The 365 · Tazkiyah · Day 341 · Heart
ʿUjb bi al-Nafs · Self-Admiration
The disease
العُجْبُ بِالنَّفْسِ
ʿUjb bi al-Nafs
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
وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئًا (التوبة 25). 'On the day of Ḥunayn, when your large numbers pleased you, but they did not avail you anything.' (al-Tawbah 9:25)
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.
A du'a for this day
«اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ».
The door of mercy
Al-Mutakabbir. He alone has the right to greatness; we have the right to contrition.
A reflection to carry
Allah Himself owns the right to be pleased with deeds. The believer's job is to do them, then bow.
Read the longer reflection
ʿUjb is the most subtle of the Heart diseases. It hides behind humility-language ('alhamdulillāh that I prayed') while the heart silently admires the praying self. The cure is structural: pair every good deed with explicit astaghfirullāh, with memory of one's sins, with thanks to Allah as the actual Doer. May Allah save us from being pleased with ourselves before He has been pleased.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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