Source: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ from Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
من تعاظم في نفسه، واختال في مشيته، لقي الله وهو عليه غضبان
It is narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever exalts himself in his own mind and walks with arrogance, will meet Allah while He is angry with him.”
Narrated by al-Ḥākim, and its narrators are reliable.
تَعَاظَمَ:
Derived from the pattern tafaʿʿala — signifies excessive self-glorification, regarding oneself greater than others in worth or respect.
اخْتَالَ:
From khibāl (خيلاء), indicating pride in gait. Horses are called khayl because of their dignified stride. A person who walks boastfully is referred to as mukhtāl (arrogant).
غَضْبَانُ:
An emphatic form of ghadab (anger) — meaning “filled with wrath,” just as Raḥmān denotes abundant mercy.
No created being has the right to assume greatness. All creation is inherently dependent on Allah and possesses nothing of their own.
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا
[al-Nisā’ 4:36]
"Indeed, Allah does not love the arrogant and boastful."
Anyone who adopts humility is deserving of Allah’s mercy, while the arrogant will face His intense anger.
Instead of achieving the superiority they seek, the proud will face humiliation.
ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAmr (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"يُحْشَرُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَمْثَالَ الذَّرِّ فِي صُوَرِ الرِّجَالِ"
"The arrogant will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment like ants in the form of men."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tirmidhī 2025]
This is divine retribution: those who considered themselves great will be reduced to insignificance.
All such displays invite Allah’s anger.
Allah warns:
"وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا"
[Luqmān 31:18]
"Do not turn your cheek in arrogance toward people, nor walk pridefully upon the earth."
✔ Arrogance and self-glorification are traits that invoke Allah’s anger.
✔ Greatness belongs to Allah alone — man’s pride is a sign of ignorance and falsehood.
✔ The arrogant will face humiliation in the Hereafter, appearing like tiny ants, crushed in their own disgrace.
✔ True honor lies in humility, and those who adopt it will be raised by Allah.
✔ Both inner pride and external displays of arrogance are condemned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
❖ Ḥadīth
وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
من تعاظم في نفسه، واختال في مشيته، لقي الله وهو عليه غضبان
It is narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever exalts himself in his own mind and walks with arrogance, will meet Allah while He is angry with him.”
Narrated by al-Ḥākim, and its narrators are reliable.
Referencing
- Ṣaḥīḥ: [al-Ḥākim 1/60]
- Also referenced in: Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah [543]
✦ Vocabulary
تَعَاظَمَ:
Derived from the pattern tafaʿʿala — signifies excessive self-glorification, regarding oneself greater than others in worth or respect.
اخْتَالَ:
From khibāl (خيلاء), indicating pride in gait. Horses are called khayl because of their dignified stride. A person who walks boastfully is referred to as mukhtāl (arrogant).
غَضْبَانُ:
An emphatic form of ghadab (anger) — meaning “filled with wrath,” just as Raḥmān denotes abundant mercy.
✿ Key Points & Benefits
➊ Grandeur and Greatness Belong Only to Allah
No created being has the right to assume greatness. All creation is inherently dependent on Allah and possesses nothing of their own.
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا
[al-Nisā’ 4:36]
"Indeed, Allah does not love the arrogant and boastful."
Anyone who adopts humility is deserving of Allah’s mercy, while the arrogant will face His intense anger.
Instead of achieving the superiority they seek, the proud will face humiliation.
➋ Humiliation of the Arrogant on the Day of Judgment
ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAmr (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"يُحْشَرُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَمْثَالَ الذَّرِّ فِي صُوَرِ الرِّجَالِ"
"The arrogant will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment like ants in the form of men."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tirmidhī 2025]
This is divine retribution: those who considered themselves great will be reduced to insignificance.
➌ Types of Arrogance
- Inner Arrogance (Pride of the Heart):
– Thinking oneself superior
– Looking down on others
– Rejecting truth out of self-importance - Outward Arrogance (Behavioral):
– Inflating one’s face in disdain
– Looking at people with contempt or from the corner of the eye
– Walking arrogantly
– Wearing clothing below the ankles out of pride
All such displays invite Allah’s anger.
Allah warns:
"وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا"
[Luqmān 31:18]
"Do not turn your cheek in arrogance toward people, nor walk pridefully upon the earth."
Summary
✔ Arrogance and self-glorification are traits that invoke Allah’s anger.
✔ Greatness belongs to Allah alone — man’s pride is a sign of ignorance and falsehood.
✔ The arrogant will face humiliation in the Hereafter, appearing like tiny ants, crushed in their own disgrace.
✔ True honor lies in humility, and those who adopt it will be raised by Allah.
✔ Both inner pride and external displays of arrogance are condemned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
