Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-86a
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths, in "the chapter on the prohibition of showing off in worship
from Jundub ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2986 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 3664Sahih (Al-Albani) Meaning: its fragrance. Narrated by Abu Dawud with a sound chain. "
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted the remaining hadiths on showing off that he cited from Jundub ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sahih Muslim 2986 Meaning: whoever says a word as an act of worship for Allah and raises his voice with it so that people hear him and say, "So-and-so has much dhikr, much recitation," and the like, then this person has made the servants of Allah hear of his deeds, and he is showing off with them. We ask Allah for safety from this.
Meaning: He exposed him and revealed his matter and made his defect clear to the people, and it became apparent to them that he is a show-off. The hadith did not specify whether this is in this world or the Hereafter. It is possible that Allah makes him hear of it in this world and reveals his defect to the people, and it is possible that it is in the Hereafter, which is more severe and more humiliating, refuge with Allah, as the Exalted said: [Fussilat 41:16]
Likewise, whoever shows off, Allah will show him off. Meaning: whoever performs a deed so that people see it and praise him for it, then Allah, the Exalted, will show him off and make his defect clear to the people and expose him, refuge with Allah, until it becomes apparent that he is a show-off.
In this hadith is the great warning against showing off, and that the show-off, no matter who he is, no matter how much he hides, it is inevitable that he will be exposed, refuge with Allah, because Allah, the Exalted, has guaranteed this: whoever makes others hear of his deeds, Allah will make him hear of them, and whoever shows off, Allah will show him off.
As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, it is about one who seeks knowledge for which the Face of Allah is sought, and that is the sacred knowledge, the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. If a person seeks knowledge from the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah and does not want anything except to gain a worldly benefit from it, or wants a worldly benefit, he will not find the scent of Paradise, meaning its fragrance. And its fragrance is found from a distance of so much and so much. For example, if a person learns the science of creed so that it is said, "So-and-so is good in creed," or so that he gets a job, or the like, or the science of jurisprudence, or the science of exegesis, or the science of hadith, to show off with it to people, then he will not find the fragrance of Paradise, refuge with Allah, meaning he is deprived of entering it. As for the sciences that are not sought for the Face of Allah, such as worldly sciences like mathematics, geometry, and construction, if a person learns them seeking a worldly benefit, there is no harm in that, because this is worldly knowledge intended for the world. The hadith containing the threat is restricted to the knowledge that is sought for the Face of Allah.
If someone says, "Many students nowadays study in universities seeking the degree, the high degree," it is said: deeds are by intentions. If he wants the high degree to gain a job and a rank, then he has sought a worldly benefit with it. But if he wants it to occupy a position that benefits people, to be a teacher, to be a manager, to be a guide, then that is good and there is no harm in it, because people nowadays do not value a person by his knowledge but by his degree. If he says, "If I remained without a degree, no matter how much knowledge I have, they will not make me a teacher, but I learn and take the degree so that I can be a teacher who benefits the Muslims," then this is a good intention and there is nothing wrong with it. And success is from Allah.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths, in "the chapter on the prohibition of showing off in worship
from Jundub ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If anyone wants to have his deeds widely publicised, Allah will publicise (his humiliation). And if anyone makes a hypocritical display (of his deeds) Allah will make a display of him.
من سمَّعَ سَمَّعَ الله به، ومن راءي رَاءي الله بهAnd from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If anyone acquires knowledge that should be sought seeking the Face of Allah, but he acquires it only to get some worldly advantage, he will not experience the arf, i.e. the fragrance, of Paradise.
من تعلم علماً مما يُبتغى به وجه الله عز وجل لا يتعلمهُ إلا ليُصيب به عرضاً من الدنيا، لم يجد عرف الجنة يوم القيامةThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted the remaining hadiths on showing off that he cited from Jundub ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
If anyone wants to have his deeds widely publicised, Allah will publicise (his humiliation). And if anyone makes a hypocritical display (of his deeds) Allah will make a display of him.
من سمَّعَ سَمَّعَ الله به، ومن رآى رآى الله بهAllah will make him hear of them.
سمع الله بهbut the punishment of the Hereafter is more disgracing, and they will not be helped.
ولعذاب الآخرة أخزى وهم لا ينصرونLikewise, whoever shows off, Allah will show him off. Meaning: whoever performs a deed so that people see it and praise him for it, then Allah, the Exalted, will show him off and make his defect clear to the people and expose him, refuge with Allah, until it becomes apparent that he is a show-off.
In this hadith is the great warning against showing off, and that the show-off, no matter who he is, no matter how much he hides, it is inevitable that he will be exposed, refuge with Allah, because Allah, the Exalted, has guaranteed this: whoever makes others hear of his deeds, Allah will make him hear of them, and whoever shows off, Allah will show him off.
As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, it is about one who seeks knowledge for which the Face of Allah is sought, and that is the sacred knowledge, the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. If a person seeks knowledge from the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah and does not want anything except to gain a worldly benefit from it, or wants a worldly benefit, he will not find the scent of Paradise, meaning its fragrance. And its fragrance is found from a distance of so much and so much. For example, if a person learns the science of creed so that it is said, "So-and-so is good in creed," or so that he gets a job, or the like, or the science of jurisprudence, or the science of exegesis, or the science of hadith, to show off with it to people, then he will not find the fragrance of Paradise, refuge with Allah, meaning he is deprived of entering it. As for the sciences that are not sought for the Face of Allah, such as worldly sciences like mathematics, geometry, and construction, if a person learns them seeking a worldly benefit, there is no harm in that, because this is worldly knowledge intended for the world. The hadith containing the threat is restricted to the knowledge that is sought for the Face of Allah.
If someone says, "Many students nowadays study in universities seeking the degree, the high degree," it is said: deeds are by intentions. If he wants the high degree to gain a job and a rank, then he has sought a worldly benefit with it. But if he wants it to occupy a position that benefits people, to be a teacher, to be a manager, to be a guide, then that is good and there is no harm in it, because people nowadays do not value a person by his knowledge but by his degree. If he says, "If I remained without a degree, no matter how much knowledge I have, they will not make me a teacher, but I learn and take the degree so that I can be a teacher who benefits the Muslims," then this is a good intention and there is nothing wrong with it. And success is from Allah.