One Habit to Build Strong Self Dignity

Another thing is to try to be humble. Humbleness is very important. To be humble is different from being weak. This ayah in the Qur'an is very beautiful. It's at the same time warning and at the same time encouraging. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala says to the believers: "Man yartadda minkum 'an deenih, fasawfa ya'ti Allahu biqawmin yuhibbuhum wa yuhibbunah"(5:54). If any of you deviates from his faith, leaves aside his faith, returns to what he used to be before, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala would replace you with another group of people.

As we say in Farsi, Allah has not made the covenant of brotherhood with anyone. It's not that Allah says 'Ok, you are my brother, you are my cousin, you are my, I don't know, uncle and then, no matter what you do, we will keep this relation.' No, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala decides how to relate to you based on what you decide.

If you are trying to be a good person, Allah would keep you as His friend. If you want to be bad person, Allah will change. Like Bani Israel, how much Allah blessed Bani Israel, how much Allah favoured Bani Israel, how many miracles happened to Bani Israel, to the extent that even food was coming for them, regularly. But when they changed, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala also changed. So Allah says: 'O those who believe, if you become apostate, if you leave your faith, "fasawfa ya'ti Allahu biqawmin yuhibbuhum wa yuhibbunah"(5:54). Allah will bring another people that He loves them and they love Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

In some Hadith, it is said that Rasul Allah referred to Salman and said: 'This is the people of Salman that Allah is going to bring, that He loves them and they love Him.' Then Allah says among the characteristics of these people that they love Him and He loves them, is that they are "Adhillatin 'ala al-mu'minin a'izzatin 'ala al-kaafireen" (5:54). It's not that they are the same with everyone. You know, it's not good that you are treating everyone the same, in the sense that no matter, you know, what they do, what they are, you treat them the same. No, there are people who are arrogant, there are people who want to make you deviate. With respect to them, you have to be very strong.

You know, we have this hadith: 'At-takabbaru ma'a al-mutakabbir, Ibadah.' If someone is arrogant, you should also treat them with arrogance. Not that you become arrogant, treat them with arrogance, in the sense that you try not to give in. You try not to accept their influence, their pressure. So Allah says these people are: "Adhillatin 'ala al-mu'minin a'izzatin 'ala al-kaafireen" (5:54).

Those who know Arabic will understand how beautiful is this expression. Adhilla comes from dhaleel. It's plural from dhaleel. And here means humble. They are very humble with respect to mu'minin, but with respect to those who oppose the truth, reject the truth and fight the truth, they are very strong. In order to make us understand that their humbleness is not because they are weak. He says: "Adhillatin 'ala al-mu'minin" (5:54), not 'Li 'l-mu'minin.' 'Ala shows a kind of highness, a kind of high position. They are humble with respect to mu'minin, but not because they are low. From a high position, they are humble.

What does it mean? It means that they are very strong, but they decide to treat people with humbleness. You know, sometimes you are a person who is mean, who is without any value and significance. But sometimes you are a person who has great value but still acts as a humble person.

"Adhillatin 'ala al-mu'minin" (5:54). Like Amir ul-Mu'minin, 'alayhi as-salam, although he was khalifa, he was the first person in the whole Muslim world, but the way he was treating widows, orphans, poor, was very humble. Humbleness with strength, humbleness with self-respect. This is what we need. "Adhillatin 'ala al-mu'minin a'izzatin 'ala al-kaafireen" (5:54).