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Shaykh Saalih Aal ash-Shaykh said:
Ibn Rajab (rahima-hullaah) al-Haafiz Zayn ad-Deen ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Ahmad Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (rahima-hullaah) was an imaam, [and] a scholar, but he was an ascetic, [and] pious, [and] humble.
One of his students mentioned that “we were with our Shaykh in one of his lessons, and he explained to us an issue.”
“He explained to us an issue in amazing detail.”
He said: “We were then invited with him that day to a gathering of one of the senior judges.”
He said they spoke, and from what they spoke about was this issue.
This issue [which they had spoken about earlier].
He said they spoke, but they “did not come up with anything close to what our Shaykh had said in his lesson.”
He said: “And we were looking at our Shaykh, wanting him to speak, and to benefit them, to show his superiority [in knowledge and understanding] over them.”
The student wants the superiority of his Shaykh to be apparent [to those present], so he can feel proud about him.
But he (Ibn Rajab) remained silent.
He said: “So when we left [the gathering],”
He said: “I took him – along with some of those who were with me, and said to him:
‘May Allaah be good to you and increase your superiority [in knowledge and understanding.’
[Earlier], in the masjid you mentioned the issue to us and explained it.
Then it (this issue) was mentioned in this gathering, and you did not mention anything to them.
So, if [only] you had benefited them [as you had benefited us earlier in the masjid].
Then he said: ‘Any speech from one who is not arrogant…not arrogant about knowledge.’
He said: ‘My gathering with you was for [the Sake of] Allaah, and this gathering was for worldly interests.’
‘My gathering with you was for [the Sake of] Allaah, and this gathering was for worldly interests.’
Humility…is the hallmark of success.
Humility is the hallmark of success.
Arrogance is the hallmark of failure.
And therefore…the closer one of us gets…to humility, with his strength…in knowledge, [with] his strength in managing [his humility, and] his strength in his speciality but inside he is humble, [and] not arrogant, nor authoritarian, nor aggressing.
Translation originally published on 7 April, 2025
