Some have divided riya' into riya' of sincerity and riya' of shirk; what is the difference between them?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, Shaykh. Some scholars divide riya' into riya' of shirk and riya' of sincerity, taking this from the statement of al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad: "Whoever performs an act of obedience so that people will see him, that is riya', and whoever leaves off an act of obedience out of fear of riya', that is shirk".
The questioner : That is shirk. So what is the meaning of this division, and what is its connection to the statement of al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad? May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Riya' is when a person performs an act of worship so that people will see him and praise him for it, and he has no intention of benefiting from it in the Hereafter; rather, he only wants fame and renown among people. This is riya'. However, it is sometimes called riya' and sum'ah. Riya' refers to what he does, and sum'ah refers to what he hears.
Then, riya' may be major shirk or minor shirk, depending on what is in the heart of the doer. If a person performs an act of worship purely for the sake of riya', he is a mushrik committing major shirk, because he did not intend Allah the Exalted at all, nor did he intend to draw near to Him; he only wanted to draw near to people. But if a person intends Allah Mighty and Majestic, yet he loves for people to see him so that they will praise him, that is riya', and it does not reach the level of major shirk. For this reason, you will find in Ibn al-Qayyim's (may Allah have mercy on him) description of minor shirk that he says: "and slight riya'". This means that much riya' is greater than that. However, if riya' occurs in a person's worship and he repels it and does not rely on it, then the riya' does not harm him; rather, he is a mujahid who has the reward of the worship and the reward of the struggle, the struggle of the self against riya'. But it is better if riya' does not occur in his heart at all, as came in the authentic hadith:Sahih Muslim 798a Did you understand?
So, pure riya' is major shirk, and riya' mixed with sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic is minor shirk. And if riya' comes to the heart, if a person yields to it, he may fall into minor or major shirk. But if he tries to get rid of it and repels it, it does not harm him. Yes.
The questioner : That is shirk. So what is the meaning of this division, and what is its connection to the statement of al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad? May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Riya' is when a person performs an act of worship so that people will see him and praise him for it, and he has no intention of benefiting from it in the Hereafter; rather, he only wants fame and renown among people. This is riya'. However, it is sometimes called riya' and sum'ah. Riya' refers to what he does, and sum'ah refers to what he hears.
Then, riya' may be major shirk or minor shirk, depending on what is in the heart of the doer. If a person performs an act of worship purely for the sake of riya', he is a mushrik committing major shirk, because he did not intend Allah the Exalted at all, nor did he intend to draw near to Him; he only wanted to draw near to people. But if a person intends Allah Mighty and Majestic, yet he loves for people to see him so that they will praise him, that is riya', and it does not reach the level of major shirk. For this reason, you will find in Ibn al-Qayyim's (may Allah have mercy on him) description of minor shirk that he says: "and slight riya'". This means that much riya' is greater than that. However, if riya' occurs in a person's worship and he repels it and does not rely on it, then the riya' does not harm him; rather, he is a mujahid who has the reward of the worship and the reward of the struggle, the struggle of the self against riya'. But it is better if riya' does not occur in his heart at all, as came in the authentic hadith:
One who is proficient in the Qur'an is associated with the noble, upright, recording angels; and he who falters in it, and finds it difficult for him, will have two rewards.
الماهر بالقرآن مع السّفرة الكرام البررة، والذي يقرأ القرآن ويتتعتع فيه وهو عليه شاقّ فله أجرانSo, pure riya' is major shirk, and riya' mixed with sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic is minor shirk. And if riya' comes to the heart, if a person yields to it, he may fall into minor or major shirk. But if he tries to get rid of it and repels it, it does not harm him. Yes.