Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Showing Off
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The Shaykh : The author used the general title and said: "The Chapter on What Has Come" so that a person would judge showing off himself based on what has come regarding it.
And showing off (riya') is the verbal noun of the verb "to show off" (riya' yurawi), just as "to strive" (jahada yujahid) has the verbal noun "striving" (jihad), and the verbal noun of "to show off" (riya' yurawi) is "showing off" (riya'). It is also called "mura'ah" just as "mujahadah" is used. The important point is that showing off is the verbal noun of "to show off" (riya' yurawi), and the meaning of "to show off" (riya' yurawi) is to perform an act so that people see it. This includes one who performs an act so that people hear it, and such a person is called a "musammi'" (one who makes his deeds heard). In the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said:. Showing off is a despicable trait and it is among the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy, as Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:142] ...
Know that showing off is discussed in two contexts. The first context is its ruling, and the second context is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it. So here there are two matters or two contexts: the first context is the ruling of showing off, and the second context is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it.
As for the first: showing off is from shirk (associating partners with Allah), because the person intended with his act other than Allah, so he becomes a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). Is it major shirk or minor shirk? We say: it is minor shirk, but it may reach the level of major shirk. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gave examples of minor shirk, among which he said: "and slight showing off." This indicates that much of showing off may reach major shirk. This is with regard to the first context, which is the ruling of shirk. And what indicates this is what will come, if Allah wills, in the book of Tafsir (exegesis).
As for the second context, which is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it, if showing off is attached to the act of worship, the attachment occurs in three ways:
The first way: that the motive for the act of worship is showing off to people from the very beginning, meaning: he did not stand to pray except for showing off, he did not fast except for showing off, he did not give charity except for showing off, he did not perform Hajj except for showing off, he did not intend the Face of Allah. So there is no doubt that the act of worship is invalid and not accepted, along with the prohibition contained in it as mentioned previously.
The second category or the second situation: that showing off participates in the act of worship during its course, meaning that his motive at the beginning was sincerity, sincere to Allah, but showing off occurs to him during the act of worship. So here, if the act of worship is such that its end is not connected to its beginning, then its beginning is valid in all cases. For example: if the act of worship is charity, and he has one hundred riyals and he gives fifty of them as pure charity, then showing off occurs to him regarding the remaining fifty. What is the ruling of the first fifty?
The student: Accepted.
The Shaykh : It is valid, nothing has occurred to it. And similarly, if he had a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food and he gave half of it as pure charity, then afterwards showing off occurred to him when giving the remaining half, then the first part is valid and there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the second category of the act of worship, it is the one whose end is connected to its beginning, meaning that the invalidity of its end invalidates its beginning. Did you understand? For example? Like prayer, for example. So if the man resists the showing off and does not submit to it, and he hates it and turns away from it, then it does not affect him in any way. Why? Because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 8:133 And this man did not act upon what occurred in his heart of showing off, rather he hated it, resisted it, and turned away from it, so it does not harm him.
And the second situation is that he becomes comfortable with this showing off and does not resist it, but he accepts it. In that case, the act of worship becomes invalid, and with the invalidity of its end, its beginning becomes invalid, because its beginning is built upon its end. Good.
If its end is not built upon its beginning, then only its end becomes invalid. Did we make it clear now?
So the first situation, if showing off accompanies the act of worship, the first category is that the motive for the act of worship is showing off. Here, the act of worship becomes invalid from its origin.
The second category: that it occurs to him during the act of worship, and it has two situations: the first situation is that he resists it, and the second situation is that he becomes comfortable with it and accepts it. In the first situation, it does not harm him, and in the second situation, it corrupts his entire act of worship if its end is built upon its beginning, otherwise the invalidity is limited to only what was accompanied by showing off. Is this understood?
Good, so if someone asks: Is it from showing off that a person rejoices when people know about his act of worship?
The answer: No, it is not from showing off, because this only occurred to him after he finished the act of worship.
So if someone asks: Is it from showing off that a person is pleased by doing obedience? The answer: No, rather that is a sign of his faith, as it came in the hadith:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2165Sahih (Darussalam) And as for the first, if we said that he rejoiced at the praise of people for the good he did, we said it is not from showing off. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about that and he said: Sahih Muslim 2642a That Allah the Exalted looks upon the deeds of His servants and they praise Him for what that deed deserves.
So what occurs after the end of the act of worship does not affect it. What happens after the end of the act of worship does not affect it, except if this thing contains aggression, such as mentioning the gift and causing harm in the charity. Then this aggression, its sin becomes a counterbalance to the reward of the charity and invalidates it, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:264].
I hope the context is now clear?
The discussion of showing off is in two contexts: the first context is its ruling, and the second is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it.
We said regarding its ruling that it is from minor shirk and it may be major. Regarding the ruling of the act of worship attached to it, we said: if the motive for the act of worship is showing off, then it is invalid in its entirety and in detail, invalid in all cases. And if the motive for the act of worship is sincerity but showing off occurred to it, then it has two situations: the first situation is that he leans towards it, becomes comfortable with it, and is at ease with it. What is the ruling? The act of worship becomes invalid if it is of the kind whose end is built upon its beginning, otherwise what was not in it of showing off is valid, and what was in it of showing off is invalid. And the second situation is that he does not become comfortable with the showing off, he hates it, and flees from it. What is its ruling? This does not affect his act of worship in any way. Is it clear?
Good, we must have evidence for these things. We say: as for the motive being showing off, the evidence for its invalidity is what? This hadith that is with us. Allah the Exalted said:Sahih Muslim 2985 And He the Exalted and Majestic said: [Al-Kahf 18:110].
And as for its invalidity if it occurs to him during its course, it is because if the end of the act of worship becomes invalid and it is of the kind whose beginning is built upon its end, then if its end becomes invalid, it all becomes invalid, just as if one breaks wudu' (ablution) during prayer, for example, the entire prayer becomes invalid. But if some of it is not built upon some of it, then the first part of it is valid, nothing of showing off or anything else mixed with it, it is built upon sincerity, and the second part of it becomes invalid. And as for if showing off occurs to him, which is the second situation, but he did not become comfortable with it and did not accept it, its evidence is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 8:133.
The questioner : Ramadan ...
The Shaykh : No, it is separate, meaning today is separate from yesterday.
And showing off (riya') is the verbal noun of the verb "to show off" (riya' yurawi), just as "to strive" (jahada yujahid) has the verbal noun "striving" (jihad), and the verbal noun of "to show off" (riya' yurawi) is "showing off" (riya'). It is also called "mura'ah" just as "mujahadah" is used. The important point is that showing off is the verbal noun of "to show off" (riya' yurawi), and the meaning of "to show off" (riya' yurawi) is to perform an act so that people see it. This includes one who performs an act so that people hear it, and such a person is called a "musammi'" (one who makes his deeds heard). In the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said:
Whoever shows off, Allah will show him, and whoever makes his deeds heard, Allah will make them heard.
من رآى رآى الله به، ومن سمّع سمّع الله بهAnd when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little,
وإذا قاموا إلى الصلاة قاموا كسالى يراؤون الناس ولا يذكرون الله إلا قليلاKnow that showing off is discussed in two contexts. The first context is its ruling, and the second context is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it. So here there are two matters or two contexts: the first context is the ruling of showing off, and the second context is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it.
As for the first: showing off is from shirk (associating partners with Allah), because the person intended with his act other than Allah, so he becomes a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). Is it major shirk or minor shirk? We say: it is minor shirk, but it may reach the level of major shirk. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) gave examples of minor shirk, among which he said: "and slight showing off." This indicates that much of showing off may reach major shirk. This is with regard to the first context, which is the ruling of shirk. And what indicates this is what will come, if Allah wills, in the book of Tafsir (exegesis).
As for the second context, which is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it, if showing off is attached to the act of worship, the attachment occurs in three ways:
The first way: that the motive for the act of worship is showing off to people from the very beginning, meaning: he did not stand to pray except for showing off, he did not fast except for showing off, he did not give charity except for showing off, he did not perform Hajj except for showing off, he did not intend the Face of Allah. So there is no doubt that the act of worship is invalid and not accepted, along with the prohibition contained in it as mentioned previously.
The second category or the second situation: that showing off participates in the act of worship during its course, meaning that his motive at the beginning was sincerity, sincere to Allah, but showing off occurs to him during the act of worship. So here, if the act of worship is such that its end is not connected to its beginning, then its beginning is valid in all cases. For example: if the act of worship is charity, and he has one hundred riyals and he gives fifty of them as pure charity, then showing off occurs to him regarding the remaining fifty. What is the ruling of the first fifty?
The student: Accepted.
The Shaykh : It is valid, nothing has occurred to it. And similarly, if he had a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food and he gave half of it as pure charity, then afterwards showing off occurred to him when giving the remaining half, then the first part is valid and there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the second category of the act of worship, it is the one whose end is connected to its beginning, meaning that the invalidity of its end invalidates its beginning. Did you understand? For example? Like prayer, for example. So if the man resists the showing off and does not submit to it, and he hates it and turns away from it, then it does not affect him in any way. Why? Because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Allah, the Most High, has forgiven my followers what they contemplate on within themselves (i.e. evil thoughts) as long as they do not act upon or speak about them.
إن الله تجاوز عن أمتي ما حدثت به أنفسها ما لم تعمل أو تتكلمAnd the second situation is that he becomes comfortable with this showing off and does not resist it, but he accepts it. In that case, the act of worship becomes invalid, and with the invalidity of its end, its beginning becomes invalid, because its beginning is built upon its end. Good.
If its end is not built upon its beginning, then only its end becomes invalid. Did we make it clear now?
So the first situation, if showing off accompanies the act of worship, the first category is that the motive for the act of worship is showing off. Here, the act of worship becomes invalid from its origin.
The second category: that it occurs to him during the act of worship, and it has two situations: the first situation is that he resists it, and the second situation is that he becomes comfortable with it and accepts it. In the first situation, it does not harm him, and in the second situation, it corrupts his entire act of worship if its end is built upon its beginning, otherwise the invalidity is limited to only what was accompanied by showing off. Is this understood?
Good, so if someone asks: Is it from showing off that a person rejoices when people know about his act of worship?
The answer: No, it is not from showing off, because this only occurred to him after he finished the act of worship.
So if someone asks: Is it from showing off that a person is pleased by doing obedience? The answer: No, rather that is a sign of his faith, as it came in the hadith:
Whoever rejoices with his good deeds and grieves over his evil deeds, then that is the believer among you.
من سرته حسنته وساءته سيئته فذلك المؤمنIt is glad tidings for a believer
تلك عاجل بشرى المؤمنSo what occurs after the end of the act of worship does not affect it. What happens after the end of the act of worship does not affect it, except if this thing contains aggression, such as mentioning the gift and causing harm in the charity. Then this aggression, its sin becomes a counterbalance to the reward of the charity and invalidates it, as Allah the Exalted said:
do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury
لا تبطلوا صدقاتكم بالمن والأذىI hope the context is now clear?
The discussion of showing off is in two contexts: the first context is its ruling, and the second is the ruling of the act of worship when showing off is attached to it.
We said regarding its ruling that it is from minor shirk and it may be major. Regarding the ruling of the act of worship attached to it, we said: if the motive for the act of worship is showing off, then it is invalid in its entirety and in detail, invalid in all cases. And if the motive for the act of worship is sincerity but showing off occurred to it, then it has two situations: the first situation is that he leans towards it, becomes comfortable with it, and is at ease with it. What is the ruling? The act of worship becomes invalid if it is of the kind whose end is built upon its beginning, otherwise what was not in it of showing off is valid, and what was in it of showing off is invalid. And the second situation is that he does not become comfortable with the showing off, he hates it, and flees from it. What is its ruling? This does not affect his act of worship in any way. Is it clear?
Good, we must have evidence for these things. We say: as for the motive being showing off, the evidence for its invalidity is what? This hadith that is with us. Allah the Exalted said:
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 وشركهSo whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."
فمن كان يرجو لقاء ربه فليعمل عملا صالحا ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحداAnd as for its invalidity if it occurs to him during its course, it is because if the end of the act of worship becomes invalid and it is of the kind whose beginning is built upon its end, then if its end becomes invalid, it all becomes invalid, just as if one breaks wudu' (ablution) during prayer, for example, the entire prayer becomes invalid. But if some of it is not built upon some of it, then the first part of it is valid, nothing of showing off or anything else mixed with it, it is built upon sincerity, and the second part of it becomes invalid. And as for if showing off occurs to him, which is the second situation, but he did not become comfortable with it and did not accept it, its evidence is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Allah, the Most High, has forgiven my followers what they contemplate on within themselves (i.e. evil thoughts) as long as they do not act upon or speak about them.
إن الله تجاوز عن أمتي ما حدثت به أنفسها ما لم تعمل أو تتكلمThe questioner : Ramadan ...
The Shaykh : No, it is separate, meaning today is separate from yesterday.