Allah declares: Pride is My cloak and greatness is My robe; whoever contends with Me over either of them, I shall cast him into the Fire. Two garments belong to Allah alone, absolute greatness and absolute majesty, and for a creature to reach for them is to claim what is His by right.
Where this hadith comes from
This is a hadith qudsi: a saying in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) conveys the very words of Allah, who declares, "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." Unlike the Qur'an, the wording here is the Prophet's, but the meaning is reported from Allah Himself, which is what makes a hadith qudsi distinct.
It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and recorded by Abu Dawud (and also by Muslim and Ibn Majah). It belongs to the realm of creed and the purification of the heart: it tells us something about who Allah is, and how a servant who truly knows that should carry himself.
The key words
What it means, line by line
"Pride is My cloak and greatness My robe." Allah likens absolute grandeur and majesty to two garments that belong to Him alone, worn by no one else. A cloak and a robe are what a person wraps around himself; here they picture qualities that are His by right and fit no created thing.
"He who competes with Me in respect of either of them." Arrogance is not merely a flaw of manners; it is a creature reaching for a garment that is Allah's, claiming for itself the greatness that belongs only to its Lord. The Qur'an ties this same pride directly to the Fire: those too proud to humble themselves before Allah enter it brought low.
Greatness is His alone
Why is arrogance so gravely treated? Because true greatness, the kind that owes nothing to anyone and stands above all, belongs only to Allah. When a created, dependent being, who did not make himself and cannot keep himself alive, struts as if he were great, he is reaching for a garment that fits no one but his Lord. Arrogance is not just a flaw of character; it is a kind of trespass against the majesty of Allah.
Humility is simply the truth
The cure is not to think badly of yourself but to see yourself truly: a servant, given everything, owning nothing of your own. Humility is not low self-worth; it is accuracy. The more clearly you see Allah's greatness, the more naturally your own smallness sits on you, not as humiliation, but as peace. The servant who wears his servanthood gladly has laid down a weight the arrogant carry forever.
Carry this with you
Wear your servanthood gladly; greatness is Allah's robe.
Greatness belongs to Allah.
Absolute majesty is His robe alone. To strut as if great is to reach for what is His.
Arrogance is trespass.
It is not merely a character flaw but a claim against the majesty of Allah, gravely warned against.
Humility is accuracy.
Not low self-worth, but seeing yourself truly: a servant given everything, owning nothing of your own.
Servanthood is peace.
The one who wears his smallness gladly has laid down a weight the arrogant carry forever.
A du'a to carry
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakunanna mina-l-khasirin
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. (Al-A'raf 7:23)
A du'a for a humble heart
There is one robe a servant may never try on: the greatness that belongs to Allah alone. To reach for it is ruin; to lay it down is rest.
O Allah, You whose cloak is pride and whose robe is greatness, clothe us in humility before You. Keep us from arrogance toward Your creation, and let us wear our servanthood gladly. We have wronged ourselves; forgive us and have mercy on us. Ameen.
The hadith qudsi is from sunnah.com: 'Pride is My cloak and greatness My robe...' narrated by Abu Hurayrah (ra), recorded by Abu Dawud (also Muslim and Ibn Majah), graded sahih. The supporting Qur'an (7:23) is in Uthmani script verified via quran.ai (ar-uthmani-minimal) with the Saheeh International translation. Per the editorial policy this stays with the spiritual meaning (humility and the gravity of arrogance). FOR SCHOLAR REVIEW before publication.