We hear about showing off in worship; what is its ruling in Islam, and does it have categories?
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The questioner : He says: We hear about showing off in worship; what is its ruling in Islam, and does it have categories? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Showing off in worship (riya') is when a servant performs a good deed so that people see it and praise him for it, saying, "This is a worshipper," "This is a righteous man," or the like. It invalidates the deed if it accompanies it from the beginning, such as when a person stands to pray in front of people so that they praise him for his prayer; his prayer is invalid and Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not accept it. It is a type of associating partners with Allah (shirk). Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said in the Holy Hadith:Sahih Muslim 2985 There is no doubt that the one who shows off in worship is an associate of partners with Allah, because he seeks thereby the praise of Allah and the reward of Allah, and he also seeks the praise of creation. In reality, the one who shows off in worship is a loser, because his deed is not accepted, and because people do not benefit him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516Hasan (Darussalam) And whoever makes his deed sincere for Allah and does not seek the attention of people with it, Allah the Exalted turns the hearts toward him and praises him in ways he does not expect.
So I advise my Muslim brothers to stay away from showing off in worship in their physical acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting, and in their financial acts, such as charity and spending, and in their social status, such as appearing to be a defender of people and one who attends to their interests, and the like.
But if someone says, "I give charity so that people see me and give charity, not so that people see me and praise me," is this good? The answer is yes, this is good, and this falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1017a For this reason, Allah the Mighty and Majestic praised those who spend their wealth in secret and in public; in secret, in the place of secrecy, and in public, in the place of publicity. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Showing off in worship (riya') is when a servant performs a good deed so that people see it and praise him for it, saying, "This is a worshipper," "This is a righteous man," or the like. It invalidates the deed if it accompanies it from the beginning, such as when a person stands to pray in front of people so that they praise him for his prayer; his prayer is invalid and Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not accept it. It is a type of associating partners with Allah (shirk). Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said in the Holy Hadith:
I am the One, One Who does not stand in need of a partner. If anyone does anything in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him with one whom he associates with Allah.
أنا أغنى الشركاء عن الشرك من عمل عملا أشرك فيه معي غيري تركته وشركهKnow that if the entire creation were to gather together to do something to benefit you- you would never get any benefit except that Allah had written for you. And if they were to gather to do something to harm you- you would never be harmed except that Allah had written for you.
واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعوا على أن ينفعوك بشيء لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك ولو اجتمعوا على أن يضرّوك بشيء لم يضرّوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليكSo I advise my Muslim brothers to stay away from showing off in worship in their physical acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting, and in their financial acts, such as charity and spending, and in their social status, such as appearing to be a defender of people and one who attends to their interests, and the like.
But if someone says, "I give charity so that people see me and give charity, not so that people see me and praise me," is this good? The answer is yes, this is good, and this falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
He who sets a good precedent in Islam, there is a reward for him for this (act of goodness) and reward of that also who acted according to it subsequently
من سنّ في الإسلام سنّة حسنة فله أجرها وأجر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامةThe questioner : May Allah reward you.