The root cause of Takabbur

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said: 

“the root cause of Takabbur is not being really cognizant of Allah Ta’ala’s greatness.”

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;

“A person’s ego is a great barrier. It cannot be treated without crushing it.”

Hadhrat Thanvi RE has described a unique practical treatment for Gheebat. This treatment is very difficult, but if someone does it Insha’Allah he will be able to quit Gheebat within a few days. He said;

“A practical treatment for Gheebat is that whenever a person commits someone’s Gheebat, he should let that person know that I have committed your Gheebat. Insha’Allah this illness of Gheebat will subside within a few days of this treatment.”

Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah be pleased with him) said;

“If there is a genuine religious need then Gheebat is permissible in those situations, for example, the way Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) have discussed the narrators of Hadith. However, if there is no pressing religious need, and the purpose behind Gheebat is only to do gossip and to enjoy it, then in those situations even telling someone’s true flaws (behind his back) is Haraam (unlawful), and saying something untrue without any effort to find out the truth is ‘Buhtaan’ (slander). The basis of what is said being a lie is not upon making an effort to confirm that it is a lie, but upon not making an effort to find out the truth.”  

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;

“The real treatment of thinking ill of others (Badgumani), undue curiosity (Tajassus), and Gheebat (backbiting) is to adopt Tawazu’ (humility) and remove Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity) from one’s heart. But until one gets rid of these core spiritual illnesses, until such time he should treat his illness of Gheebat in the following way; (1) reflect and ponder before you say anything, (2) fix some fine on yourself if you do slip up (and commit Gheebat), and (3) divert your attention towards Allah Ta’ala’s Dhikr (remembrance) when you get bad thoughts about others.” 

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an, 

“O you who believe, abstain from many of the suspicions. Some suspicions are sins. And do not be curious (to find out faults of others), and do not backbite one another. Does one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.” (49:12)

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) said;

“It has been narrated in a Hadith that if you hear that a mountain has moved from its place then accept it, but if you hear about a person that his internal attributes have changed then do not accept it. This tells us that with Riyazat (sustained effort) a person’s internal attributes do not subside totally, they just become attenuated.” 

What it means is that in the Hadith it has been negated that if you hear that a person’s anger has subsided completely, do not accept it, because a person’s internal attributes do not change completely. However, through Riyazat (sustained effort) and Suhbat (companionship) this anger can be brought under control. Then a person doesn’t get angry all the time. He may get angry but only in situations where Shariah permits him to get angry, and even in that anger he does not cross limits set by Shariah. 

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala have mercy on him) said,

“The crux of Tasawwuf is that when a person is finding it difficult to perform a commandment of Shariah because of a lack of motivation, he should fight that lack of motivation to obey that commandment, and when a person is finding it difficult to resist temptations to commit a sin because of lack of motivation, then he should fight that lack of motivation to refrain from that sin. This is what gives rise to a closer relationship with Allah, this is what makes that relationship stronger, and this is what sustains it.”

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala have mercy on him) further used to say that the aim of treating bad moral values is not to get rid of them completely, as many of these are natural instincts and it is not possible to do so. The idea is to keep opposing them through one’s thoughts and behaviours so much that they become so weak as if they do not exist anymore. This process of enhancing and further developing good moral values, and weakening and attenuating bad moral values, is called Tazkiyah and this is the primary goal of Tasawwuf.

Tazkiyah literally means purifying something. There are many commandments of Shariah which pertain to a person’s body, as in they are carried out physically. Some of them are DOs (اوامر) for example, pray Salah, observe fasting, give Zakat, perform Hajj, etc., and some of them are DON’T’s (نواہی), for example, do not tell a lie, do not do Gheebat(backbiting), do not drink alcohol, do not steal, do not commit robbery, etc.

In exactly the same way, there are many commandments of Shariah which pertain to a person’s mind, or inner self. Some of these are DOs called Awamir (اوامر). Developing these good moral values is Wajib (necessary) and a person’s Deendoesn’t become complete unless he develops these good moral values. For example, it is Wajib (necessary) to perform Shukr (being thankful to Allah Ta’ala for His blessings upon us), observing Sabr (patience, steadfastness) if something undesirable happens, observing Tawakkul (placing one’s complete trust in Allah Ta’ala), developing Tawazu (humility, believing others to be better than oneself), and developing Ikhlas (sincerity of intention, meaning whatever a person does, he does it solely with the intention of seeking Allah Ta’ala’s pleasure and approval). Developing Ikhlas is Wajib as no act of worship is acceptable without Ikhlas. All these good moral values such as Shukr, Sabr, Tawazu and Ikhlas are called Akhlaq-e-Fazilah (اخلاقِ فاضلہ) and trying to develop them is Wajib (necessary).

Similarly, there are some bad or undesirable moral values in our minds or inner-self which are Haraam (impermissible) and we must try to remove them from our minds. These are called Akhlaq-e-Razilah (اخلاقِ رذیلہ). If these traits are present in us, then a person has to try to suppress and attenuate them so that they do not lead a person to commit sinful acts. The examples of such undesirable mental traits are Takabbur (تکبّر) (grandiosity, believing oneself to be superior to other people), Hasad (حسد) (envy, being jealous of the good things others have and wishing or making efforts that they lose them), Riya (ریا) (doing acts of worship with the intention of pleasing people, rather than pleasing Allah Ta’ala), and impatience (بے صبری) (not accepting what Allah Ta’ala has decided for us and keep complaining about fate), etc. Having the habit of becoming unduly or excessively angry without just reason is also one of these bad moral values. These bad moral values are as Haraam (impermissible) as committing a robbery or telling a lie. 

In summary, there are some good or desirable moral values (Akhlaq-e-Fazilah) pertaining to our inner-self which it is incumbent upon us to develop, and there are some bad moral values (Akhlaq-e-Razilah) pertaining to our inner-self which we are required to attenuate and control. The role of a Sufi Shaykh is to inculcate and enhance the former, and attenuate and weaken the latter, in the minds of his spiritual pupils called Mureed (مرید).