Pride Is a Cause of Sorrow and Trouble in This World and the Hereafter

Pride is a moral defect that Allah does not like. A proud person is suffering from the disease of conceit. The reason for that conceit is that the person assigns himself a separate identity and regards himself and those around him as creatures independent of Allah. (Surely Allah is beyond that!)

Such a person believes that everything he does and everything he possesses is his and his alone. For example, when he achieves any success, he shows off and views himself as a wonderful person. He wants to make those around him feel that he is superior under every circumstance.

In fact, such people can never achieve the true honors they pursue because respect is earned only by following the Qur'an. Allah informs us of this truth:

If the truth were to follow their whims and desires, the heavens and the Earth and everyone in them would have been brought to ruin. No indeed! We have given them their Reminder [that by which one is remembered, i.e., with praise], but they have turned away from it. (Surat al-Muminun: 71)

When a person does not conform to the Qur'an, everything is brought to ruin, as Allah tells us in this verse. In another verse, Allah points out that people often fall into this error and that they seek honor and respect for an illusion of superiority:

They say, "If we return to Madina, the more honorable will drive out the inferior." But all honor belongs to Allah and to His messenger and the believers. But the hypocrites do not know this. (Surat al-Munafiqun: 8)

As the verse tells us, honor and might belong to Allah, and Allah grants this superiority only to those of His followers who demonstrate high moral standards.

Although they say that they believe, some people still remain under the influence of suggestions they have received during their ignorant lives and cannot bear to abandon their pride. The truth is, pride and false superiority are among the foremost factors that drive people to torment.

At the same time, pride is a moral defect which drives people into sin and causes them to commit many immoralities and bad acts which do not conform to the Qur'an:

When he is told to fear Allah, he is seized by pride which drives him to wrongdoing. Hell will be enough for him! What an evil resting-place! (Surat al-Baqara: 206)

A prideful person loves himself more than anybody else. Because of this, in everything that goes against his own advantage, he pushes his own passions and desires to the forefront rather than considering the approval of Allah or his own conscience. This inevitably directs him towards wickedness and low morality.

Though a prideful person sets himself above everyone else and always pursues his own interests, he can never find the happiness and tranquility he seeks.
Prideful people can never taste the many beautiful things experienced by the truly faithful. For example, they can never experience real love.

Because they love themselves more than anyone or anything else in the world, they are unable to love others as they should. They cannot openly express the affection they feel for another, and cannot treat others with kindness or show them the warmth, sincerity and friendship that love requires. Because of the cold and formal character which they display, they cannot be loved by others either.

Prideful people cannot accept being defeated in any matter, and because their egos are dominant, they always damage friendships and display behavior that causes tension and unease. They cannot display an optimistic, patient, humble, forgiving and conciliatory character.

They want whatever they say to always be accepted. When there is a disagreement, they behave in an obstinate, stiff-necked fashion and refuse to back down. When what they want is not done, they make trouble, which all causes them to be regarded as difficult and quarrelsome.

It is very difficult for them to make friendships, to have a friendly chat or experience love, friendship and superior morality. This causes them to become unloved by people around them. Their presence causes discomfort for others, and for them this is a great loss.

Within these people, inability to experience these beautiful feelings secretly turns into a great sorrow. Although they feel a need to love and be loved, make friendships and share superior morality with others, their own pride and conceit simply prevent them from doing so. They feel a deep longing for these things, but cannot attain them, which causes them to continually suffer from secret sorrow.

Another kind of sorrow that pride causes is the fear these people have of making mistakes. Because they claim to be flawless, they also claim to be immune to error. As a result, they feel very troubled whenever they do make a mistake. They aim to protect their prestige in the eyes of others, instead of earning Allah's approval.

Having another person point out their errors or defects is very hurtful to their pride. In such an event, they feel shaken, thinking they have demeaned themselves and lost face in the eyes of others. For this reason, they are constantly living in fear and tension inside themselves.

They cannot act as they would like and live a normal life. Part of their minds is always calculating, so that they behave according to the calculation instead of sincerely and from the heart. Because of this, they are under stress and always compelled to act artificially.

For example, where everybody is enjoying themselves, in contrast to everyone else, proud people suffer sorrow. On the one hand, they feel a great desire to join in the entertainment, but on the other, they remain aloof out of fear that they will demean themselves if they demonstrate undignified behavior.

Because of their own approach, these people are forced to live with their obstinacy in a cold and lonely world. If they were able to show a submissive character towards Allah and the faithful, all these troubles would be at an end.

With submission, they would acquire cheerfulness, tranquility and happiness in place of sorrow because a submissive person has no fear of making mistakes. When a mistake he's made is pointed out to him, he immediately turns towards Allah to ask for forgiveness and corrects his intentions and behavior.

Moreover, through his devotion, he regards the correction as a blessing for him and is happy to think that it is a means of developing himself further. He sets store not on what others think of him, but on Allah's approval. Obviously the spiritual state and the life of a person who thinks like this are quite different from those of a person who suffers tension and discomfort because of his pride.

Never forget that pride is the basic characteristic of satan. It caused his expulsion from Paradise, his condemnation by Allah and has ensured his abode and torment in Hell. For this reason, people who forget their own feebleness with regards to the power of Allah and enter into competition with others out of unjustified pride should fear the same rewards as satan's.

Indeed Allah has pointed out that bitter torment in the Hereafter awaits people who cannot rescue themselves from the value judgments of the society of the ignorant and persist in their obstinacy in the name of personal honor. Allah tells us how those who pretend to worldly greatness will be called upon on that day:

Taste that! You are the mighty one, the noble one! (Surat ad-Dukhan: 49)
True honor and superiority are for people who behave submissively, inoffensively and gently while on Earth. Allah gives the faithful this good news:

If you avoid the serious wrong actions you have been forbidden, We will erase your bad actions from you and admit you by a Gate of Honor. (Surat an-Nisa': 31)

Inability to Fully Comprehend the Perfection of the Morality of the Qur'an

The principal reason why some people continue to suffer the secret sorrows of an ignorant life, even though they say they believe, is their failure to follow completely the path shown by the Qur'an. In the Qur'an, Allah brings the faithful the good news of a beautiful life in this world.

But for this, people need to follow His instructions unconditionally and live out the perfection of the morality that He approves.

While living out religious morality, if a person acts under the influence of even a single part of ignorant morality, he cannot fully achieve the beautiful life of which the Qur'an speaks.

For people to be able to live the life of the world in the way the Qur'an promises, they must understand that there is no lifestyle suitable for the human character other than the morality of the Qur'an.

Failures of Belief and Behavior that Drive People to Secret Sorrow

Since the beginning of this book, we have stated that though some people say that they accept the faith, insincerity is the reason why many cannot experience true tranquility and happiness. As Allah tells us in the verse, "They vacillate between the two—not joining these or joining those.

If Allah misguides someone, you will not find any way for him to go" (Surat an-Nisa': 143), these people know everything in their consciences, but deviate between ignorant morality and the morality of the Qur'an. Even though they believe, demonstrating this moral indecision causes such people to live in secret suffering.

Few are aware that the troubles and sorrows they experience is the recompense for the insincerity they conceal inside themselves. They believe that these are "facts of life"—that is, a part of life that almost everybody is apt to experience. However, none of the behavior which turns to sorrow for them is an inescapable fact of life.

People of this type suffer sorrow and torment either because they have set their faces against the religious morality that will protect them from darkness, as Allah tells us in the verse, "Alif Lam Ra. This is a Book We have sent down to you so that you can bring mankind from the darkness to the light, by the permission of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy" (Surah Ibrahim: 1), or because they do not live the way that religious morality requires.

In that case, what ideas, defective morality, attachments and beliefs are distancing people from religious morality and causing them to demonstrate ignorant behavior? In the following lines we will answer this question and refer to the ugly behavior that turns people away from happiness.

Some People Are Unhappy, Though They Say They Believe

The verse in the Qur'an, "They have different ranks with Allah. Allah sees what they do" (Surah Al 'Imran: 163), draws our attention to an important truth. Some refuse to accept the faith. But even the faithful vary in their fear of Allah and the faith in Him which they hold in their hearts.

In the Qur'an, Allah refers to people who do not believe in the following verse, "The desert Arabs say, 'We believe.' Say: 'You do not believe. Say rather, 'We have become Muslim,' for faith has not yet entered into your hearts'..." (Surat al-Hujurat: 14).

In another verse, Allah tells us that amongst believers, there may be those who remain behind, stay in the middle or forge ahead: "Then We made Our chosen servants inherit the Book. But some of them wrong themselves; some are ambivalent; and some outdo each other in good by Allah's permission. That is the great favor" (Surah Fatir: 32).

Amongst these people described in the Qur'an is another group: "those who mix up their faith with wrongdoing," which means failing to separate oneself fully from ignorant morality, despite realizing the superiority of the true faith and being aware that there is no other way to salvation in the Hereafter than by conforming to the Qur'an.

These individuals may live with their faith, but at moments when their interests are challenged or when they are faced with problems, may also demonstrate the behavior of unbelievers instead of behaving in accordance with the Qur'an.

When speaking of such people, not only those who openly reject the instructions of the faith and demonstrate irreligious behavior should come to mind. The people concerned may conform to most provisions of the Qur'an and behave like believers throughout a large portion of their lives.

On certain matters, however, they may not like to be aware that according to the Qur'an, they are in the wrong. Or they may not be able to understand that such is the case. Some who live as Muslims may think that some of their beliefs and actions do not conflict with the Qur'an, and that they do not venture into what is described as forbidden and sinful.

For example, some people do not understand—or do not want to—that emotionalism is a character trait contrary to the morality of the Qur'an. This can be seen clearly in a number of verses. Upon the death of a relative, for instance, a Muslim realizes that the person has not perished but that for him eternal life is a new beginning.

And if the relative was one of the faithful, he takes pleasure in hoping that he will enter Paradise. In addition, death is a part of one's destiny, predetermined by Allah. Like everything else, Allah brings death for a reason.

As a result, the believer knows that even in the case of a relative, there is a blessing in his death and behaves in such a way as to show his contentment. But despite being aware of this truth, many people show ignorant behavior when faced with death. They behave emotionally and react in an excessive manner.

Those who do not consider that such behavioral defects conflict with the morality of the Qur'an see no reason not to continue this behavior. At certain moments of their lives, they live like ignorant people, exhibiting the same characteristics, suffering the kind of troubles that believers do not suffer, prevalent amongst ignorant people. And unlike believers, they are frequently unhappy.

Because of this, everyone who declares, "I believe" should consider whether "living a beautiful life in this world and the Hereafter"—which Allah has promised the faithful in the Qur'an—is apparent in himself in the light of this knowledge. If, at certain moments, his life still contains unhappiness, troubles and sorrows to even a small extent, he should take this warning to heed.

For a person who suffers trouble and sorrow throughout his life, the solution is simple. As we are told in the verse, "... Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you..." (Surat al-Baqara: 185).

For anyone who has any open or secret characteristic of ignorant morality remaining within him, the basic solution is to abandon this mode of living and behave in conformity to the Qur'an.

Every person with faith in Allah and every believer who conforms to the Qur'an must approach the Book with greater sincerity and must be protected from any kind of act or thought that runs counter to the behavior of the faithful described in its verses. He should not regard the truths contained in the Qur'an as theoretical, but should apply them in practice in his life and feel and experience them at all times.

He must not forget that Allah encompasses everything and that He knows all the secret emotions inside a person, including concealed insincerity.
A Muslim should not regard simply performing religious observances as sufficient and view the insincerity inside himself as insignificant.

He should consider that Allah has the power to punish insincerity with severe torment at any moment and that sooner or later, he will be called upon for a reckoning and treated accordingly.

Everything that occurs in the world is created by Allah. All living creatures bow to Allah and act according to His instructions. Muslims should live in submission to their destiny without forgetting these truths and knowing that in every event, there is a goodness and a blessing.

When a person arrives at awareness of these truths, he will see a different, beautiful life begin for him. He will understand that, up to that time, he never tasted the full flavor of the blessings that he believed were giving him pleasure—and how ordinary are the things people believe bring them happiness, when compared to true happiness! He will realize that everything from the meals he eats to the sights he sees, to the very air he breathes can bring far greater joys than he ever thought.

Loving, being loved, showing moral perfection, seeing the delicate beauty in people, laughing and enjoying himself, friendship and conversation will take on very different flavors. His life and his worldly circumstances will, in a sense, become reminiscent of life in Paradise.

At this point, however, another important matter needs to be understood. When we speak of "living a beautiful life," you should not take this to mean that people will experience no difficulty, for this world is a place where everyone is tested, and a person will be tested by various events until the end of his life. As Allah tells us in the verses of the Qur'an, everyone will suffer difficulties and problems.

Some will be tested with hunger, some with fear, some with losses of property or loved ones. But none of these detract in the slightest from the internal tranquility or the happiness in the heart of a believer described here, because a believer submits to the destiny, seeing the benefits and blessings in events, or believes in them even if he cannot perceive them, and experiences the beauty in all this. Thinking positively about events and submitting to the will of Allah, the Possessor of boundless knowledge, brings lasting and genuine happiness.

This book is about showing people the path to the true, heartfelt happiness and internal tranquility that is experienced by believers—a blessing granted by Allah only to His sincere followers who have genuine faith.

Allah describes this matter as good news for believers in this world and the Hereafter:

Yes, the friends of Allah will feel no fear and will know no sorrow: Those who believe and have fear of Allah, there is good news for them in the life of this world and the Hereafter. There is no changing the words of Allah. That is the great victory! (Surah Yunus: 62-64)

In another verse, Allah tells us that security is again only for those believers who have sincere faith in their hearts and do not mix faith with wrongdoing:

Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with any wrongdoing, they are the ones who are safe; it is they who are guided. (Surat al-An'am: 82)

Unhappy People Have False Beliefs

There is a way of life that the great majority of people share. This way of life we call the "satanic system," prevails where there is no religious morality. This system is founded on an insincerity that is so deeply rooted in people's lives that even those who appear to be the most sincere, whose behavior which is assumed to be perfectly straightforward, may have fundamentally insincere motives.

Even though people fail to attribute any names to this system, they are naggingly aware of the error of the system under which they live. At every opportunity, they complain of the hypocrisy of others, because they have not experienced true friendship or true love and have no one they can trust in the full sense. Still, they themselves do not hesitate to display the same flawed morality towards all those around them.

In this system, everyone is damaged by his own actions. Even if such people try in every possible way, still they cannot find genuine internal joy, tranquility and happiness—yet they accept this as "a fact of life." In other words, according to them, Earthly life is not a place where true happiness and peace can be found on any lasting basis.

The truth is that unhappiness is not in any way a fact of life. On the contrary, it is extremely easy for people to find the solution for the internal troubles into which they fall. A verse in the Qur'an says, "... Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace" (Surat ar-Ra'd: 28). Here, Allah tells people that they can achieve true happiness only by finding faith. Only if they understand the mercy and protectiveness that Allah holds for them and live out their worldly lives in religious morality can people enjoy every moment. Only then can they praise the beauty of what they see around them as it should be appreciated and begin to experience happiness.

In the verse, "Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did" (Surat an-Nahl: 97), Allah promises that He will allow the faithful who believe in Him to live the finest lives in this world and the Hereafter. Those who follow Allah experience the blessings He promises, both in this world and the next.

On this point, however, there is an important truth that people ignore. In order for people to experience the fine things of this life and enjoy the blessings of the world and the large number of beautiful things which Allah has created for them, then, faith in its true meaning must be lodged in their hearts. Otherwise, by paying the proverbial lip service to faith and by resembling the truly faithful only in certain limited ways, people cannot protect themselves from the unhappiness within. To know true happiness, people must bind their hearts to Allah in complete submission and live every moment in conformity to the Qur'an. Failing to do this, they will continue to suffer internal sorrow during every stage of their lives. No matter how much they want to be happy they cannot be. On the contrary, their lives will be ruled by such negative emotions as despair, pessimism and hopelessness.

As you can see, the road to happiness is an extremely simple one. With the Qur'an, the Divine Book that Allah has bestowed upon mankind as a mercy, He has shown people the secret of happiness. People can live a beautiful life only if they behave in accordance with their creation and the nature Allah has determined for them. People who turn aside from this path which Allah has shown them as a blessing, or who fail to follow the path as it should be followed, are creating a world of unhappiness for themselves by their own efforts. As Allah tells us in the verse, "Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves" (Surah Yunus: 44), these people are only tormenting themselves.

The unhappiness experienced by these people leads to the reality described by Allah in the verse, "Leave them then until they meet their Day when they will be struck down by the Blast: the Day their ploys will not profit them at all and they will not be helped. And those who do wrong will have a punishment besides that, but most of them do not know it" (Surat at-Tur: 45-47). In the Hereafter, Allah gives people recompense for what they do on Earth, but He also warns people that a torment of which most are not even aware will begin in the life of this world.

Allah refers to the difficulties that people who turn away from the faith will experience in worldly life, and what they will receive in the Hereafter in this verse: "... if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one, and on the Day of Resurrection We will gather him blind" (Surah Ta Ha: 124). Allah has shown people the way to protect themselves from this trouble and, as we have noted before, it is possible to do so through genuine sincerity and a deep faith in Allah.

Why Do People Sorrow While They Could Be Happy?

Despite all their efforts, many cannot experience happiness in the true sense. To achieve this purpose, they try everything they can possibly imagine in the life of this world. They constantly pursue new ideals, believing that when they achieve these, they will find happiness as well. Some search for one good friend, some for wealth, some to attain their spiritual desires.

Even if their wishes and expectations do become reality, still the results are never as they hoped. They cannot taste lasting happiness in the true sense. Mainly, they try not to reveal on their faces this dissatisfaction which they feel inside. But no matter how much they mimic happiness, they are living with a secret sorrow within.

In fact, they have every opportunity to be happy. In one verse of the Qur'an, Allah tells us about the blessings He grants people:

If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 18)

As Allah tells us in this verse, a person encounters remarkable blessings throughout his life. Allah has equipped the world with all manner of wonders for everyone to enjoy.

However, for people to be happy in the true sense, neither these blessings they enjoy nor the ideals they pursue are adequate by themselves. The people's discontent arises from the incorrect belief systems on which they've based their lives.

From: The solution of secret sorrow, Harunyahya