Humility of the Prophet ﷺ
By Hisham Abu Yusuf | 2026-10-07T17:39:17.864094+00:00 | Topic: Humility | Masjid: Hisham Abu Yusuf
Summary
My First Day in the UK
- Recalling my initial experience at university in the UK.
- I stood up to greet the professor, saying 'Good morning, sir.'
- My colleagues found my gesture amusing and laughed.
The Prophet's Instruction on Standing
- The companions would stand up when the Prophet ﷺ entered a room.
- He explicitly told them, 'Don't stand up. Sit back down.'
- This was a direct command against a common practice of showing respect.
Rejecting the Ways of Arrogance
- The Prophet ﷺ forbade standing up for him as a form of excessive veneration.
- He compared it to the customs of the Romans and Persians.
- Emphasized that this is not the way of the Muslims.
The Problem with Seeking Adulation
- If one desires people to stand up upon their entrance, it indicates a spiritual problem.
- This desire often stems from a sense of self-importance or thinking one is 'special'.
- True humility means not seeking such outward displays of reverence.
Emulating Prophetic Humility
- The Prophet ﷺ embodied humility in all his interactions.
- He would 'go down to people,' meaning he connected with everyone on their level.
- His example teaches us to be approachable and to serve, rather than to be served.
Humility of the Prophet ﷺ
I still remember my first day in the UK in university. The Professor entered the room, I stood up. "Good morning, sir."
All my colleagues were laughing at me. But what amazed me was when I heard for the first time that the Prophet ﷺ entered the room and his companions stood up — and he told them, "Don't stand up. Sit back down."
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 5230)
He said, "This is what the Romans and the Persians do. This is not what we do. When I enter the room, do not stand up."
And if you want people to stand up for your entrance, you have a problem. Why? You think you're special? You're not special. Let them stay seated.
You go down to them. This is how the Prophet ﷺ would be in his humility. He would go down to people.