:salam2:
im sorry i dont see how this is riya' or anything that is regarding the dunya is riya'?
i mean if ur doing prayers so ur father wont be angry at u instead of doing it to go to heaven that is riya' but if ur studying at the university so ur father is happy with and not because u want to do it then this is not riya'
riya' in it's islamic sense doesn't include worldly goals ( getting degree for social status and not for increasing one's knowledge for example ) it only includes goals that such as prayer fasting etc which ur suppose to do it for allah sake not for people sake
Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I hope that this thread doesnt get 'carried away' with discussions that is far from the thread's topic.
However, I must say, I understand why Brother Datazak mentioned about riya'. But if the thread starter is an arab, and it is a cultural thing to say to people to congratulate one self (like some of you have clarified) then I guess there's nothing wrong with it.
There may be some things that people feel offence or different in a kind of way due to difference in background, culture, and upbringing. However, this shouldnt bring people apart but correcting the truth is always necessary.
Here, at my place, we always hear about riya' which is a type of a 'heart disease' and it is a hidden shirik. Even when we pray, if our intention is for people to see us (in our heart, we'll have the feeling that people will say that we are a good person) instead of doing it for the sake of Allaah, that is riya'. If one's is doing prayer because of someone else (afraid of someone), that is not riya' but rather he is doing it not for the sake of Allaah. And there are things regarding worldly matters that can cause one's to feel riya but only that person and Allaah knows the intention in one's heart.
I just wanted to make things clear without any intention to drag this matter. Lets all praise Allaah for our brother's success in completing his studies. Alhamdulillah.
May Allaah increase our knowledge in our deen and give us the strengths to practice it to our best abilities. Aminn
Wassalam.