The Dangers of Arrogance: Consequences and Misguidance

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Translated by AI – this translation may contain errors.
The original text can be found here: <a href=”https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/100.” target=”_blank”>https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/100.

📝 Does a Lioness Lay Eggs?

By: Muhammad Akram Nadwi
Oxford

💬 1. The Question of Authority

They said: It’s a common saying here that the leader is always right, and absolutely infallible. We constantly face this dilemma in our work and jobs. Managers are arrogant, issuing orders marked by foolishness and absurdity, disconnected from reason and wisdom. We are obligated to follow these orders whether we agree or not.
I said: This is similar to the story of the lioness.
They asked: How so?

🦁 2. The Story of the Lioness

I said: It’s said that the residents of a remote village in Punjab were once engaged in a strange debate during one of their gatherings: How does a lioness (female lion) give birth? Does she carry her cubs and give birth, or does she lay eggs and hatch them? The village split into two groups: one believed that the lioness gives birth like other mammals, while the other insisted that she lays eggs and hatches them like birds. The argument became so heated that they almost came to blows.

Then, the village chief arrived and asked them what the argument was about. They said, “We are debating whether the lioness gives birth or lays eggs.”
The chief replied: “You fools! Don’t you know that the lion is the king of the jungle? His lioness gives birth when he wills, and lays eggs when he wills.”

🧐 3. The Folly of Arrogance

I said: When arrogance takes over, it drags a person into foolishness and absurdity. Pride, when deeply rooted in the soul, leads to madness and emptiness. Arrogance and vanity often blur the lines between sanity and insanity. Don’t be surprised by what your managers do, for they are not alone in this behavior. Many people, driven by arrogance and pride, share the same traits. One of the greatest misfortunes for honorable and free individuals is to be afflicted by such lowly and base people. A noble person, when encountering such worthlessness, turns away from them as one would turn away from something repulsive. How miserable and misguided are those who follow such people, losing sight of the path of guidance.

🌍 4. Historical Examples of Arrogance

They asked: Can you give us examples of such people?
I said: One such example is the king who argued with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord. Ibrahim said: “My Lord is the One who gives life and death.” The king responded: “I too can give life and death,” showing ignorance and misunderstanding. Ibrahim explained his ignorance with a simple example: life is sustained by essentials like the sun. Ibrahim said, “Allah brings the sun from the east; can you bring it from the west?” Unable to command the sun, the king was weaker in his claim to life and death and even more incapable of claiming divinity.

Another example is Pharaoh, who believed that the resources and lands of Egypt were under his control, that they obeyed his every command. He said: “These rivers flow beneath me,” and “I am your supreme lord,” and “I know of no god for you but myself.” Yet Allah sent him nine clear signs, which he could not counter, and ultimately drowned him in the waters of Egypt, the very land he claimed to control.

Then there’s Qarun (Korah), who was so wealthy that even the keys to his treasures were a burden for strong men to carry. He claimed, “I have been given this wealth because of the knowledge I possess.” But Allah caused the earth to swallow him and his wealth. These people, though alive, were spiritually dead long before their physical deaths, destroyed by ignorance. They made claims without understanding, and Allah’s patience with them, though long-lasting, ultimately led to their downfall. Their own descendants disown them, and their ancestors abandon them, as though they never had any connection.

🔍 5. The Root of Their Misguidance

I said: Allah has given people limited abilities and knowledge, and He has set boundaries for everything.

These people misunderstood their abilities and denied the One who gave them. They believed they owned their abilities, forgetting their limits. This is the root of arrogance, which leads to two dangerous consequences.

They asked: What are these two consequences?
I said:

🚨 6. The Two Consequences of Arrogance

First: Rebellion and Tyranny.
When a person is granted power, knowledge, or wealth, they often quickly overstep their limits and become tyrannical, thinking they control the laws of life and the universe. Allah says: “Indeed, man transgresses when he sees himself self-sufficient.” (Surah Al-Alaq 96:6-7). Al-Tabari, in his commentary, explains: Allah is reminding us that a person should not become ungrateful and arrogant when blessed by their Lord with life, knowledge, and unparalleled blessings. Rather, they should remain humble. Allah beautifully counters this arrogance in the Quran: “Does man not remember that We created him from a drop of fluid, and now he is an open adversary? He gives Us examples and forgets his own creation, saying, ‘Who can bring the bones back to life when they have decayed?’ Say, ‘The One who created them in the first instance will bring them back to life.'” (Surah Ya-Sin 36:77-79).

Second: The Delusion of Creating Reality by Speech.
These tyrants foolishly believe that their words can create reality. This is the height of stupidity. The only word that creates reality is the word of Allah. “When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:117). And: “Our command is but one word: ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Surah An-Nahl 16:40). Unlike Allah, human words do not create reality; they merely express what exists, and those expressions can be true or false.

📜 7. Final Advice

They asked: What do you recommend?
I said: I advise you, and myself, to strive to know our Lord, recognize the limits of our knowledge and abilities, and acknowledge our weakness and dependence on Him. We should offer two forms of gratitude: one for His blessings and kindness, and another for guiding us to be grateful. Let us also admit our incapacity to truly praise Him as He deserves, for no one can count the full extent of His favors, and no enumeration can fully capture His grace. He is the One who created us and perfected our forms. Many calamities have befallen others, but we have been spared. To Him belongs the highest gratitude, the most exalted praise, and the purest thanks.