Humility, Self-Naughting, and Self-Transcendence
Humility November 24, 2025 Atif Khalil
In Islamic ethics, humility (khushu‘/tawadu‘) is essential to servitude to God, as pride caused the sins of Pharaoh and Iblis. Humility can be understood in two complementary ways. In dualistic theology, it means moving away from conceit toward a balanced midpoint, avoiding self-loathing. In Islamic mysticism, based on the unity of being, humility involves vertical self-transcendence and self-effacement before God, where the ego is recognized as unreal, achieving fullness as nothingness before the divine infinity.