Pride is an evil trait. It is a Satanic impulse. It emboldens a person out of proportion. It spurs him to feel he is better than the other person, and eventually the other is inferior to him.
Satan’s expulsion from the Paradise is the natural corollary of pride. When God created Adam and asked angels – Satan was then from among them – to prostrate before him, all the angels prostrated but Satan who exulted in having been born of fire (whereas man was created out of clay) refused to obey God’s command. Satan was too proud and arrogant to make a prostration to Adam at his Lord’s command. And the Lord, the Creator and Almighty, expelled Satan from the Paradise for ever.
In human history, there are a lot of instances that show the ignominious end of those who tread onto the path of pride. A classic example thereof is the story of Pharaoh, the biggest tyrant on earth, who was too proud to declare himself as God! Despite the truth of monotheism (that there is only One God, the Creator and Sustainer) presented to him by Prophet Moses, he did not budge. Thus he committed the sin of hubris, the sin of overweening pride that blinds human intellect. Therefore, God destroyed him and set him as an example for posterity.
History bears evidence that many nations have been destroyed because they did not pay heed to the call of God’s Messengers. They responded to the truth with pride. The question is why God expelled Satan from the Paradise and why He destroyed many nations as well as Pharaoh. It is simply because God hates pride and arrogance and prohibits man from being proud of any of his bounties He has blessed him with. The bounties that may lead one to take pride in but must beware of include one’s fair complexion, family lineage, wealth, social status, political clout, power, etc. Let’s remember once again that God’s bounties with us are mere tools to test us whether or not we are obedient to Him.
The Qur’ān (39:60) presents the ultimate end and the final destination of the proud: “Is there not in Hell an abode for the proud?” God also says: “It shall be said: Enter the gates of hell to abide therein; so evil is the abode of the proud.” (The Qur’ān – 39:72)
God’s Messenger ﷺ says that an atom’s weight of pride can lead one to hell. Abdullah ibn Mas’ood relates that the Prophet ﷺ said: “No one who has an atom’s-weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” (Muslim) This hadith defines pride and arrogance as something “rejecting the truth and looking down on people.”
In a nutshell, pride destroys faith; it deeply cuts into one’s spirituality and can damage another’s feeling of well-being and happiness. We must ensure that we treat everyone with the same feelings of respect, honour and dignity as we would expect from others. After all, we all are mere servants of God and therefore have no right to harbour any feelings of pride or arrogance. Also, we must remain open to whatever truth from God or His Messenger ﷺ comes to us.