A young man raised in obedience to Allah, but I remember Allah and seek His forgiveness, as if I say, "I seek Allah's forgiveness, there is no god but Allah."

The questioner : This questioner, Abu Usamah, says: May the Shaykh be respected, I inform you that, praise be to Allah, since my childhood I have been raised in obedience to Allah the Mighty and Majestic until I grew up, and this is from the favor of Allah upon me. But, O respected Shaykh, my question is that I remember Allah and seek His forgiveness in a loud voice, and this is beyond my control. Satan always enters me and whispers to me, saying, "You are showing off; this is showing off (riya)." Allah knows that I have become accustomed to that, meaning since childhood, and I fear my colleagues at work. Should I stop doing that? He says, and an example of that is that I say at work, for instance, "I seek Allah's forgiveness, there is no god but Allah, there is no power and no strength except with Allah." Advise me regarding my question; may you be rewarded.

The Shaykh : My advice to you is to continue with your commitment and to praise Allah the Exalted for this, and not to be proud of your deeds. Strive to keep your deeds secret, except if you mention them in order to encourage others, for deeds are by intentions.
As for raising the voice, do not raise your voice in a way that harms those around you, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions while they were praying and raising their voices in recitation, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him) And if it does not harm, but you fear for yourself regarding showing off (riya), and it is one of the remembrances for which raising the voice is not prescribed, then do not raise your voice. Try to train yourself to remember and seek forgiveness without raising your voice. And I say, it is one of the remembrances for which raising the voice is not prescribed, to be cautious of the remembrances for which raising the voice is prescribed, such as the remembrances after the prayer. The prescribed practice in the remembrances after the obligatory prayer is for a person to raise his voice with them, due to the statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that raising the voice in remembrance when people disperse from the obligatory prayer was the practice in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Also, to be cautious of the talbiyah, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his Companions to raise their voices with the ihram, meaning with the talbiyah, and they raised their voices with it until their voices became hoarse; they would shout with it. So the important point is that the best in remembrance is that it be quiet and secret. If raising the voice harms, then raising the voice is forbidden, I mean raising the voice. And if raising the voice does not harm, then there is no harm in it, except if a person fears for himself regarding showing off (riya), as the questioner indicated in his question, then he should keep it secret. This is as long as the remembrance is not one in which raising the voice is legislated; if it is, then he should raise his voice. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.