creator
of this Cosmos and have been given to him as a trust. The Holy Quran explains:So that it may become clear how he gets out of the bush of trial.
3 - If egotism
is based on wisdom and intelligence and abundance of knowledge we ought to know
that this is a Divine bounty for which we must be thankful to God. Often even
a little illness wipes out all the knowledge of man, which may be much precious.
In the words of Allamah Ayatollah Haeri: One of the great scholars of Qua had
lost all his intelligence due to an illness to such an extent that he could
not remember his path too.
Also I have
seen one of the great teachers of the university of Qum who had become mad and
was leading a strange life. Sometimes when his nerves were at rest, he would
hold circles of study wherein students gathered and he replied to their problems
quite satisfactorily.
Sometimes it
is this same knowledge which brings havoc in man's life. Consequently, he joins
circles that anger God. Finally, they reach such a stage about which the Holy
Quran says: So his parable is the parable of the dog; if you attack him he
lolls out his tongue; and if you leave him alone he lolls out his tongue.
And also says:
The likeness of those who were charged with the Tavrat, then they did not
observe it, is as the likeness of the ass bearing books.
Once Imam (a.s.)
said: These are the highwaymen of the path.
In short, Man
must in all the circumstances be mindful of God so that he may get salvation
from the evil of carnal desires.
4 - If his
egotism is because of his race he must realise that no family relation is loftier
than with the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and this superiority too,
as clarified by the faultless Imams (a.s.), is only until man follows their
line. This relation loses benefit no sooner than one leaves their path.
And if man
feels proud of the power and strength of his forefathers he must know that practically
they his elders are bound by their own deeds and their greatness no more returns
and as, according to a famous saying: Granted your father was great, but then
what good do you get from the greatness of your father? Someone has also said:I am the child of myself and my surname is also my civility. I may be an Arab
or a non-Arab. In fact, brave is the one who says: I not the one who says my
father.
5 - If man's
pride is due to abundance of wealth and children, firstly, he should know that
these are some of the bounties bestowed by Allah and have been entrusted to
him for some days by way of a trust for his trial. Also that whenever God sees
fit He takes them back. The Holy Quran says:Your possessions and your children are only a trial
Secondly, if
property and children were the cause of man's greatness, God would not have
given it to His enemies. But, as we know, they have been in every age, superior
to the believers in this respect. Quran quotes them as saying: And they say:
We have more wealth and children, and we shall not be punished.
Also, in reference
to some of the kings belonging to Bani Israel, quotes: And he possessed much
wealth; so he said to his companion, while he disputed with him: I have greater
wealth than you, and am mightier in followers.
And with regard
to the third says: And were it not that all people had been a single nation,
We would certainly have assigned to those who disbelieve in the Beneficent God
to make of silver the roofs of their houses and the stairs by which they ascend.
And the doors of their houses and the couches on which they recline, And other
embellishments of gold; and all this is naught but provision of this worlds
life, and the hereafter is with your Lord only for those who guard against evil.
And thirdly,
All this wealth and children and. Are not the cause for final salvation. So,
the Holy Quran says: The day on which property will not avail, nor sons Except
him who comes to Allah with a heart free from evil.
And again mentions:
And not your wealth nor your children, are the things which bring you near
us.
And many a
time the same wealth and possession and leadership becomes the cause of our
misfortune. The Holy Quran says: Do they think that by what we aid them with
of wealth and children, We are hastening to them of good things? Nay, they do
not perceive.
Again it says:
And let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is
better for their souls; We grant them respite only that they may add to their
sins; and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement.
In her sermon
in front of Yazid in Syria Zaynab e Kubra (a.s.) resorted to this verse and
thereby pointed out that the verse applied to people like him Yazid. So it is
understood from the verses of the Holy Quran that the Lord Almighty, cautions
criminals in case they have not been drowned in the sea of sins and, in order
to awaken them, by describing the reactions of their misdeeds and their penalties
so that they way return to the true path.
These are those
who still have the capacity to be guided and deserve Gods Mercy and hence their
restlessness is considered a bless for them as we read in the Holy Quran: Corruption
has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have
wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so
that they may return..
But in case
of those who have drowned themselves in sins and have extended their disobedience
and rebellion and mischief to its extremity, God leaves them to their state
and, idiomatically, provides them a vast field so that their backs may be overloaded
with sins and thereby make themselves liable to maximum punishment. They are
those who have burnt all bridges behind them and have left no avenue for returning,
have torn off all barriers of modesty depriving themselves totally of every
qualification to be guided by Divine Light. Now, how good if man gets cautioned
from the very beginning and does not suffer such grave illness. The way of it
is belittling ones self in such a manner that man does not consider himself
at all significant in the face of Divine Commandments of the Lord of the Universe.
He misdeeds before his eyes. He should think of the favours of God respectfully.
He must feel in his heart that he is nothing and should have a constant feeling
of shame. He should remain ever grateful for Gods bounties and must realise
that whatever case he has is from HIS favour and Grace. He must never imagine
himself worthy of that.
Before other
people also he should consider himself little. He must consider others as better
than himself. Imam Baqir (a.s.) has said: He should consider the aged better
than him thinking that they have obeyed God more. Likewise he must consider
the youngsters as better as they committed fewer sins. Not only this, he must
imagine that those about whose faults he knows are also better than him because
of the possibility that they might have repented or that their end will be good
as the end in unknown. Again he must understand that all those who reached the
position of Prophethood or Imamat or other lofty status were none but those
who had considered themselves lowly and weak.
As the poet
has said: Learn lowliness if you are in search of grace because a high land
never obtains water.
At the end
of this discussion we beg from God so that HE may guide us whereby we may turn
ourselves into good men.
