Exalting Ourselves: Can a Human Being Be the Judge of His Own Righteousness?

Author: Berk KÖKSAL
Date: 07.10.2026
Place: Mersin

The main purpose of this article is to reflect on the verses together with other related verses and to explore, in a sincere and profound language, what witnessing the oneness of GOD means in human life in terms of knowledge, justice, truthfulness, and submission.

Peace. Peace be upon you.

Human beings are capable not only of judging others, but of constructing favorable judgments about themselves. Religious life does not automatically remove this tendency. It can even give the ego new material: worship, knowledge, discipline, sacrifice, reputation, and belonging may become evidence in a private case for one’s own superiority.

53:32 interrupts that process with a sharp command: do not exalt yourselves; GOD is fully aware of the righteous. 12:53 refuses a claim of innocence. 4:49 draws attention to those who exalt themselves. 24:21 reminds us that purification itself depends upon GOD’s grace and mercy.

The question, then, is not whether a person should stop striving for righteousness. The question is whether striving gives the person the authority to issue the final verdict about his own righteousness. The verses invite effort without self-canonization, repentance without despair, and self-examination without self-worship.

Summary:

1. “Do Not Exalt Yourselves”

53:32

ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٰسِعُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ

They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

Onlar, küçük suçlar dışında, büyük günahlardan ve ihlallerden kaçınırlar. Rabbinin bağışlaması engindir. Sizi yeryüzünden başlattığından beri ve annelerinizin karnında embriyo hâlindeyken bile O sizin tamamen farkınızdaydı. Bu nedenle, kendi kendinizi yükseltmeyin; O, doğruların tamamen farkındadır.

2. Refusing a Claim of Innocence

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

3. The Danger of Self-Exaltation

4:49 — Have you noted those who exalt themselves? Instead, GOD is the One who exalts whomever He wills, without the least injustice.

4. Even Purification Cannot Become Personal Property

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

5. The Self Is to Be Saved, Not Neglected

91:7 — The soul and Him who created it.

91:8 — Then showed it what is evil and what is good.

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

91:10 — Failing is one who neglects it.

6. Teaching Others While Forgetting Oneself

2:44 — Do you exhort the people to be righteous, while forgetting yourselves, though you read the scripture? Do you not understand?

7. The Distance Between Speech and Action

61:2 — O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

61:3 — Most abominable in the sight of GOD is that you say what you do not do.

8. Standing Before One’s Own Record

75:14 — The human being will be his own judge.

75:15 — No excuses will be accepted.

9. Truthful Speech Includes Truth About Oneself

33:70 — O you who believe, reverence GOD and utter only the correct utterances.

33:71 — He will then fix your works, and forgive your sins. Those who obey GOD and His messenger have triumphed a great triumph.

10. The Person I Mock May Be Better Than Me

49:11 — O you who believe, no people shall ridicule other people, for they may be better than they. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they. Nor shall you mock one another, or make fun of your names. Evil indeed is the reversion to wickedness after attaining faith. Anyone who does not repent after this, these are the transgressors.

11. Suspicion and the Hidden Pleasure of Superiority

49:12 — O you who believe, you shall avoid any suspicion, for even a little bit of suspicion is sinful. You shall not spy on one another, nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother. You certainly abhor this. You shall observe GOD. GOD is Redeemer, Most Merciful.

12. Looking for My Own Share of Wrong

4:79 — Anything good that happens to you is from GOD, and anything bad that happens to you is from you. We have sent you as a messenger to the people,* and GOD suffices as witness.

13. Self-Criticism Is Not Despair

39:53 — Proclaim: “O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of GOD’s mercy. For GOD forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

14. Returning After Wrongdoing

3:135 — If they fall in sin or wrong their souls, they remember GOD and ask forgiveness for their sins—and who forgives the sins except GOD—and they do not persist in sins, knowingly.

15. Justice Must Work Against Me Too

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

16. Reviewing What the Self Has Sent Ahead

59:18 — O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD, and let every soul examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow. You shall reverence GOD; GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

17. Religious Identity Is Not the Final Moral Verdict

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

61:2 — O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

18. Goodness Is Not a License for Pride

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

19. Arabic Roots: Purification, the Self, Reverence, and Forgiveness

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

Other Claims

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

Conclusion

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

59:18 — O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD, and let every soul examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow. You shall reverence GOD; GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

1. “Do Not Exalt Yourselves”

Verse

53:32

ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٰسِعُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ

They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

Onlar, küçük suçlar dışında, büyük günahlardan ve ihlallerden kaçınırlar. Rabbinin bağışlaması engindir. Sizi yeryüzünden başlattığından beri ve annelerinizin karnında embriyo hâlindeyken bile O sizin tamamen farkınızdaydı. Bu nedenle, kendi kendinizi yükseltmeyin; O, doğruların tamamen farkındadır.

Source: kuranteyit.com

Reflection on the Verse

The ending of 53:32 is brief and severe: do not exalt yourselves; GOD is fully aware of the righteous. The sequence matters. Human self-assessment is limited, while GOD’s knowledge is complete.

I can build a favorable story about myself. I can remember my good works more easily than my failures, compare myself with people whose weaknesses are visible, and interpret my own intentions generously.

The verse removes the final moral verdict from my hands. I may pursue righteousness, but declaring myself righteous is another matter.

Verse references: 53:32.

2. Refusing a Claim of Innocence

Verse

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

Reflection on the Verse

12:53 begins by refusing a claim of innocence and acknowledges the self’s ability to advocate immorality except where GOD grants mercy.

The ego can do more than desire obvious wrongdoing. It can justify, reinterpret, minimize, and transfer blame. This is why self-examination is not self-hatred; it is protection against self-deception.

The verse also keeps mercy at the center. Seeing the weakness of the self should deepen dependence on GOD, not create hopelessness.

Verse references: 12:53.

3. The Danger of Self-Exaltation

Verse

4:49 — Have you noted those who exalt themselves? Instead, GOD is the One who exalts whomever He wills, without the least injustice.

Reflection on the Verse

4:49 calls attention to people who exalt themselves and contrasts that with GOD’s authority to exalt without injustice.

Religious titles, social respect, or a person’s own favorable self-image cannot establish his final standing with GOD. Public reputation is partial knowledge. Even self-knowledge is partial.

This creates a moral distance between visible religiosity and true righteousness—a distance that should produce humility.

Verse references: 4:49.

4. Even Purification Cannot Become Personal Property

Verse

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

Reflection on the Verse

24:21 states that without GOD’s grace and mercy none would be purified. This prevents moral progress from becoming a new form of pride.

A person may genuinely overcome a destructive habit, become more disciplined, or grow in moral clarity. Those changes matter. But when improvement becomes evidence that “I am cleaner than others,” 53:32 immediately returns.

Purification is therefore a reason for appreciation, not a certificate of superiority.

Verse references: 24:21.

5. The Self Is to Be Saved, Not Neglected

Verse

91:7 — The soul and Him who created it.

91:8 — Then showed it what is evil and what is good.

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

91:10 — Failing is one who neglects it.

Reflection on the Verse

91:7-10 presents the self as a field of moral responsibility. Good and evil are shown to it; success is connected with saving it, failure with neglecting it.

This protects against two extremes: complacency and despair. “I am already good” is not supported, but neither is “I cannot change.”

Not exalting oneself does not mean abandoning self-development. It means working on the self without turning the work into an idol of the self.

Verse references: 91:7; 91:8; 91:9; 91:10.

6. Teaching Others While Forgetting Oneself

Verse

2:44 — Do you exhort the people to be righteous, while forgetting yourselves, though you read the scripture? Do you not understand?

Reflection on the Verse

2:44 questions those who read scripture and urge others toward righteousness while forgetting themselves. Religious knowledge is supposed to function as a mirror before it becomes a spotlight pointed at others.

This verse is especially difficult for anyone who writes, teaches, advises, or debates. A statement may be true while the speaker fails to live by it.

One form of self-exaltation is using truth almost exclusively to diagnose other people.

Verse references: 2:44.

7. The Distance Between Speech and Action

Verse

61:2 — O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

61:3 — Most abominable in the sight of GOD is that you say what you do not do.

Reflection on the Verse

61:2-3 strongly condemns saying what one does not do. This shows that religious identity cannot be constructed through vocabulary alone.

A person may say, “I am just, patient, truthful, devoted to GOD.” But moral reality becomes visible in conduct.

A useful antidote to self-exaltation is therefore to examine behavior more closely than identity statements.

Verse references: 61:2; 61:3.

8. Standing Before One’s Own Record

Verse

75:14 — The human being will be his own judge.

75:15 — No excuses will be accepted.

Reflection on the Verse

75:14-15 presents the human being as a judge of himself while excuses lose their power. The self’s ability to narrate and defend itself will not determine the truth forever.

This connects with When the Mouth Is Sealed. The Quran repeatedly moves the person from self-description to evidence.

The most useful self-judgment, then, is not the one designed to persuade others. It is the one that lets me see my reality before excuses become useless.

Verse references: 75:14; 75:15.

9. Truthful Speech Includes Truth About Oneself

Verse

33:70 — O you who believe, reverence GOD and utter only the correct utterances.

33:71 — He will then fix your works, and forgive your sins. Those who obey GOD and His messenger have triumphed a great triumph.

Reflection on the Verse

33:70 commands truthful speech. I cannot limit that command to lying about other people. It also challenges how I narrate myself.

Minimizing my fault, enlarging my virtue, presenting my intentions as purer than they were, or transferring responsibility may all corrupt truthfulness.

33:71 connects truthful speech with correction and forgiveness. Honesty about oneself is therefore not necessarily destructive. It may be one of the paths by which repair becomes possible.

Verse references: 33:70; 33:71.

10. The Person I Mock May Be Better Than Me

Verse

49:11 — O you who believe, no people shall ridicule other people, for they may be better than they. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they. Nor shall you mock one another, or make fun of your names. Evil indeed is the reversion to wickedness after attaining faith. Anyone who does not repent after this, these are the transgressors.

Reflection on the Verse

49:11 explicitly warns that the person being mocked may be better than the person doing the mocking. This destroys the easy assumption that contempt proves superiority.

When I belittle another person’s knowledge, background, appearance, or religious practice, I may be issuing a verdict for which I do not possess the necessary knowledge.

The uncertainty should generate humility: my task is not to establish myself above others, but to correct my own conduct.

Verse references: 49:11.

11. Suspicion and the Hidden Pleasure of Superiority

Verse

49:12 — O you who believe, you shall avoid any suspicion, for even a little bit of suspicion is sinful. You shall not spy on one another, nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother. You certainly abhor this. You shall observe GOD. GOD is Redeemer, Most Merciful.

Reflection on the Verse

49:12 forbids suspicion, spying, and backbiting. These behaviors can share a subtle moral danger: the more I collect another person’s faults, the easier it becomes to feel clean by comparison.

“At least I am not like him” can replace genuine self-examination.

The verse returns responsibility to me. Another person’s weakness is not evidence of my righteousness.

Verse references: 49:12.

12. Looking for My Own Share of Wrong

Verse

4:79 — Anything good that happens to you is from GOD, and anything bad that happens to you is from you. We have sent you as a messenger to the people,* and GOD suffices as witness.

Reflection on the Verse

4:79 states that good is from GOD and that the bad that befalls a person is from himself. The verse resists the habit of transferring all responsibility outward.

Circumstances and other people can certainly affect us; the verse does not erase all causation. But it refuses to make personal accountability disappear.

A transformative question may therefore be, before “Who is to blame?”: “What is my share in this?”

Verse references: 4:79.

13. Self-Criticism Is Not Despair

Verse

39:53 — Proclaim: “O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of GOD’s mercy. For GOD forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

Reflection on the Verse

A warning against self-exaltation can be misunderstood as a command to live in permanent guilt. 39:53 corrects that distortion: never despair of GOD’s mercy.

The balance is beautiful. Do not minimize the fault, but do not minimize mercy either. Do not declare yourself innocent, but do not declare yourself beyond forgiveness.

Humility should move a person toward repentance, not toward hopelessness.

Verse references: 39:53.

14. Returning After Wrongdoing

Verse

3:135 — If they fall in sin or wrong their souls, they remember GOD and ask forgiveness for their sins—and who forgives the sins except GOD—and they do not persist in sins, knowingly.

Reflection on the Verse

3:135 describes people who remember GOD after wrongdoing, seek forgiveness, and do not knowingly persist. The ideal presented here is not sinless self-certification, but the capacity to return.

When a fault appears, the ego can defend it or repentance can correct it. Self-exaltation serves the first path. Honest remembrance opens the second.

Religious maturity may therefore be seen less in never having to correct oneself and more in becoming quicker to return when correction is needed.

Verse references: 3:135.

15. Justice Must Work Against Me Too

Verse

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Reflection on the Verse

4:135 requires justice even when testimony is against oneself, parents, or relatives. This may be the most concrete moral answer to self-exoneration.

Justice is not merely impartiality toward enemies; it is the willingness to let truth stand when truth costs me.

Can I assess my own share in a conflict by the same measure I apply to the other person? That question exposes the difference between justice and self-defense.

Verse references: 4:135.

16. Reviewing What the Self Has Sent Ahead

Verse

59:18 — O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD, and let every soul examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow. You shall reverence GOD; GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Reflection on the Verse

59:18 instructs every soul to examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow. This places ongoing self-review within religious life.

The self that exalts itself remembers selectively. The verse asks for review.

As discussed in What Did You Send Ahead for Tomorrow?, the verse concerns future accountability. Here it also becomes a practice of honest self-measurement: does my conduct match the story I tell about myself?

Verse references: 59:18.

17. Religious Identity Is Not the Final Moral Verdict

Verse

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

61:2 — O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

4:135 — O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Reflection on the Verse

53:32, 61:2, and 4:135 together dismantle a merely declarative religiosity. I cannot exalt myself; my words must correspond to action; and justice must stand even against me.

This moves religion away from performance and toward moral reality. Belonging, vocabulary, and visible practice matter within their proper place, but they cannot authorize me to issue the final verdict on myself.

The final measure belongs to GOD, while my responsibility is to live truthfully under that knowledge.

Verse references: 53:32; 61:2; 4:135.

18. Goodness Is Not a License for Pride

Verse

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

Reflection on the Verse

53:32 restrains self-exaltation. 24:21 attributes purification to GOD’s grace and mercy. 91:9 still demands that the self be saved. Together they create a disciplined balance: work, reform, purify, but do not turn progress into proof of superiority.

If goodness makes me increasingly contemptuous of other people, I need to examine what the ego has done with goodness.

The goal is not to appear better than others. It is to become more truthful, just, and submitted before GOD.

Verse references: 53:32; 24:21; 91:9.

19. Arabic Roots: Purification, the Self, Reverence, and Forgiveness

Verse

53:32 — They avoid gross sins and transgressions, except for minor offenses. Your Lord’s forgiveness is immense. He has been fully aware of you since He initiated you from the earth, and while you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies. Therefore, do not exalt yourselves; He is fully aware of the righteous.

12:53 — “I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

91:9 — Successful is one who redeems it.

Reflection on the Verse

The phrase in 53:32 translated as “do not exalt yourselves” is built on ز ك و (z-k-w), a root connected with purification, growth, and cleansing. The same root appears in the field of purification in 24:21. The tension is instructive: purification matters, but the person does not become the final certifier of his own purity.

The word for self, ن ف س (n-f-s), is central in 12:53 and 91:7-10. The self is not merely an enemy to be hated; it is the arena in which responsibility, rescue, neglect, and moral struggle occur.

The field of reverence/righteous restraint in 53:32 is tied to و ق ي (w-q-y). The verse leaves the true knowledge of the righteous with GOD rather than turning righteousness into a human title.

Forgiveness is connected with غ ف ر (gh-f-r). Recognition of weakness is therefore paired not only with judgment, but with the possibility of covering and forgiveness from GOD.

Together the roots suggest a moral order in which the self is worked upon, not worshiped; purified, not advertised.

Verse references: 53:32; 12:53; 91:9.

Other Claims

Religious history contains many developed systems of “purification of the self,” spiritual stations, disciplines, and descriptions of inner states. These traditions may be studied in their historical contexts, but they do not determine the main structure of this reflection.

The verses themselves already provide a sufficient boundary: do not exalt yourselves; GOD knows the righteous. The self can advocate wrongdoing. Purification depends upon GOD’s grace. The soul must still be saved rather than neglected.

It would therefore be too certain to assign fixed spiritual ranks to particular people on the basis of these verses alone.

Conclusion

Self-exaltation is dangerous precisely because it can disguise itself as religiosity. Worship, knowledge, morality, sacrifice, or reputation can become new material for the ego.

53:32 closes that door: do not exalt yourselves; GOD knows the righteous. 12:53 refuses innocence. 24:21 attributes purification to grace. 4:135 requires truth even against the self. 59:18 commands review.

The verses do not lead me toward self-worship or self-hatred. They call me to something more difficult: to be honest about myself, to work for righteousness, to return when I fail, and to leave the final judgment to GOD.

GOD knows best.

Note

2:32 — Onlar, “Sana yücelik olsun. Senin bize öğrettiğinden başka bizim hiçbir bilgimiz yok. Sen Her Şeyi Bilensin, En Bilgesin.” dediler.

GOD knows best.

Source: kuranteyit.com