"Humility" in Islam:

Humility in Islam is a foundational virtue that defines a believer's relationship with Allah SWT and their conduct toward fellow human beings. It is the contradiction of arrogance and is considered a sign of true faith and strength.

Some key aspects of humility in Islam is:

 Humility before Allah SWT:

Their stems from recognizing Allah's SWT dignity and ones own limitations, faults and dependence on him. It is exemplified in acts of worship, such as prostration in prayer, where the believer places their highest part on the ground.

Humility toward others:

A modest person does not feel superior to anyone, regardless of their wealth, status or knowledge. It means behaving with compassion, respecting everyone, and acknowledging that all human beings are equal in the eyes of Allah SWT.

The example of Hazrat Muhammad SAW:

The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW was the ideal of humility, treating everyone with kindness  helping with household tasks mending his own clothes.

The promise of Promotion:

Hazrat Muhammad SAW said:

     " Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah SWT, Allah SWT will raise him". Humility beings honor and dignity, both in this world and the hereafter.

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style="text-align: left;">The danger of pride:

Islam strongly warns against pride, as it was the first sin committed by Shatan. The Quran Kareem advises:

      " And do not walk upon the earth and you will never reach the mountains in height".

Humility is one of the greatest blessings that Allah SWT can bestow upon his slave. He says:

    " And by the mercy of Allah SWT, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about you".

    " And verily, you ( O Muhammad) are on an exalted ( standard of) character ".

This refers to the Prophet Muhammad SAW being a true slave of Allah SWT in many ways and hu treating all people with the utmost kindness. His character was one of complete humility based on sincerity towards Allah SWT and compassion towards the slave of Allah SWT, which was the complete opposite of the characteristics of the proud and arrogant.

There are many means of attaining humility, which no Muslim adopts but he will attain this characteristic. They were explained by Imam ibn al- Qayyim as follows:

 

Humility comes from knowing about Allah SWT and his names and attributes , and hus greatness, honoring him, loving him and being in wonder of him; and also from knowing about oneself and one's faults, and weakness. From that may develop the attitude of humility, which means feeling helpless before Allah SWT, and being humble and sympathetic towards his slaves, so that the person does not feel superior towards anyone, or think that he has any rights over anyone else; rather he thinks that others are better than him, and that their rights come before his. This is a characteristic that Allah SWT gives to those whom he loves, honours and draws close to him.

There are many reports which. Speak of the reward if humility. For example:

 It was narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira RA that the messenger of Allah SWT said:

      " Wealth does not decrease because of charity, and Allah SWT increases his slave in honour when he forgives others. And no one humbles himself before Allah SWT but Allah SWT will raise him".

Al Nawawi said:

  The Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

 

     " And no one humbles himself before Allah SWT but Allah SWT will raise him."

 This is understood in two ways: the first is that he will raise him in this world, and give him status in people's hearts because of his humility, and give him a high status in people's eyes. The second is that what is meant is his reward in the hereafter, where his status will be raised because of his humility in this world.

The scholars said: It may be that both are meant, both in this world and in the hereafter. And Allah SWT know best".

Humility may mean various things, such as:

1. A person humbling himself to the commands and restrictions of Allah SWT, doing what he commands and avoiding what he forbids.

Ibn al- Qayyim said:

Because a person may hesitate to obey his commands out of laziness, this behaving in a hesitant way in an attempt to flee from servitude towards Allah, and his soul may have the desire to commit haraam actions, but when the person humbles himself to the commands and prohibitions of Allah SWT, he will humble himself to true submission.

2. Humbling himself before the might, majesty and power of Allah SWT.

Ibn al- Qayyim said:

Every time he feels that he is great, he remembers the might of Allah SWT and the might belong to him only, and he remembers his intense anger against those who compete with him in that, then he humbles himself before him and submits to the might of Allah SWT. This is the ultimate humility and necessarily includes the first type of humility mentioned, but the converse can never apply.

The one who is truly humble is the one who is blessed with both. And Allah SWT is the one whose help we seek.

3. Humility in one's dress and manner if walking.

It was narrated from Ibn ' Umar that the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

 

      " Whilst a man was letting his garment drag out of pride, he was swallowed up by the earth and will continue sinking in it until the day of resurrection."

Narrated by al- Bukari,

It was also narrated by al-Bukari and Muslim from the Hadith of Hazrat Abu Huraira RA. According to the version narrated by al-Bukhari:

     " Whilst man was walking in a garment admiring himself with his hair nicely combed, Allah SWT caused to swallow him up and he will continue sinking it until the day of resurrection".

4. Humility towards one who is of a lesser status and helping Him.

It was narrated that al- Bara' ibn Aazib said:

    " The Prophet Muhammad SAW was saying, " ( O Allah SWT)! Without you, we would not have been guided, nor would we have given in charity, not would we have prayed. So ( O Allah SWT)! Send tranquility upon us as they have rebelled against us. And if they intend affliction then we would not ".

And he raised his voice whilst saying it.

5. Humility in interactions with one's wife and helping her.

It was narrated that al- Aswad said: I asked Hazrat Aisha RA what the Prophet used to do in this house, and she said: He used to serve his family And when the time for prayer came he would go our and pray.

6. Humility towards the young and joking with them.

It was narrated that Hazrat Anas RA said: The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW was the best of people in character. I had a brother whose name was Abu Umayr. He said, I think he was weaned, and when he came he would say,

     " O Abu Umayr, what happened to the nughayr( a small bird that he kept as a pet)?"

 Humility 

Narrated by al- Bukhari,

Al Nawawi said:

The nughayr is a small bird.

This Hadith teaches us many things, such as being kind to small children. This demonstrates the good character of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW and how he was of noble character and humble.

7. Humility towards servants and slaves:

It was narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira that the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

    " If the servant of one of you brings his food and he does not want to make him sit and eat with him, then let him offer him a morsel or two, because he has prepared it and served it".

Humility is the character trait if having an accurate, modest view of yourself. It is not low self esteem or lacking confidence; rather it is the absence of ego and arrogance.

Key dimensions:

Self awareness:

Acknowledging both your strengths and limitations without self- criticism. 

Other focused:

Placing a sincere regard on the needs,ideas , and value of others.

Openness to learning:

Acceptance to feedback and continues growth.

Why it matters:

Better leadership:

Humble individuals listen listen well, build trust, and empower their teams.

Stronger relationships:

It promote sensitivity, cooperation and social agreement.

Quran Kareem say about humility:

The Quran Kareem views humility not just as a virtue, but as a core requirement for a faithful life. It emphasizes submitting completely to Allah SWT and treating others will h respect and gentleness.

Quranic teachings on humility include:

The mark of true believers:

The Quran Kareem describes the " servants of the most merciful" as those who walk upon the earth in humility and respond to ignorant or aggressive people with words of peace.

Physical behavior:

The Quran Kareem warns against cheers, prideful walking, reminding humanity of their physical limits in earth.

Loyalty in prayer:

True believers are recognized by their humbleness and ficus when standing in prayer before Allah SWT.

Towards parents:

Muslims are instructed to lower the "wing if humility" to their parents out of mercy and gratitude.

How to have humility in Islam:

In Islam, humility is the foundation of good character. It means submitting completely to Allah SWT and treating all people with deep respect. It is not about self- humiliation, but rather maintaining a balance between a high sense of self-worth before Allah SWT and a complete lack of arrogance towards others.

Humility in Islam:

Perfecting your prayer:

Prostrating and inclining during your five daily prayers if the ultimate physical act of submitting your ego to the creator.

Following prophetic actions:

Adopt the habits of the Prophet Muhammad SAW by helping with household tasks, sitting in the least prominent place in a gathering, and being the first to offer Salam.

Lowering your glimpse:

The Quran Kareem explicitly states that true servants of the merciful walk upon tha earth softly and do not boast or display their wealth and strength.

Controlling your ego in arguments:

Let go of the desire to " win" a  debate if you are proven right, or simply avoid pointless clashes.

Practicing gratitude:

Acknowledge that all your successes, talents and wealth are blessings from Allah SWT, not purely the result of your own doing.

Humility and the Muslim,Manners of the believers:

Humility is the queen of akhlaq of the believer. It is even mentioned in the Quran Kareem as a defining characteristic of a believer.    

       " The true servants of the most compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them 'improperly', they only respond with peace".

Notice how Allah SWT links adoring him humility. This is why our scholars say that one of the defining  characteristic of imaan, or faith is humility. A person cannot have imaan if they have superiority within them, even an atom's weight within their heart.

Humility:

From a verbal perspective, consider the word of which the Arabic root is وضع meaning to put down or lower yourself. The linguistic insight is as follows: a person constantly puts themselves down. This is the way in which we are meant to overcome our egos.

Allah SWT commanded in the Quran Kareem,

        " And lower your wings in front of the believers".

In a Hadith about humility, the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

        " Allah Paak inspired me to tell all you to be humble to one another," , " so that nobody feels kibr, or arrogance, against the other".

The nature of humility:

Humility is represented in the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The way he interacted with people, lived, slept, are, and dressed were all the ideal of humbleness. He would dress in the simplest garments and had no problem riding a mule or donkey even though they were humble animals and he could afford to ride a camel instead. People addressed him with his kunya, Abu Qasim, just as they addressed everyone else in the rest of society, and he did not mind being addressed this way. The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW repaired his shoes, and milked his own goats and camels. He did not command his servants and wives to do those basic tasks for him.

Even though the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW was the messenger of Allah SWT he did not like to be praised. Hazrat Anas ibn Malik said that the companions would not stand up in his presence because they knew he did not like being th center of attention. Most notably, nobody could tell him apart when they entered a gathering. Strangers always had to ask, which one of you is Muhammad SAW? because he never stood out among the rest of the companions. These beautiful examples of the Prophet's SAW humility are what we should be looking for in our own lives.

Signs of humility:

Scholars have also mentioned that there are specific signs that can help us monitor the humility and arrogance within ourselves.

The first sign:

The first sign of having humility is not having the desire to be in the limelight or at the front of gathering. It is not having the feeling of wanting to be the center of attention. This type of attention is something people  should reluctantly want. 

The second sign:

The second sign of humility is that when people praise us, we should feel uncomfortable. We should not enjoy in praise or welcome it from others, much less crave it. If someone is praised and they are truly humble, then they should thank Allah SWT for the blessing that the praise is. However, they should also have a reluctance in their heart that makes them feel as if they are not worthy of the praise.

The third sign:

The third sing of humility is to recognize our mistakes and sins and admit them, not only in front of Allah SWT but also in front of other people. A great litmus test a person can use is this: after realizing that I have made a mistake, will apologize for it or not? This litmus test measures how big a person's ego is. The ego clashes with humility. If a person is humble and can recognize they they have made a mistake but can't bring themselves to apologize for the mistake, this is a clear issue of arrogance.

The fruits of humility :

Most importantly, Allah SWT loves the person who is humble. The Prophet Muhammad SAW said,

     " Should I not tell you of the one who Jahanum has been made Haram for?"  Companions then asked who. "The one who is easygoing and soft and everyone knows him".

Allah Paak loves a person who is humble and simple so mush so that this attribute is a safeguard in the hereafter.

Another fruit that comes from a person lowering themselves in their own eyes is gratefulness. A humble person continuously understand Allah SWT has blessed them above what they deserve. Alhamdulillah, Allah SWT Allah SWT blessed me with Iman and Islam and gave me family, wealth and health. We thank Allah SWT and appreciate him for all of those things.

Humility is not a nothingness mindset where a person tells themselves, " oh, I have nothing "- no! Humility does not mean that  we don't feel blessed; it means that we don't feel better about ourselves in comparison to others. A person should never feel better than others for the blessings that they enjoy -this is where humility comes into play. When a person is humble, they don't think " that person is worse than me". With humility, we should not feel better than another person or as if we are deserving of or deserve certain things due to our own decision or power.

The  last fruit of humility is izzah, or dignity and respect. The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW was once giving a khutbah on the mimbar. He made a gesture with his hands to demonstrate a point. He lowered his left hand and said:

        " Whoever lowers himself for Allah SWT, and then he raised his right hand and continued, " Allah SWT will raise him higher".

Hazrat Muhammad SAW is informing us that whoever humbles themselves, Allah SWT will respect them and bless them with izzah. This is the Divine irony of humility! If a person is truly humble they will be admired and respected. If a person desires fame and lives a life of pride, even if people will externally give them respect, internally these same people will not truly humble person whom Allah SWT blesses with respect from the people. The truly humble person has the most izzah in the eyes of others even though in his own eyes he does not think he is worthy of such honor.

Ways to achieve humility:

Here are some practical steps we can take.

1. Monitor your heart:

We should be vigilant for moments whenever we feel that we are better than someone , instead of more favoured. It's fine for a person to think they are more blessed than others. As a matter of fact, it's perfectly okay for a person to even consider themselves as the most blessed person on earth! Feeling blessed is when a person thinks 

     " Allah Paak gave me so much and he gave it all of it".

But we should never feel like we are better or more Worthy than another person is a sign of pride. We should monitor our hearts and whenever any trace of pride thoughts or feelings come, we must fight it.

2. Study the dangers of pride:

Understand that pride is the sin of iblis, or devil. Pride is also the sin and downfall of Firaun. It is critical to understand how evil pride is. Hazrat Muhammad SAW said,

  " No one who has an atom's weight of arrogance shall enter Jannah".

3. Never feel contempt any task or lowly tash that is a part of your routine:

Whenever we have to do a Halal task for ourselves with our own hands we should not think it's beneath ourselves to do it on our own. The Prophet Muhammad SAW mend his own shoes and milk his own goats. We may have heard of this example from the Seerah a hundred times in the past, but see how humble the Prophet Muhammad SAW truly must have been to not assign those tasks to other people who would have gladly taken care of them for him?

The Khulafa ar- Rashideen did their own tasks as well. It is said Hazrat Umar RA was seen carrying a large jug of water for his family. The people came he was engaging in such a basic tasks that they asked him, 

    " You are the Khalifah now, how can you this task?" Hazrat Umar RA responded to them, " A delegation came to me and I had to break it".

He took care of ordinary tasks that otherwise another person would do in order to remove arrogance from his heart. Other Sahaba also showed this with Gavin a simple life and doing tasks.

4. Involve yourself with the less favoured:

The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW said 

    " If you wish to find me, you will find me amongst the weak and poor. For Allah SWT helps a nation because of their مساکین". 

 May Allah SWT bless us all with humility. May he eliminate any kibr from our hearts Ameen Allahuma Ameen.

Moral teachings of Islam - Humility and dignity:

Jamal Badawi:

 Humbleness can be divided into two basic categories: one is humbleness before Allah SWT and two is humbleness with the creations of Allah SWT. Humbleness with Allah SWT implies faith in Allah Paak and submission to his will this allows for one to follow what he invested . Humbleness with society includes the qualities that make one unassuming, modest, lack of arrogance, lack of vanity or excessive self confidence.

In accordance with the Quran Kareem the only foundation for varying degrees of honor among people is their devotion. An example is found in O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah SWT is the most righteous of you. And Allah SWT has full knowledge and is well familiar ". Piety and Allah SWT consciousness are internal yet modesty and humbleness are observable traits if a believer. The Quran Kareem described the type of people who are loved most by Allah SWT and who themselves also love Allah SWT  as being humble and lowly with h the believers.  The Quran Kareem addressed the Prophet Muhammad SAW and says lower thy wing to the believes.

Jamal Badawi:

According to Muslim the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW said  Allah SWT revealed to me that people should be humble so that no person would commit an act violence against another person. A frequently quoted Hadith in the same collection is ' No property or money would diminish because of paying charity, no person forgives another person without Allah SWT increasing his honor and status and no person practices humility without Allah SWT raising him in degrees.

There is a Hadith Qudsi where the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW narrates Allah's SWT words 

        " I accept prayer only  from those who humble themselves before honor, those who spend the day remembering me, those who do not treat my creators in an arrogant way and those who never sleep the night while disobeying me."

The attitude and personal life of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW was exemplary of this humbleness.

The wife of Hazrat Muhammad SAW was once asked ' What is the Prophet like in his own household?" She replied ' he helps and serves his family and when the time for prayer comes he goes to the prayer". When asked a similar question she also said ' He is just like the rest of you he sometimes milks his own goat, repairs his shoes or Mends his clothing '.

In the collection of Bukhari it was mentioned that at times when a little girl would take his hand he would go with her to whatever street of Madina Paak without objecting. One time when he was travelling with his companions they started making food. Everyone started taking charge of doing different things so Hazrat Muhammad SAW said he would take charge of collecting and cutting the wood'. He replied ' Yes, I know you can do it for me but I hate to sit and feel identify over you ". This shows us what the attitude of humility and humbleness should be like.

Whenever the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW went to place he he did not try to sit in a position where he would be in the vanguard but sat wherever there was space. This attitude towards humility was not only practiced during times of weakness or when Muslims were few but even in some of the most splendid moments like when he reentered Makkah Paak after being driven away with his companions. They were successful but he did not pillage or  show arrogance but rather he lowered his forehead on his camel in collapse of humility and thanked Allah SWT.

Jamal Badawi:

Many things are mentioned in Islam about arrogance being a moral vice. Arrogance us presented as a serious psychological disease that the Quran Kareem warns us against. ' To start with the Quran Kareem indicates that when Allah SWT created the first human being. He asked the Angels to bow down and shatan was there and refused to bow down and said ' I am better than he:  Thou didst create me from fire, and hun from clay". 

The Quran Kareem also presents it as an act that is hated by Allah SWT. We find frequent expressions in the Quran Kareem that Allah SWT does not like pride. An example of this is ' verily he love not the arrogance."

Significance about humility:

Humility (tawāḍuʿ) holds a very high place in Islam. It is seen as a core quality of a true believer and a key path to gaining closeness to Allah.

One of the most important teachings of Islam is that arrogance leads to downfall, while humility raises a person in status in the sight of Allah. A humble person does not see themselves as superior to others, even if they have wealth, knowledge, or power.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) is the best example of humility. Prophet Muhammad lived simply, treated everyone with respect, and never showed pride over others. He taught that no one is better than another except in piety and righteousness.

In the Qur’an, believers are praised for walking gently on the earth and responding to ignorance with peace. Humility is linked with forgiveness, patience, and kindness—qualities that strengthen relationships and build a just society.

In short, humility in Islam:

• protects a person from arrogance
• brings love and respect from others
• raises one’s spiritual rank with Allah
• reflects true faith and obedience

A humble heart is considered a sign of inner strength, not weakness, in Islam.

Conclusion:

Humility in Islam is a fundamental virtue that shapes a believer’s character and strengthens their relationship with Allah. It teaches a person to stay modest, avoid arrogance, and treat others with respect and kindness regardless of their status. Through humility, a Muslim follows the example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and earns Allah’s pleasure. Ultimately, it leads to inner peace, stronger community bonds, and success in both this world and the Hereafter.