Today's Jewel

You think you're confident. Allah thinks you're delusional. The line between self-assurance and arrogance is thinner than your patience during Ramadan.

Al-Ghazālī wrote an entire book on the dangers of pride (Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, look it up). He understood that pride is the original sin—Iblis didn't disobey because he was ignorant; he disobeyed because he thought he knew better. "I am better than him," he said about Adam. First recorded humblebrag, and it got him kicked out of paradise. Lesson learned? Apparently not.

The Qur'an tells you not to "walk through the earth exultantly." Have you seen how people walk after a minor accomplishment? Like they invented oxygen. Chest puffed, head high, completely forgetting that everything they have is borrowed, temporary, and will be returned to dust.

Here's the thing about pride: it's always compensating for something. The loudest person in the room is usually the most insecure. Real confidence is quiet. It doesn't need validation because it's rooted in something deeper than ego—it's rooted in knowing your place in the grand scheme: small, dependent, and unbelievably fortunate to exist at all.

The Prophet ﷺ was the most accomplished person of his time, yet he sat on the ground, mended his own clothes, and served others. That's not weakness; that's strength. Pride is weak. It needs constant feeding, constant affirmation, constant performance. Humility just is. It doesn't need an audience.

You want to cure pride? Spend time with people who are better than you at things that matter. Serve someone who can't repay you. Remember that every breath you take is a gift you didn't earn. Stand before Allah in prayer and feel how small you are in the face of infinite mercy.

Al-Ghazālī said pride is poverty masquerading as wealth. You think you're rich in accomplishments, but you're actually poor in spirit. Every "look at me" is a desperate cry for significance. You already have significance—you were created with purpose. You don't need to prove it.

Walk humbly. Speak softly. Know your worth without advertising it. The earth doesn't need your performance. It needs your presence.