Hadith 12: The One Who Initiates Salam Is Free From Pride

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

اَلْبادِئُ بِالسَّلامِ بَرِئٌ مِنْ الْكِبَرِ
The One Who Initiates Salaam Is Free From Pride

When two people are together, whether walking, sitting, or riding, the one who says salam first is free from pride, or the meaning could be taken that Allah will take the pride out of his heart.

Pride is to think of someone as inferior, to think ones self as having all the perfect qualites and that no one else has such qualities.
This type of person cares for no one and doesn't care to make salam first thinking himself is superior.
As in the hadith the one who initiates the salaam is free from pride as he does not think himself above saying salam to anyone first.

The warnings against pride are extensive within the Quraan and ahadeeth.
In the Quran we see that pride has been the downfall of many great nations and men, for example Firown (Pharaoh Ramses II) and his kingdom.

In a hadith Muhammad Sallalahu alayhi wassalam states:

"The one who possesses even a mustard seed (size) of pride will not enter jannah (paradise)"

In another hadith (a hadith qudsi) Allah states:

"Greatness and Pride is my cloak (My qualities) whoever claims to have these, I will enter him into the fire of hell"

Pride is one of the greatest sins and in order to cleanse the heart from it, regular repentance must be established for its forgiveness.
Pride is a disease seeking Allah's forgivness is the cure for it, and as mentioned in the hadith one way of freeing the heart from pride is to be the first to say salam.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'alaa) free our hearts from pride.

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته