If we begin to think that a certain religious work or achievement was accomplished through us, and then take pride in it or boast about it, that is certainly a disgraceful and deeply concerning attitude.
We may do many good deeds and naturally feel happy about them. Yet we have no assurance that those deeds or acts of worship have actually been accepted by Allah. There is nothing wrong with feeling happy after doing a good deed; in fact, the Hadith describes this as a sign of faith. However, the Hadith speaks of feeling joy in one’s heart after doing good—not of displaying pride or arrogance, whether inwardly or outwardly.
The ultimate purpose behind every good deed should be to please Allah. A believer’s conviction is that Allah alone will reward him for his good deeds, and therefore their hopes and prayers for reward should be directed solely to Him. If one seeks a reward from someone else, then, as mentioned in the Hadith, a caller will announce on the Day of Judgment: “Take your reward from the one for whom you performed the deed.” A believing servant knows this and lives by it.
We may feel happy after doing a good deed, and its benefits may even be visible. Yet we can never be certain that Allah has accepted it. So how can taking pride in a good deed, whether inwardly or openly, ever give us peace of mind? How can we hope for our good deeds to be accepted while holding such a misguided attitude?
In society, we sometimes see people boast about their good deeds, achievements, or wealth, saying things like, “Look, I built all this through my own intelligence and resources.” Others may say, “I achieved all this through my own ability and power.”
Some become so blinded by arrogance that they even say, “Look! Allah has given me all this,” despite the fact that they are not obedient servants of Allah and continue to disobey Him. Yet they still convince themselves that their disobedience is insignificant and that they are among Allah’s beloved servants.
When and why does a person speak like this? It happens when they have no concern for their own wrongdoing and injustice, living a completely reckless life. Their arrogance reaches its peak. Yet in reality, Allah may give such a person more time and greater opportunities, allowing them to continue until they cross all bounds and ultimately face destruction. May Allah protect us from such a fate.
Everyone should remember the story of the two garden owners mentioned in Sura Kahf and reflect deeply upon its lessons. It is a profoundly instructive story, narrated by Allah Himself so that we may learn from it.
The story of the two garden owners, in brief, goes something like this: One of them was blessed with greater wealth and more children, and he looked down on the other man, who had comparatively less. At one point, he even declared that his wealth would last forever. He went on to say that even if his wealth were somehow to perish, Allah would surely give him something even better in its place.
Even more alarming, he denied the reality of the Day of Judgment and the final reckoning.
The second man warned him, but he refused to listen. Then, one day, when he was overtaken by punishment and all his wealth was destroyed, he realized that he should never have been ungrateful to Allah or taken pride in his wealth and status. See Sura Kahf 18:32–44.
This story also makes one thing clear: when a person becomes overly impressed with their own achievements, they may eventually become arrogant enough to belittle even the small blessings or accomplishments of others (as they possess jealousy and malice in heart, they would belittle others’ bigger blessings much more!). May Allah protect us from such a fate.
We should always remember that it is only by Allah’s mercy that we are able to do good deeds. It is by His mercy that His blessings come to us, and by His will that we are able to enjoy them. Therefore, there is no place for pride or boasting over Allah’s blessings. What we should have instead is gratitude.
