10 - الْمُتَكَبِّرُ

[ummtaalib]

الْمُتَكَبِّرُ

 

Translation 

الْمُتَكَبِّرُ is translated as the Imperious (Imperious coming from imperial i.e. royal), The Supremely Great and The Perfection of Greatness. Another form of this name used in the Qur’an referring to Allah ta’ala is الكَبِير (The Great/Big). It is also used in Salaah when we say  اللهُ اكْبَر (Allah is Great) which are from the same root word.

 

Definition

Allah ta’ala in terms of His Sifaat and condition is Pure and better and bigger (Big is the key word) than anything else. Everything in comparison to Allah ta’ala is small. Nothing is comparable to Him and everything is below or beneath Him in terms of Sifaat, strength, knowledge, power etc. 

 

In the Qur’an

الْمُتَكَبِّرُ is used only once in the Qur’an in verse 23 in Surah Hashr  and الكَبِير is used 6 times. 

 

Not shared by Humans

This is a Sifat which cannot be shared by human beings. Some names like  الرَّحِيمُ الْغَفّورُ can be shared by humans and we should be merciful and forgiving to fellow humans. Some names are reserved for Allah ta’ala alone and this is one of them. 

For Allah ta’ala, this is His praise and to be used by anyone other than Allah ta’ala is a sin, a weakness and a fault to be called مُتَكَبِّرُ or to have that attitude. If a person feels and claims greatness i.e. “I am great/important” then it is a lie and it is wrong. 

 

كبريـاء

The word كبريـاء (Kibriyaa’) – Greatness, comes from this name. The greatness of the earth and the skies is only for Allah ta’ala. The oceans, mountains etc. do Tasbeeh of Him alone. We see this again and again in the Qur’an. Allah ta’ala says in Surah Jaathiya (verse 37), 

 

وَلَهُ الْكِبْرِيَاءُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ 
 

To Him belongs greatness throughout the heavens and the earth, and He Alone is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

 

Therefore no one can take part of His Kibriyaai (Greatness) or share in it and we are also part of the greatness of the earth. Whatever good human beings have done i.e. success in terms of inventions, coming up with interesting concepts or doing good for fellow humans is all indirectly contributed to Allah ta’ala since He gave human beings that ability, intelligence etc. to do it. 

When a person realizes this then they realize their own humility as there is a connection between realizing one’s own humility and then realizing the greatness of Allah ta’ala. When a person is attentive and appreciative of the Ihsaanaat of Allah ta’ala upon humanity and does things for His pleasure then he realizes the greatness of Allah ta’ala and when that happens the person can appreciate the greatness of other people and show respect to others as well. True greatness however belongs to Allah ta’ala alone and it is Him alone we should please. 

 

Disease of the Heart

Attributing greatness to one’s self is a disease of the heart. It is called Takabbur and it has different levels. 

•  The highest level is called Takabbur – arrogance in English. This is when one thinks they are better than others and they project that image and make other people feel it. This is a major disease of the heart and a sin. It is mentioned in Hadith that “He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.”

Some Scholars say it is an atomic disease i.e. seems very small but can cause great spiritual destruction like an atom bomb which can cause great destruction. 

 

• The lower level is Kibr. This is where a person thinks they are great but does not project it so much i.e. they do not act upon it and though they think it, others may not realize it or feel it. It is also a sin and can lead to Takabbur. 

 

• The lowest level is Ujb – self-conceit/vanity/ being egotistical or full of one’s own self. The person may not think they are better than others and is more interested in his own self  i.e. it is all about “me.” To an extent we live in a “me” culture where life revolves around one’s own issues and problems and everyone is egotistical to some degree. This is where a person gives themselves self-importance.

In a Hadith Qudsi Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said that Allah ta’ala said,
“Pride is my cloak and greatness My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire.” [Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah]

Allah ta’ala uses the analogy of a garment saying if anyone tries to snatch it they will go into Jahannam. A person who claims greatness thinks they can share in the greatness of Allah ta’ala but this is a trait no one can share. 

 

Realising the Greatness of Allah ta’ala

One way to realise the greatness of Allah ta’ala is to reflect upon the whole universe and the signs of Allah ta’ala in all of creation. It makes a person feel small and insignificant. We should put ourselves in situations or environment where we can feel the Greatness and Supremeness of Allah ta’ala and to feel small, imperfect and insignificant i.e. looking up at the stars on a dark night in a rural area. Looking at the sky is something which brings a person closer to Allah ta’ala. In Surah Mulk (verse 3) Allah ta’ala says, 

 

الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِنْ فُطُورٍ
 

“The One Who created the seven heavens, one above another, you will not see any flaw in the creation of the Compassionate. Look once again, do you see any flaw?”

 

Knowing Allah ta’ala but not knowing Allah ta’ala

Allah ta’ala is telling us to look at the sky and though Allah ta’ala is everywhere, the sky is something which makes you realize there is a whole universe we can glimpse into. The stars are millions of light years away and we can see them with our naked eyes but we cannot reach them. It is so strange that Allah ta’ala is telling us to look at the sky and you can look but do not really know though you can feel something is there. Allah ta’ala’s Greatness is something we can feel but we do not really know or understand the Haqeeqat and as was mentioned in the introduction, knowing Allah ta’ala but not knowing Allah ta’ala. Yes you can know Him and yes you can never know Him. 

 

Ibraheem AS and His realising the Greatness of Allah ta’ala

Different Ambiyaa went through this. It is mentioned in the Qur’an regarding Ibraheem AS,

 
فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا ۖ قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ
 

When the night drew its shadow over him, he saw a star and said, "this is my Rabb." But when it set, he said: "I do not love to worship such a god that fades away." [Surah Al-An’aam 76]

فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِنْ لَمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لَأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الضَّالِّينَ
 

Afterwards he saw the moon shining, he said; "This is my Rabb." But when it also set, he cried: "If my Rabb does not guide me, I shall certainly become one of those who go astray." [Surah Al-An’aam 77]

فَلَمَّا رَأَى الشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّي هَٰذَا أَكْبَرُ ۖ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
 

Then when he saw the sun with its brighter shine, and he said: "This must be my Rabb; it is larger than the other two." But when it also set, he exclaimed: "O my people! I am done with your shirk (associating partners with Allah” [Surah Al-An’aam 78]
 

He realised Allah ta’ala was Bigger/Greater than the sun, moon and stars and He controlled the movements of these huge objects.

 

Feeling Allah ta’ala’s Kibriyaai

To feel Allah ta’ala’s Kibriyaai in our hearts we should reflect upon it by looking at the universe and the world around us. We should realise the Greatness of Allah ta’ala both, in our hearts and on our tongues when we say اللهُ اكْبَر 

In Surah Bani Isra’eel, Allah ta’ala tells says,

 

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلِيٌّ مِنَ الذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا
 

and say: "Praise be to Allah, the One Who has begotten no son and Who has no partner in His Kingdom; nor He is helpless to need a protector, and glorify His greatness in the best possible way." [Surah Israa: 111]

 

If we look at the Adhaan how many times is the Takbeer recited? It is recited six times and if one lives in a place where the Adhaan can be heard then for the five prayer times one hears it 30 times. Then in each Iqaamah for those who pray in the Masjid, it is heard another 30 times for the five prayers. Then while performing Salah the Takbeer is recited at the movement for each posture. It has been calculated that if one prays the five prayers with the Fard, Waajib, Sunnat and Nawaafil then the Takbeer is recited 96 times in each Salaah. The Takbeeraat are also recited during Hajj, in the ‘Eid and Janaaza Salaah, when slaughtering the animal etc. Allah ta’ala is constantly reminding us that He is The Greatest. 

 

We are actually affected by the bigness of things i.e. a big country, a grand house, people who have a lot of wealth etc. and we start regarding them as important. Why? Because they are so big and Allah ta’ala is reminding us saying, “No, I am the Biggest” Therefore when we see these great things and are impressed by them or we are impressed by our own selves we should say اللهُ اكْبَر and we should be careful about giving greatness to our own selves. 

 

Allah ta’ala is very patient with human beings. Scholars give an example of a man with many children the eldest of whom starts acting like the father to the younger ones. At first the father may find it amusing however after a point he will scold the eldest child. Similarly Allah ta’ala lets it go when a person starts thinking themselves great but eventually Allah ta’ala will punish. 

 

Remedy to Inculcate Humility

Therefore we should have Istihzaar (awareness) of His greatness at all times and the best way to do it is to be humble in respect to Allah ta’ala and other people and our own selves and our achievements especially when we are praised. One way to divert attention away from our own selves when we are praised and we start to feel important and significant is to say اللهُ اكْبَر and think that it is Allah ta’ala Who is deserving of this praise, as any good which has come to me is from Allah ta’ala and He covers up all my negative points from creation. He puts a veil over them and makes apparent my good points. 

 

We should realize our Haqeeqat/Asl and when we realize it, there will be no Takabbur. In the Qur’an Allah ta’ala says again and again to look at where we come from, what our origin is and what we are made of; an impure drop of water. 

 

The Salaf Saaliheen used to make Tarbiyat of their children regarding this. There is a story about ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Azeez (رحمه الله), the famous Khaleefah after the Khulafa Raashideen. He was very pious and when he became Khaleefah he gave away a lot of wealth which he believed was impermissible for him and so his family had to become used to a lower standard of living. His son once made a ring worth a thousand Dinaar which was a lot of money and when ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Azeez (رحمه الله) heard, he wrote to his son saying, “It is better you sell the ring and feed a thousand hungry people and make a simple iron ring with the words,‘Rahimahullahu imran ‘Arafa qadarahu nafsihi’” – Meaning may Allah have mercy on such a man who recognizes the worth of his own self i.e. to realise how temporary and insignificant you are. This does not mean you feel lowly and degrade yourself but not to put so much importance on materialistic things because you deem yourself worthy of it. 

 

Do not Forget your Haqeeqat

Although it is permissible in Deen to spend money and have good things but when a person does that it is opening the door to potential arrogance. A person can get infatuated with his own self and unfortunately we live in a very materialistic culture and this is not just in the Western cultures but also among Muslims. We are fixated with looking good and having an image and we spend a lot of money to that end. So again we are giving self-importance to ourselves and forgetting our Haqeeqat. What is the intention of spending so much money on something like a watch? If it is an investment like on gold and silver jewellery which a woman can wear as well then it is different however if it is to show off then it becomes a problem. As women we also need to keep in mind if something is Israaf (extravagance) and if it permissible. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam gave us very explicit guidelines and we should find out and we should refrain from anything which is Riyaa or Takabbur or Israaf and if it is Israaf then we should take the middle road. Scholars have said the middle line where Israaf is concerned is, “what in your community the people above you do not look lowly upon and those people below you do not think you are showing off.” Therefore it depends on people’s backgrounds, cultures and situations.

 

Everyone needs to be careful regarding Takabbur, especially people with a lot of wealth, intelligence and degrees, beauty, fame etc. 

 

Maalik bin Dinaar (رحمه الله) was a famous Scholar. One day the son of a Wazeer walked by him with  a lot of pride, arrogance and the gait of a prince. Maalik bin Dinaar (رحمه الله) said to him, “Won’t it be good to leave Takabbur.” The son of the Wazeer replied by asking if he recognized him meaning “how can you talk to me like this?” Maalik bin Dinaar (رحمه الله) said, “Yes I recognize you. Your beginning was an impure drop of water and your end will be a bad smelling body and in between you are carrying Najaasat i.e. in your stomach” meaning this is your Haqeeqat. When he said this, it touched the heart of the Wazeer’s son. He bowed his head and made Tawbah. 

 

Summary of the Remedies of Takabbur

 

• Knowing your Haqeeqat
• Making Du’a for humility
• Not making excuses when someone criticizes you or points out your mistake and for this, you need a big and humble heart. If you do not accept the truth it shows there is some Takabbur in your heart.
• To refrain from “My” “I”
• When we see faults in others or are being critical of them, to look for faults in your own self
• Being careful how we treat others especially those dependent on us in terms of power/authority i.e. mother over children, teacher over student etc. How we treat others reflects on us. How a janitor or the person who cleans the toilet is treated is different to how elders are treated. 
• To think of Allah ta’ala’s Kibriyaai when we hear the Adhaan and perform Salaah (especially when we say the Takbeer)

The more humility we see in our own selves, the more we will see Allah ta’ala as Al-Mutakabbir and the more we realise the greatness of Allah ta’ala , the more we will realize our own humility

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