The Worst of Human Failing: PrideThe very first known act of rebellion against the command of Allah was Shaytan’s refusal to prostrate before Adam u. He refused to prostrate because he regarded himself as superior and because it was below his dignity to do so. He said: “I am better than Him – You created me from fire and you created him from clay.” (7:12)Nabi Sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated that: “A person will not enter Paradise, if he has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” A man then asked, “What if a man loves to wear good clothes and good shoes (Is this a sign of pride)?” Nabi Sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied, “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” (Bayhaqi) This hadith draws the distinction between self esteem and pride. Self esteem flows from self dignity, self respect and self confidence. It does not drive you to compare yourself with others. Pride is a negative trait in which one thinks highly of oneself, compares oneself with others and believes he/she is better than others. It is a false sense of superiority which if threatened, drives a person to deny the truth or view people with contempt. Pride makes you impervious to the truth“From my messages shall I cause to turn away all those who, without any right, behave arrogantly on earth: though they may see every sign (of the truth) they do not believe in it, and though they may see the path of rectitude they do not choose to follow it – whereas if they see the path of error they tread on it.” (7:146) This verse states that Allah does not make the proud and arrogant receptive to the truth. When people think that their own judgement is sufficient to determine what constitutes right and wrong, they become resistant to the truth to the extent that they are unable to choose the path of rectitude and instead tread the path of evil, even at great personal cost. Shaytan refused to prostrate before Adam Alayhis Salaam at the cost of expulsion from Jannah and at the cost of an accursed life which will ultimately condemn him to the fire of Hell. Likewise, the Jews and Christians refused to accept the prophethood of Nabi Sallallahu alayhi wasallam because of their racial arrogance. “And they say be Jews or Christians and you shall be on the right path.” (2:135) The Jews believed that prophethood was a privilege granted to them exclusively, while the Christians maintained that Jesus Isa Alayhis Salaam was God’s final manifestation on earth and therefore salvation is reserved for them only. Pride drives you to blame others for your weaknessesWhen Allah asked Shaytan why he refused to prostrate before Adam Alayhis Salaam, he said: “O my Sustainer, since you led me astray.” (15:39) He blamed Allah for his downfall and absolved himself of all blame. When Allah asked Adam u why he ate from the forbidden tree, his reply was: “O our Sustainer we have sinned against ourselves.” (7:23) Satanic arrogance is when we blame others for our shortcomings whilst prophetic humility is to declare that we are wrong and accept responsibility for our actions. Pride gives you joy in mocking others“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (49:11) We may laugh with people to share in their joy or happiness. We must however never laugh at people in contempt and ridicule!The worst of all human failingsNabi Sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said, “There are three saviours and three destroyers. As for the saviours, they are: – The consciousness of Allah in private and public,- Speaking the truth when happy and when angry,- Moderation in times of prosperity and povertyAs for the destroyers, they are:- Passion that you yield to,- Greed that you submit to,- Self conceit which is the worst of all. (Bayhaqi)May Allah protect us from pride, arrogance and self conceit.

Water is Life: Let’s Save it, Share it
Observing worshippers in the process of performing wudhu makes one’s heart sore. It is not an exaggeration to say that more water goes down the drain, untouched, than what we actually use in performing wudhu while the water tap is running.

Water represents one of the undeniable favours of the Almighty upon humankind. It is the essence of life itself. Man was created from it and without it, cannot live.

The factors of water wastage are both negligence in the manner of usage and the design of the water taps installed at the wudhu facilities. We mention these two specifically as they are aspects that are fairly within our control to change.

The reality for now, however, is that we have to be reminded now and again about our responsibility even in these ‘small things.’ So, we read signs such as: “Park your car properly;” “Please place shoes on the rack;” “Please switch off your Cellphone,” and of course, “Avoid waste: Please use water sparingly.”

These are ‘sticker’ messages which we seldom reflect upon. The ignoring of these messages reveals the level of consideration we have for our own spaces, surroundings and the next person. Why do we have to put such messages for a Muslim, a supposed ‘brother of another’, in the first place? Isn’t wastefulness a heinous spiritual crime and an attribute of the devil?

A Muslim character is not built on ‘big things’ only. It is the ‘small things’ that we have to take care of so that we are prepared to be the agents of transformation the Almighty wants of us.

On this World Water Day, there are places where the access to clean water which we have taken for granted has already been lost. It does not need to take a ‘World Day’ for us to think about those going without clean water as the appreciation of this blessing should be a daily matter for us. Nonetheless, we take this opportunity to focus our attention on one region of the world where this crisis is apparent.

As you might have heard from the news, a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report released recently asked Israel to return springs of water to the Palestinian owners. These springs of water which are being hogged by settler populations are but just one source of supply which Israel has taken away from Occupied Palestine for the exclusive use of settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

It is much worse in Gaza where in the absence of filtration facilities, the water is unsafe for human use:

“The entire population of Gaza, estimated at 1.7 million, relies on underground resources as their key source of water. The aquifer is polluted, poisoned by sewage and depleted by the increasing population which it can no longer support.” (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights – Report 2010)

It is for this reason that the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa, in conjunction with the Al Aqsa Foundation of South Africa and Sawa’ed Association (Gaza), aim to establish a water filtration plant east of Gaza City for the benefit
100 000 people.

We appeal to you to generously support this project (Details are here) but also do your bit to save water. Locally.
May Allah make it possible for us to practice upon the beautiful teachings in the Qur’an the perfect example of our Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Aameen.