The Ruling on Riya' and Its Type of Shirk and Hypocrisy

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Question:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Does a person's intention in his work constitute major shirk (associating partners with Allah) in the state of the hypocrites? For example, one who prays and fasts to gain worldly advice and benefits? So what is called shirk of intention, will, and grasp?

Answer:
This is the case of the hypocrite. Hypocrisy (nifaq) is of two types: doctrinal hypocrisy, which is when a person displays faith outwardly while concealing disbelief (kufr) toward Allah the Exalted. This is major hypocrisy, and it is worse than pure disbelief. Allah the Exalted said:

Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire - and never will you find for them a helper -

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا

[An-Nisa 4:145]

This does not come from a believer. This is a hypocrite; he is not called a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), he is called a hypocrite. He is not called a mushrik because he does not have deeds in which shirk occurs; all his deeds are disbelief. He is not called a mushrik, but Allah named him a hypocrite.
And He distinguished him from the polytheists. Allah the Exalted said:

And [that] He may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women, and the polytheist men and polytheist women

وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ

[Al-Fath 48:6]

So the polytheist performs deeds for Allah the Exalted; he performs deeds for Allah the Exalted, but he associates others with Him in them, bringing in other than Allah. As for this hypocrite, he never performs deeds for Allah; he never performs deeds for Allah. So he is a zindiq (heretic) in reality. There is no difference between the hypocrite and the zindiq, because he is a disbeliever who has no creed at all, and he does not perform deeds for Allah in which there is shirk or intention, ever. This is the hypocrite of major hypocrisy. Yes.
Shirk in riya' (showing off) only comes from some of the believers, and this is minor hypocrisy. Minor hypocrisy is when a person is a believer in Allah and His Messenger, a monotheist, but he is characterized by some of the traits of the hypocrites, by one of the traits of the hypocrites, such as lying in speech and breaking promises.
And treachery in a covenant, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Four traits: whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has a trait of hypocrisy. If they are gathered in him, he is a pure hypocrite: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; when he is trusted, he betrays; when he disputes, he speaks ill; and when he makes a covenant, he is treacherous.

أربع من كن فيه كان منافقا كانت فيه خصلة من النفاق، ومن كانت فيه كلها كان منافقا خالصا، من اجتمعت فيه كان منافقا خالصا، إذا حدث كذب، وإذا وعد أخلف، وإذا سمن خان، وإذا خاصم هجر، وإذا عاهد غدر،

So if these traits are gathered in him, he is a pure hypocrite. But if one of them is found in him, he has a trait of hypocrisy until he abandons it, meaning until he leaves it and repents to Allah from it. So a believer may have some of the traits of the hypocrites in him; he may commit riya' and seeking fame; he may work for the sake of this world. But this is minor shirk that does not take him out of faith.

Source إرادة الإنسان لعمله الدنيا — alfawzan.live

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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