Does God forgive the arrogant and conceited, especially if they fall into conceit unknowingly that it displeases God? Does the conceited and self-deluded person regret it if they fall short in obedience? And how does the conceited person presume to favor God? Does Satan cause a person to fall into conceit and arrogance against their will to distance them from obedience? And does God test a servant with conceit and arrogance to test their patience and resilience?

A Muslim aims to purify their heart from self-admiration (ujb) and all other spiritual ailments. This is achieved through repentance (tawba) and seeking forgiveness (istighfar), seeking Allah's help and supplicating to Him, and striving against the self (mujahadat an-nafs) by purifying it from spiritual defects through abundant acts of obedience and self-reckoning (muhasabat an-nafs).

However, one must be wary of the danger of extremism in self-reckoning, which can lead to despair and despondency. The self is like a "well of filth"; the more you dig into it, the more it appears. It is better not to busy oneself with digging into it, but rather to focus on journeying towards Allah the Almighty.

Allah can forgive self-admiration and all other sins for those who repent from them, for repentance erases all sins, no matter how great. Self-admiration does not prevent one from feeling regret over missing out on acts of obedience.

Satan has no power over the servant except through whisperings (waswasa) and adornment (tazyin). The servant is free to choose whether to respond to him or not. Sins are a trial for the servant, but they are not like calamities that expiate evil deeds. A sin is detested by Allah and is evil for the servant, unless it is followed by repentance and turning back to Allah. In this case, it may be good for the servant.

If a servant repents with sincere repentance (tawba nasuh), Allah replaces their evil deeds with good ones. A sin after repentance does not harm the servant; rather, it may contain benefit for them, such as breaking self-admiration and arrogance. For this reason, Allah may test some of His servants with sins so that they may repent from them and attain the perfection of servitude and humble supplication.