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The
Arabic term riya' is roughly translated as "showing off," which
means doing something to please others or to gain their approval and
admiration, instead of focusing on receiving God's approval, satisfaction, and
pleasure. Riya' is the opposite of the Arabic term ikhlas [purity
of intention].
According
to Islam, riya' could make a pure act of worship, such as prayer, void of
any reward and could even result in God's punishment.
The
Qur'an mentions this when describing the lazy state of the hypocrites as they go
to prayer, dragging their feet, only so that people can see them performing
prayers:
[Surely
the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to
them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it
only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah save a little.]
(An-Nisaa'
4:142)
The
Qur'an also mentions riya' in respect to charity, as people sometimes pay
charity to appear generous:
[O
you who believe! do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury,
like him who spends his property to be seen of men and does not believe in
Allah and the last day; so his parable is as the parable of a smooth rock
with earth upon it, then a heavy rain falls upon it, so it leaves it bare;
they shall not be able to gain anything of what they have earned; and Allah
does not guide the unbelieving people.]
(Al-Baqarah 2:264)
This
means that if the intention is not sincerely to please God, then the reward for
charity could be washed away just like rain washes away soil off a smooth rock,
thus stopping any chance of plantation on it.
Once
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was describing some of the
signs of the Day of Judgment, one of which was the false messiah. Then he said
that there was something he feared more than the false messiah, which was
"hidden polytheism." Hidden polytheism is due to actions which are
done for the purpose of showing off, like a person who lengthens his prayer so
that people see him (As-Suyuti).
Mentioning
the attitude of riya' and how ridiculous and pompous those who have it
are, the Muslim scholar Ibn Al-Jawzi related a story in one of his books. Once a
man was praying in what appeared to be a devoted manner, so people praised him
and commented on how righteous and sincere he was. On hearing them the man felt
so proud that while he was praying he turned to them and informed them that he
was also fasting.
Satisfaction
When Seen Doing Good
When
people are seen performing a good deed, they often cannot but feel good if they
are praised for it. Islam does not consider this to be riya', as long as
the person originally intended the deed for the sake of God, without wanting to
be praised by people. A person must also have the feeling of humbleness and
thankfulness to God that He helped him or her perform this good deed.
This
means that if a person intends to secretly do a good deed without anybody
knowing and by chance somebody sees him or her, then he or she gets a double
reward: one for doing a good deed and another for not feeling vain. This was
mentioned when the Prophet was asked his opinion about a person who had done a
good deed and then people had praised him for it. So he said, "It is glad
tidings for a believer (which he has received in this mortal world)"
(Muslim).
Good
and Evil Intentions
Sometimes
people may have a sincere intention to do good, but due to uncontrollable or
unexpected circumstances, they may not be able to fulfill this act. According to
Islam, although this action was not actually done, they are still rewarded for
it due to their sincere intention.
This
was clear when the Prophet was leaving Madinah on one of his campaigns and some
people asked him to accommodate them so they could go with him. However, the
Prophet did not have the means to accommodate them all, so they were left
behind. After leaving Madinah, the Prophet said that there were some men who
were left behind but who were still with them though they were not physically
present. Prophet Muhammad said that wherever they would go or whatever they
would do, these people would share the same reward as those who were able to
join him. This was due to their sincere intentions and because they were
detained because of a legitimate excuse. This story was mentioned in the Qur'an:
[Nor
unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount
them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back
with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means
to spend.]
(At-Tawbah 9:92)
God's
pleasure is not achieved only by peoples' efforts; they also need God's
generosity and grace in order to receive His divine reward. God's generosity is
assured by the Prophet, who said,
If
somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will
write for him a full good deed in his account with Him; and if he intends to
do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him in his
account with Him, from ten to seven hundred times to many more times its
reward. And if somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it,
then Allah will write a full good deed in his account with Him; and if he
intended to do a bad deed and actually did it, then Allah will write one bad
deed in his account." (Al-Bukhari)
Improving
the Quality of Ikhlas
The
first step to improve the quality of ikhlas is to make sure that your
action is not prohibited by God. For example, a person cannot drink wine or rob
a bank and say that he or she is doing it with a good intention. According to
Islam, ends do not justify means; if a person has a noble objective then his or
her intentions must also be noble.
Second
is being conscious of God by realizing that God is present at all times and that
He is aware of all your inner thoughts and motives. The Qur'an refers to this by
saying what means:
[Say:
"Whether ye hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah knows it
all: He knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And Allah has
power over all things.]
(Aal `Imran 3:29)
Third
is to develop the habit of giving some thought to any action before actually
doing it. This includes, for example, seeking God's approval and pleasure when
giving charity and not intending to impress people by it. The Qur'an makes
reference to this by saying what means:
[(Saying):
We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks
from you.]
(Al-Insan 76:9)
Similarly,
it is wrong for a person to seek knowledge with the intention of showing off, as
the Prophetic saying clarifies that it is only the
person who seeks knowledge to please God and to achieve his or her mission on
earth who gets rewarded (As-Suyuti). In particular, people engaged in religious
education should remember Prophet Muhammad's warning about people who appear to
be pious but at the same time have insincere intentions (Muslim).
* Adapted from a lecture in Dr. Jamal
Badawi's Islamic
Teachings series.
** Dr. Jamal Badawi is a
professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada, where he teaches in the
areas of management and religious studies. He is the author of several works on
various aspects of Islam.
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