A superiority complex is present in everyone, in varying degrees. This gives one courage and confidence. If a person has no ego, he will be deprived of self-confidence and in the absence of selfconfidence no one can perform any worthwhile task. But it is necessary that one’s feelings of self-confidence or superiority complex should be bound by limitations, that is, it should be reined in by the feeling of modesty. In the absence of such pressure, a person will lose his utility and viability in social life. He will suffer from ahankar or excessive pride. And without doubt, there is nothing more destructive than excessive pride in this world. There are two things in this world which make a person modest. One is a scientific bent of mind; the other is being God-fearing. A scientific bent of mind results from the realization of knowledge. And, a God-fearing mind is the result of the discovery and realization of God.
The best thing in life is modesty and the worst of all is arrogance. Modesty is the best and arrogance is the worst.
According to a hadith: Copy Arabic text One who adopts modesty will be raised in status by God. (Musnad al-Shihab 335)
The hadith also says: One is arrogant will be disgraced by God. Copy Arabic text (Musnad al-Shihab 335) These statements have been derived from the Quran and Hadith.
I have also adopted this principle in life: modesty is the best and arrogance is the worst. I was once at a place which was struck by a storm. I observed that a tall tree got caught up in the storm and was thrown on the ground. But the smaller plants around didn’t fall down. The smaller plants were unaffected, while the tall tree fell down when the storm struck. I told my companions that this was a demonstration by God. In this world, modesty pays while arrogance is of no use. The tall tree was stiff and unbending. It symbolized arrogance. It remained standing, unwilling to bow down. What happened when the storm struck? The storm tore it down. The tree which earlier stood upright was thrown on the ground. This was a result of arrogance. At the same time, there were a number of small plants nearby. They bent when the storm came. When the storm came from the east, they bent westward. When the storm came from the west, they bent eastward. These plants symbolized modesty. Their modesty saved them, while the tree's arrogance led to its fall.
