Bragging About Lineage or Language

The shaikh, Dr. Muḥammad ibn Ghālib Al-ʿUmarī, may Allāh protect him, said:

From a person’s deficiencies is his relying upon the bygone days of his ancestors or what his forefathers had accomplished, considering that sufficient for him [as proof of] his honor and glory, even if he were living in an abyss of ignorance and lowliness. Ibn Wardī spoke the truth:

لا تقل أصلي وفصلي أبدا
إنما أصل الفتى ما قد حصل

Don’t say “my lineage” or “my language” ever.
The stock of a young man is simply his endeavors.

Translated by Mikail ibn Mahboob Ariff