Al-Kibar (Pride)

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ بَرِيءٌ مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ الْكِبْرِ وَالْغُلُولِ وَالدَّيْنِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّة

"Whoever dies while innocent of three things - pride, embezzlement of public property and unpaid debt will enter Paradise." At-Tirmidhi

Allah said:

{Wa la taqfu ma laisa laka bihi 'ilmun.  Inna as-sam'a wa al-basara wa al-fu'aada kullu ulaa'ika kaana 'anhu mas'oolan. (36) Wa laa tamshi fiy al-ardhi marahan innaka lan takhriqa al-ardha wa lan tablugha al-jibaala toolan. (37)}
{And do not engage yourself in that of which you have no knowledge.  Verily, hearing, sight and feeling will all be questioned about that. (36) And do not walk on the earth with pride for you will surely never split the earth nor reach the height of the mountain. (37)}  Al-Israa:36-37

Al-kibar (pride) means for a person to look down on others or to hold them in low esteem.  The Prophet (sas) has defined it as:

"...bataru al-haqqi wa ghamtu an-naasi..."
"...disregard for the truth and contempt for people..."

Although I have translated the word kibar as "pride", the English word also contains other meanings which are not the meaning of kibar and which are not blameworthy.  The pride which one feels for his/her Islam is part of the 'izza which Allah attributed to Himself, to His Messengers and to the believers.  Arrogance may be a betterr translation of al-kibar.

Al-kibar is of two types:

1. Arrogance against Allah Most High.  Being prideful against Allah means rejecting obedience to Him and refusing to submit to His orders.  Whoever turns away from the commands of Allah or falls into what He has forbidden out of disregard for them, taking them lightly or arrogance is a kaafir - a disbeliever outside of the fold of Islam.  As for the one who does so because his desires or drives have overcome him/her and not out of disregard of or disrespect for Allah's rulings, this one is called "disobedient" ('aasin) and is not a disbeliever.
2. Arrogance against Allah's creation.  This is the disrespect and disregard for others and their rights.  This is forbidden and an act of low character even though it may not involve specific disregard of the shari'a.

The verses from Al-Israa above remind us of our smallness and weakness before Allah and that pride which induces arrogance with Allah, with His Messenger (sas) and with the believers is seriously misguided.  Abu Bakr once wrote a warning of war to Kisraa in which he said:

"A tatakabbaru 'alaa Allah?  Wa kaifa tatakabbaru 'alaa Allahi wa qad kharajta min majraa al-bowli marratain?"
"Are you arrogant against Allah?  And how can you be arrogant against Allah when you have come out from where the urine comes out twice?!"

Clearly, the worst form of arrogance is the first type, the one that leads to kufr - rejection of faith and disbelief.  Allah said about the people of hell-fire after the last of them blamed the first of them for establising the misguidance and leading them into it (Allah told them that ALL of them will have "double" punishment):

{Wa qaalat oolaahum li ukhraahum fa maa kaana lakum 'alainaa min fadhlin fa dhooqoo al-'adhaaba bi maa kuntum taksiboon. (39) Inna alladhina kadh-dhaboo bi aayaatinaa wa istakbaroo 'anhaa la tufattahu lahum abwaabu as-samaa'i wa laa yadkhuloona al-jannata hattaa yalija al-jamalu fiy sammi al-khayyaati wa kadhalika najzi al-mujrimeen. (40)}
{And so the first off them said to the last of them: You have nothing over us, so taste the punishment for that which you have earned. (39) Verily, those who rejected our signs and were arrogant before them will not have the doors of heaven opened for them and will never enter Paradise until a camel slips through the eye of a needle.  This is how we repay the criminals. (40)}  Al-A'raaf:39-40

The arrogant ones who turn away from the truth and from the signs of Allah are not content to do so alone.  Since somewhere down in their fitra they know they are on the wrong path, the existence of others following the truth is a constant reminder to them of their own dirtiness.  So, they strive with all means to bring others along with them in their contempt for Allah's signs in His book and for his commands in His shari'a.  One of their main tools for doing this is lahw, a word which means music, stories and other forms of "entertainment" which serve to keep people away from remembrance of Allah and from His book.  Allah said:

{Wa min an-naasi man yashtariy lahwa al-hadeethi li yudhilla 'an sabeeli Allahi bi ghairi 'ilmin wa yattakhidhahaa huzuwan ulaa'ika lahum 'adhaabun muheenun. (6) Wa idhaa tutlaa 'alaihi aayaatunaa wallaa mustakbiran ka'an lam yasma'haa ka anna fiy udhunaihi waqran fa bash-shirhu bi 'adhaabin aleemin. (7)}
{Among the people are those who purchase fivolous activity in order to lead astray from the path of Allah without knowledge and to take it as a joke.  For these is a humiliating punishment. (6) And when our verses are recited to him he turns away in arrogance as if he did not hear, as if there are plugs in his ears.  Inform him of [the coming of] a painful punishment. (7)}  Luqman:6-7

Arrogant pride is on of the main things which can land one in the punishment of hell-fire.  The Prophet (sas) said:

"Alaa ukhbirukum bi ahil an-naari? Kullu 'utullin jawwaadhin mustakbir."
"Should I not inform you who are the poeople fo the fire?  Every violent and arrogant one." Muslim & Bukhari