My shaikh Hazrat Maulana Jalil Ahmed Akhoon sb damat barakatuham often quotes the saying of Hazrat Shaikh Abu Yahya Muneeri RA that it’s relatively easier for one to overlook the fame he receives from the world but it’s a quite tedious task to dismiss what he boastfully thinks about himself.

My shaikh Hazrat Maulana Hakim Muhammad Akhtar sb RA used to say that we must not think of a good deed as our own achievement and used to quote the following verse:

مَاۤ اَصَابَکَ مِنۡ حَسَنَۃٍ فَمِنَ اللّٰہِ ۫ وَمَاۤ اَصَابَکَ مِنۡ سَيئَۃٍ فَمِنۡ نَّفۡسِکَ ؕ

Translation: Whatever good comes to you, it is from Allah and whatever evil visits you, it comes from your own selves.

[Surah An-Nisa’ 79]

Self-Boasting or عجب is such a serious disease that some salaf say that Satan (Iblees) was not misguided because of any other Satan rather he astrayed just because of self-boasting. When he was asked to prostrate Adam AS he refused and objected in a self-boasting tone that he is made up of fire and Adam is made up of sand. خلقتنى من نار و خلقته من طين