Do not think of yourself as being better than others

 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

...هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ

huwa a’lamu bikum iz ansha akum minal ardi wa iz antum ajinnatun fee butooni umma haatikum falaa tuzakkooo anfusakum huwa a’lamu bimanit taqaa

Part of ayat An-Najm (The Star) - 53:32 He is fully aware of you when He brings you into being out of dust,  and when you are still hidden in your mothers’ wombs: do not, then, consider your­selves pure - [for] He knows best as to who is conscious of Him.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَى أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاء مِّن نِّسَاء عَسَى أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الاِسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ  

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa yaskhar qawmum min qawmin ‘asaaa anyyakoonoo khairam minhum wa laa nisaaa’um min nisaaa’in ‘Asaaa ay yakunna khairam minhunna wa laa talmizooo anfusakum wa laa tanaabazoo bil alqaab; bi’sal ismul fusooqu ba’dal eemaan; wa mal-lam yatub fa-ulaaa’ika humuz zaalimoon

Al-Hujurat (The Private Chambers)  49:11 O YOU who have attained to faith! No men shall deride [other] men: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than themselves; and no women [shall deride other] women: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than them­selves. And neither shall you defame one another, nor insult one another by [opprobrious] epithets: evil is all imputation of iniquity after [one has attained to] faith; and they who [become guilty thereof and] do not repent - it is they, they who are evildoers!

Lesson 1:

Once there was a diligent young man who wanted to learn Islam from the best of the best scholars. Perfect teachers. He came up with the criteria that a great scholar is one who is great in his deeds, so he will only learn from those within whom he does not find any mistakes, let alone sins.

He went up to a scholar, and requested permission to stay with him, and to learn from him with the caveat that if he finds any shortcomings, he will leave without further ado.  And it so happened that after several days he found something in the scholar that he did not like, and so he left.

Then he went looking for another scholar, and after several weeks, he found one, and repeated the process. After a few days, he left dejected due to something similar.  Finally, after several years of seeking, and spending time in the company of scholars, it is said that the number of scholars rejected by him reached ninety nine. So he was hoping against hope that the next one, that is, the hundredth one will rise up to his standard, so that he learns from him.

So, he told this hundredth fellow, a pious old wise man, the terms of his search. The old saint arranged for him to be well fed and rested, and said he will reply the next morning. Here is what he had to say:

"Son, do not wait to find one defect/flaw in me, for rest assured, I have many. You will be wasting your time. So, I have asked my family to prepare provisions for your return journey. However, since you have traveled far and wide to get here, let me offer you an idea, or an advice, if you so wish it."

The young man was open to listening to the advice. So the old man went on:

"Based on what you said, you have traveled thousands of miles and spend years in seeking out a perfect teacher or scholar, and yet, all you have to show for it is ninety-nine flaws that you found in others. Had you decided, instead, to pick one good trait from each of them, as of now, you would have been richer by ninety nine good character traits, and who knows, maybe had become a teacher in your own right. How wonderful would it have been?"

Hearing this, the youth was shocked, and was awakened to his folly and at the same time was hit with the realization that this hundredth teacher is the teacher that he was looking for.

Lesson 2:
 

There was this old gentleman, in ordinary clothes, queuing up for security check at the gates of the banquet hall.  On clearing the metal detector and the physical search, he entered the banquet hall said “As-salaamu Alayikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh ”. He had yet to reach the Mercy of Allah (“Rahmatullah”) in his utterance, he was surrounded by the  guards and the Assistant Banquet Manager (ABM), who, not impressed by his attire, told the gentleman:
    “This is a closed event.  Are you aware that you cannot enter the banquet hall, unless invited?”
    “Oh, but I am….. Invited, I mean”, he said calmly.
    “Yeah sure, but the banquet is reserved for distinguished guests only, so may I please see your invitation?” they said, not believing him. After all, how come someone with such poor attire be a guest at the Sultan's banquet.
    “Actually, I am not carrying it with me,” he replied confidently.
    “So you are a distinguished guest?” the the ABM asked.
    “Well, no,” replied the old man.
    “Then you must be more than that, a diplomat perhaps?” asked the ABM he said, in a ridiculing tone.
    “No, not really”, said the old man.
    “So you are a minister, perhaps?”
    “No, not that too”.
    "Oho! So you must be the Sultan himself, sir," said the ABM sarcastically, obviously running low on his patience reserves.
    “No, I am sure I am not the Sultan!”
    “Hmm? So you must be higher than the Sultan?  But wait, nobody is higher than the Sultan in this land! Get rid of this beggar” so saying he signaled to the guards to get rid of him.
    “Now you have it,” he exclaimed, and everyone froze, “I am ‘Nobody!’” he continued.  Before anyone could make sense of what he had said, sounds of commotion were heard near the main gates, indicating the arrival of the Sultan.  Everyone ran to their respective positions, and the gentleman shrugged his shoulders and proceeded towards the exit.

Several hours later, a vaguely familiar guest was behaving rather strangely, dipping his cuffs in the punch-bowl.  As if that was not weird enough, he started ladling custard down the front of his rather dazzling brocade coat (with ivory buttons and semi-precious stones lining the epaulets).  Not only that, he put his turban on the banquet table and applied caviar on to it.
    The head-waiter rushed towards him, as if with the intent of offering him a juice or something to calm him down.  Suddenly in one swift, unexpected motion he picked and threw the bottle across the hallway, smashing it to smithereens. A hushed silence pervaded across the banquet table, as the attention of the Sultan was drawn to him.  We did not know what to expect, when the gentleman uttered:
    “Apparently the juice has taught the bottle to fly, but it has yet to teach it the the art of landing properly.”  Then addressing his coat and turban, he said “Thanks to Allah, you have had your fill.”
    So saying the merry gentleman, covered in all sorts of delicious sweetmeats excused himself from the table, when the Sultan addressed him, much to the surprise of all and sundry.
    “O Noble and August Shaykh Nasruddin, did anything displease you?”, asked the Sultan, with utmost respect.
    “No,” replied the gentleman, who, it seems was Nasruddin Hodja.
    “No, not at all, I was just feeding these robes of brocade for what is their right,” said he, rather nonchalantly.
    At this point, the Sultan asked “What could be the meaning of this, O Master of Masters?”
    He replied, “The banquet invitation was meant for these robes, for they were welcome here, and not I, when I came a while back without them”.
    So saying, he took leave and left.