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Riya (Show off) Is Shirk

Riya or show off is the most disliked act and attitude in islam. It is as if someone is deceiving himself and his Lord to please people and not his Lord.


Those who do good deeds not to earn sawab but their primary purpose is to show off and to get the praise of people, such people will never get anything in return for their acts which looked pious in this world. ALLAH’s messenger s.a.w.w said;

Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25:
Narrated Abu Huraira:

“Allah's Apostle was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad). The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)? He replied, "To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's Cause." The questioner again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To perform Hajj (Pilgrim age to Mecca) 'Mubrur, (which is accepted by Allah and is performed with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure only and not to show off and without committing a sin and in accordance with the traditions of the Prophet)."”

Thus, every good act which is done with good intentions will be counted as best deed and every action which was done to show the people and to gather their praise will be rejected. ALLAH swt said;

Al-Quran 4:038
“And (also) for those who flaunt (and flash), when they spend their wealth, in order to show off to the people. They do not believe in Allah or the Day of Judgment. Whoever has Shaitan as an intimate companion has indeed an evil companion!”

ALLAH swt says that the sole purpose of these people is to show the world and they in real do not believe in neither ALLAH swt nor the last day. when one intends to do something so that his image in the society becomes good, he surely gets what he wanted but his act becomes riya which is already disliked by ALLAH swt.

When a person does something good keeping in mind to please ALLAH swt, his act may not be noticed by people but he surely gathers loads of sawab for his hereafter.

Just see the difference between these two persons. One who wants to earn praise of people does not know that he will be paying for his deeds and that the one he should concentrate on to please is ALLAH swt and not people because people will never save him from hell fire.

But the one who does good deeds openly and hidden to only please ALLAH swt knows that whatever he has earned will be given to him with glad tidings of jannat.

The one who wants worldly praise will do not hesitate to please people with his wrong acts and he will even like to cloth them the dress of religion while the one who fears ALLAH will condemn everything and will abstain from every act that might increase his image in this world, only because he knows he is being seen all the time and such person never forgets ALLAH’s presence.

Instead of doing riya kari we should focus on to become GOD conscious.
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