The first to display arrogance was Iblīs, who refused a direct command from Allah — not out of ignorance, but out of pride.

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

"And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they all prostrated except Iblīs. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers."
— Surah al-Baqarah (2:34)

His arrogance led to disbelief — and expulsion from Allah’s mercy. We ask Allah to protect us from that, Ameen.

Arrogance, therefore, is more than a character flaw; it is a path to destruction.

1. Arrogance Prevents Guidance

Shaykh Joe Bradford, one of our instructors at Zidni, I ask Allah to preserve him ameen, shared a gem as a reminder:

• It shows the importance of purity and cleanliness, both in general and specific matters
• It demonstrates that Muslims should learn religious rulings concerning the opposite gender, whether they are men or women
• It shows a knowledgeable woman teaching other women
• And women teaching their husbands the religious rulings they've learned
• It shows that a man can receive knowledge from his wife just as she receives it from him
• Knowledge and teaching are not restricted to men alone
• It also shows that it is natural for a woman to be modest in addressing men, even if she is a scholar of standing and status
• It shows that transmitting the Sunnah as evidence for why an action should be done was a norm among early generations
• It shows that learning and sharing beneficial knowledge should be a norm among men, women, and children.
• It demonstrates using the Prophet's ﷺ actions as evidence for rulings

Arrogance can cause us to reject truth — not because we disagree with the message, but because we don’t like the messenger:

• A younger Muslim reminds us of a hadith — and we brush it off.
• A woman shares an ayah — and we act as if it holds no weight.
• A child corrects a mistake — and we feel insulted.
• A spouse advises us — and we become defensive.

The cure for arrogance is humility — not weakness or self-loathing, but sincere submission to Allah and acceptance of truth wherever it comes from.

وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا

"And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly..."
— Surah al-Furqān (25:63)

And in a Hadith it is mentioned:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ وَمَا زَادَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا بِعَفْوٍ إِلاَّ عِزًّا وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ as saying: "Charity does not decrease wealth, no one forgives another except that Allah increases his honor, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2588]

The path to greatness is paved with humility.

• Do I refuse advice because of who it comes from?
• Do I see myself as better than others — due to knowledge, age, gender, or status?
• Do I become angry when corrected?

There are many supplications for purification, here is one we picked, and I ask Allah to accept it from us, Ameen.

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ، قَالَ لاَ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِلاَّ كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ كَانَ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْهَرَمِ وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ اللَّهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِي تَقْوَاهَا وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلاَهَا اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لاَ يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لاَ يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لاَ تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Zaid b. Arqam رضي الله عنه reported: "I am not going to say anything but only that which Allah's Messenger ﷺ used to say. He ﷺ used to supplicate: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity, from sloth, from cowardice, from miserliness, decrepitude and from torment of the grave. O Allah, grant to my soul the sense of righteousness and purify it, for You are the Best Purifier thereof. You are the Protecting Friend thereof, and Guardian thereof. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge which does not benefit, from the heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from the soul that does not feel contented and the supplication that is not responded."
[Sahih Muslim 2722]