The Mashaaikh gave us certain ways to purify ourselves from pride which is so important. The Kibr that sets within a person is either through wealth, family lineage or physical structure. This gives one an opportunity to develop pride. If a person is rich then he looks at his wealth and says, “I am worth so much”; thus automatically pride creeps in. Sometimes, because he comes from a high family lineage, he looks down and condemns other people and thinks them to be inferior to him. Then you find that sometimes because of certain qualities in a person he feels that he is better than the next person. Sometimes Taqwa, piety, lots of Ibadat etc. causes us to look down at other people who do not have these qualities. It comes in a Hadeeth that when a person comes to the Masjid there are two Malaaikah at the entrance who make note of who comes in and who goes out. When someone comes into the house of ALLAH with Kibr and pride the Malaaikah say to ALLAH, “ This person’s heart is filled with Kibr and pride, should we allow him to come in?” ALLAH will say, “Since he came to My house, remove the Kibr from his heart and let him in.” The Malaaikah will take out the pride from his heart. This is how the person will enter and read his Salaah. As he is about to leave the Masjid the Malaaikah will say, “He is leaving now, should we put back the Kibr in his heart?” ALLAH will say, “ No! Since you have removed the Kibr from him and We have allowed him into Our
Court, keep the Kibr away from him.” Such a person is automatically purified.
This should be a reminder for us as Musallis coming in and out of the Masjid. Ya ALLAH! You are so merciful, we come to the Masjid with pride and Kibr... (like my Sheikh rahmatullahi alayh always said that if a person is drunk and comes to the house of ALLAH, what do we do? All of us will tackle him, including the Imam, and throw him out by the first window. Because he is drunk and smelling we start condemning him. He goes home, sits in the house and says, “Ya ALLAH! My children were in the Masjid what did I do Ya ALLAH that I caused such embarrassment to myself,” The wife asks him why he came so early from the Masjid and he tries to evade the question, but finally tells her what happened. He sits in the room and cries and sheds tears saying, “Ya ALLAH! What did I do to cause this embarrassment to the whole family.” When the intoxication wears out he makes Tauba and repents.
However when we come to the Masjid with pride and Kibr you can take all the water in the ocean but will still be unable to wash that pride away. Many of us don’t get engaged in drinking which is an external factor, however we become drunk with internal factors like Kibr, jealousy, looking at woman etc. Therefore, we should drown ourselves in Shukr unto ALLAH for purifying us from Kibr and giving us the advantage of coming to the Masjid and frequenting the Masjid. Kibr will always enter our lives (and hearts). Sometimes one does a certain act and then Iblees is there to praise you, saying you are like this and and like that, so automatically your mind gets carried away. So to counter this, we need an antidote. When you are sick the doctor gives you a tablet. If it does not help, you want something stronger. The same applies to the spiritual side whenever a situation like this crops up.
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahimahullah. who was a very great Aalim, says that one day after giving a Bayaan a thought came into his mind. Now we must remember that thousands of people sat in his Bayaans. So the thought came to his mind that I gave a powerful Bayaan. Immediately he knew that the Nafs is now creating a problem, so he said to the Nafs, “Yes what you are saying is true but don’t forget that if ALLAH did not instill the contents of the Bayaan in my mind, I would never be able to give it, if ALLAH did not allow me to speak the way I spoke, I would never be able to do so.” So what we say, “O ALLAH, it is from your side,” In like manner, if we are driving a beautiful car, or we have a beautiful house, we have extra money, what will we say, “This is not something which I could earn.” If I am handsome or a Qaari, Aalim, business person, a person of standing in society etc., this is not something that we could have achieved Instead it is ALLAH Who has given it to us, and just as ALLAH has given us these Ni’mats, ALLAH has the power to take it away. So we always remind ourselves. Speak to the Nafs and tell it: “Any moment ALLAH can take this away, so what am I worth.”