Abdul Rahman Chao

All praise is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We praise him, we seek his assistance and we seek his forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from the evil that is in our souls and the evil that results from our sins.

Whomsoever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guides, none shall misguide them. And whomsoever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows to be led astray, none shall guide them back to the straight path. I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, peace and blessings upon Muhammad is his final messenger and servant. Allah tells us in the Qur'an, O you who believe, be God conscious, and fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he deserves to be feared, and do not die except as Muslims. Allah also tells us in the Qur'an, O mankind, be God conscious, fear your Lord, and who has created you from one soul, and from it He has created its mate, and from it both men and many women.

And fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by the rights that you ask of one another, and by the ties of kinship, verily Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is ever watchful over you. O you who believe, be God conscious, fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and speak the truth, He will render your deeds righteous, and He will forgive your sins, and whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger has indeed achieved a great victory. Verily the best speech is the speech of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the worst affairs are those that are of religious innovations, for all of that is a misguidance, all misguidance needs to help.

The Prophet's Humility in Defeat

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was one time outside of the city, and he had with him his camel. And this camel had a name, Al-Adba. And so this camel was so fast that it could not be beaten in any race.

And so this Bedouin came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam with his ride, and he challenged the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a race with their camel. Sort of like a car race. But this person was victorious and beat the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in this race.

And so it became sort of a problem, and many Muslims felt very sad for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And they kept saying, Al-Adba has been defeated, he was beaten in a race, etc. And then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, It is Allah's right that whatever is raised up in this dunya, in this worldly life, that if it goes up, then it must be brought down.

(Reported by Abu Dawood)

This hadith, brothers and sisters, teaches us that the cycle and the circle of life, the ebb and the flow of life, goes up and it also comes down. Not everything that you want it to happen in a certain way, is going to happen in that way.

Things are not going to happen in the way that you want sometimes. It's a matter of life. But more importantly, this hadith really teaches us about how graceful the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was in defeat.

Understanding True Humility

And this behavior underlines the extreme humility, the humility of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The highest level of humility ever possible. And this characteristic, brothers and sisters, is greatly misunderstood depending on our cultures, our backgrounds, our education, and our experiences.

Some people think that humility and being modest, it means that you're supposed to be speaking softly, looking meek, appearing to be meek and weak, constantly looking at the ground, not standing up for yourself, sitting in a corner, being really really quiet. They think that's humility. And that couldn't be further from the truth.

And we have to be also very careful of how social media completely dominates our lives. That people now even have a phrase for it, that they'll put some picture of what they did, some achievement, and they call it humble bragging. Humble bragging.

And they'll say like, oh, I'm just saying, oh, this is what I did, look. And then they expect people to praise them for that. Brothers and sisters, humility is not by erasing your personality.

Humility is not by self-denying your abilities. Humility is for one, to take stock of their own abilities, not think too much about their own achievements. And also not underestimate your weak points that you have. Humility is about not expecting to be treated differently than another person.

If you expect yourself to be treated better than the other person, that's not humility. Humility, brothers and sisters, perhaps is being receptive to the truth and being kind to other people. Humility, brothers and sisters, begins with your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Humility as Worship

In fact, a lot of people don't realize that having tawadhu' is actually a form of ibadah, a form of worship. Aisha radiallahu anha, she even described it as an act of worship that people neglect. So what does it mean to say that you are humble to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? It means, are you humble enough to accept the truth? Are you going to be like how Adam responded after he made the mistake of eating from the tree? Or on the other side, we have Iblis after he made his mistake, he continued in arrogance and swore to Allah that he will misguide everyone.

Iblis was too arrogant to obey Allah's commandments. He refused to prostrate when Allah commanded him to do so. And so his arrogance doomed him.

And yet when Adam alayhis salaam made a mistake, he admitted his fault, he humbled himself. Him and his wife, they humbled themselves and they admitted their fault and they asked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness. Allah tells us in the Qur'an about this humility that we need to have to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And whoever submits themselves to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and he is a doer of good, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold.

O you who believe, enter and submit into this religion in totality. Brothers and sisters, when you are humble to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it means that you acknowledge your faults, that you ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness.

That even the Prophet ﷺ, he teaches us that when you ask for forgiveness, that you beseech Him, but you don't say things like, Ya Allah, if you wish to forgive me, then forgive me. Because when you make that kind of a statement, if you wish to forgive me, then forgive me, you're trying to say, well, I don't really need it, but if you want to forgive me, then you can forgive me. It's a form of arrogance.

So, being humble means that if you know you did something wrong, you turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala privately, and you acknowledge this mistake. Being humble to Allah, brothers and sisters, means that you believe that whatever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has legislated for you, is the truth, even if you have not reached that level, and even when you are not following it.

The way of the believers, is that if they are reminded of the signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, they fall down in prostration, meaning they submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they glorify Him, with the praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.

Humility in Our Conduct

When you demonstrate this humility to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it is natural that this is going to manifest in your demeanor, in your speech, and it also begins with the role of parents, of how they teach their children. So the way how you behave, Allah tells us how a person should behave with humility. Allah says in the Qur'an:

And the servants of the merciful, what are they like? They walk on this earth with humility.

They don't walk around in a haughty manner. Allah also tells us:

There are some people, you know, they walk, and they expect like people to move the road open for them. You know, they expect the roads to be cleared for them.

Look what this verse is saying. Do not walk arrogantly, thinking that you're so special that you're gonna actually split the earth open because you're a force to be reckoned with. Or thinking that you're so great and amazing that you've reached Mount Everest, like you've reached the mountain, like what the hadith says.

Putting yourself into perspective. Brothers and sisters, when it comes to parenting, I think it's very very important for teachers as well as for parents, that you find the balance. And I think there's an extreme on both ends.

Sometimes we have parents that do not acknowledge anything that their kid does good. For 50 years, 60 years, their entire life, they don't acknowledge anything, they don't thank them for anything. And on the same time you have some parents who, mashallah, their children can do no wrong.

Mashallah, my best habibi, you know, the light of my eyes, the delight of my eyes, could never do wrong. They're afraid to call out their children's mistakes, because they think that, oh if I do, I'm destroying their personality, I'm destroying whatever feelings that they have on the inside. We have to be balanced.

Don't over praise, but also acknowledge. Brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also tells us that being humble with other people is the characteristic of the believer.

(Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet ﷺ says, Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble, so that none of you will think that you are better than another person, and that none of you will treat another person lower, that you do not become arrogant over another person, and you do not transgress upon another person.

Even in the way how you dress, it has an effect on the people around you, brothers and sisters.

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet ﷺ says, whoever abandons an article of clothing for Allah, and we will explain what that means, whoever doesn't wear something for the sake of Allah, Allah will award them on the Day of Judgment, and call them out from among the rest of the creation, and let them choose from the adornments of faith, from the clothes of Jannah, whatever they wish.

So the scholars said, what does it mean to leave an article of clothing for the sake of Allah? It means that sometimes, even if you have the capacity to wear a $2,000 suit, but because when you walk around, and the people around you are going to see that and feel bad about their own situation, then it is better that you don't wear that, to draw that kind of attention.

Because when you dress like that, you are setting the standard, you are setting the social tone of how a person should be. Now we are not saying that person who chooses to dress nicely, should not dress nicely. Because another man came to the Prophet ﷺ, he says, Ya Rasulullah, a man perhaps likes to dress nicely, and the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih Muslim)

Allah is beautiful and Allah loves beauty.

With the believers, lower the wing of mercy, your side, be kind to them. Don't turn arrogantly away from them.

The Warning Against Arrogance

Finally, brothers and sisters, listen to this hadith and reflect. The Prophet ﷺ warns about people who are very arrogant, and what they will face on the Day of Judgment. May Allah protect us.

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet ﷺ says, on the Day of Judgment, the arrogant people, the people that used to think they're so special and amazing, and walk around arrogantly and haughtily, they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment like the size of ants.

They will be resurrected as humans, like the size of not just regular ants, but small ants. Why? وَالْجَزَاءُ مِنْ جِنْسِ الْعَمَلِ This is what they get from what they used to behave. They used to treat other people lowly, so Allah resurrects them like little tiny ants on the Day of Judgment.

And what happens to them? يَغْشَاهُمُ الذُّلُّ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ They are afraid of being stepped on in every direction. And don't forget on the Day of Judgment, humans will be resurrected back to the life and the size of Adam ﷺ. So you can imagine how small these people are going to be. I mean even right now, a human compared to an ant.

And then, may Allah protect us, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will drive, have the angels drive these ant-like humans, these arrogant individuals. He will drive them to a place in the hellfire. And they will be put into a prison specifically in hellfire, and it is called Bawlas.

And then the hellfire will punish them, and the drink that they will be given to humiliate them for the arrogance that they have, would be to feast and drink off of the pus of people in hellfire. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from that.

Reflection and Action

Brothers and sisters, use this time now, and reflect on the times that maybe you made fun of someone, that you might have mocked someone, that you might have looked at someone in a way thinking that they were beneath you, that you probably spoke to someone in an arrogant way, or you turned away from someone, or perhaps when you saw someone asking for money on the street, you quickly locked your doors and closed your car windows.

Brothers and sisters, the Prophet ﷺ tells us the recipe of how to become more humble. And he warns us by telling us the opposite of it. And that the root of arrogance is that a person is not receptive to the truth.

(Sahih Muslim)

بَطَرُ in Arabic means to reject, to deny. And when a person doesn't want to hear the truth because it doesn't make them feel good, or because they are embarrassed, they're not going to be able to hear the truth, they're not going to be able to change. That arrogance is what stops the guidance from coming into the heart.

And the Prophet ﷺ described and he said, وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ And it is by mockery of other people, making fun of other people.

Examples of Humility from the Salaf

Umar ibn al-Khattab radiallahu ta'ala anhu was, as you know, a person who was very vocal and very powerful, and yet he was the most humble of people. He used to go ask Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, if he was among the hypocrites.

As you know, the Prophet ﷺ had told Hudhayfah who the hypocrites of Medina were. And Umar ibn al-Khattab used to be afraid that he was a hypocrite. He was not afraid of saying, oh well, I'm Umar, I shouldn't have to go ask.

Fudhayl ibn Iyad He summarized what it means to be open to the truth, being humble to the truth. And he says, it is to accept the truth wherever it comes, even if the truth is spoken by a child. Even if the truth is spoken by someone who is more ignorant than you.

And there are times where we hear someone more ignorant than you hear what they say, and even though it is the truth, but you turn around, because it came from that person. That's not humility.

Imam Malik rahimahu Allah was visited by a man who came from their village, with all the questions of that village, about 40 questions to Imam Malik.

And he came and asked him. And 36 of them, Imam Malik said, I don't know. So this man said, Imam Malik, Imam dar al-hijrah, Imam al-Madinah, how can you not know the answer to these questions? And so Imam Malik said, and if they ask you what Imam Malik said, say to them that Imam Malik said that I don't know.

And he repeated it three times. We work in corporate, where there is this thing you hear about, fake it till you make it. Fake it till you make it.

And so sometimes we don't want to admit that we don't know something, and so we will say something, or maybe we'll say something about Islam, that is not true, because we don't want to lose face. Brothers and sisters, being humble also requires for you to be balanced in how you view yourself. Don't think that you are someone special and that deserves special treatment.

Malik ibn Dinar, a great scholar of the past, he was one time passing by this young man, and this young man was walking in a very arrogant way, so he admonished him. And this young man, whose father was a military commander, he said to him, أَمَا تَعْرِفُنِي Do you know who I am? This is what a lot of arrogant people love to say on their tongues. Do you know who you're talking to? Do you know who you're speaking to? Do you know who I am? Do you know who I know? And then he says, You? Yes, I know who you are.

I know exactly who you are. In the beginning you were a drop of semen, and in the end of your life you are a stinking corpse. And at that moment, he immediately became humble and he realized that he cannot behave in such an arrogant way.

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was one time with a guest of his, and he was doing some work at night, he was writing, and the lamp, the oil lamp in front of him was sort of dying out. And so the guest said to him, Let me go fix it for you, and pour some more oil into this lamp. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz said, Why should I make my guest stand up and do these things? So he got up, and he fixed the lamp, he added some more oil, and he came back, and this is what he says.

He said, قُمْتُ وَأَنَا عُمَرُ وَرَجَعْتُ وَأَنَا عُمَرُ I stood up, I'm Umar still, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, and by the time I sat down again, I'm still Umar. He's not thinking that, Oh, I'm the khalifa, therefore I deserve special treatment. The Prophet ﷺ demonstrated this kind of humility.

In the way, where he was described as when a bedouin would come to the Prophet ﷺ, if there are companions sitting with the Prophet ﷺ, that person wouldn't know who the Prophet was. The Prophet ﷺ wasn't sitting in a prominent position on a throne or something, waiting for people to wave at him and greet him. The Prophet ﷺ heavily disliked that when he would enter upon a gathering, that the people would stand up for him.

The Prophet ﷺ disliked it very much because it is a type of potential source of arrogance. Brothers and sisters, sometimes humility comes when Allah puts you in a situation where you never thought you would have to do such a thing. Let's say for example, you were in a certain career and stuff happened.

For example, you look in the war in Syria, there were doctors and successful engineers, and now they're doing a completely different thing now. And nothing is beneath them, that's what I'm trying to teach you. Nothing is beneath you.

Don't think that, oh, this work, this laborious work, this manual labor is beneath me, that I cannot do it. Finally, brothers and sisters, being humble is the direct path to paradise.

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet ﷺ says, whoever dies, and is free from arrogance, from enmity, and from debt, financial debt, they will enter paradise.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us among those who will be humble. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that you do not make us among the arrogant. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that you count us among the people of Jannah.