Humility before Allah is one of the most praised qualities in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and its opposite — arrogance — is among the most condemned. Allah says: "And do not walk upon the earth arrogantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth apart, and you will never reach the mountains in height." (Surah al-Isra 17:37)About This BookAl-Hafiz Ibn Abi Dunya, a hadith scholar of Baghdad in the third Islamic century, compiled a detailed treatise examining what humility consists of, what produces it, and what the early Muslims said and did to cultivate it. Allah Loves the Humble gathers the hadith and narrations on this topic in one place — making it an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand humility as the Islamic tradition actually defines it.What This Book CoversThe Virtue and Definition of HumilityThe book establishes what tawadu' (humility) is from the texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah — distinguishing it from self-abasement, social conformity, or weakness, and showing that it is a quality of strength rooted in genuine awareness of one's station before Allah.The Condemnation of ArroganceAlongside the virtues of humility, Ibn Abi Dunya presents the narrations warning against kibr (arrogance) — including the hadith that the one who has even a mustard seed's weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise, and the many narrations showing how the Salaf fled from it.The Examples of the Humble Among the SalafThe book is rich with stories and statements from the early Muslims demonstrating what humility looked like in practice — scholars who sat at the feet of those younger than them, leaders who served those they governed, and worshippers who hid their deeds from others.About the AuthorAl-Hafiz Ibn Abi Dunya (208–281 AH) was a hadith collector of Baghdad who tutored the sons of the caliphs and compiled well over a hundred short works, most of them on the heart, the afterlife and character. Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers.Who This Book Is ForAny Muslim who wants to cultivate genuine humility before Allah and with people, or who wants to understand the Islamic treatment of this quality from a classical hadith perspective.Continue ReadingShaykh Ibn Uthaymin's explanation of the Riyad as-Saliheen chapter on humility treats the same quality from the hadith of al-Nawawi's collection. Browse the other titles by Ibn Abi Dunya, explore our books on purifying the soul, or see our guide to the best books on tazkiyah.
