What is the ruling on one who refrains from righteous deeds on the pretext of fearing showing off?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Shaykh, is it possible for a person to fear showing off in his deeds? Of course, this could be a type of deception in the sense of suspending righteous deeds.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is possible.
The questioner : Yes, but practically, he may see that this predominates over him; that is, he finds more psychological comfort in not acting, meaning in not appearing. For example, if he appears in lessons or lectures, meaning in these matters of appearing, he sees himself as weak. So he sees that, for example, Satan may have overcome him, so he sees that it is better to stay away from giving, for example, lessons and these matters that involve appearing. What is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : I cannot give an opinion; because Allah says:[Al-Qiyamah 75:14].
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the one who strives against his self and stays away from his desires; whether this staying away is positive or negative; in my belief, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) will not hold him accountable even if he errs, as long as it predominates in his opinion that he is not under the power of Satan; whether, for example, by teaching or by staying away from it, this is the obligatory thing, but to give a general rule, that is a difficult matter.
Another questioner : May Allah set the children right...
The Shaykh : Yes, that is possible.
The questioner : Yes, but practically, he may see that this predominates over him; that is, he finds more psychological comfort in not acting, meaning in not appearing. For example, if he appears in lessons or lectures, meaning in these matters of appearing, he sees himself as weak. So he sees that, for example, Satan may have overcome him, so he sees that it is better to stay away from giving, for example, lessons and these matters that involve appearing. What is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : I cannot give an opinion; because Allah says:
Rather, man, against himself, will be a witness,
بَلِ الْإِنْسَانُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the one who strives against his self and stays away from his desires; whether this staying away is positive or negative; in my belief, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) will not hold him accountable even if he errs, as long as it predominates in his opinion that he is not under the power of Satan; whether, for example, by teaching or by staying away from it, this is the obligatory thing, but to give a general rule, that is a difficult matter.
Another questioner : May Allah set the children right...
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.