Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech

Pride And Boasting

Pride and boasting-الفخر والتفاخر

  1. What reason has a human being to be proud when his beginning is a drop of semen and his end is a carcass; neither can he sustain himself nor can he repel his [own] death!

1ـ ما لابْنِ آدَمَ والفَخْرَ، وأوَّلُهُ نُطْفَةٌ، وآخِرُهُ جيفَةٌ،

لايَرْزُقُ نَفْسَهُ، وَلايَدْفَعُ حَتْفَهُ.

  1. Never become proud of a state that you attained without [any] device [and hard work], and never be arrogant of a rank that you attained without merit, for indeed that which is built by circumstance is destroyed by entitlement.

2ـ لاتَدُلَّنَّ بِحالَة بَلَغْتَها بِغَيْرِ آلَة، ولاتَفْخِرَنَّ

بِمَرْتَبـَة نِلْتَها مِنْ غَيْرِ مَنْقَبَة، فَإنَّ ما يَبْنيهِ الإتِّفاقُ يَهْدِمُهُ الاِسْتِحْقاقُ.

  1. There is no foolishness greater than arrogance.

3ـ لاحُمْقَ أعْظَمُ مِنَ الفَخْرِ.

  1. Boasting ought to be about the greatest effort, keeping promises and being overly generous, not about the worn out bones [of one’s ancestors] and evil traits.

4ـ يَنْبَغي أنْ يَكُونَ التَّفاخُرُ بِعَلِيِّ الهِمَمِ، والوَفاءِ

بِالذِّمَمِ، والمُبالَغَةِ فيِ الكَرَمِ، لابِبَوالِى الرِّمَمِ، ورَذائِلِ الشِّيَمِ.

  1. Boastfulness stems from the smallness of [one’s] status [and worth].

5ـ اَلاِفْتِخارُ مِنْ صِغَرِ الأقْدارِ.

  1. Beware of contesting with Allah, the Glorified, in His greatness, for Allah, the Most High, abases every tyrant and belittles every boaster.

6ـ إيّاكَ ومُساماةَ اللّهِ سُبْحانَهُ في عَظَمَتِهِ، فَإنَّ اللّهَ

تَعالى يُذِلُّ كُلَّ جَبّار، وَيُهينُ كُلَّ مُخْتال.