The Concept of Riya' and Sum'ah and Their Danger
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Abu Hisham from Riyadh asks about the concept of riya' and seeking fame, especially in acts of obedience, and their danger to the Muslim.
Answer:
Riya' is when one performs deeds for the sake of being seen, such as praying and beautifying one's prayer because he sees a man looking at him. This is riya'; he is showing off to people. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said regarding the hypocrites:[An-Nisa 4:142].
As for sum'ah, it is when one performs deeds for the sake of being heard, such as beautifying his voice with the Qur'an in order for people to praise him and gather around him, or similar bad intentions. Nothing is hidden from Allah.
So a good deed is multiplied, but a bad deed is made heavy and not multiplied. This is from the justice of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and His mercy toward His servants. Indeed, He, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not burden them with what they did not do, or what they did not intend or aim for, or what they erred in:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] He forgave Sunan Ibn Majah 2045Sahih (Darussalam) So Allah does not record these things; He does not record sin for the servant in them. Because he has no influence over them; rather, they happened to him by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forgiven error, forgetfulness, and what they were compelled to do, out of His mercy toward them, Glorified and Exalted is He. Yes.
Abu Hisham from Riyadh asks about the concept of riya' and seeking fame, especially in acts of obedience, and their danger to the Muslim.
Answer:
Riya' is when one performs deeds for the sake of being seen, such as praying and beautifying one's prayer because he sees a man looking at him. This is riya'; he is showing off to people. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said regarding the hypocrites:
And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little,
وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًاAs for sum'ah, it is when one performs deeds for the sake of being heard, such as beautifying his voice with the Qur'an in order for people to praise him and gather around him, or similar bad intentions. Nothing is hidden from Allah.
So a good deed is multiplied, but a bad deed is made heavy and not multiplied. This is from the justice of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and His mercy toward His servants. Indeed, He, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not burden them with what they did not do, or what they did not intend or aim for, or what they erred in:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَاmy nation for mistakes and forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do
لأمتي الخطأ والنسيان وما استكرهوا عليه
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، برنامج (فتاوى) (168) لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان بتاريخ [1440-01-03] - كبار العلماء — youtube.com (19:58)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.