The Pride Behind Seeking Praise
Amongst the afflictions that most stroke the nafs (self) and draw a person away from their Lord, leading to spiritual intoxication, is the love of fame and the desire for praise. Imam Ghazali analyzes why people derive so much pleasure from being praised, stating that the underlying cause is kibir (pride) and the desire to believe in one’s own perfection. The person who is praised feels as though they have overcome their nafs with the words of the praiser, and that their power and superiority are affirmed. However, this pleasure is nothing more than the awakening of a hidden Pharaoh-like quality within the heart – the delusion, “I am the greatest.” Love of grandeur and status is a relentless disease that rusts the heart and uproots sincerity.
Deception of False Praise
One of the most striking examples of how prone human beings are to pride is their willingness to be deceived by false praise. Sometimes a person clearly knows that someone is lying to them, expecting something in return, and acting as a sycophant – yet they inwardly enjoy hearing these flattering words. This indicates that the person has become enslaved to the mere sounds of praise. Someone who clings to these false exaltations even while knowing the truth has completely abandoned the discipline of their nafs and lost their reason in the shadow of pride. True arif (gnostics) have regarded people’s praise as scorpion venom and vehemently avoided it.
Humility and True Dignity
A sincere believer, even if all the people on earth elevate them to the heavens, knows very well their own shortcomings and weakness within. They know that absolute praise (hamd) belongs only to Allah. People’s praise does not spoil them, nor do their criticism or condemnation upset them; for their sole aim is to please their Lord. Complete servitude cannot be attained until self-admiration (*ucub*) and the ambition of seeking applause are uprooted from the heart. When a servant escapes the captivity of false status and deceptive praise, they attain the highest honor (dignity) in the sight of Allah and taste true spiritual freedom.