#nisa i love you

[charmyesucks]

I wish I could show every 18-21 year old girl meeting a pretentious ass narcissist that's never heard of therapy this, RUN FROM THEM I BEG OF YOU. EVERY GUY THAT CLAIMS TO HATE SKYLER BUT LOVES WALTER IS 100% NOT TO BE TRUSTED, R U N

(credit nisipisa on yt)

[mihrunnisasultans]

I am not going to defend myself, Your Majesty. Whatever I say, your decision will not change anyway. I could calm you by denying it, but I don't intend to do it. Throw me into the fire like you did with your family and other people you loved. [...] So this is [absolute loyalty] why you killed them all? Hatice, Ibrahim, Mustafa, Çihangir...I remember how our father Selim Han died. He didn't die easily. God did not let him leave this world without suffering first. The same fate awaits you!

Fatma + roasting Suleiman to his face (and to others)

Happy (belated) Birthday Plami! @mc-critical

[kiigoumiu-blog]

  I wish that more English Danganronpa V3 fans knew that in the original Japanese version, Gonta didn’t talk in caveman/Hulk speech. He spoke in normal polite Japanese, only struggling with the meaning of certain words from his lack of experience. He did however talk in third person but Tenko and Angie did as well. In Japanese 3rd person speech works and is used to make characters cute and childish. But in English none of this comes across and instead is just distracting. Its obvious that the NISA translators only kept Gonta in 3rd person to insert weird American humor into the series.

  I especially dislike this translation because Gonta is one of the most important characters in ndrv3, especially when it comes to Kokichi’s character arc. Now, instead of being the sweet and naive entomologist who allows the audience to see beneath Kokichi’s mask, he is now seen as nothing but a joke side character. 

  Which not only ruins Gonta’s entire character but also makes Kokichi’s character and intentions even more confusing.

(No wonder people are confused that Kokichi and Gonta got official Anniversary wine together haha)

  To make things worse, they also changed Kokichi’s character by making him more childish and aggressive.(even going as far as changing his sprites on scenes!) I’d say one of the worst mistranslations though was making his whiteboard have “trustworthy?” written below the photo of Shuichi. In Japanese it says something more along the lines of “dangerous?” or “untrustworthy?”. I really don’t know how they messed this up but it was likely because there was a translator who wanted Kokichi to be shipped with the protagonist. The translation error to me was strange because most of his interactions with Shuichi were negative so, to suddenly say that Shuichi was the only one he trusted would feel like a contradiction. It’s also frustrating because, the original whiteboard translation imo implies that Kokichi may have suspected that Shuichi was the mastermind which is SO INTERESTING and gives their dynamic so much more depth.

In conclusion: NISA ruined V3 lol

[nicastamatis]

while i can't really see him getting super into sims 3, i think armand would be obsessssssed with sims 2 i do think hed be one of those people who is just never getting sick of it. he has the kind of playtime in that game that only immortals and the real sickos (/pos) can achieve.

conversely i also think he would have insane playtime clocked in on sims 4, but unlike ts2 he has never made a sincere attempt at playing it as intended, alternating between two deeply unhinged play styles. ONE roleplays his trauma using a very specific combination of 18+ mods in the same way that people make abusive dad chatbots on character.ai and TWO spends hours making a photo realistic lestat sim just to make him go through every death in the game (including every distinct emotional death). he buys packs on launch based purely on whether there are new deaths and with the sole motivation of making lestat suffer them.

to be clear he doesn't make One Photo Realistic Lestat Sim and then go to gallery and load it into a new save and kill it. every time for every death he makes a new lestat from scratch with so much cc that it does genuinely look like a real human person. his gallery is just the trauma household and then 50+ distinct lestats. which have all died. badly.

[mothbug]

sometimes i think about meridiem still. i think nisa is accidentally the funniest character ever

[sophieebridgerton]

a moment of silence for the scraps of songs put on tiktok but not on albums

[hadeth]

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ اقْرَأْ عَلَىَّ ‏"‌‏.‏ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَيْكَ أُنْزِلَ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنِّي أَشْتَهِي أَنْ أَسْمَعَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِي ‏"‌‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَرَأْتُ النِّسَاءَ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغْتُ ‏{‏فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلاَءِ شَهِيدًا‏}‌‏.‏ قَالَ لِي ‏"‏ كُفَّ ـ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ ـ ‏"‌‏.‏ فَرَأَيْتُ عَيْنَيْهِ تَذْرِفَانِ‏.‏ صحيح البخاري ومسلم ٥٠٥٥ - ٨٠٠

bn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to me, “Recite the Qur'an to me.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! Shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?” He (peace be upon him) said, “I like to hear it from others.” Then I began to recite Surat An-Nisa’. When I reached the Ayah: ‘How will it be when We shall bring a witness from every people and bring you as a witness against them?’ [4:41] (Having heard it) he said, “Enough! Enough!” When I looked at him, I found his eyes were overflowing with tears.“ [Al- Bukhari and Muslim]. Sunnah.com reference : Book 9, Hadith 18 Arabic/English book reference : Book 9, Hadith 1008

باب فَضْلِ اسْتِمَاعِ الْقُرْآنِ، وَطَلَبِ الْقِرَاءَةِ مِنْ حَافِظِهِ لِلاِسْتِمَاعِ، وَالْبُكَاءِ عِنْدَ الْقِرَاءَةِ وَالتَّدَبُّرِ. مسلم ()

البكاء عند قراءة القرآن حسن، قد فعله النبي (صلى الله عليه وسلم) وكبار الصحابة، وإنما بكى (صلى الله عليه وسلم) عند هذا لأنه مثل لنفسه أهوال يوم القيامة، وشدة الحال الداعية له إلى شهادته لأمته بتصديقه والإيمان به، وسؤاله الشفاعة لهم ليريحهم من طول الموقف وأهواله، وهذا أمر يحق له طول البكاء والحزن. شرح صحيح البخاري لابن بطال ()

قال علماؤنا : بكاء النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إنما كان لعظيم ما تضمنته هذه الآية من هول المطلع وشدة الأمر ؛ إذ يؤتى بالأنبياء شهداء على أممهم بالتصديق والتكذيب ، ويؤتى به صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم القيامة شهيدا . والإشارة بقوله على هؤلاء إلى كفار قريش وغيرهم من الكفار ؛ وإنما خص كفار قريش بالذكر لأن وظيفة العذاب أشد عليهم منها على غيرهم ؛ لعنادهم عند رؤية المعجزات ، وما أظهره الله على يديه من خوارق العادات . والمعنى فكيف يكون حال هؤلاء الكفار يوم القيامة إذا جئنا من كل أمة بشهيد وجئنا بك على هؤلاء شهيدا أمعذبين أم منعمين ؟ وهذا استفهام معناه التوبيخ . وقيل : الإشارة إلى جميع أمته . … تفسير القرطبي ()

Chapter: The virtue of listening to the Qur’an, asking one who has memorized it to recite so that one may listen, weeping when reciting, and pondering the meanings . Muslim ()

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked Ibn Mas‘ūd to recite some verses of the Qur’an to him. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O Messenger of Allah, how can I recite it to you while it has been revealed to you and you have greater knowledge of it than I!" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained: "I love to hear it being recited by others." So Ibn Mas‘ūd recited a portion from Sūrat An-Nisā' to him, and he reached the verse that says: {So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and we bring you [O Muhammad] against these [people] as a witness?} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 41] Meaning: how will your and their condition be? At this point, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Enough for now", meaning: stop the recitation. Ibn Mas‘ūd remarked: "When I looked at him, I saw that his eyes were filled with tears out of mercy towards his followers." Hadith Translation/ Explanation : English Urdu Spanish Indonesian Bengali French Turkish Russian Bosnian Indian Chinese Persian Vietnamese Tagalog Kurdish Hausa: https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/3571

[drdtfuitgumies]

pinned post

currently posting one situation a week, not counting birthdays. inbox is closed!

(updated: 19th july 2024; added rules on crossovers/referencing other series + adjusted my dni)

this blog is unofficial, and not affiliated with danganronpa: despair time, the official danganronpa franchise, spike chunsoft, or nisa. all characters belong to danganronpa: despair time; all art is made by me unless stated otherwise.

continuity:

-) (as of 14/9/2024) list of items arei has stolen: rose's hat, min's pen, xander's jacket, david's hairclips, eden's bowtie, j's hoodie, Ace Markey, ace's hair gel, hu's hairpin, nico's slippers

-) (21/7/2024) as a consequence of arei's actions, j is currently wearing a different outfit

-) (23/7/2024) also as a consequence of arei's actions, ace is currently imprisoned with the rest of arei's loot. he will undergo any situations stuck in a prison. please send your regards to him 😔

let's have fun!! rules & quick faq under cut

blog explanation & rules

i'll be drawing the drdt characters in my fuit gumy style (example above, and also it needs to be spelt exactly that way). ideally i post one thing a day, but real life circumstances might help or hinder me

requests are currently open. i can't promise that i'll get to every request and i don't know if i can answer every ask/question, but i'll try my best!

i do not Bite but please be nice to me!! i am just a 1) gremlin 2) a Student who needs stability and routine

i can draw headcanons, aus, and such, but i'll be adhering to canon most of the time. also, i love weird combos too if you can find an explanation for them interacting whether platonically, romantically, or a secret third thing

if a request has multiple characters, please specify if you mean it romantically or not, so romantic interactions can be given ship tags as well. if it isn't specified in the request, i'll interpret it as platonic by default (i'm pretty dense and have trouble interpreting interactions sometimes)

crossovers/referring to other series can be requested, but are very unlikely to be actually drawn. for me to finish them, i'd need to know the other series. However, if your request happens to be something along the lines of "[insert fuit gumy here] with [pokemon / digimon of choice]", I will absolutely not complain. I would be honored!!

i will not be accepting requests that involve canon danganronpas AND fanganronpas. this blog has always meant to be focused on drdt first and foremost, and i'm content to let it stay that way (for now). although characters from other fanganronpas may Very Rarely appear in Original Situations!

(re: full explanation for the above two rules)

i won't draw, read any of these asks, or interact with certain blogs if they contain: nsfw (out of personal comfort!), hate speech (what are you doing here), incest/pedophilia/bestiality

("proship" was originally on the above point, but i have since realized that i've misunderstood the definition of the term to mean "problematic content" in general. i apologize for my mistake, and have elaborated on what specifically i'd like to avoid! people can ship whatever they like; just ignore it if you don't like it. although the worst i'll do with this blog is still cartoonish depictions of violence, i thought it's better to explain while i can, even if it seems unnecessary)

this blog is NOT spoiler free! most of my art here is 99% going to be unserious shitposts anyways, but this is here just in case. also since drdt is 16+ this blog is 16+ too

any of my art posted in this blog can be used for personal use with credit (icons, headers, wallpapers, discord emotes for private servers and any other social media that lets you do that kinda stuff), but (for now) please don't repost in other social media (you can just share links if you'd like!)

this is a recent discovery but I can't reply to replies for some reason. if it doesn't require immediate attention, i'll reply to any questions in one big post tagged "answering asks"

quick faq before anyone asks

call me gremlyn (18+)! you can find me on @thatseitagremlin (drdt sideblog) / @iamjustagremlin (limbus main)

for this blog i draw with miro . com by default so i can restrict myself to a limited brush and color palette. this helps my brain not get distracted when drawing. depending on what tomfoolery i come up with or what requests i get i might use other apps though!

whit is the posterboy for this blog because he's my favorite character. my blorbo, if you will. my other faves are j, nico, and xander (i feel a Lot of cuteness aggression with xander specifically) if you're curious

i'm an omnivore and am fine with most ships but if i had to pick a ship to fight for it'd probably be charwhit or areiden. i also like jarei but i'm not sure if i prefer it platonically, romantically, or a secret third thing, and i'm not bothered enough to find out soon

also, do you guys know how to run an ask blog. because i don't. but once again, let's be nice and have fun!!

[hajihiko]

I WILL NOT TAKE THIS OUGOKU SLANDER (/LH)

THROUGHOUT THE GAME KOKICHI ACTS LIKE HIS NICEST SELF WHEN AROUND GONTA, AND DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT CHAPTER 4 SINCE IT'S OBVIOUS THAT KOKICHI WAS LYING ABOUT NOT CARING ABOUT GONTA.

NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IN UTDP KOKICHI SPENDS MOST OF HIS INTERACTIONS WITH GONTA TALKING ABOUT "STEALING HIM AWAY" FROM HIS SHITTY BIO FAMILY.

AND FINALLY, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE TOO LONG, NISA HAD PURPOSEFULLY ALTERED A LOT OF BOTH KOKICHI'S AND GONTA'S LINES; MAKING KOKICHI COME OFF AS MORE MALICIOUS, AND GONTA COMING OFF AS MORE STUPID. THAT POOR ENTOMOLOGIST USED TO SPEAK FORMAL JAPANESE BUT NISA DECIDED THAT CAVEMAN SPEACH WAS A BETTER CHOICE.

Honestly though, you don't have to ship them or even care about them but I need you to realize that kokichi does not deserve this slander and that he is a major victim of both circumstance and biased translation. (for reference this is like if you heard someone you adore claim that Fuyohiko treats Hajime like shit)

I love your art and I honestly don't care if this doesn't change your opinion, I just care that it's an informed opinion. <3

well as someone who has not seen any UTDP and has not played the game in original Japanese you can see how none of that registers for me

[mbappebby]

Like their older brothers || Fourteen

Ethan Mbappé x Anisah Hakimi (OC)

Summary: Anisah and Ethan decided to buy an apartment together without their brothers knowing..

Requested: Yes, by anonymous: Hey! Can I request something for that series, where Ethan and Anisah buy an apartment together? But they don’t tell Kylian and Achraf and they find out during training one day and Anisah and Ethan get a talk of a lifetime by them? Thank you, love your writing keep it up!

Words: 0.8K +

Series

“What’s with the faces for?” Neymar asked. “They are hiding something from us” Kylian said as him and Achraf looked over at their younger siblings.

“Why do you think that?” Presnel asked. “They have been leaving and not coming back for hours” Achraf added which Kylian agreeing.

“Don’t they normally do that anyways?” Leo said. “Yeah, but this time is different! My parents know something as well” Kylian replied.

“Hiba knows something as well,” Achraf added. “So, why don’t you just talk to them or you go and talk to Anisah and Ethan?” Neymar asked which made the both of them shrug their shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Sergio asked as he joined the five of them. “Anisah and Ethan are hiding something apparently” Neymar told him. “Oh, they still haven’t told them that they have bought an apartment?” Sergio said.

“They did what?!” Kylian and Achraf shouted and started to walk over to their younger siblings. “I’m sorry, Nisa and Eth!!” Sergio called. “We trusted you!” Anisah called back.

“Aw they are really growing up aren’t they?” Neymar said. “I mean they are going to have the talk of their lives now” Leo added. “I want to know how you found out” Presnel said and looked at Sergio.

“It’s a long story” Sergio told them.

~~

“You two bought an apartment?!” Kylian exclaimed. “Without telling us?” Achraf added. “Mum and dad knew” Ethan said with Anisah nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Kylian asked. “Because we knew you would both react like this, duh!” Anisah replied. “We should of known though!” Achraf said.

“We are sorry, okay? We knew you both wouldn’t like it. If you accepted it you both would want to just buy the apartment for us and we didn’t want that” Ethan told them.

“Okay that’s true but still, you both hid it from us!” Kylian said. “We would of helped you with buying it all, if you told us” Achraf added.

“That’s the point! We didn’t want you to help us as we wanted to do this alone with our own money and everything!” Anisah replied. “It’s all finished now, so all you can do is visit” Ethan said.

“After training?” Kylian asked. “Sure! As long as you both drop it now?” Anisah added. “We will!” Acharf replied. “We don’t believe you, we know your going to be talking about it with the rest of the team in the canteen” Ethan told them.

Kylian and Achraf rolled their eyes and they watched their younger siblings run off and continue in the training session.

“I swear they are going to kill us one day, it’s always something they need to tell us who knows what will be next” Kylian said.

“I don’t want to think about any of that, they are growing up too fast” Achraf added.

~~

“We know your annoyed at them, but all they wanted to do is be independent” Sergio said. “I know but I just wished they told us” Kylian replied.

“They knew you both would just want to buy the apartment for them and they wanted to buy it for themselves” Neymar told them. “True, but still don’t you think it’s too soon?” Achraf added.

“It’s been over like a year and half they have been together for now. You two have to let them go at one point” Leo said with Kylian and Achraf sighing.

“What’s going on here?” Anisah said as she ruffled Kylian’s hair. “Nisa, don’t make my mood more worse that it is” Kylian replied. “Why can’t you both just get over it?” Anisah added.

“Because we can’t” Achraf said. “We may still be your younger siblings but we are growing up! You have to let us go at one point” Ethan replied.

“When you both got out of your bad moods and accept it then we might let you come and see our apartment but for now you can’t! See you tomorrow for training!” Anisah added as her and Ethan left.

“Well, that told you” Neymar mumbled. “Just let it go and accept it you two” Sergio added which made Kylian and Achraf nod their heads.

~~

“We are sorry” Kylian and Achraf said to their siblings when they walked onto the training pitch. “Have you both fully accepted it now?” Anisah asked.

“We have, so can we come and see it now?” Kylian added. “Sure, after training you can both come over if you want” Ethan said.

“We are proud of you both” Achraf added. “Proud of what?” Anisah asked. “You both are so independent now, you both have just grown up so much” Achraf told them.

“Don’t sound like our parents, please. We aren’t kids anymore” Ethan mumbled which made Anisah giggle and ruffle his hair before running away.

Ethan caught up to and wrapped his arms around her as he started to tickle her. "They will always act like kids" Kylian mumbled. "You two are just as bad!" Anisah shouted.

"We are not!" Achraf called. "Whatever you say!" Ethan added which made Kylian and Achraf start to run over to their both siblings.

"You are all kids!" Sergio shouted.

[smash-64]

2023 Game of the Year Countdown #8 The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Nintendo Switch, 2023 (PlayStation Portable, 2012)

Originally a Japan-only game from Falcom, NISA ported it when they also brought over the Crossbell games from the Trails series. While it does have the word “trails” in the title, this game is not canonically connected to the massive Trails universe, despite a few coy remarks from the CEO and president of Falcom. 

That said, there are a few cool little crossovers that are fun for Trails fans to enjoy. Nayuta’s last name is the same as one of the main characters from the Cold Steel series, and the two also share an interest in astronomy. Creha, the silver haired girl from the Nayuta’s art, resembles the mysterious Grandmaster of Ouroboros of the Trails universe. It’s fun for fans and I liked it.

This is a fairly straightforward action RPG: you enter a level and whack everything that moves. There’s a decent amount of platforming as well, and the fact that it was originally a PSP game means that the controls are simple and easy to understand.

The music is perhaps a little bit underwhelming as far as Falcom releases go, but I did enjoy Remnant Island’s main theme, and the rest of the OST is decent background music. 

As far as characters go, I love Noi. Maybe I’m a sucker for little helpful fairy characters (Razzly from Chrono Cross is an all time favorite of mine), but Noi has really cute little animations and voice lines that are really endearing. Plus, I love magic attacks and Noi is the one that actually fires all of them while Nayuta swings the sword.

I only found myself lost one or two times while traversing the levels, which is one of the issues I have with action RPGs. Sometimes, games make things too complex or hidden and that harms my enjoyment. Puzzles were sometimes long, but rarely difficult. I found the attack combos easy to figure out as well. It’s just a simple game to pick up and play in every aspect.

I’ve been waiting for this game for a few years, always expecting NISA to officially localize it at some point. If you see it on sale and like a more laid back RPG experience that still has some action combat, this could be a good one for you.

[remnantsofthepast-if]

Monthly Update - June 2024

Well, after a slow recovery during the first week, I’m finally back to full energy! This month, I focused on catching up on the progress I had fallen behind on, which is a bit difficult being a slow writer, but I’ve managed to do most of it!

To begin with, half of the first manuscript of Chapter 1 is already written. It’s giving me more trouble than I thought, though. I had the summary done, but the characters and the story decided they didn’t care and had other plans! So I’ve had to reorganize everything several times until I felt the scenes flowed naturally. I hope they don’t surprise me with more changes with what’s left, for god’s sake!

Interestingly enough, only the scenes with Belicar/Nisa are exactly as I imagined them... I love writing this bastard, lol!

But aside from that, I’m excited to introduce the new characters! There’s one I didn’t even know existed until I started writing them, haha! Once I finish, I’ll have to review everything thoroughly because there’s quite a lot of new information to convey, and I don’t want it to be overwhelming or confusing. But then again, what’s a first draft for, right? It happened in Act 1, and this one isn’t gong to be different lmao!

This chapter and the next are going to be calm, but believe me, with Belicar/Nisa involved, that calm won’t last long...

Lastly, I’ve made a lot of progress on Patreon too, with the POV of the ROs during the celebration in Chapter 9. Ada and Omar’s POVs are already published. Not bad for someone with a fever, lol!

---

Have a great month, and see you at the end of July ;).

[omnicviolence]

WHAYEHAAYSHDNAHFMSJ I JUMPED SO FAST TO HERE AHAGFNAGDHA pls pls pls Banban rentry graphics I love you dearly <33333

HI NISAAAAAAAAAAAAA :3333 HAIII HAII HAIIII

Banban (Garten of Banban) rentry graphics ; F2U w/credit

All art/assets are official! No kin/me/id tags unless nisa :3 I'll find you :333

[academicazura]

Firstly, when you get this, you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) 💗

FINE! thank you very much Nisa 🤍🤍 you’re lovely!

versatile, one day i’m cinderella and the next day i’m that kid from resident evil 7

good at asking people questions, getting the conversation rolling — i’m like a small talk machine (or at least i used to be!)

constantly looking for inspirations all around me

my willingness to be constantly more myself: less ashamed, more authenticity

so resilient, like a cactus

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: AN INTRODUCTION TO HADITH: Part 18

Pride and Humility

TRANSLATION Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be well pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“No one who has an atom’s weight of pride in his heart will enter Paradise.”A man said, “And if the man likes his clothes to be good and his sandals to be good?” Allah’s Messenger said: “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means to renounce the truth and abuse of people.” (Sahih Muslim, Iman,147. See also: Sunan Abu Dawud, Libas, 26; Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Birr, 61).

NARRATOR

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud

One of the leading Companions, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud is among the first

of those to believe.

He is the first Companion to openly recite the Qur’an in Mecca.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud is the Companion who killed Abu Jahl.

He was a gifted reciter of the Qur’an.

Ibn Mas’ud is one of the founders of Islamic jurisprudence, being of the Companions well versed in the religion.

He is, in particular, the linchpin of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.

He returned to Medina towards the end of Uthman’s caliphate. Falling ill at age sixty, he passed away in the thirty-second year after the Emigration.

EXPLANATION

1. Pride refers to haughty self-conceit and refusal to submit to Allah.

The Almighty has cautioned human beings in this regard throughout the Qur’an:

“…Allah does not love those who are conceited and boastful” (an-Nisa 4:36).

Do not strut about the earth in haughty self-conceit; for you can never split the earth (no matter how hard you stamp your foot), nor can you stretch to the mountains in height (no matter how strenuously you seek to impress). (al-Isra 17:37)

While these verses exhort human beings to be mindful of pride and arrogance, another again describes the human attribute of pride as being in actual fact a Satanic attribute and explains that unnecessary pride constitutes an obstacle to submission to the Divine command. For even Satan was banished from Paradise due to his pride:

(Allah) said: “O Iblis! What prevents you from prostrating before the being whom I have created with My two Hands? Are you too proud (to bow down before any created being in defiance of My command), or are you (of those who think themselves) so high in honor (that they cannot be ordered to prostrate before anyone)?” (Saad 38:75)

2. While Allah warns human beings in relation to pride and self-conceit, He has employed verses of encouragement concerning its exact opposite, modesty, and humility, even characterizing such people as “the (true) servants of the All-Merciful”:

The (true) servants of the All-Merciful are they who move on the earth gently and humbly, and when the ignorant, foolish ones address them (with insolence or vulgarity as befits their ignorance and foolishness), the response with (words of) peace, (without engaging in hostility with them) (al-Furqan 25:63).

From this standpoint, those who are proud and obstinate enough in their pride not to prostrate before Allah assume the characteristic not of being the servants of the All-Merciful, but on the contrary, being servants of Satan.

3. The hadith under consideration indicates that a person with even the most minuscule amount of pride in their heart will not enter Paradise.

A conceited person will either face punishment until they are completely cleansed of this affliction and then enter Paradise as a result of their belief or Allah, Who has full power over everything, will forgive that servant and place them in His Paradise with a heart that is purified. We learn also that the desire to dress well is not connected with pride. What can be the wisdom behind a seemingly wicked characteristic being placed in the nature of a human being? This quality has been given to human beings with a view to their protecting the position of Islam, the honor of the Qur’an, religion, their spiritual values, their integrity, and similar cherished things. If a person is to have pride, they ought to have it in protecting these. Unfortunately in our day, however, people have for some reason become rather lax and lazy in protecting these; but they have become quite industrious and even oversensitive when it comes to their personal pride. The Pharaohs, Nimrods, and the Abu Lahabs have lost because of their pride.

4. After all, does Allah not charge His Messenger with humility, through the language of the Qur’an:

“Spread your wings (to provide care and shelter) over the believers who follow you (in practicing Allah’s commandments in their lives)” (ash-Shu’ara 26:215).

There are many such verses in the Qur’an. Moreover, Allah’s Messenger sought the same thing, wanting to be “a Prophet slave” when Allah had asked him. This is why we say, “Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger,” in the Declaration of Faith.

5. Acknowledging all the bounties that Allah has bestowed is a form of thankfulness.

This, in turn, leads to an increase in such bounties. Turning a blind eye to Him, however, is ingratitude; ingratitude necessitates punishment and causes the discontinuance of the bounty. A person must always see everything as coming from Allah and must proclaim, “Everything is from You, and You are the All-Wealthy. To You have I turned my face.” However, a person must not conceal the Divinely bestowed bounties in fear of being arrogant. That is, a person must also know how to announce and testify to Allah’s favors when necessary. So, how is this balance to be maintained? As a case in point, a man gives a coat to someone as a gift. If another man says to the bearer of the gift, who is wearing the coat, “How fine you are,” and he responds by saying, “The beauty is in the coat,” then he would have combined humility with verbal expression and announcement of the bounty.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

If pride has reached the point of disrespect towards Allah, the proud person forfeits the chance of entry into Paradise.

People who see themselves as superior to others and are thus haughty and conceited commit a major sin.

A person can dress finely, provided that they are not overtaken

by arrogance and self-conceit.

A person must see their own shortcomings if they wish to free themselves of pride and arrogance. A person who does not see their own faults cannot achieve self-correction.

[rosetintedkaleidoscope]

best books i read in 2023:

- comfort me with apples by catherynne valente. fantasy/horror. this is a creepy, dystopian, fairy tale kind of story. some biblical references. the creepiness builds up slowly through strange little details.

- quest for a maid by frances mary hendry. children's historical fiction / fantasy. 13th century scotland & norway. read as a child, completely forgot, then found in a used bookstore this year. it absolutely lives up to my memories: rich with details, from the foods to the clothes to the activities to all the little things you don't really notice that create a sense of another time & place. the loving attention to detail is a big part of why i like this book so much. also excellent characterization.

- nisa: the life and words of a !kung woman by marjorie shostak. nonfiction. okay, if you're following me you've probably heard of this because of @etirabys, whose posts inspired me to read it, but i had to include it anyway. based on interviews with a hunter-gatherer woman, it tells about her life and worldview. moving and immensely fascinating

- making babies: the science of pregnancy by david bainbridge. nonfiction. also immensely fascinating. my ideal kind of science book: readable yet detailed and in-depth, and full of strange facts. strong contender for the coolest nonfiction book i've ever read

- the ladies of grace adieu and other stories by susanna clarke. fantasy. wonderful eerie fairy stories

- we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson. classic, horror. sinister and evocative. one thing i really like is that the characters are likeable and often happy despite the weirdness and the horror. it's optimistic and tragic at the same time, and gives you things to think about even after you're done reading

- murderbot series by martha wells. science fiction. it has an interesting plot and setting and all that, but the main appeal is the character and charm of the protagonist, a robot who hacks itself to gain freedom. all it wants to do with that freedom is watch tv, but dangerous stuff keeps getting in the way