WHAT IS TAWAZU (تواضع)?

Rasool Allah ﷺ  said، من تواضع لله رفعه الله

Translation: Whoever adopts Tawazu for Allah, Allah Ta'alah elevates his status. 

Tawazu (تواضع) is an Arabic word. It means, "thinking of oneself as inferior to others." For example a person thinks that he is no one special. If he is doing something good this is because Allah Ta'alah has given him inspiration to do so. It is only because of Allah Ta'alah's blessing that he is doing those good things. There is nothing special about him. This is the core of Tawazu. Once a person develops Tawazu in his heart then it doesn't matter whether he calls himself a nobody or not. The core of Tawazu is believing oneself to be no one special, not calling oneself no one special. 

Adapted from the talk "Tawazu, a means of greatness", by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB