Speaking about showing off: its forms and ruling.

The Shaykh : And among shirk (associating partners with Allah) is showing off. We seek refuge in Allah from all shirk, whether hidden or apparent. Showing off is when a person performs an act for Allah, performing the act for Allah, but he wants people to praise him for it. He does not pray for people, but he prays for Allah; he only wants people to praise him for it, so it is said, "This is a man who prays." He spends for Allah to benefit the poor, but he wants people to praise him for his spending. This is a show-off. So what is the ruling on showing off when it mixes with worship? We say it invalidates the worship; it invalidates it and it is not accepted from him. Rather, he sins with it because he has associated partners with Allah, and shirk is not forgiven, even if it is minor, due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted: The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Allah does not forgive shirk, even if it is minor". But this does not mean that minor shirk causes its doer to remain in the Fire forever. No, minor shirk causes its doer to be punished according to the amount of shirk he committed, and then his end will be Paradise. Who is the one whose doer remains in the Fire forever?
The student: Major shirk.

The Shaykh : Major shirk. And among shirk is when a person performs an act for the worldly life. He performs it for the worldly life: he calls to prayer to take the salary, or he becomes an imam to take the salary. His intention is not to draw near to Allah through the call to prayer, nor to draw near to Allah through leading the prayer, but rather to obtain the salary. This is shirk because he wanted the worldly life with his act. And the Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Tawhid: He said "A chapter on shirk: a person's desire for the worldly life with his act". And Allah the Exalted said: Now, this last point is problematic because many imams and many mu'adhdhins (callers to prayer) perform that work for the sake of the salary, and this is problematic. Does that mean we should abandon the call to prayer and leading the prayer? We say yes, if that is his intention, let him abandon it, because becoming poor in wealth is better than becoming poor in sincerity. But we say before that: correct the intention. Intend that you are drawing near to Allah through the call to prayer and leading the prayer, but you take what is attached to that to strengthen yourself for them and to perform them. Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding something like this: "Whoever takes money to perform Hajj with it, there is no harm. And whoever performs Hajj to take money, he has no share in the Hereafter". And we need this regarding what some people take in the days of Hajj in the form of money to perform Hajj on behalf of others. So we say to him: Did you take this money to perform Hajj with it, or did you perform Hajj to take the money? If it is the former, there is no harm, because it is from the category of seeking assistance with Allah's provision for obedience to Allah. And if it is the latter, there is harm in it, because he made the religion a means to the worldly life. The opposite is the correct view: that the worldly life is what is made a means to the religion. Now, regarding following (the Prophet), you know that following is not realized except if the worship is in accordance with the Shari'ah in six matters: the cause, the type, the amount, the manner, the time, and the place.