Good news for the humble
One of the miracles of the Quran is that every surah has at least one unique word which is not found in any other surah. This applies even to the shortest surahs – for example the word kawthar, abundance, only appears in Surat al-Kawthar, and the word kufu’an, equal, only appears in Surat al-Ikhlas.
In Surat al-Hajj, the unique word is al-mukhbiteen, the humble.
وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُخْبِتِينَ
give good news to the humble [22:34]
The root of this word is khabata, meaning low ground. This became a metaphor for people of humility, as someone humble walks on lower ground, compared to someone arrogant or showing off who wants to be high up.
Qualities of the mukhbiteen
Allah then gives us four qualities of these people.
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَهُمْ وَٱلْمُقِيمِى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
whose hearts fill with fearful awe whenever God is mentioned, who endure whatever happens to them with patience, who keep up the prayer, who spend (in charity) out of what We have given to them [22:35]
- Feeling awe, love, and tranquillity when Allah’s name is mentioned. You can check yourself, what happens in your heart when Allah is mentioned? If you don’t feel anything, you might need to polish your heart and inject some oxygen from the Quran, to feel His presence in your life.
- Observing patience. They embrace whatever they receive from Allah with sabr for His sake. This is a quality of all righteous people and good leaders.
- Being regular in salah. Not just praying on and off during Ramadan or on Jumu’ah, but being regular all the time. These people have a full-time contract with Allah, not zero-hours one, and in return they receive a full set of benefits from Him. It’s up to you what type of contract you want to have.
- Spending out of their rizq. They know everything they have comes from Allah. It isn’t simply a result of being intelligent or working hard – Allah was the one who gave you the brain and the means to achieve it in the first place, so everything you have rightfully belongs to Him. He has allowed you to borrow it as a trust, to test what you will do with it: whether you will put it towards the right things, or hoard it or spend on things that displease Him.
Follow the checklist
The fact that Allah gives these people good news should encourage us to want to be among them, so we can receive this news too. Use these attributes as a checklist to assess your level.
If you need to polish your heart, to be able to feel Allah’s presence and His light, these special nights are the time to fix it. The best sandpaper you can use for your heart is istighfar and seeking forgiveness to wash away the sins from your heart. Salah also keeps your heart clean.
Many people also pay their zakat during Ramadan. Don’t be like the person who gives all their money to their wife just before Ramadan to avoid having to pay any zakat. You may be able to fool the tax man in dunya, but you can never trick Allah.
The great scholar al-Qushayri said that your level of ikhbat depends on the level of Allah’s presence in your heart. If He dominates heart, this is the highest level of the mukhbiteen. Or you may be at a lower level, if He only fills up 50%, or another amount. It is up to you to choose what level to set it.
We ask Allah to make us among the mukhbiteen of a high level. Ameen.
Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on Ramadan Night 23. Transcribed by Hana Khan.
Is it possible to be amibitious and competitive while being humble?
Forbearance, deliberation and humility
How to remain humble when you gain knowledge
Arrogance and apartheid vs humility and justice
The new formulae that challenges the mind – charity, justice and humility.
The Path of the Mukhbitin – Surat al-Hajj
During the Tarawih reminder from Surah al-Hajj, Shaykh Haytham mentioned a beautiful linguistic feature of the Qur’an. Often a surah contains a distinctive word that captures something of its spirit. In Surah al-Hajj we encounter such a word: al-mukhbitin.
Allah Almighty says:
وَبَشِّرِ الْمُخْبِتِينَ
“And give good news to the humble.” (Surat al-Hajj 22:34)
The word mukhbitin comes from the root khabata, which refers to low ground. It evokes the image of someone who lowers themselves, someone whose heart is grounded and humble before Allah. The path to Allah is not the path of pride or self-importance. It is the path of those who walk with humility.
This word invites us to examine ourselves.
Are we truly walking the path of humility, or are we carrying subtle forms of pride within us?
Allah does not leave the description of the mukhbitin vague. In the next verse He describes their qualities:
الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَهُمْ وَالْمُقِيمِي الصَّلَاةِ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
“Those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, those who are patient over what has afflicted them, those who establish the prayer, and those who spend from what We have provided them.” (Surah al-Hajj 22:35)
These attributes form a powerful mirror for the believer.
The first quality is a heart that softens when Allah is mentioned.
الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ
When Allah’s name is mentioned, their hearts feel awe. There is a trembling of humility and awareness. The heart becomes present before its Lord.
Allah says:
اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ
“Allah has sent down the best statement, a consistent Book. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it.” (Surat al-Zumar 39:23)
The second quality is patience in hardship.
وَالصَّابِرِينَ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَهُمْ
Patience is deeply connected to humility. When someone recognises that everything comes from Allah, they endure trials with steadiness rather than resentment.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“How wonderful is the affair of the believer. All of his affairs are good. If something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If hardship befalls him, he is patient and that is good for him.” (Muslim)
The third quality is consistency in prayer.
وَالْمُقِيمِي الصَّلَاةِ
These are not people who pray occasionally or when convenient. They establish prayer as the anchor of their lives. Their relationship with Allah is continuous.
They are not part-time Muslims. Their Islam is not seasonal. Their day is structured around salah.
Allah says:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ
“Indeed prayer restrains from immorality and wrongdoing.” (Surat al-Ankabut 29:45)
The fourth quality is generosity from what Allah has provided.
وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
The humble believer recognises that provision does not originate from their own ability. Intelligence, wealth, opportunity and success are all from Allah.
Allah reminds us:
وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
“And whatever blessing you have is from Allah.” (Surat al-Nahl 16:53)
Even the wealth we possess ultimately belongs to Him.
وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ
“And give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you.” (Surat al-Nur 24:33)
The brain we use, the money we earn, the property we hold, all of it is a trust from Allah. The question is not what we own, but how we use what Allah has entrusted to us.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Charity does not decrease wealth.” (Muslim)
These four qualities become a powerful test of humility.
Do our hearts soften when Allah is mentioned?
Do we show patience when tested?
Are we consistent in prayer?
Do we spend from what Allah has given us?
Attaining these qualities does not happen overnight. They require effort. They require struggle, reflection, tests, and sometimes even mistakes along the way. The path of humility is not built in comfort. It is shaped through striving.
True humility begins with honest reflection.
It requires the courage to look within ourselves and recognise what we truly are, rather than remaining in a state of illusion about our own condition. This kind of introspection is not easy, but it is necessary.
The more we become obedient to Allah; the more humility grows within us.
The more we lower our faces to the ground in sujood, the more the heart learns humility.
The more we acknowledge our mistakes and faults, the more the ego softens.
And the more we recognise that every good we possess ultimately belongs to Allah, the more the heart becomes grounded.
Even our successes are not truly ours. They are gifts from the Creator.
Shaykh Haytham beautifully described istighfar as sandpaper for the heart. Through seeking forgiveness, the roughness of the heart is gradually smoothed until the presence of Allah becomes clearer.
Allah says:
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا
“So I said: Seek forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed He is ever forgiving.” (Surah Nuh 71:10)
Ramadan is the perfect time to polish the heart with istighfar, reflection and sincerity.
The scholar al-Qushayri said:
“Your level of ikhbat depends on the presence of Allah in your heart. If Allah dominates your heart, humility rises.”
The more present Allah is in the heart, the deeper humility grows within the soul.
Surah al-Hajj therefore offers us both a description and a path.
The mukhbitin are those who humble themselves before Allah. Their hearts soften. Their patience strengthens. Their prayer anchors them. Their generosity flows from recognising that everything belongs to Allah.
And to them Allah gives a beautiful promise:
Give glad tidings to the humble.
May Allah make us among the mukhbitin.
May He soften our hearts when His name is mentioned.
May He grant us patience, consistency in prayer and generosity from what He has given us.
Ameen.