Shaykh Saleem bin ‘Eed
al-Hilaalee said: “Know O obedient slave – may Allaah illuminate your heart
with sincerity – that ar-Riyaa’ (showing off) has a number of gates and they
vary because Riyaa’ is of levels.
[First Gate of Riyaa’]: This
is when the intention of a slave [to do a deed] is for other than Allaah;
rather, he wants people to know that he did the deed, like the one who only prays
in front the people and in their midst; but if he is alone, he doesn’t pray. This
is a class of hypocrisy and doubt in Eemaan. Allaah the most High said: “Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive
Allâh, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salât
(the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not
remember Allâh but little.” [Soorah
An-Nisaa’: 142] The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “This is
how the hypocrite prays: he sits watching the sun, and when it is between the
horns of the devil, he rises and strikes the ground four times (in haste)
mentioning Allaah a little during it.” [Recorded by Muslim and others from
Anas]
[Second Gate of Riyaa’]: This
is when a slave starts an act of worship for the sake of Allaah, but when people
see him doing the deed, he becomes energetic in the act of worship and beautifies
it. Mahmood bin Labeed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (sallallaahu
alayhi wasallam) came out and said: “O people! Beware of hidden shirk.”
They asked, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what is hidden shirk?’ He said: “A man
stands up to perform prayer then he beautifies his prayer and exerts effort in
it because he noticed that people were looking at him. This is hidden shirk.” [Saheeh
at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (1/17)]. This is showing off with the distinguishing marks of the
worship and not with the act of worship itself. It is among the prohibited form
of showing off, because it constitutes veneration of the creatures.
[Third Gate of Riyaa’]: This
is when a servant of Allaah begins an act of worship for the sake of Allaah and
finishes it for His sake. Then he becomes known (to people) for his ibaadah and
receives praises from them. As a result, he feels comfortable and happy, and his
heart begins to endure more the hardship of the ibaadah and he expects people
to praise and respect him, and to get what he wants from them. So, this happiness indicates hidden Riyaa’,
because his heart was overwhelmed with joy when people became aware of him; had
it been the heart did not pay attention to the people, it wouldn’t have
expressed happiness when people became aware of him.
Source: Ar-Riyaa: Dhammu wa
Atharuhus-Sayyi’u fil-Ummah, p. 13-15, by Shaykh Saleem bin ‘Eed
al-Hilaalee. Translated by Abdus-Samee’ Abdus-Salaam.
