ʿUjb bi al-Nafs · Self-Admiration

The story

At Ḥunayn, the Companions briefly admired their own numbers. Allah let them taste defeat for a moment to teach the lesson, then sent the angels. ʿUjb was rebuked even in the Sahaba; how much more must we guard against it?

Why it's named first

The Prophet ﷺ named three destroyers: greed obeyed, desire followed, and a man's admiration of himself (al-Bayhaqī). ʿUjb is silent; the bearer rarely notices. He prays well; he gives generously; he memorizes Qur'an. He looks at himself doing this and is pleased with the self that is doing it. The pleasure is the disease.

In the Qur'an

لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْـًٔا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ

“Allāh has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Ḥunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with [i.e., in spite of] its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing.”

9:25Listen Read 9:25 with tafsir

Svenska: Gud har kommit till er hjälp i många drabbningar och [så gjorde Han] under slaget vid Hunayn när er styrka gjorde er övermodiga, fastän den inte räckte till för att ge er segern; då kändes den vida jorden trång för er, och till sist gjorde ni helt om och flydde.

In the Sunnah

«ثَلَاثٌ مُهْلِكَاتٌ: شُحٌّ مُطَاعٌ، وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعٌ، وَإِعْجَابُ الْمَرْءِ بِنَفْسِهِ».

The cure

After every good deed, name your inadequacy. 'O Allah, this would not have happened without You; forgive what I cannot see in this deed.' Mention your sins to yourself when good thoughts arise. The believer's sense of self is realistic: he sees his sins as larger than his deeds and asks accordingly.

What is at stake

ʿUjb erases the deed. The Sahaba said: a deed that does not reach Allah is the one the doer admired.