Isaiah 5:21 Meaning Woe to Those Who Are Wise

ʿUjb: Being pleased with yourself Al-Ghazali gave this fault its own section in the Revival: the warm private satisfaction a person takes in their own judgment. Someone can be polite and even modest out loud while holding a quiet certainty that they see what others miss. Advice then slides off; they hear it, weigh it against what they already think, and keep what they had.

A person oversteps as soon as they think they need nothing: where the trouble starts The Quran puts the whole slide into one line, and the Sufis quote it constantly. Not needing anyone feels like strength, so a person who has been right a few times stops asking around. The asking was what kept them right, and nothing hurts at the time, which is why the change is hard to catch in yourself.

Ḥijāb: The veil In the Niche of Lights, al-Ghazali treats a person's own opinion as the covering over their eyes. The picture they already carry fills the whole window, so anything that does not fit gets filed as someone else's mistake. They can look straight at a correction and see only a person who does not understand.

Ḥayrah: Bewilderment Ibn Arabi holds the state of being at a loss in high regard. Someone who knows a lot can hit the point where the subject turns out bigger than their account, and the certainty drains out. The knowledge stays; the sense of owning it goes, and they start asking questions again.

Faqr: Neediness before God Faqr names a plain fact: a person owns nothing, and that includes their good sense. The Quran tells people they are the needy ones and that God needs nothing, and the Sufis build this station on that line. A person who takes this seriously still decides and acts, and they ask first, and letting go of a wrong plan costs them nothing.