The great saint Malik ibn Dinar (Rah) was someone who always humbled himself and constantly spoke highly of others. Once he remarked, “People call me an ascetic (a person detached from worldly desires). But in truth, the real ascetic is Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (Rah). This is because despite being a king and living in immense wealth, he never gave any great importance to power or riches.”
On another day, while Malik ibn Dinar (Rah) was delivering a sermon (Bayan) in the mosque, he looked at the congregation and said, “O Muslims! If a man were to stand outside this mosque and shout, ‘There is an evil man inside this mosque, and he must leave immediately,’ I would at once leave the mosque, acknowledging that I am that evil man.
For all of you are righteous, and I am the worst among you.” The great scholar Allama Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (Rah), who happened to enter the mosque just then, overheard this and praised him, saying, “It is because of this very humility that Allah has elevated him to the high status of a saint.”
Similarly, on another occasion, a woman looked at Malik ibn Dinar (Rah) and accused him, saying, “You worship only for the sake of fame, just so people will praise you as a great saint!” Instead of getting angry upon hearing this, the saint immediately made a heartfelt supplication (Dua) for her, saying, “Dear sister! You have discovered a flaw in me that no one else has noticed for all these years, and you have understood who I truly am. May Allah bless you!” Seeing his unexpected humility and magnanimity, the woman realized her mistake and walked away, hanging her head in shame.