Jumah Nugget: How to Dignify Yourself and Know Your Self-Worth for a Better World

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

How to Dignify Yourself and Know Your Self-Worth for a Better World

Certainly, we gave dignity to the Children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all the good things, and We gave them an advantage over many of those We have created with a complete preference.— Qur’an 17[Al-’Isra]:70

Dignity is one of the most important characteristics of humans. It has several meanings that include liberty, self-esteem, and autonomy among others. Dignity for human beings results in an individual having responsibility for his Creator, himself, and other creatures as well. We could say: dignity is the state of being worthy of honor and respect. This transcends to your manners and ways of living — both inwardly and outwardly.

As Muslims, we are meant to ascertain, uplift, and sustain the honor and dignity of human beings. Part of the reasons for which Allah made us His vicegerent on earth is to fulfill this objective. Every terrestrial component has been created for the purpose of accommodating and facilitating the fulfillment of man’s noble mission of vicegerency. It goes without saying that the ultimate objective of the Islamic message is the preservation of a believer and his honor and dignity. This translates into the objective of the shari’ah which is: the preservation of his religion, life, lineage, intellect, and property.

In this piece, we want to examine how to dignify yourself as a Muslim. We’d look into five things that contribute to the dignity of a man. Let’s delve into it in bits:

Showing Strength and Gentleness: As a man, you should be strong, agile, and physically fit. You should be able to face obstacles and surmount them. See every challenge you come across as an opportunity for growth. A weak man can easily be intimidated and his dignity will be rubbed in the mud. Your strength will help you in protecting your dignity and that of your loved ones. Hence, create a schedule for yourself to exercise on a regular basis as this will help you physically and mentally. When you put in the work and see yourself gradually transforming in shape, then do not oppress others. Be kind and gentle with people, protect their rights, avoid oppression, and do not allow yourself to be oppressed either. Strength in relation to dignity also shows in the ability to control yourself when annoyed. Allah’s Apostle said:

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “The strong man is not the good wrestler; but the strong man is he who controls himself when he is angry.” — Bukhari and Muslim

2. Be Independent of People: You should be able to do things on your own, by yourself, and not always depending on others. As humans, we sometimes get tired when people frequently come to ask us for help with their needs which can sometimes lead to a loss of dignity. This does not mean that you don’t ask for help at all when you need to. The fact that people depend on you for their needs is a sign that you’re blessed. Hence, do not take it for granted by being undutiful in return. Be a torchbearer who provides light without burning out yourself. Being a person who is able to accomplish things yourself increases your dignity. The Messenger (ﷺ) said:

On the authority of Abu al-’Abbas Sahl bin Sa’ad as-Sa’idee (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which, if I do it, [will cause] Allah to love me and the people to love me.” So he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Renounce the world and Allah will love you, and renounce what the people possess and the people will love you.” — A hasan hadeeth related by Ibn Majah and others with good chains of authority.

3. Humility over Pride: It is part of the dignity of a man to stay humble irrespective of the situation he finds himself. Only real haters dislike a humble soul, so you don’t have to pay attention to them. Allow your knowledge, wealth, or popularity to humble you. Don’t be the type of person who hype themself beyond the ordinary. When Allah blesses you, express gratitude and not a change of attitude. Increase your standard of giving and not necessarily your standard of living. Remember there were people who had it all before you and are nowhere to be found today. Part of your dignity also is to dress well and look good, but don’t look down on the people with pride. Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) explained this to us in clear terms:

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud reported that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one will enter Paradise in whose heart is an atom’s weight of arrogance and no one will enter Hell in whose heart is an atom’s weight of faith.” A man said: What if I like my clothes to look nice and my shoes to look nice? He said: “Verily Allah is Beautiful and He loves beauty. Rather, arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” — Tirmidhi

4. Talkless, Do More: Be a man of few words and let it resonate beyond its sound. This tells more about your dignity, gives you more value, and makes you unpredictable. A man of action is a go-getter and he’s well valued in the community. Hence, promise less and deliver beyond expectation. Do not let out all your plans before execution, that way everyone already knows your next move. Be mindful of your tongue as this could be a great factor in dragging your dignity in the mud. Remember silence is golden when you don’t have something beneficial to say. Allah’s Messenger reminded us about this thus:

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent.” — Muslim

5. Respect: One of the most important and not the least of the points is saved for the last — respect! This comes in three different phases vis-a-vis:

Respect for Allah

Respect for Yourself and

Respect for Others

As for respect for Allah, it is simply At-Tauhid. This is the purpose of your creation; to know your Lord and worship Him appropriately. Having dignity for Allah also involves you honoring Him by being mindful of Him. You’re aware that He knows and sees all that you do, therefore you’re shy of committing sins. When you do, you don’t hesitate to fall back in repentance. You try your best to follow all His injunctions even when it’s uncomfortable for you.

Dignity towards yourself entails all that we’ve been talking about. Strength, Independence, Humility, and Speech all contribute to your dignity. Have self-respect for yourself, value your personality, and don’t belittle your self-worth. Part of your dignity also is “minding your business”. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Part of the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him.” — Tirmidhi

Having respect for others is also a way to dignify them and yourself as well. It’s often said that respect is reciprocal, so if you give it, it comes back to you in some ways too. Respect for others transcends gender, color, age, and religion. Diversity is not necessarily a bad thing, so let’s embrace the beauty and tolerate the difference. Allah tells us in the Quran:

O Mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may get to know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware. — Qur’an 49[Al-Hujurat]:13

PS: Success comes only by the will of Allah! If you find this piece beneficial, it’s by Allah’s Grace. It’s no scholarly work and we accept our mistakes. Suggestions are welcomed in making this effort better as well.

Yaumul Jum’ah 15th Safar 1445H // Friday 1st September 2023.