Vanity is a chronic illness. It is an illness where the afflicted starts to look at himself and regards himself as someone special. Consequently, this makes him arrogant, conceited and causes him to look down upon others. He does this because he sees himself as someone special and above others. This is why a poet, may Allaah show him mercy, stated,
Avoid vanity because it will erode,
The actions of that person shall be washed away, as if by a strong torrent stream
Hence, vanity is the most severe disease of the heart. If it is found in the heart of a Muslim, it will eat away his good deeds more than any other disease of the heart. Thus, if jealousy eats away good deeds like fire burns wood, then vanity is far worse. This is because a person, when regarding himself better than others, begins to despise them and refuses to accept anyone to be his equal. Therefore, if a person is afflicted with vanity, he must strive to rid himself of it. Such a person should read the biography of the Prophet ﷺ who was the best of creation, the most noble, and the most honored by Allaah. The person should read the biography of the Prophet’s companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), how very humble they were despite their high and superior status in the Muslim community. Then, the person should look at the people of knowledge, scholars, righteous, and ascetics, who thought nothing of themselves. This is the way to rid oneself of vanity. The best book to read about the biography of the righteous predecessors is the compendium Siyar ‘A’laam AN-Nubalaa’ by Thahaby, and the best book to read about the biography of the scholars is the Taareekh Ibn Katheer, as well as the Fadhl ‘Ilm AS-Salaf ‘alaa ‘Ilm Al-Khalaf by Ibn Rajab. These books contain stories which depict the true reality of people in addition to what has been mentioned in the Qur’aan and hadeeth. Therefore, if a person has the disease of vanity and sees himself above others, regardless if in knowledge or good deeds, then he should look at the blessings Allaah has bestowed upon him, and he should look at those who are better than him regardless if in knowledge or action. He should also look at those who are more knowledgeable than him and have better understanding. If a vain person were to be given a portion of that knowledge and understanding, it would amount to no effect upon him, and rather, what he knew would be a disaster for him. Therefore, he should reflect and look at those above him so that he would know his true status.