And the humble men and the humble women
وَالْخَاشِعِينَ وَالْخَاشِعَاتِ
The author says:
"the humble" This is the beginning of today's lesson. The humble person is the modest, the lowly, and the opposite is the arrogant, the proud. So humility is being lowly, submissive, and modest. It is among the highest ranks of faith and the most perfect states of the heart. Humility has various contexts, one of which is humility in prayer. The jurists defined it as tranquility in the heart that manifests in the limbs. Some said it is a state in the soul from which the humility of the limbs appears. So it is in the heart, and its effect appears on the limbs. For this reason, it is narrated from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he saw a man playing with his beard while he was praying, so he said:
"If the heart of this man were tranquil, his limbs would be tranquil." It was also narrated as a marfu' hadith, but it is not authentic; rather, it is from 'Umar, with the weakness present in it. So humility in prayer is the tranquility of the heart whose effect appears on the limbs, or a state that arises in the soul from which the stillness of the limbs appears. There is also humility in the rest of the acts of obedience, by which a person performs them while being modest and lowly before Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Among this is what happened to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he conquered Makkah and triumphed over its people. Indeed, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not enter as one who is high and arrogant, but he entered with his head lowered (peace and blessings be upon him), submissive to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Also among this is humility in Hajj and 'Umrah, where a person performs them with lowliness and humility, believing that he is worshipping Allah. So when you enter into 'Umrah and Hajj, believe that you are in worship from the moment you say "Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik" until you finish. But, unfortunately, we do not feel this. You find a person committing the prohibitions of ihram and other forbidden things, unless Allah wills, or unless one whom Allah wills. So humility encompasses all acts of obedience, by which a person performs them with modesty, humility, and lowliness, without arrogance or haughtiness in his heart. There is no difference in this between humility during the act of worship or after performing the act of worship, because some people become humble in the worship, but when they finish it, they see themselves in a high rank, that they are elevated, and that they have attained a rank that others have not attained. This is self-admiration and admiration of the deed. A person should, when he performs the worship, be as Allah the Exalted said:
Their hearts are fearful
قلوبهم وجلة
If they look at their shortcomings, they fear, and if they look at the favor of Allah, they hope.
