What is the ruling on leaving off righteous deeds out of fear of showing off?
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Question:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on one who leaves off righteous deeds, such as the recommended practices (sunnah), out of fear of showing off (riya')?
Answer:
It is not permissible for a person to leave off righteous deeds out of fear of showing off (riya'); this is from Satan. He responds to him and says, "Do not pray, so that people do not accuse you of showing off. Do not pray, so that people do not accuse you of being a believer." Leaving off righteous deeds is worse than showing off; it is worse. Leaving off the deeds is worse. So he should seek refuge in Allah from Satan, perform the righteous deeds, direct his intention to Allah the Exalted, and abandon these Satanic means. Allah the Exalted knows best, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on one who leaves off righteous deeds, such as the recommended practices (sunnah), out of fear of showing off (riya')?
Answer:
It is not permissible for a person to leave off righteous deeds out of fear of showing off (riya'); this is from Satan. He responds to him and says, "Do not pray, so that people do not accuse you of showing off. Do not pray, so that people do not accuse you of being a believer." Leaving off righteous deeds is worse than showing off; it is worse. Leaving off the deeds is worse. So he should seek refuge in Allah from Satan, perform the righteous deeds, direct his intention to Allah the Exalted, and abandon these Satanic means. Allah the Exalted knows best, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم ترك العمل الصالح خوفًا من الرياء؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.