[Sheelldaw]

Sometimes (Tawadhu) modesty suggests ingratitude for bounties, indeed, is ingratitude for bounties. Then sometimes recounting bounties is a cause of pride. Both are harmful. The only solution is for it to be neither. To admit to virtues and perfections, but without claiming ownership of them, is to show them to be the works bestowed by the True Bestower (Mun’im al Haqiqi: Allah). For example, suppose someone were to dress you in a robe of honour embroidered and encrusted with jewels and you became very beautiful. The people then said to you: “MashAllah! How beautiful you are! How beautiful you have become!”, but you modestly replied: “(Hasha!) Allah forbid! Don’t say such a thing! What am I? This is nothing!” To do this would be ingratitude for the bounty (kufran al ni'mah) and disrespectful towards skilful crafts man who had dressed you in the garment. While if you were to reply proudly: “Yes, I am very beautiful. Surely there is no one to compare with me!”, that would be conceited pride.

In consequence, to avoid both conceit and ingratitude one should say: “Yes, I have grown beautiful. But the beauty springs from the robe, and thus indirectly from the one who clothed me in it; it is not mine.”

Like this, if my voice were strong enough, I would shout out to the whole earth: “The Words are beautiful; they are truth, they are reality; but they are not mine. They are rays shining out from the truths of the Noble Qur’an.”

Bediuzzaman