Admiration

We Praise Allah Alone, and his Prayers and peace be upon the last Messenger.

Admiration is a lesion that affects countless people, hence turning them from thanking Allah to thanking oneself, and from praising Allah to praising oneself while not deserving it, and from humility and submission to his will, rather having pride, arrogance and showing off their deeds. All this leads to despising others and demolishing their rights instead of respecting and recognizing their status.

Admiration is having pride in oneself, exaggerating their deeds while depending on it, moreover associating these deeds to their own efforts instead of Allah Almighty May he be glorified.

Drawback of Admiration: It demolishes good deeds, covers one’s merits, and attracts dispraise.

Al-Mawerdi said: “Arrogance covers one’s merits and uncovers flaws, attracts dispraise, and repels virtues. Arrogance leads to nothing except for endless detest, and only ends up with ignorance, besides, it puts out every merit he was known for. Not to mention, detest that tears down every virtue while envy and rage emerges from others.”

Ruling of Arrogance

Arrogance is prohibited, as it’s another illustration of Shirk (polytheism)…
Shaikh Al Islam Ibn Taymmiyah -May Allah have mercy on him- said: “Ryaa’ (showing off deeds) is usually connected to Admiration, Ryaa’ is a kind of Shirk (polytheism) accompanying creatures with Allah Almighty in worship, and Admiration is a kind of shirk (polytheism) accompanying oneself with Allah Almighty, this is the state of the arrogant. The Mura’y (person committing Ryaa’) does not apply “It is You we worship” [Al-Fatiha 1:5]

Ibn Fares commented on that saying: “Meaning he will be sinking in earth with harsh tumbling, passing from layer to layer. Thus, he will be sinking with a harsh tumble deep from layer to layer.”

Words of the righteous Forefathers

Ibn Mas’ud said: “doom is in two things: discontent and arrogance.”

Abu Hamed Said: “The two have been related because happiness is only achieved through exerting effort and striving for the best while the discontent does not pursue nor have an objective. The Arrogant thinks that he achieved happiness and what he wished for, thus not pursuing anymore.”

Mutraf said: “To sleep the night waking up in regret is better for me than staying up all night praying and rise in the morning admiring myself for what I did.”

Bishr Ibn Mansour was one of those people if seen, remembrance of Allah and the hereafter comes to mind as he showed persistence in worship. He once extended his prayers while a man joined him, Bishr knew what the man was thinking so he initiated saying “Do not be admired by what you saw of me, Iblies (Satan) –May Allah curse him – worshiped Allah for a long time, side by side to the Angles, until he ended up in the state he’s in now.”

‘Aisha Mother of the believers –May Allah be pleased with her _ was asked once “When is a person considered wrong-doing?” she replied, “When he thinks he is doing well.”

‘Ali Ibn Aby Talib – May Allah be pleased with him- said: “Admiring contradicts righteousness, and it’s the lesion of intellect.”

It was said that, “The ordeal that it bears is not fit of envy is Humility, while the ordeal that doesn’t have mercy to its bearer is Admiring oneself.”

Admiration and Infidelity

Admiration could overcome someone until it leads him to infidelity and exiting the folds of Islam. As the case with Iblies – May Allah curse him – where he was admired by his creation (from fire) and his outstanding worship, thus leading him to arrogance and disobeying the command of Allah Almighty to prostrate to Adam – May the peace of Allah be upon him.

Al-‘Ahnaf Ibn Qais said: “I’m in a state of astonishment from whom passed through the passage of urine twice (Son of Adam in the reproduction process) being arrogant.”

The relation between admiration to arrogance & showing off

Ibn Qudamah said: “Know fellow Muslim that admiration leads to arrogance, being one of its causes, thus, Arrogance emerges from Admiration. Arrogance generates other lesions that affect other creatures.”

Concerning the Creator, admiring one’s acts of worship as a result of magnifying and regarding it as a favor to Allah. He forgot the blessing and guidance granted to him, oversees lesions that spoil these acts. Only who inspects the lesions of the acts whom will be cautious of its outcome, unlike who felt content and admired it.

Abu Hamed Al-Ghazzali – May Allah have mercy on him- said: “You won’t find a show off that isn’t admired by his deeds, many of whom admire but never show off, as admiration occurs by magnifying the act and disregarding the blessing of guiding to it, while not expecting a reward for it. Showing off does not consummate unless expecting reward. Thus, if he expected his supplication to be granted, neglecting the fact that it could be rejected deep in him and wonders about it, he is showing off his knowledge. Because he is not surprised with rejecting the supplication of a dissolute (looking down at him), rather he is surprised from rejecting his supplication for that. This is admiration and showing off, where it is the preliminaries of arrogance and its causes.”

Forms of Admiration:
· Rejecting rights and despising people
· Looking down to people
· Refraining from consulting rational and virtuous people
· Walking with arrogance
· Magnifying deeds and regard it as countless
· Showing-off with knowledge and displaying it
· Carp at people and backbiting them
· Admiring one’s lineage and beauty
· Contradicting others on purpose arrogantly
· Belittling pious scholars
· Self-praising
· Overlooking sins and belittling it
· Always expecting a handsome reward, forgiveness and answering of supplication
· Insist on mistaking
· Neglecting good deeds thinking he attained perfection
· Despising the dissolute and the disobedient
· To lead with no knowledge
· Not listening to the people of knowledge

Causes of Admiration

• Ignorance, surprisingly some people are admired by their deeds, knowledge of disputed matters and scholars opinions, but if he knew that his admiration to his knowledge perceives his ignorance he wouldn’t be admiring himself. Abu Hamed said: “Admiration sickness is total ignorance and its remedy emerges from acquiring the knowledge that opposes this ignorance only.”
• Lack of devoutness and piety
• Neglecting that Allah is watching over you
• Lack of sincere advisor
• Bad intention and wicked self
• People praising someone too much which assists the devil on deluding him
• Fascination with worldly affairs, following vain desires and the deluding evil self
• Lack of contemplation, if he did contemplate he would be sure every blessing under his disposal is from Allah Almighty
• Lack of gratitude to Allah Almighty
• Lack of remembrance of Allah Almighty
• Lack of pondering on the Qur’an and Sunnah
• Feeling safe, destined away from Allah’s Almighty plot and relying on his forgiveness and pardon

The Remedy of Admiration

Abu Hamed Al-Ghazaly Mentioned seven ways to cure admiration:

1- Admiration with his body
Admiring its beauty, form, health and strength, Looking to the proportionality of his looks, its beauty and unique voice thus pondering on his own beauty. Omit that it is a blessing from Allah and a subject of diminishing.

Remedy: Remembering the filth that in his digestive system from the beginning till the end, and how other beautiful looks have been ruptured beneath the soil, rotten the grave until being detested by nature.

2- Admiring ability of power and assault
The Manner of the People of ‘Ad where Allah Almighty narrated their story saying: "Who is greater than us in strength?" [Fusilat 41:15]
 

Transliteration: man ashaddu minna quwwatan

Remedy: Thanking Allah Almighty for the grace of intellect, knowing that the slightest illness affecting his brain can lead to madness were people will laugh at him. He mustn’t be confident; his intellect may vanish if he admired it while not thanking Allah for it. He must be sure that even the knowledge given to him is little and what he is ignorant exceeds what he knows.

3- Admiring the unique lineage
An admiration that goes to the extent that some people think that they will escape the punishment of the hereafter and forgiven for the sake of their noble lineage. Moreover, some of them imagine that all creatures are loyal and slaves to them.

Remedy: To know that even if he contradicts the acts and morals of his forefathers, and believes he will reach their rank hence he is ignorant. However, if he did imitate his ancestors he would not find admiration for oneself in their attitude, rather looking down at oneself and humiliating it. Their nobility restricted to obedience, knowledge and pleasant virtues not to lineage, his pride must be in what they found pride in. Others have been equated with them in lineage and tribal honor who did not believe in Allah and the Hereafter, to Allah they are more despicable than dogs and pigs. That’s why Allah relates nobility with piety rather than lineage, He Almighty said “Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” [Al-Hujurat :13]
 

Transliteration: inna akramakum AAinda Allahi atqakum.

4- Admiring the large number of individuals (coalition)
In breed, servants, tribe, relatives, allies and followers, confirming with the words of the infidels: “And they say: "We are more in wealth and in children” [Saba’ 34:35]
 

Transliteration: Waqaloo nahnu aktharu amwalan waawladan

Remedy: Ponder on his and their weakness, and they are all helpless slaves of Allah, were they could not benefit or harm their selves. Moreover how is he going to admire them after he dies while they are scattered, leaving him buried alone in his grave humiliated while no one will accompany him from his wife, children, relatives and friend, no one!!

5- Admiring lineage of oppressive rulers and their apprenticesnegating the lineage of religion and knowledge, this occurs out of utter ignorance.

Remedy: to think about their disgraceful acts, oppressing servants of Allah and corrupt the religion. Know that they are detested by Allah Almighty, and if he observes their state in hellfire, examining their rotten and filthiness he would refrain from following them, moreover disowning their lineage.

6- Admiring of Money
As Allah Almighty narrated the story of the two gardens “I am more than you in wealth and stronger in respect of men.” [Al-Kahf 18:34]