slip-sliding away…..

Continuing our Ramadaan series, this post continues the book entitled “Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart” – Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson‘s translation and commentary of Imam Muḥammad Mawlūd’s didactic poem “Matharat al-Qulub” (purification of the heart). The Imam was a 19th century Mauritanian scholar. For notes on the copyright status of the book, as well as links to purchase your own copy, please see the introductory post of the series.

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Vanity

POEM VERSES 125–127

Vanity is the aggrandizing of some blessing while forgetting that it came from God.

Treat it by realizing that the Exalted is the Fashioner and the Bestower of blessings,

[Realizing] that because of your impotence, you can produce neither benefit nor harm. 
Indeed, vanity originates from one’s ignorance of these two matters.

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Definition and Treatment

The next disease of the heart is vanity, known in Arabic as ʿujb, which is related to arrogance. According to Imam al-Ghazālī, arrogance requires two people for its outward manifestation: the arrogant one and the one to whom the arrogance is shown. The possessor of vanity, on the other hand, does not need a second person, as he is impressed with himself; he admires his own talents, possessions, looks, and status, and he considers himself better than others. He exults, for example, when looking at himself in the mirror or gazing upon his accomplishments or property. Imam Mawlūd says ʿujb is a nefarious kind of vanity in which a person rejoices in the blessings he has but forgets the source of these blessings.

The fact that someone has talent and is able to develop it into a higher skill or craft and achieve remarkable things does nothing to diminish the obvious—it still is a gift from God. It is part of the sunnah of God in creation, that divine order woven in the fabric of existence, that one must toil to refine his or her skills or talent. A calligrapher, for example, makes his craft appear easy to the onlooker, but one does not see the years of tireless preparation, perseverance, and repetition to master the curves of one letter of the Arabic alphabet and then whole words. On top of that, consider the various styles of calligraphy that the great Muslim calligraphers have developed over the centuries. There are plenty of talented and refined artisans of the world who deem their work astonishing and magnificent. They think only of their long training and deceive themselves into thinking, “I worked so hard, and I did this all by myself.” Similarly, one often finds businessmen truly talented and bold in building business, but who admire themselves and extol their financial prowess. Undoubtedly, this invites illness into the heart, for it is God who is the bestower of success and talent.

Imam al-Bayhaqī relates a statement of the Prophet  in which he said, “God makes every maker and what he makes.” In reality, God is the creator of the marvels that people admire and attribute to the glory of humankind, forgetting that it is God who created the ones who produced these marvels. Realizing that God is the source of all blessings prevents vanity from entering the heart.

A person will always find someone with more talent and more knowledge. Ultimately, “Above all those who have knowledge is the All-Knowing” (QUR’AN , 12:76), God. Moses  was once asked if he was the most knowledgeable of people, and he answered “Yes.” Moses  was then told that there was a man who had knowledge that Moses  did not have. This man was Khiḍr , who was not a prophet, but Moses  , without a trace of vanity, became his student. (The story is told in Sura al-Kahf of the Qur’an.)

The word “vanity” comes from the Latin word vanus, which means “empty,” implying that the source of our vanity is void of substance and will vanish. When the roman emperor triumphed in a battle, he put on a victory celebration in which the general of the battle paraded through the street. Behind him on his chariot a slave would hold a victory laurel and whisper in the general’s ear, “All is vanity,” thus reminding the general of the perils of vanity. It is part of ancient wisdom to remind people that all accomplishments people praise and admire will perish until no one remembers them. Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to successfully fly across the Atlantic, was celebrated as a great hero for his famous flight. Within ten years, however, he was vilified as a criminal by the American press, which falsely claimed that he was a Nazi sympathizer.

How many times have we seen major cities holding massive celebrations for the accomplishments of their sports teams, the huge parades and the hubris tradition of human glorification? How many of these celebrations end up in riots, vandalism, and even loss of life? What about the urban social morass that exists before, during, and after the celebrations? To celebrate in this way is vintage vanity.

There is foolishness in being vain about what one has accomplished, given its ephemeral nature. But when one is thankful to God and acknowledges and praises Him as the source of this goodness, then the accomplishment outlasts our earthly lives and memories of people, for God preserves it. Vanity originates from one’s ignorance of two matters: God alone is the Fashioner and the Giver of Blessings, and we human beings are incapable of accomplishing anything without God’s will and blessings. If one accomplishes something, one should remember God and be grateful, and not swagger with haughtiness, for if we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us. When men and women are blessed with exceptional outward beauty, they introduce ugliness when they have vanity for it. When the Prophet  saw a reflection of himself—and he was a beautiful man—he would make the following supplication: “O God, as You have made my countenance most excellent, make my character most excellent.” Imam Mawlūd says that to rid oneself of vanity or to prevent it from entering one’s heart, one should reflect long and hard on the fact that all blessings are entirely from God and that one cannot produce any benefit or harm without His permission.