The Transgression of “I,” “Mine,” and “I Have”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Let one beware, with the utmost caution, of the transgression of ‘I,’ ‘mine,’ and ‘I have,’ for indeed, Iblīs, Pharaoh, and Qārūn were all put to trial by one of these three.

As for Iblīs, [Allah said] that he said: “I am better than him (Adam)”. (7:12)

As for Pharaoh, [Allah said] that he said: “Is the kingdom of Egypt not mine?” [43:51]

And as for Qārūn, [Allah said] that he said: “I was only given it due to knowledge I possess”. [28:78]

The best way for a servant to use the word ‘I’ is to say: “I am a sinful servant, one who makes mistakes, one who seeks forgiveness, one who acknowledges his faults”, and what is similar. As for ‘mine,’ he should say: “My sin, my wrongdoing, my helplessness, my poverty, and my humiliation”. And as for ‘I have,’ he should say: “Forgive me for my mistakes, whether committed in jest or in earnest, whether out of ignorance, in jest or deliberately, and all of that is found in me”.

Zād al-Maʿād, 2/434–435