Asb al-Kibr
Definition
Asbab al-kibr — the root causes of pride — are the specific sources from which pride typically derives its material: knowledge, worship, lineage, wealth, beauty, and strength. Al-Ghazali analyses each carefully and shows why none of them provides a legitimate basis for the feeling of superiority. Knowledge is a divine gift that could be withdrawn at any moment; worship is enabled by divine facilitation; lineage is not a personal achievement; wealth is a trust, not an ownership; beauty is temporary; strength is contingent. The proud person who examines any of these sources honestly will find that they provide no stable foundation for the superiority they seemed to justify.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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