The Heart Softeners (Part 1)
Chapter 4
Showing Off
45872: The Shaytaan whispers
to him that he is showing off so that he will
give up doing acts of worship
Question:
I am committed, praise be to Allaah, to doing
the obligatory acts of worship which Allaah has
enjoined, and I ask Allaah to accept them. But
recently I have started to experience waswaas
(whispers from the Shaytaan) telling me that
which I do is contaminated with elements of
showing off, and Allaah will never accept it.
Sometimes I find myself hesitating to do some
good things for fear of showing off.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Just as the Shaytaan comes to the Muslim to
make him admire his actions and show off to
people, sometimes too he uses the opposite trick
and makes a person think that he is showing off,
so that he will not do it.
In order to avoid both problems, we have to
make sure that our intention is sound and make
it sincerely and purely for the sake of Allaah,
and not worry after that about anything that the
Shaytaan may come up with.
Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said _ in a chapter on
"We should not give up prescribed actions for
fear of showing off": One of the things that may
happen to a person is that when he wants to do
an act of worship, it occurs to him that he
should not do it for fear of showing off.
What he should do is not to pay attention to
that. He can do that which Allaah has commanded
him to do or encouraged him to do, and seek the
help of Allaah, and trust in Him that he will do
it in the manner prescribed in Islam.
Shaykh Muhiy al-Deen al-Nawawi (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: You should not give up
remembering Allaah verbally and in your heart
because you think you may be showing off, rather
you should remember Him in both ways, seeking
thereby the Face of Allaah. And he quoted
al-Fudayl ibn `Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on
him) as saying: Giving up a good deed for the
sake of people is also showing off, and doing it
for the sake of people is shirk. He said: If a
person opens the door to noticing people and
worrying about what they think then most of the
doors to goodness will be closed to him.
Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said: With regard to
not doing good deeds for fear of showing off, if
the motive for doing that deed is other than
religious, then he should not do it because it
is a sin. But if the motive for that is
religious and it is sincerely for the sake of
Allaah, then he should not refrain from doing
it, because the motive is religious. Similarly
if he does not do a good deed for fear that it
will be said that he is a show-off, then he
should ignore that because it is one of the
tricks of the Shaytaan.
Ibraaheem al-Nakha'i said: If the Shaytaan
comes to you when you are praying and says, "you
are showing off," then you should make it even
longer. With regard to the reports narrated from
one of the salaf, that he stopped worshipping
for fear of showing off, this is to be
understood as meaning that they felt that they
were showing off, so they stopped it. And that
is indeed the case. For example, al-A'mash said:
I was with Ibraaheem al-Nakha'i when he was
reading Qur'aan, and a man asked for permission
to enter, so he covered the Mus-haf. He said: So
that he will not think that I read it all the
time. So if you should not stop doing an act of
worship for fear of showing off, it is more
appropriate that you should not stop it for fear
of self admiration that may occur later on.
Al-Adaab al-Shara'iyyah, 1/266-267
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy
on him) was asked:
When a person thinks of doing a good deed,
the Shaytaan comes and whispers to him: "You
want to do that to show off and have a good
reputation," so he backs off from doing that
good deed. How can we avoid this?
He replied:
That can be avoided by seeking refuge with
Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan, and going
ahead with the good deed. You should not pay
attention to this waswaas (whisper from the
Shaytaan) that puts you off doing good. If you
turn away from this and seek refuge with Allaah
from the accursed Shaytaan, the problem will
disappear, by Allaah's leave.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn
`Uthaymeen, question no. 277
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
11909: Haatim al-Taa'i in the
Sunnah
Question:
What did Prophet Muhammad say regarding Hatim
Tai?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are a number of ahaadeeth which mention
Haatim al-Taai, some of which are hasan (good),
some da'eef (weak) and some mawdoo'
(fabricated).
(a) It was narrated that `Adiyy ibn Haatim
said: I said to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "My father
used to uphold the ties of kinship, and do such
and such… Will he have any (reward) for that?"
He said, "Your father seeking something and he
got it."
This was narrated by Ahmad, 32/129, and
classed and hasan by Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot.
(b) It was narrated that `Adiyy ibn Haatim
said: I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, my father
used to uphold the ties of kinship, and do such
and such." He said, "Your father wanted
something and got it" meaning, fame.
Narrated by Ahmad (30/200); classed as hasan
by Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot, and classed as
saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 1/41.
(c) It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa'd
al-Saa'idi that `Adiyy ibn Haatim came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of
Allaah, my father used to uphold the ties of
kinship, and spend on the needy, and feed
people." He said, "Did he live to see Islam?" He
said, "No." He said, "Your father wanted to be
remembered."
Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer,
6/197. Its isnaad includes Rushdeen ibn Sa'd,
who is da'eef (weak), but it is supported by the
report mentioned above.
The phrase translated above and "spend on the
needy" means spending on the weak, the poor,
orphans and dependents, etc.
(d) It was narrated that Ibn `Umar said:
Mention was made of Haatim in the presence of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), and he said, "That is a man who
wanted something and got it."
Al-Haythami said:
This was narrated by al-Bazzaar, and its
isnaad includes `Ubayd ibn Waaqid al-`Absi, who
was classed as da'eef by Abu Haatim.
Majma' al-Zawaa'id, 1/119
But it is supported by the reports quoted
above.
Ibn Katheer said:
We have mentioned the biography of Haatim
Tay' in the days of the Jaahiliyyah when we
mentioned those who died of the famous people of
that era, and we referred to his generosity and
kindness to people. But generosity and kindness
must be based on faith if they are to benefit a
person in the Hereafter, but he never said one
day, "O Lord, forgive me my sins on the Day of
Judgement."
Al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, 5/67.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
6356: Admiring oneself after
doing a good deed
Question:
Sometimes a person finds himself filled with
self-admiration or showing off after doing a
good deed or act of worship, and he is scared
that this will cancel out what he has done. What
do you advise?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. If a person feels self
admiration after doing something good or fears
that he may show off, he should ward that off
and resist it by seeking refuge with Allaah from
it, and saying "Allaahumma inni a'oodhu bika
an ushrika bika wa ana a'lam, wa'staghfiruka
lima laa a'lam (O Allaah, I seek refuge with
you from knowingly associating anything with
You, and I seek Your forgiveness for that of
which I am unaware)" _ as was reported from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).
These kind of feelings happen to everyone,
but you have to try to be sincere towards
Allaah, seek His forgiveness, and remember that
there is no strength and no power except with
Allaah; if it were not for the help of Allaah,
you would not have been able to do this good
deed, so to Allaah be praise in the beginning
and at the end.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said to Mu'aadh ibn Jabal: "O Mu'aadh,
by Allaah indeed I love you, and I advise you, O
Mu'aadh, do not forget at the end of every
prayer to say: Allaahumma a'inni `ala
dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni `ibaaditika (O
Allaah, help me to remember You, give thanks to
You and worship You in the best way)."
(Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Nasaa'i,
and others; it is saheeh).
Do not forego doing good deeds for fear of
showing off, because this is one of the tricks
that the Shaytaan uses to weaken people's
resolve and stop them from doing things that
Allaah loves and is pleased with.
As for merely feeling happy that one has done
a good deed, this does not contradict sincerity
and faith, for Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Say: "In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His
Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur'ân); —therein let
them rejoice." That is better than what (the
wealth) they amass" [Yoonus 10:58] _
meaning, if he attains guidance, faith and
righteous deeds, and the mercy resulting from
that overwhelms him and he feels joy and success
as a result. Hence Allaah commanded us to
rejoice over such things.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "If your good deeds make you
happy and your bad deeds make you sad, then you
are a believer."
(Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majaah and others
from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah; it is a saheeh
hadeeth).
By the same token, if people praise you for
your good deed, then this is a portion of the
glad tidings of the Hereafter, which Allaah
gives a person in this world. The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was asked, "What do you think if a man does
a good deed and the people praise him for it?"
He said: "That is the portion of the glad
tidings for the believer which he is given in
this world." (Narrated by Muslim from the
hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased
with him).
So this praise is a sign that Allaah is
pleased with him and loves him, so He makes him
dear to other people.
We ask Allaah to make our intentions and
deeds right.
Reference: Masaa'il wa Rasaa'il by Muhammad
al-Mahmood al-Najdi, p. 21
(www.islam-qa.com)
21254: He gave charity
because he felt embarrassed in front of his boss
at work
Question:
I gave money to a charitable project because
I felt scared of my boss at work. If it had been
up to me I would not have given even a penny.
Will I have the complete reward for this action
just as I would if I had given willingly and by
my own choice? Please answer with evidence
(daleel).
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
If the situation is as you described, then
you will not be rewarded for this donation,
because you did not give it for the sake of
Allaah, rather you gave it for the sake of your
boss because you were afraid of him. It was
narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Actions
are but by intention and each man will have but
that which he intended." (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari in Bad' al-Khalq and Muslim
in al-Imaarah, no. 1907).
Fataawa li'l-Muwazzafeen wa'l-`Aml, al-Lajnah
al-Daa'imah, p. 66 (www.islam-qa.com)
22293: He has stopped
advising people for fear of showing off
Question:
I am afraid of showing off, and I am cautious
about it to the extent that I cannot advise some
people or forbid them from doing certain things
such as backbiting, slandering, etc. I am afraid
that doing so would be showing off on my part,
and I am scared that people may think that I am
showing off. So I do not give any advice, and I
tell myself that they are educated people and
they do not need any advice. What do you
suggest?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is one of the plots of the Shaytaan by
means of which he discourages people from
calling others to Allaah and from enjoining what
is good and forbidding what is evil. For
example, he makes them think that this is a kind
of showing off or that people will think he is
showing off. You, my sister in Islam, should not
pay any attention to it, rather you should
advise your sisters and your brothers if you see
them falling short in any duty or committing any
sin such as backbiting, slandering, or not
covering in front of men. Do not be afraid of
showing off, rather focus your intention on
Allaah and be sincere towards Him, and be of
good cheer. Ignore the plots and whispers of the
Shaytaan. Allaah knows what intention is in your
heart and how sincere you are towards Him and
towards His slaves. Allaah knows that showing
off is shirk and it is not permissible, but it
is also not permissible for a believer, man or
woman, to stop doing what Allaah has enjoined,
namely calling people to Him and enjoining what
is good and forbidding what is evil, for fear of
showing off. So you have to beware of that and
do what is obligatory in the midst of men and
women. Men and women are equal in this regard.
Allaah has explained this in His Book where He
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The believers, men and women, are
Awliyaa' (helpers, supporters, friends,
protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the
people) AlMa`roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and
all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid
(people) from AlMunkar (i.e. polytheism and
disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has
forbidden); they perform As-Salaah
(Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give the Zakaah, and
obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah will have
His Mercy on them. Surely, Allaah is All-Mighty,
All-Wise"
[al-Tawbah 9:71]
Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz in al-Fataawa
al-Jaami'ah li'l-Mar'ah al-Muslimah, p. 1016.
(www.islam-qa.com)
21880: We should not stop
doing what is prescribed for fear of showing off
Question:
Sometimes I want to do a righteous deed such
as praying or reading Qur'aan, then someone
comes in and I stop reading in the Mushaf or I
don't start praying, or I shorten my prayer if I
have started it. Is it correct to do this?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn Muflih said:
"We should not stop doing what is prescribed
in Islam for fear of showing off."
One of the things that may happen to a person
is that he wants to do an act of worship, but
something happens that makes him stop doing it
for fear that he may be showing off in some way.
He should not pay attention to that. We should
do what Allaah has commanded and encouraged us
to do, and seek the help of Allaah, and put our
trust in Him that He will help us to do the
action in the manner prescribed in sharee'ah.
Shaykh Muhiy al-Deen al-Nawawi (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: We should not stop
remembering Allaah (dhikr) with our tongues as
well as in our hearts for fear that people may
think that we are showing off; rather we should
remember Allaah with both, seeking the pleasure
of Allaah thereby. He mentioned what al-Fudayl
ibn `Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
that not doing something because of people was
(a form of) showing off, and doing something
because of people was (a form of) shirk. He
said: if we start to pay attention to people and
try to protect ourselves from their thinking
badly of us, that would stop us from doing a lot
of good deeds. Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said: As
for not doing an act of worship for fear of
showing off, if the motive for doing that act of
worship is something other than religious
commitment, then he should refrain from doing
it, because it is a sin. But if the motive for
doing it is religious commitment and he does it
sincerely for the sake of Allaah, then he should
not refrain from doing it, because the motive is
religious commitment. Similarly, if he refrains
from doing a righteous deed for fear that he
will be called a show-off, he should not do that
(refrain from that deed) because this is one of
the traps of the Shaytaan.
Ibraaheem al-Nakha'i said: if the Shaytaan
comes to you whilst you are praying and says,
"you are showing off," then make your prayer
longer. With regard to the report that one of
the salaf stopped praying for fear of showing
off, this is to be interpreted as meaning that
they felt as if they were showing off, so they
gave up. This is as he said. For example,
al-A'mash said, "I was with Ibraaheem al-Nakha'i
and he was reading Qur'aan. A man asked
permission to enter and he covered the Mus-haf
and said, `He should not think that I read it
all the time.' If we should not stop doing acts
of worship for fear of showing off, then it is
more appropriate that we should not refrain from
doing them for fear of the self-admiration that
may come after doing them.
We have discussed above the issue of
self-admiration before the chapters on enjoining
what is good and forbidding what is evil. We
mentioned before the chapter on clothing the
issue of visiting the ruler in order to enjoin
what is good and forbid what is evil, and we
quoted the opinion of Dawood al-Taa'i who said,
`I fear that he may be punished by the whip.' It
was said to him, `He can bear that.' He said, `I
fear that he may be executed by the sword.' It
was said to him, `He can bear that.' Then he
said, `I fear that he may be afflicted by the
hidden disease', i.e., self-admiration.
Al-Adaab al-Shar'iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 1/267,
268 (www.islam-qa.com)
12603: Seeking knowledge in
order to teach people and not for the purpose of
showing off
Question:
If a person learns one of the branches of
religious knowledge in order to play his role in
the village where he lives, and he memorizes
Qur'aan in order to lead the young men in
praying at night in Ramadaan, will that be a
kind of minor shirk (al-shirk al-asghar)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is known from the evidence of sharee'ah
that seeking knowledge and seeking to understand
the religion is one of the best acts of worship
and obedience. The same is true of studying the
Qur'aan and trying to recite it a lot and to
memorize it or as much as one can. All of these
are among the best acts of worship. If you do
what you should of teaching the people of your
village, guiding them, leading them _ the young
men and others _ in prayer, all of these are
good deeds which will be appreciated and for
which you will be rewarded. This is not showing
off and it is not shirk, if your aim is
to seek the pleasure of Allaah and the
Hereafter, and you are not doing it to show off
to people and earn their praise, but to help
them and increase their knowledge and
understanding of their religion. That could be
minor shirk only if you did it to show
off to people or to earn their praise. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, "The thing that I fear most for you
is minor shirk." He was asked what that
was, and he said, "Showing off." "When a man
stands up to pray and he makes his prayer
beautiful because he thinks that the people are
looking at him." On the Day of Resurrection,
Allaah will say to those who show off, "Go to
those for whom you used to show off in the
world, and see whether you find any reward with
them." Showing off means that you do something
with the aim of people seeing you and praising
you; reputation is a part of that. For example,
if you read Qur'aan so that people will praise
you and say, "He is a good reader" or "He reads
well"; or you do a lot of dhikr so that
they will praise you and say, "He does a lot of
dhikr"; or you enjoin what is good and
forbid what is evil so that people will praise
you. This is showing off, and this is minor
shirk. It is essential to beware of that
and to do what you do for the sake of Allaah
alone, not for the sake of showing off to people
and earning their praise. But you should learn
in order to act upon that knowledge and to teach
your brothers and lead them in prayer, and hope
for the reward that is with Allaah. You should
do that with the aim of helping them, not for
the purposes of showing off or enhancing your
reputation. If you read from the Mus-haf
there is nothing wrong with that if you lead
your brothers in prayer reading from the
Mus-haf in Ramadaan. The freed slave of
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used
to lead her in prayer reading from the
Mus-haf. So it is OK to read from the
Mus-haf when praying at night in Ramadaan
if you have not memorized it, but if one has
learned it by heart and can recite it from
memory, that is better, but there is nothing
wrong with reading from the Mus-haf if
necessary.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li
Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy
on him, vol. 9, p. 3 (www.islam-qa.com)
1733: Working for a salary
and not for the Hereafter _ is this blameworthy?
Question:
There is an employee who has been working for
the state for more than twenty years. He is an
honest worker with a good attitude who tries to
please his superiors and boss, and works hard so
that he will receive his salary in full with
nothing docked from his pay, and so that he will
earn promotion. All of these efforts are only
for the sake of his work, not for the sake of
Allaah. But this employee worships Allaah and
does good deeds sincerely for the sake of
Allaah, outside of his work. He prays, fasts,
gives charity, pays zakaah, goes for Hajj, reads
Qur'aan, reads Tafseer and does all kinds of
good things sincerely for the sake of Allaah and
in accordance with His sharee'ah. So what is
your opinion _ may Allaah reward you with good _
about this man's attitude when he is at work? Is
it permissible, or is it shirk , or what? Please
advise us and tell us what he should do. Is
there any sin on him for what he has done in the
past in his work? May Allaah take care of you.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is known that employment and work is not
called `ibaadah (worship), and it is not one of
the kinds of worship that should be done only
for Allaah. People work at their jobs in order
to make their salaries halaal, and so that they
will be deserving of what they are given, and so
on. The intention cannot be described in terms
of worship. But if he knows that it is a trust
between him and Allaah, and that Allaah is
always watching him, so he pays attention to the
fact that his Lord is watching him in this work,
so that what he takes as wages will be halaal
beyond a doubt, then he will have the reward for
this sincerity, even if his intention is that
nothing should be docked from his pay and so on.
Given that this employee undertakes his
religious duties and keeps away from haraam
things, he is to be commended for that. And
Allaah multiplies the reward for whomsoever He
wills. And Allaah is the Generous Bestower and
All-Knowing.
Al-Lu'lu' al-Makeen min Fataawaa al-Shaykh
`Abd al-rahmaan ibn Al-Jibrin, p. 62
(www.islam-qa.com)
449: An imaam is guilty of
some secret sin; should he continue in his
position as imaam?
Question:
A young man is an imaam in one of the
mosques. He is, as he says, well-liked by the
people at the mosque, but he knows deep down
that he has shortcomings and is guilty of some
sins, and does not deserve to be the imaam or to
have this love and respect from people. He fears
that if he remains as imaam of the mosque, he
may become a hypocrite or show off. Should he
stay in the mosque? Should he continue leading
the people in prayer, or should he leave this
position out of fear of becoming a hypocrite and
show off?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
You describe this young man as being loved by
his people, but he is guilty of some
transgression which is a matter between him and
his Lord. I say that the fact that Allaah has
blessed him with the position of imaam and the
love of his people dictates that he should give
up his sin and stop transgressing against
himself, and he should worship Allaah properly,
and give thanks to Allaah, because the fact that
a person is loved by his people and is their
imaam is a great blessing from Allaah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the slaves of the Most Beneficient
(Allaah) are those who walk on the earth in
humility and sedateness…
And those who say: `Our Lord… and make us
leaders for the muttaqoon (the pious)…"
[al-Furqaan 25:68, 74]
Those who pray are among the pious, and the
one who leads them in prayer is imcluded in this
aayah, "…and make us leaders for the
muttaqoon (the pious)…" So let him praise
Allaah for this blessing, and stop transgressing
against himself, and let him make this one of
the means of bringing himself back to obedience
to Allaah, and let him fear Allaah with regard
to his status.
When he says that he is afraid he may show
off, this is waswaas (insinuating
thoughts) that the Shaytaan puts into a person's
mind whenever he wants to do an act of obedience
to Allaah. The Shaytaan comes to him and says,
"You are showing off." He has to cast this idea
aside, ignore it and seek the help of Allaah,
for he always recites in his salaah the words,
"Iyyaaka na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een (You
(Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for
help" [al-Faatihah 1:5 _ interpretation of the
meaning].
Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh by Ibn `Uthaymeen,
53/77 (www.islam-qa.com)
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Introduction