abu'muhammad
Junior Member
Warning signs of Riyaa' (showing off)
By Abu Ammar Yasir Al-Qathi
Certain actions do not directly fall under riyaa', but are the preliminary steps leading to it. They are like signs, warning of the impending arrival of riyaa'. If a person finds himself involved in any of these actions, he should honestly question his motives in doing them in order to avoid actually falling into riyaa'. The following are some of the warning signs of riyaa':
1) Delaying the Obligatory Acts of Worship
If a person is very careless in performing those acts which Allah has made obligatory on him, such as compulsory formal prayer (Salah), compulsory charity (Zakat), or the pilgrimage (Hajj or 'Umrah), it is an indication that his Eemaan (faith) is very weak. An example of this is the habit of delaying the prayers, until the very last possible moment. For example, some people regularly pray 'Asr just a few minutes before sunset, while Allah says:
"So woe to those who pray- who delay their prayers from its stated time, those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men), and who refuse even the smallest kindness." (107:4-7)
In these verses, Allah has linked riyaa' with laxity in performing the obligatory acts. If a person is not motivated by his eemaan to perform these acts at their stated times, then it is very likely that his motivation for doing them will be riyaa'.
2) Lack of Enthusiasm for Worship
Similarly, if a person is not eager to worship his Lord, it is to be expected that he would be eager to receive praise from the people. Concerning the hypocrites. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He who deceives them. And when they stand up to pray, they stand up with laziness, only to be seen of men, and they hardly remember Allah at all." (4:142)
In these verses, Allah links laziness in worship with the evil of riyaa'.
3) Public Performance of Good Deeds
When a person discovers that he is doing good deeds only in public, and doing evil deeds when he is alone, this is an indication that he is falling into riyaa'. The following advice from the scholars of the past is worth considering:
"Remove the causes of riyaa' from yourself by considering the opinion of people as important to you as cattle and small children. Do not differentiate in your worship between the presence of people or their absence, or between their knowledge of your actions and their ignorance. Rather, be conscious of the infinite knowledge of Allah alone"
From: Riyaa' - Hidden Shirk
By Abu Ammar Yasir Al-Qathi
Certain actions do not directly fall under riyaa', but are the preliminary steps leading to it. They are like signs, warning of the impending arrival of riyaa'. If a person finds himself involved in any of these actions, he should honestly question his motives in doing them in order to avoid actually falling into riyaa'. The following are some of the warning signs of riyaa':
1) Delaying the Obligatory Acts of Worship
If a person is very careless in performing those acts which Allah has made obligatory on him, such as compulsory formal prayer (Salah), compulsory charity (Zakat), or the pilgrimage (Hajj or 'Umrah), it is an indication that his Eemaan (faith) is very weak. An example of this is the habit of delaying the prayers, until the very last possible moment. For example, some people regularly pray 'Asr just a few minutes before sunset, while Allah says:
"So woe to those who pray- who delay their prayers from its stated time, those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men), and who refuse even the smallest kindness." (107:4-7)
In these verses, Allah has linked riyaa' with laxity in performing the obligatory acts. If a person is not motivated by his eemaan to perform these acts at their stated times, then it is very likely that his motivation for doing them will be riyaa'.
2) Lack of Enthusiasm for Worship
Similarly, if a person is not eager to worship his Lord, it is to be expected that he would be eager to receive praise from the people. Concerning the hypocrites. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He who deceives them. And when they stand up to pray, they stand up with laziness, only to be seen of men, and they hardly remember Allah at all." (4:142)
In these verses, Allah links laziness in worship with the evil of riyaa'.
3) Public Performance of Good Deeds
When a person discovers that he is doing good deeds only in public, and doing evil deeds when he is alone, this is an indication that he is falling into riyaa'. The following advice from the scholars of the past is worth considering:
"Remove the causes of riyaa' from yourself by considering the opinion of people as important to you as cattle and small children. Do not differentiate in your worship between the presence of people or their absence, or between their knowledge of your actions and their ignorance. Rather, be conscious of the infinite knowledge of Allah alone"
From: Riyaa' - Hidden Shirk