"Pride is My cloak.." Explaining Hadith Abu Dawud 4090 , Muslim 2620, Ibn Majah 4174

 Question: 

Can you explain this hadith:

عَنِ الأَغَرِّ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ، - عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، - قَالَ هَنَّادٌ - قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏: قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ 

" الْكِبْرِيَاءُ رِدَائِي وَالْعَظَمَةُ إِزَارِي فَمَنْ نَازَعَنِي وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا قَذَفْتُهُ فِي النَّارِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ 

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah Most High says: "Pride is my cloak and majesty is my lower garment, and I shall throw him, who vies with me regarding one of them, into Hell. "

Answer:

Praise be to God,

This hadith is also reported by Imam Muslim:

عَنْ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ الأَغَرِّ، أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، وَأَبِي، هُرَيْرَةَ قَالاَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ الْعِزُّ إِزَارُهُ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءُ رِدَاؤُهُ فَمَنْ يُنَازِعُنِي عَذَّبْتُهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Sa'id Khudri and Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: Glory is His lower garment and Majesty is His cloak and (Allah says, ) He who contends with Me in regard to them I shall torment him.

The hadith is understood in the following manner:

God Almighty said: 'Pride is My cloak and greatness is My garment,' meaning that these are attributes specific to Me and thus are not suitable for anyone else. Anyone who disputes these attributes is disputing a characteristic of Mine. If pride is only appropriate for Me, then anyone who is arrogant towards My servants has wronged himself; Al-Ghazali explained.
It is as if He is saying: 'Pride is only suitable for Me because those beneath Me possess attributes of creation that are inherent to them, and signs of incapacity are evident upon them.'
Therefore, anyone who disputes either of these attributes, I will throw them into the Fire for their desire to claim what is only fitting for the All-Powerful, the Compeller, the Strong, the Mighty, the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted, Glory be to Him. 'There is nothing like Him' (Quran 42:11).

Be attached to the attributes of His Lordship, and realize the attributes of your servitude. He prevented you from claiming what is not yours from what is for the created. So does He permit you to claim His description, while He is the Lord of the worlds?

This warning indicates that arrogance and pride are among the major sins. 

Allah knows best.