The Revival of the Religious Sciences

Hujjat al-Islam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali(r.a.h)

Abridged by Shaykh Ahmad al-Shami

Quarter III: Attributes leading to Perdition

Book VIII: The Condemnation of Status and Ostentation
 In the name of Allah, most compassionate and merciful

Section I:
The Condemnation of Status and Fame

The condemnation of status and the merit of anonymity

You should know - may Allah bestow uprightness upon you - that the basis of status is
reputation and fame, both of which are blameworthy. By contrast, anonymity is praiseworthy,
except for him whom Allah, exalted is He, has given fame in the spread of His din without him
making an effort to procure it.
Allah, exalted is He, says: {As for the abode of the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do
not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption...}.(1) Note that here Allah has
juxtaposed the will for exaltation and the will for corruption, and shown that the abode of the
Afterlife is only given to the one who is free from both wills. Allah, exalted is He, says: {As for
those who care for [no more than] the life of this world and its adornment -We shall repay them
in full for all that they did in this life, and they shall not be deprived of their just due therein:
[yet] it is they who, in the life to come, shall have nothing but the fire. For in vain shall be all
that they wrought in this world, and worthless all that they ever did!}.(2) In a general sense, these
two verses also allude to love of status, for status is the greatest pleasure of the world and its
best embellishment.
Allah's Messenger - peace be upon him - said: "Many a dishevelled man covered with dust
and wearing worn-out clothes passes unnoticed, [but] were he to adjure Allah, He would bring
to pass his request."(3) And he - peace be upon him - also said: "Shall I not inform you about
the folk of Paradise: [they consist of] all weak persons deemed weak [by others], [but who]
were they to adjure Allah, He would bring to pass their requests. As for the folk of Hell [they
consist of] all proud, disdainful persons who are parsimonious with their abundant wealth." (4)
Ibn Mas‘ud said: "You should be fountainheads of knowledge, lamps of guidance, recluses in
your homes, engaged in worship at night with renewed hearts, and wearers of worn-out
clothes, known by the folk of heaven and hidden from the inhabitants of the earth."
And al-Fudayl said: "If you can afford not to be known then do so. What harm shall ever
come to you from being unknown? Why should you care if you are not praised? And why
should you care if you are criticised by people while being praised by Allah, exalted is He?"
And Ibrahim ibn Adham said: "He who loves status is not being truthful with Allah."
It is reported that when Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani was once travelling, a huge group of people came
to see him off. [When he saw them] he said: "Had I not known that Allah knows that I
inwardly dislike this [reputation], I would have feared the loathing of Allah, exalted and
glorified is He."
A man said to Bishr al-Hafi: "Advise me!" The latter replied: "Retain your anonymity and
seek lawful sustenance."
These traditions and reports inform you that fame is to be condemned and that anonymity is
praiseworthy. What is meant by fame is the repute which consists of status and position [that
a person has] in people’s hearts. Furthermore, the love of status is at the root of all
corruption. Seeking fame is blameworthy; but it is not blameworthy to acquire it by leave of
Allah, glorified is He, so long as the bondsman makes no effort towards it.

The meaning and essence of status

Status and wealth are two pillars of this world. Wealth is the possession of beneficial
substances, and status is the possession of [people’s] hearts from which obedience and
glorification may be expected.
Just as the rich man possesses monies by means of which he can obtain his aims, purposes and
all other requirements of the self, so does the person who possesses status own people's hearts.
That is to say he can use them to achieve his aims and desires. And just as fortunes are
procured by means of different crafts and occupations, so too can people’s hearts be gained by
means of different kinds of treatment. Hearts, however, do not become devoted except
through information and conviction. If the heart believes in any trait of perfection in
anything, it yields towards it and devotes itself to it according to the heart’s degree of
conviction and the degree of perfection it sees in that trait. A person may consider perfect
what is not actually so, yet the heart, nevertheless, necessarily yields to the holder of that trait
in conformity with its conviction.
As the owner of wealth also seeks the acquisition of slaves, so does the seeker of status seek the
bondage and slavery of freemen and the possession of their selves by means of owning their
hearts. In fact the kind of slavery that the seeker of status aims for is the more powerful of the
two.
Hence, the meaning of status is establishing position in people's hearts. Status gives rise to
[several] outcomes such as praise, extolling, service, assistance, preference, glorification and
respect. Its cause is the belief that a person has perfect traits with regard to either knowledge,
worship, good manners, lineage, authority or physical beauty.

The reason for the instinctive love of status

You should know that that which is a requisite for the love of wealth is also a requisite for the
love of status. And as the possession of gold and silver provides man with the ability to obtain
all his needs, so too does the possession of the hearts of freemen provide the same ability. The
fact that they have a common cause implies that there is a common love. Nevertheless, there
are three factors which give precedence to the possession of status over the possession of
wealth.
First, it is easier to obtain wealth by means of status than it is to obtain status by means of
wealth. For if the man of knowledge or the ascetic, who has status in people's hearts, were to
seek wealth he would easily obtain it. Conversely, if the mean person were to seek such status
he would not obtain it even if he were rich.
Second, wealth is prone to misfortune and ruin, through [for example] theft. It may also be
the object of transgressors’ and rulers’ resentful envy. As for the hearts of people, if they are
owned, they can never be exposed to such misfortunes.
Third, the ownership of hearts carries on and increases without the need to toil or strive,
whereas the increase of wealth has to be achieved through both.
There is an amazing characteristic about [people’s] natural dispositions towards the love of
wealth and status which are used to achieve their purposes, and this characteristic is the love
of amassing wealth, accumulating treasures and increasing the quantity of reserves they hold
for all needs. Such is the extent of this love that were a bondsman to have two valleys of gold
he would nevertheless wish for a third. Similarly, man likes to see his status increased and his
reputation spread to the remotest lands, even to those which he categorically knows he will
never set foot on and whose inhabitants he will never meet.

People’s hearts are hardly free from this love for two reasons.

First, it ends the pain of fear. Man is fearful for his future and has grave anticipations even if
his needs are satisfied in the immediate term. He is conscious that the wealth which currently
satisfies his requirements may vanish and that he will consequently have to rely on other
people.
Thus preoccupied, fear erupts in his heart. Nothing can put a stop to this fear except the
tranquillity that follows the accumulation of another fortune which he may resort to when
misfortune befalls his initial wealth. Because he takes pity on himself and because he loves life,
man always expects longevity and is alert to the possibility of unexpected needs. Because he
foresees and fears possible misfortunes befalling his wealth, he seeks that which might drive it
away, and [in his opinion] this is abundant wealth.
This fear, however, is not confined just to a specific measure of wealth. It is also the reason
which arouses in man the love for position and wealth in the hearts of those living far away
from his homeland. For he always expects a reason which would cause his departure from his
own country or which could cause the departure of those distant people from their country to
his.
Second, by natural disposition each person wants perfection. Having fallen short of such
perfection, the soul does not give up its desire for it. The soul loves and desires perfection and
delights in it for its own sake and not for any other purpose. It is in this sense that man
instinctively loves controlling things through possessing the ability to dispose of them. Among
these things are money and belongings but also the hearts and souls of other human beings
which are the most precious of that which exists on earth.

Praiseworthy and blameworthy love of status

You have learnt that the meaning of status is the possession of hearts and that this is among
the [desirable] substances of the world. That ends with death, and the world is but a sowing-
field for the Afterlife. However, because it is incumbent upon a person to have a minimum of
wealth for the necessities of food and drink, it is incumbent upon him to have a minimum of
status for the necessity of living with other people. This is because he may need [for example]
a servant, a friend or a teacher. That a person wishes to have a position in the heart of his
servant as he calls the latter to be at his service is not blameworthy. Nor is it in itself
blameworthy to like having a certain standing in the heart of one's friend in that this cements
the friendship and help him to his advantage.
Status, like wealth, is a means to [worldly] substances and in this sense there is no difference
between the two. To like them in order to serve the needs of the body is not blameworthy, but
to like them for their essences - in what exceeds the basic necessities of the body - is
blameworthy.
In sum, status is sought in three different ways, two of them being permissible while one is
prohibited. The prohibited way is seeking to establish a position in people's hearts by making
them believe that one possesses a trait which [in reality] one does not possess, such as
knowledge, piety or [noble] lineage, and as a consequence of which people take one to be
knowledgeable or pious when one is not. This way is unlawful because it is a lie and a deceit.
As for the two potentially permissible ways, the first entails seeking position [in people's
hearts] for a trait that one [truly] possesses, as was the case with [the Prophet] Yusuf -peace be
upon him - who said as reported of him by Allah, exalted is He: {[Joseph] replied: "Place in
my charge the store-houses of the land; behold, I am a good and knowing keeper” }.(5) [Note
that] he asked for this position owing to his being good and knowledgeable and that he needed
this position, but he was truthful [in attributing goodness and knowledge to himself].
The second involves concealing a defect or offence lest discovering it cause the cessation of
one's position. This is also permissible because concealing one's ugly traits is permissible; to
reveal what is concealed [of one’s failings] and to display one’s repulsive traits is not allowed.
There is no deceit in such behaviour, for it is nothing more than concealing information which
yields no benefit [to others]. It is like the person who although he hides the fact that he drinks
wine nevertheless does not pretend to be a pious person. But if this person were to claim that
he were pious then he would be committing a deception. The fact that he does not admit to
drinking wine does not imply belief in his piety, for this [concealment] only prevents
knowledge of his drinking.
Among those acts that are prohibited is perfecting one's prayer in front of a person so that the
latter thinks well of one, for this is nothing but ostentation. It is also an act of deception
because it gives the other person the impression that one is among those who are sincere and
humble with Allah while one is in fact indulging in a performance. How can such a one be
sincere?

Seeking status through this means is unlawful, and so is seeking status through any offensive
act. Seeking status through an offensive act is analogous to acquiring unlawful wealth. Just as
a person is not allowed to take possession of someone else's property by cheating in
indemnification or in any other deal, so it is unlawful to take possession of a person's heart by
means of forgery or cheating; this because the possession of hearts is a more serious matter
than the possession of properties.

The reason for loving praise and loathing condemnation

We mention this only so that one knows how to treat the love of status and the fear of
condemnation. This is because a cause which is unknown cannot possibly be treated, for real
treatment is nothing other than ending the causes of the disease.
Know that there are several reasons for the love of status and the heart's joy in it.
The first and most powerful reason is the soul's sense of perfection; and we have shown that
perfection is cherished. Consequently, praise makes the praised person's soul feel perfect.
Here, a person's joy is greater when the praise issues from a person who is knowledgeable and
acquainted with these [praised] traits, a person who would not arbitrarily speak without
proper verification. An example would be a pupil's happiness with his teacher's praise. [Praise
which emanates from such people] is the acme of joy. For the same reason a person also
loathes condemnation, and this loathing becomes all the greater when the condemnation
emanates from a trusted, knowledgeable person.
Secondly, praise indicates that the heart of the praiser is possessed by the praised one, and
that the former is a follower of the latter. The possession of hearts is something cherished and
the feeling of its attainability brings joy. Moreover, this joy is greater when the praise
emanates from a person of considerable power, and it weakens when the one who is praising
has no weight. For the same reason, a person hates condemnation and his heart becomes
offended.
Thirdly, the laudation of the one who is lauding and the praise of the one who is praising are
means for captivating the heart of an audience, especially if they are among those whose
words are taken into consideration and whose praise is highly valued.
All these factors might be present in the praise of a single praising person, so that the joy
ensuing from such praise becomes greater. However, the first joy - the sense of perfection - is
abandoned when the praised one knows that the praising person is not correct, as is the case
when one is praised for being a man of knowledge when one knows that one is not. And the
second joy - taking possession of the heart of the one who is praising - is also relinquished
when one knows that the one who is praising does not believe in what he says, and when one
knows that one does not truly possess the gifts that are being praised. In this case, all joys are
annulled.

Healing the love of status

The one whose heart is overwhelmed by the love of status devotes himself completely to
playing up to those he is infatuated with so as to gain their esteem. To this end, he indulges in
performances for their sake, and always pays heed, in his speech and actions, to what
magnifies his standing in their eyes. This is the seed of hypocrisy and the root of corruption
which inevitably lead to making light of acts of worship, using them for display, and indulging
in what is prohibited for the sake of hunting hearts.
Now, anyone who seeks a position in people's hearts is forced to be deceitful with them and to
display praiseworthy traits that he does not have; and this is the very essence of hypocrisy.
Love of status, therefore, is among those perils which ought to be healed and driven from the
heart. This because the heart has a natural propensity for status, just as it is naturally
disposed towards the love of wealth. Its treatment is a synthesis of knowledge and action.
With regard to knowledge, a person should know the reason why he loves status. This can
only be because he seeks full power over other people and especially their hearts. Even when
this is sought for good and sincere purposes, status will end at death, for it is not among the
everlasting good deeds. Hence, man should never leave the din, which is the eternal life, for its
sake.
Love of status can also be healed by knowing its this-worldly defects, in essence by
contemplating the dangers to which people of status are exposed. For everyone endowed with
status is envied, and is always a target of hurt, constantly in fear for his status and wary that
his position in people's hearts might change.
Moreover, such hearts are more prone to change than [the contents of] a cooking pot when it
is boiling, and are always wavering between responsiveness and avoidance. Hence, anything
resting on people’s hearts is like something built on the waves of the sea: it has no stability.
The preoccupation with paying deference to [other people's] hearts, protecting one's status,
ending others’ sly resentful envy and obstructing the hurt of one’s enemies, are all immediate
anxieties which disturb the pleasure of status. This is then the healing [of status] as far as
knowledge is concerned.
As for [its healing by means of] action, it consists of finding intimacy in anonymity and being
content with the Creator's responsiveness by eliminating one's greed for what people have.
Indeed, the content person can dispense with other people, and once he does so his heart is not
preoccupied with them, nor does establishing his position in their hearts carry any weight. A
person cannot give up seeking status unless he is content and gives up his greed for what
people have. He can, however, seek help in the hadiths relating to the condemnation of status
and the praise of anonymity [in order to achieve this contentment].

Healing the love of praise

You should know that most people have perished simply because of their fear of others’
condemnation and their love of others’ praise. Consequently, all their actions became
responses to what pleases other people so that they could win their praise and avoid their
criticism. Such a state of affairs is lethal and must be treated. In order to treat it you should
ask yourself whether or not you truly possess the trait that you are praised for.
If you do possess it then this trait is either one that is praised rightly, such as knowledge or
piety, or one that is not praised rightly, such as fortune, status and all other such worldly
substances. If the trait belongs to the category of worldly substances, then being delighted
with it is like being delighted with the plants of the earth which before long will turn into
chaff, only to be blown away by the wind. This can only be attributed to weak mental
faculties, for the one endowed with reason would say, as the poet al-Mutanabbi said long ago:
To me, the sharpest distress lies in a delight
Of whose cessation one is certain.

On the other hand, if the trait is such that a person may rightly be delighted with it, for
example knowledge or piety, then he should learn not to be so delighted with it because the
way in which his life will be concluded is not known. He may feel delight in possessing such
traits because they bring him nearer to Allah, but the danger of concluding his life in
disobedience to Allah still remains. The fear of a bad conclusion to one’s life furnishes ample
preoccupation from being delighted with all there is in the world. As for being delighted by
praise for a trait that one does not possess, this is the height of all folly.

Healing the hate of condemnation

It was indicated earlier that the root cause why people hate being condemned stands at the
opposite of that for love of praise. Its treatment, therefore, can be understood therein. We
should, however, also say with regard to this question that the one who condemns you belongs
to one of the following three states:
[1] Either he is truthful about what he says and his intention is offering you good advice, and
he desires to benefit you;
[2] Or he is truthful about what he says, but his intention is to hurt you and to display enmity;
[3] Or he is lying.
Within the first state, if a person is truthful and wants to offer you good advice you should not
be angry with him, condemn him, or feel rancour towards him. Rather, you should seize his
favour because the one who brings your defects to your attention has indicated to you a source
of danger so that you might avoid it. Hence, you should be happy with such a person and
proceed, if you can, to remove this blameworthy attribute from yourself. As for any distress,
hatred or condemnation felt as a result of this person’s expression, it is nothing but the height
of your ignorance.
As for the second context, where a person intends to display enmity, [know that] you have
nevertheless benefited from what he has said because he has pointed out to you your defect,
should you have been ignorant of it. [Even if you were aware of the defect] he has nevertheless
reminded you of it, in case you had become heedless of it; and should this defect have become
unobjectionable to you he may have made it look repulsive to you so that your concern to
remove it is reawakened.
Either way, these are causes for your felicity, for you will derive from them benefit. You
should, therefore, occupy yourself with seeking felicity because its means have been provided
to you as a result of the criticism you have heard. Had you been about to enter upon a king,
unknowingly wearing dirty clothes, and someone shouted at you: “You with the dirty clothes!
Go and clean yourself!”, you would have been pleased.
The third context relates to criticism directed against you by someone but from which you are
exempt in the sight of Allah, exalted is He. You should not hate such a person nor should you
occupy yourself with condemning him. Instead, you should ponder the following three things:
First, even if you are free from the defect which is being attributed to you, you nevertheless
are not free from similar defects, indeed your defects that Allah has kept concealed are more
abundant. You should, therefore, thank Allah, exalted is He, that He has not revealed your
real defects to this person, and led him instead to attribute to you something from which you
have been protected.
Second, this accusation may act as an atonement for the rest of your defects; being accused of
a defect that you are exempt from cleanses you from other defects that you are defiled with.
Moreover, anyone who backbites against you has [by his action] offered you [the outcome of]
his good deeds. Why should you feel sad to receive gifts which bring you closer to Allah,
exalted is He?
Third, the poor person [who falsely accuses you] has harmed his din to the extent that he
made himself fall in the Eyes of Allah and destroyed himself because of his calumny. Hence
you should not add your anger to Allah’s wrath; nor let Satan be spiteful with him by causing
you to say: “O Allah! Destroy him!” Rather, you should say: “O Allah! Give him uprightness!
O Allah! Please forgive him!”
It is reported that Ibrahim ibn Adham once invoked Allah to forgive a man who had fractured
his skull. When asked why he did so, he replied: “I know that I am getting a reward thanks to
him and that I did not get but good from him. Hence I did not want him to be punished
because of me.”

The disparity in people’s responses to praise and criticism

People have four states in relation to the one who praises them and the one who criticises
them:
[1] A person may be delighted with the praise, and thank the person who is praising him. He
hates condemnation, feels a rancour against the person who condemns him and retaliates
against him or at least wishes to do so. This state represents the penultimate degree of offence
in this context.
[2] A person may inwardly resent a person who condemns him but refrain from retaliation
either in speech or action. Similarly he may inwardly love the one who praises him and feel
comfortable with him but equally refrain from displaying any outward delight. This is [a kind
of] shortcoming but it is nearer to wholesomeness than is the preceding state.
[3] Next there comes the first degree of wholeness. A person may treat with equal indifference
both the one who praises him and the one who condemns him. He is neither grieved by
condemnation nor delighted with praise. Many a devotee may think of himself as possessing
this state, but he will still be conceited if he does not have the same attitude in all respects with
regard to the one who praises him and the one who condemns him. How rare is such a state!
And how very hard it is for people’s hearts!
[4] The fourth state, which can be referred to as truthfulness in worship, is that a person
should hate praise and detest the person who praises him because he knows that such a
person is a [cause of] tribulation that may cause subversion and damage to his din. He should
also love the person who condemns him because he knows that it is to his advantage to have
his defects identified, as it draws attention to what is beneficial to him.
However, all that people like ourselves can aspire to is the second state.

Section II:
Ostentation [riya’]

Condemning ostentation

‘Ostentation’ is seeking status and position by means of acts of worship. Ostentation is

unlawful, and the ostentatious person is loathed by Allah. This is evidenced by the verses of
the Qur’an, the traditions of the Prophet - peace be upon him - and the traditions of his
Companions and their successors.
Within the Qur’an, Allah, exalted is He, says: {Woe, then, unto those praying ones whose hearts
from their prayer are remote - those who want only to be seen and praised}(6) {... But as for
those who cunningly devise evil deeds - suffering severe awaits them; and all their devising is
bound to come to nought.}(7) [Commenting on this verse] Mujahid said that these were the
ostentatious. Allah, exalted is He, also says: {... “We feed you for the sake of God alone: we
desire no recompense from you, nor thanks...”}.(8) [In this verse,] Allah praises the sincere by
denying [their aspiration for] any wish except the sake of Allah, whereas ostentation is the
exact opposite. Allah, exalted is He, also says: {... Hence, whosoever looks forward [with hope
and awe] to meeting his Sustainer, let him do righteous deeds, and let him not ascribe unto
anyone or anything a share in the worship due to his Sustainer}.(9)

Concerning the traditions of the Prophet - peace be upon him -, it is reported that he - peace
be upon him - said: “Whosoever acts with the intention of being heard or seen by people,
Allah will cause him to be heard or seen by them but he will not receive His reward.” (10) The
Prophet - peace be upon him - also said: “The worst I fear for you is minor associationism (al-
shirk al-asghar)”. “What is minor associationism, O Messenger of Allah?” they asked. He
replied: “[It is] ostentation; Allah, glorified is He, will say on the Day of Judgement when He
repays the servants for their deeds: ‘Go to those with whom you were ostentatious in the
world and see whether you find reward with them.’”(11) He - peace be upon him - also said:
“Allah, glorified and exalted is He, says: ‘Whosoever performs a deed for My sake but
associates in it someone else with Me, that deed will be entirely for the latter; I disavow the
doer and I absolutely dispense with associationism.’” (12) The Prophet - peace be upon him -
also said: “Allah will extend His mercy [on the Day of Judgement] to seven [kinds of people]”,
and he mentioned among them: “... a man who gave alms and concealed his act so that his left
hand would not know what his right hand had given.” (13)
As to the traditions of the Companions and their successors, it is reported that `Umar ibn al-
Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him – once saw a man bending his head [in prayer], so
he said: “O you with the head! Lift your head up, for humility does not lie in heads but in
hearts.” Abu Umama al-Bahili - may Allah be pleased with him - saw a man at the mosque
crying in his prostration, so he said to him: “What a virtuous person you could have been if
only this [crying] had taken place in [the privacy of] your house.” And al-Fudayl ibn `Iyad
said: “People used to be ostentatious with deeds they [truly] performed, but now they are
ostentatious with deeds they do not perform at all.” And `Ikrima said: “Allah gives more
reward for the bondsman’s intention than He does for his action because there can be no
ostentation in intention.”

The essence of ostentation and its manifestations

The Arabic word for ostentation (riya’) is derived from ‘seeing’ (ru’ya), and the basis of
ostentation is seeking position in people’s hearts by showing them good virtues. Nevertheless,
status and position in the heart may be sought by means other than acts of worship just as
they are also sought through acts of worship.
[The word] ‘ostentation’ (riya’) is restricted through common usage only to seeking position in
[people’s] hearts by means of acts of worship and their display. Thus, the definition of
ostentation is: ‘seeking bondsmen by means of [displaying] obedience to Allah.’ The person
who is ostentatious is the worshipper [who displays his worship]. Manifestations of this
ostentation are the virtues which the ostentatious mean to display, and the ostentation itself is
their intent to display these virtues.
Although the manifestations of ostentation are abundant, they can all be gathered together in
five divisions which sum up all the ways in which a person can show off to others. These five
divisions are: the body, attire, speech, action, followers and the external things. Worldly
people do indeed display ostentation through these five means, but seeking status through
non-worshipping acts is less serious than seeking it by means of acts of worship.
The first division is being ostentatious in din through the body, by showing a thinness and
paleness to give the impression that one is striving hard, that one is greatly concerned with the
din and is overwhelmed by fear of the Afterlife. By means of such thinness a person gives the
impression that he eats little, and by his paleness he gives the impression that he stays awake
at night, strives hard [to perform acts of worship] and that he is deeply concerned for the
commandments of the din.
The second division is being ostentatious through outward appearance and attire. As for the
outward appearance, it is done by dishevelling the hair to give the impression that one is fully
absorbed in one’s concern for din and that one lacks the time to comb one’s hair or trim the
moustache. It is also done by lowering the head when walking, showing a calmness in
movement, leaving the mark which is caused by [repeated] prostration on the brow, wearing
rough clothes and rolling them up nearly to the thigh, shortening the sleeves and not cleaning
one’s clothes. All these acts are done to give the impression that one follows the sunna and
imitates Allah’s righteous bondsmen.
The ostentatious through attire belong to different categories, each of which identifies his
standing by means of a specific attire and thus finds it difficult to change for what is best or
even worse, even if it is permissible, lest people say: ‘he chose asceticism but has given up that
path and sought the world’.
The third division is ostentation through speech. The ostentation of the folk of din is achieved
in the form of preaching, reminding [others], pronouncing [words of] wisdom and memorising
the traditions of the Prophet - peace be upon him -, and those of his Companions and their
successors, when the intent behind all this is to display erudition and to.givethe impression
that one pays great attention to the states of the righteous salaf. Such people pretend to be
immersed in the remembrance [of Allah] in the presence of other people, display their anger
against objectionable matters that take place and pretend to be sorry for offences committed
by people. Ostentation by speech abounds and its different manifestations are beyond
demarcation.
The fourth division is ostentation through action. Such is the case with the one who performs
the prayer (salat) and who stands a long time [in each unit of prayer], who prolongs his
bowing and prostration, lowers his head and makes a show of serenity. This behaviour also
involves other acts of worship such as fasting, jihad, hajj, almsgiving, displays of humility
when one is walking or meeting [someone else], and speaking in a dignified manner. Some
people even force themselves to walk in a dignified manner whilst on their own; this so that
they do not have to alter their gait when they are seen by others. In this way their ostentation
is total, for they have become ostentatious even in solitude.
The fifth division is being ostentatious through one’s friends, visitors and acquaintances. Such
is the case with the one who goes through much difficulty in order to make a man of
knowledge visit him so that it can be said: ‘so-and-so has visited so-and-so’; or such as the
person who works hard to achieve a visit from a devotee (`abid) so that it can be said that a
pious man has been blessed with his visit. Or the one who often mentions the men of
knowledge so that it can.be said that he has met many and received benefit from them, all of
which serves him as a means to taking pride in himself.

The legal ruling on ostentation

Were you to ask: ‘Is ostentation unlawful, reprehensible or permissible? Or is there some need
for elaboration?’,I would answer as follows. If a person is ostentatious by means of things
other than acts of worship then this attitude should be viewed in the same manner as seeking
wealth. As such, it is not prohibited to seek position in bondsmen’s hearts. However, just as it
is possible to acquire wealth by deception and through forbidden means, so too is it possible to
acquire status by the same; and just as it is praiseworthy for a man to acquire some wealth for
which he is in need, so too may it be praiseworthy to acquire some status with which one can
avoid some misfortune.
It was for this reason that Yusuf - peace be upon him - asked [for status] when he said: {... I
shall be a good and knowing keeper}.(14) Owing to this we would say that refining the clothes
that a man wears when he meets people is [a kind of] ostentation, but it is not of the unlawful
type, for it is ostentation through [a substance of] the world and not through acts of worship.
Analogous to this are all the embellishments and outward beautifications that people choose.
They are permissible even if such embellishments and refinements are done in order that one
look good in other people’s eyes, avoid their blame and condemnation and find gratification in
their respect. For a man has the right to avoid the pain engendered by condemnation and to
seek the tranquillity of intimacy with his brothers.
Hence, to be ostentatious by means of acts which are not acts of worship may be permissible,
as this can be an act of obedience [to Allah]. It may also, however, be a blameworthy act,
depending on the aim through which one seeks to obtain it. In this respect, we should say that
if a man spends his wealth on a group of wealthy people not as an act of charity or worship
but only so that people believe that he is generous, then he is guilty of an ostentatious act, but
it is not in itself unlawful, just as all similar instances are not unlawful.
If ostentation is displayed through acts of worship such as almsgiving, prayer, fasting and hajj,
then the person who is ostentatious falls into one of two cases:
First, there is he who by his acts seeks nothing but absolute ostentation, and not reward [from
Allah]. In this case his [act of] worship is void, for actions depend on intentions and his
intention was not worship. Such an act does not simply nullify the worship, leaving one to
assume that the ostentatious person remains as free of sin as he was before performing this
act. No, the ostentatious person in this respect is sinning and offending, as is indicated by the
verses of the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet - peace be upon him - and those of his
Companions and their successors.
There are two issues regarding this. Firstly, people imagine that the ostentatious person is
sincere, that he is obedient to Allah and that he is of the folk of din, whereas in fact he is not.
Deceiving in the affairs of the world [it must be remembered] is also unlawful. Secondly, by
seeking Allah’s bondsmen through worship of Allah, exalted is He, the ostentatious person is
mocking Him. An example of this is the servant who spends an entire day in the presence of a
king, as is the servants’ habit, but his presence there is only to watch one of the king’s
concubines.
This servant is mocking the king, for he did not draw near to serve him, but rather his goal
was one of the king’s slaves. Can there be anything more contemptible on the part of the
bondsman than harbouring an intent through worship of Allah, exalted is He, to show off to a
weak person who holds neither benefit nor harm for him? Is this not proof that the
ostentatious person thinks that this person is more capable of fulfilling his goals than Allah;
and that he is more deserving to get near to than Allah, for he prefers him to the King of kings
and has made him the goal of his worship? This, indeed, is among the major perils, and it is
because of this that the Messenger - peace be upon him - called it ‘minor associationism’.
Secondly, there is he who does not intend to draw near to Allah, intending to draw near to
other than Him. Upon my life! If such a person were to glorify anyone other than Allah,
through prostrating to him, he would be committing plain disbelief (kufr). Moreover,
ostentation is a hidden disbelief, because the ostentatious person has glorified other people in
his heart, and in some aspect, it is as if these other people are glorified when the ostentatious
person prostrates. To the extent that the glorification of Allah through prostration ceases and
glorification of other people remains, this amounts to something like associationism.
Such a state of affairs is the pinnacle of ignorance and none shall engage in it except the one
whom Satan has deceived; the one whom Satan has deceived into believing that bondsmen
have more ability than Allah, exalted is He, to harm him, benefit him, provide him with
sustenance and control his life-span.
 Degrees of ostentation

Some avenues of ostentation are graver and more serious than others, and the difference in
ostentation is due to the difference of its pillars and degrees. There are three pillars of
ostentation, namely: the object of the ostentation, the purpose of the ostentation and the
intention of the ostentation itself.

The first pillar: the intention of ostentation

The intention behind any ostentation has itself four degrees:
The first, which is the most serious, is where a person does not initially intend to gain any
reward [from Allah for his action], such as the one who prays when in the company of others
so that if he were alone he would never perform the prayer; or even prays with the people but
without performing the ritual ablution. Such a person is fully intent upon ostentation and is
loathed by Allah, exalted is He. This is the most extreme degree of ostentation.
The second is where the person intends to gain some reward [from Allah for his action] but his
intention is weak in the sense that if he were alone he would not perform this action, nor
would his intention to gain [His] reward drive him otherwise to perform such an action. This
person is similar to the preceding one, and his intention to gain Allah’s reward will neither
abolish the offence nor Allah’s loathing.
The third degree is where a person is intent on gaining Allah’s reward and also ostentation,
but both purposes are equal in such a way that were either of these intentions to be absent he
would not be prompted to perform the action in the first place. Only when both intentions are
brought together is this person’s desire [for performing the action] aroused. Alternatively, it
could be the case that this person equally intends to obtain [Allah’s] reward and be
ostentatious, but the presence of either intention is sufficient for him to perform the action.
The act of corruption that such a person effects is equal to the benefit he brings forth. We
hope that such a person will [on the Day of Judgement], be simply acquitted, neither
possessing a surplus of rewards nor punished for excess sin, or that his reward will equal his
sins. Nevertheless, the apparent meaning of the traditions [on this issue] indicates that a
person recurrently in this state will not attain salvation.
The fourth is where people’s knowledge [of the performance of an act of worship] favours and
enhances a person’s resolve [to perform it], although were they to be ignorant of it he would
still not abstain from the performance of that worship. Furthermore, had he solely intended
ostentation, he would not have undertaken that act in the first place. We think, and Allah
alone knows best, that this person will not be entirely deprived of reward but will not be given
it in full; or he might be punished in accordance with the extent of his ostentatious intent and
rewarded in accordance with the extent of his intention to gain Allah’s reward. As for the
saying of the Prophet -peace be upon him -: “Allah, exalted is He, says: ‘... I absolutely
dispense with associationism;’”(15) this should be understood as referring to the instances
where the intent for achieving Allah’s reward and the intent for being ostentatious are equal
in strength, or where the intent to show off is stronger.

The second pillar: the object of ostentation

This refers to acts of obedience, and can be divided into two categories:
(i) Being ostentatious through the principles of acts of worship.
(ii) Being ostentatious with the outward performance of acts of worship.
The first category, which is the more serious of the two, entailing displays of ostentation
through principles, has three degrees:
The first degree is ostentation in relation to the principle of faith (iman), which is the most
serious form of ostentation. The ones who practise it will be cast into Hell for eternity;
amongst them will be the one who utters the shahada in public while inwardly being filled
with disbelief, the one who simply shows off his compliance to the outward form of Islam.
It is to this type of ostentation that Allah, exalted is He, refers to time and again in His Book,
such as by His saying, glorified and exalted is He: {When the hypocrites come unto thee, they
say, “We bear witness that thou art indeed God’s Apostle!” But God knows that thou art truly His
Apostle; and He bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed false.} (16) {Now there is a kind of
man whose views on the life of this world may please thee greatly, and [the more so as] he cites
God as witness to what is in his heart and is, moreover, exceedingly skilful in argument. But
whenever he prevails, he goes about the earth spreading corruption and destroying [man’s] tilth
and progeny...}(17) {... And when they meet you, they assert, “We believe [as you believe]”; but
when they find themselves alone, they gnaw their fingers in rage against you ...}(18) {... They rise
reluctantly, only to be seen and praised by men, remembering God but seldom, wavering between
this and that.}(19)
In the early days of Islam hypocrisy abounded, for there were people who would embrace
Islam outwardly only to achieve some of their own goals. Nowadays, this phenomenon is less
common. However, the hypocrisy of those who inwardly slip away from the din, and deny [the
reality of] Paradise, Hell and the abode of the Afterlife still abounds, as is the case with
heretics. The hypocrisy of those who suspend the authority of the shari`a and the legal
ordinances, as is the case with the antinomianists, still abounds, as does the hypocrisy of those
who believe in kufr or innovation but who pretend the opposite. This is the summit of
hypocrisy and ostentation, and the hypocrites and ostentatious of this type will be eternally
cast into Hell. Moreover, the condition of such people is worse than that of the disbelievers
who openly declare their disbelief; this because they have combined inward disbelief with
outward hypocrisy.
The second degree is being ostentatious with the principles of acts of worship while still
believing in the principle of the din. This is also a grave matter with regard to Allah, but it is
significantly less serious than the first [degree]. An example of this would be the man who asks
the person who acquired his property to pay the zakat due from it, for fear that the latter
might condemn him, but Allah knows that had the property remained in his possession he
would not have given the zakat out. This person is ostentatious. He possesses the principle of
believing in Allah and believes that there is none worthy of worship except Him. Had he been
asked to worship any other than Allah or to prostrate himself to other than Him he would
have refused. But such a person also abstains from performing acts of worship because of his
laziness, and is invigorated only when people see his acts. This person’s standing with his
fellowman is dearer to him than his position with his Creator. It is the height of ignorance,
and the one who behaves thus deserves loathing even though he has not slipped away from the
principle of faith as far as belief (i`tiqad) is concerned.
The third degree does not entail displays of ostentation through belief or [religious]
obligations but rather in relation to supererogatory acts and the sunnas (which if a person
were to leave he would not be sinning). In other words, this person is lazy in the performance
of these acts when alone but performs them when in the company of others. Allah knows that
were this person to be alone he would never have performed more than what is obligatory
upon him.
This also is a serious matter, but less serious than the two degrees which preceded it, and it
further seems to be a ramification of the second degree. The punishment for such behaviour is
half the punishment of the second degree of ostentation.
The second category is ostentation through the outward performance of acts of worship and
not with its principles, and this is also divided into three degrees.
The first entails displaying ostentation through a deed the abstention from which constitutes a
deficiency in the [act of] worship. An example would be the person who intends to shorten his
prostration or bowing and curtail his recitation [during prayer], and only when people see
him does he perfect the bowing, prostration and the sitting position between the two
prostrations. This is also [a form] of prohibited ostentation because it gives precedence to
one’s fellowmen over the Creator, but it is less serious than ostentation through the principles
of entire supererogatory acts.
The second entails displaying ostentation through a deed the abstention from which does not
constitute a deficiency, but the undertaking of which is considered to complete and perfect a
person’s worship, such as prolonging the bowing and prostration, assuming an upright
posture (i`tidal) [with each act in prayer], and reading more from the Qur’an [than is usual].
The third degree entails displaying ostentation through acts which do not belong to the
supererogatory category such as attending prayer in congregation well before other people
[arrive at the mosque], standing in the first row and praying on the right side of the imam.
These are, then, the degrees of ostentation which relate to the objects through which
ostentation is undertaken. Some of them are worse than others; but all are blameworthy.

The third pillar: the purpose of ostentation

In displaying ostentation, the person doing so has inevitably a purpose, such as obtaining
wealth, status or some other goal. Such a purpose also has three degrees:
The first, which is the worst and most pernicious, is where a person displays ostentation in
order to be in a position to commit an offence. Such is the case of the one who is ostentatious
through his acts of worship, who pretends to be pious and righteous by multiplying his
supererogatory acts and who abstains from taking properties emanating from doubtful
sources, only to be known as a trustworthy person. Once entrusted with the office of
judgeship (qada’), [public] endowments (awqaf), trusts and bequests (wasaya), the properties
of orphans (mal al-aytam) or mortgage pledges (wada’i`) he will abuse his position and will
embezzle money for his own use. Some even wear the attire of Sufis and assume postures of
humility when their whole aim is simply to draw near to a woman.
This type of ostentatious person is the most loathed by Allah, exalted is He, because he has
used obedience to his Sustainer as a ladder to offend against Him, and has taken this
obedience as a tool, store and commodity for his sinfulness.
The second degree is where a person aims at obtaining worldly gain that is in itself lawful, for
example property or marriage. An example would be the man who shows how he has suffered
affliction, and undertakes the admonition and reminding of people so that he be given money
and so that women will desire to marry him. This kind of ostentation is prohibited, for it
entails seeking a substance of this worldly life through obedience to Allah; but it is less grave
than the previous degree.
The third degree is where a person does not intend to obtain a worldly gain or wealth, but
rather displays his worship for fear that he may be thought of as defective and not of the elite
and ascetics. Here one would include the person who [usually] walks in a hurried manner but
when he is seen by others walks slowly and with gravamen, lest it be said that he does not
belong to the community of serious believers. One would likewise include he who joins others
in the tarawih or tahajjud prayers for fear that he be accused of laziness and classified as one
of the commoners. These too are among the pitfalls of ostentation, for the sincere believer does
not care how his fellowmen look at him.
All these degrees of ostentation and ranks of different types of eyeservice are exposed to
Allah’s wrath and loathing, exalted is He. Furthermore, ostentation is one of the severest
causes of peril; so great is its severity that it contains pitfalls that are more hidden than the
creeping of ants.

The ostentation which is more hidden than the creeping of ants

Ostentation may be either ‘apparent’ or ‘hidden’. The apparent type is that which moves and
entices a person to perform an action, even if he seeks [Allah’s] reward, and this is the most
apparent form of ostentation. Ostentation which is of a slightly hidden nature is that which in
itself does not drive a person to perform an act but which nonetheless eases that action for
him by which he seeks the face of Allah. Here, one would include the person who is used to
constantly praying in the depths of the night (tahajjud), and who finds it difficult to do so, but
who when he has a guest becomes invigorated and thereby finds the practice easier. Yet, this
person still knows that had it not been for the expectation of reward from Allah he would not
have prayed simply out of a desire to impress his guest.
A more hidden type of ostentation is that which neither affects the action nor makes it easy on
the doer, yet is still harboured in the heart. For as long as it does not affect the motive for
action, this type of ostentation cannot be noticed except by certain signs. The most apparent
sign is when a person is pleased that other people take notice of his acts of worship. For there
are many bondsmen who are sincere in their actions, who do not wish to be ostentatious, and
in fact hate it, but who, when others notice their actions, are pleased and contented. Such
pleasure implies a hidden ostentation, for had these people’s hearts not been turned towards
others their pleasure would not have materialised when their actions were noticed.
If these people feel pleasure when others take notice of their actions and if they do not react
disapprovingly against these feelings, they will become a source of nourishment and supply
for their hidden disposition towards ostentation. This hidden ostentation will continue to grow
within them, driving them, albeit subtly, towards means through which their actions are
allusively noticed, even though they do not themselves aim for any open declaration of
ostentation. It might also be that these people do not call others to notice their actions whether
through allusion or by open declaration, but instead do so via outward manifestations of
habit, for example by displaying thinness, paleness, lowering their voice, tear-stained faces
and revealing signs of sleepiness to give the impression that they pray at length at night .
Even more hidden than this is the case where a person hides away and does not wish people to
notice his action and indeed would be unhappy if they were to notice it. Despite all this,
however, he likes others to greet him first, to respect him and be cheerful with him whenever
he encounters them, and equally becomes vexed if he is neglected by others. Now, had it not
been for this person’s previous practice of pious deeds, he would not have found it unlikely
that people would be neglectful of him.
Moreover, if the practice of an act of worship in relation to others is not equal to its non-
practice then the person performing the act is not content with Allah’s knowledge of it, and
thus is not immune from the hidden blemish of ostentation, that which is ‘more hidden than
the creeping of ants’.
The sincere are always wary of hidden ostentation, making an effort to dupe people about
their good acts and concealing them more than others insist upon hiding their vices, all in the
hope that their righteous deeds may be sincere. Allah will reward them on the Day of
Judgement for their sincerity that was open in front of people, because they knew that Allah
will not accept on that Day any act except that which is sincerely accomplished for His sake.
[On that Day] neither property nor progeny will be of any avail; it will be a Day when a father
will not give ransom for his son and when even the truthful will be preoccupied with
themselves, each one saying: “Me, me!”
Indeed, the pitfalls of hidden ostentation are multifarious and beyond count.

Delighting in the disclosure of a pious deed

If you were to say: “But no one can escape feeling delight when his pious deeds are disclosed,
therefore is delighting to be condemned entirely or only partially?”, know that such delighting
can be either praiseworthy or blameworthy. As for that which is praiseworthy, it can be
divided into four categories.
First, a person’s aim may be to hide his good act and to be sincere to Allah. However, when
others learn of his act he will know also that it was Allah Who disclosed it to them and that it
was He Who revealed his good. Hence this person takes this disclosure as implying Allah’s
good treatment of him and His care about him, for He concealed his sins and disclosed his
good deeds. Consequently, this person becomes delighted only at Allah’s good treatment of
him, and not as a result of anyone else’s praise of him or because he has acquired a position in
their hearts.
Second is the person who deduces from Allah’s good treatment of him and His concealment of
his repulsive deeds in this world that Allah will treat him in the same way in the life-to-come.
For Allah’s Messenger - peace be upon him - said: “Allah shall not conceal a bondsman’s sin
in this world without concealing it in the Afterlife.” (20) Hence this person’s delight is as a
result of this.
Third, a person might think that those to whom his good action is disclosed will want to
emulate it. Consequently his reward will multiply, for he will be rewarded for what he
disclosed at a later stage and also rewarded for concealing what he initially intended.
Expecting this is deserving of delight.
Fourth, those to whom the good act is disclosed may praise the doer for that act. He will be
delighted at their pious deed, which is accomplished by praising him and showing love to such
an obedient person, and also for the inclination of their own hearts towards obedience of
Allah. Here the sign of sincerity is that a person is just as delighted at people praising others
as he is when they praise him.
As for that delight which is blameworthy, know that it is a person’s delight for the rising of his
position in other people’s heart so that they praise, love, and revere him, attend to his needs
and treat him with deference. This type of delight is blameworthy.
And Allah, exalted is He, knows best.

Ostentation that thwarts one’s deeds, and ostentation which does not

When a bondsman is resolved to perform an act of worship with sincerity but then senses the
insinuation of ostentation, this insinuation can occur either before or after completing the act.
If he feels a simple delight at the disclosure of the act after completing it but does not show
this delight, then the act is not invalidated, for the act itself was initially carried out with
sincerity and was free from ostentation. It is further hoped that what takes place after
completing the act does not have an effect, especially if the bondsman does not make an effort
to show or speak about his deed. In this instance, the act’s disclosure coincides with Allah’s
wanting it to be known. What the bondsman himself has done is simply to experience a delight
and comfort in his own heart.
True, if the person were to feel a desire to disclose his act, to show and speak about it after he
initially carried it out with sincerity and without any ostentatious intent, then he ought to fear
for himself. But if the insinuation of ostentation takes place before completing the prayer, for
instance, even though the person is initially sincere, then the delight that might be felt as a
result can be either one that does not affect the act, or the kind of ostentation that drives a
person to act. If it is the latter, and the person completes his act of worship with the same
disposition, his reward will be nullified. However, if the insinuation of ostentation does not
prevent him from intending to complete the act for the sake of achieving [Allah’s] reward,
then it will not invalidate the action. That is, provided that its effect is not reflected on the
action itself, that the undertaking of the action remains motivated by the din, and that the
delight that this person feels is just supplemented. The action is not invalidated in this case
because this person’s initial intent is not nullified, and it was this intention which motivated
him and drove his action in the first place.

The cure of ostentation and treatment of the heart

From what has been indicated above, you will realise that ostentation thwarts action, that it is
a cause for Allah’s loathing, exalted is He, and that it is one of the qualities which lead to peril.
Therefore it is right that one’s zeal should be turned to removing it, even [if this can only be
done] through effort and hardship. This because there is no recovery except through
swallowing a bitter medicine, and this is one type of striving to which all people are forced.
None can do without this strife, and although it is initially hard, it becomes easier. There are
two stages in the treatment of ostentation: eradicating its roots and sources, and driving away
that which occurs immediately.
The first stage is the eradication of roots and sources. The basis of this vice is love of position
and status. Namely, the joy of being praised, escape from the pain of condemnation, and
desiring what other people possess.
That these are the causes of ostentation and the motive which drives the ostentatious is
substantiated by the report of Abu Musa where a Bedouin asked the Prophet - peace be upon
him: “O Messenger of Allah! A man who fights driven by hamiyya (i.e. he resents being
defeated or condemned as being defeated or beaten), a man who fights to acquire position
(one who seeks the joy of status and esteem in others’ hearts), and a man who fights so that he
be talked about (one who enjoys the verbal praises of others), are they fighting for the sake of
Allah?”.He - peace be upon him - replied: “Whosoever fights so that Allah’s Word prevails is
fighting for the sake of Allah.”(21)
These three things are what drive the ostentatious to play up to others, and the cure is that
which was identified in the first section of this book. (22) Here, we will mention only that which
is particular to ostentation. It is obvious that a human being seeks and desires something only
if he thinks that in that thing lies his good, and that it is beneficial and delightful. If he realises
that this thing is immediately delightful, but subsequently harmful, it is easy for him to give
up his desire for it.
So, if a person were to realise the harmful effect of ostentation, and what he will miss in terms
of his heart’s uprightness and what he will be deprived of in terms of immediate success and
of rank in the eyes of Allah in the hereafter and his exposure to great chastisement, severe
loathing and outright disgrace, [he will consequently avoid ostentation].
For so long as a bondsman meditates on this disgrace, compares what he will get from other
people with what he is going to miss in the Afterlife and compares this with the thwarted
reward of his actions, knowing that a single, sincere act might preponderate in the balance of
his good deeds, and that if it is corrupted with ostentation it will be transferred to his offences,
then he will realise that had there been in ostentation nothing except the thwarting of a single
devotional act, that would be enough to make its harm plain.
Furthermore, if his good deeds preponderate he will obtain high rank in the sight of Allah,
exalted is He. Moreover, why should a person seek others’ praise and Allah’s condemnation
when he knows that the praise of others will add neither to his sustenance nor his life-span?
Nor will their praise benefit him at the time of his extreme need and poverty on the Day of
Judgement.
As for desiring what other people possess, this can be dealt with by realising that it is Allah,
exalted is He, Who commands people’s hearts to give or hold back, that people in this respect
are not free, that there is no Lord except Allah, and that a person who covets what other
people have will not reap anything except humiliation and disappointment. So how can
someone then leave what is with Allah for false fancy and ill-founded expectation?
As for other people’s condemnation, why should anyone be wary of it? Other people’s
condemnation of one will not add anything that Allah has not already decreed. Nor will such
condemnation hasten the end of one’s life-span or delay one’s sustenance.
If a person inwardly admits the defect and damage of these causes, his desire will slacken, and
he will be wholeheartedly devoted to Allah, for a person endowed with reason will not desire
something whose harm is great and whose benefit is small.
Moreover, at the beginning of this chapter we expounded upon the cures related to knowledge
which uproot the very foundations of ostentation. As for a practical cure, this consists of
accustoming oneself to concealing acts of worship and not disclosing them to others, just as
one would not disclose one’s bad habits. This is because there is no cure for ostentation like
concealment.
The second stage involves driving away the insinuation of ostentation that comes to mind
while performing devotional acts. This also needs to be learnt, because even a person who
strives against himself, who eradicates the foundations of ostentation from his heart by means
of contentment, elimination of greed, not seeking others’ esteem, and showing contempt for
others’ praise and condemnation, will not be spared by Satan when he is practising devotional
acts. On the contrary, Satan will expose him to the insinuations of ostentation, and his
incitement to evil will not stop. Furthermore, the soul’s caprice and its inclination [to seek
others’ praise] cannot be completely effaced. Hence it is necessary that a person’s zeal be
turned towards driving away whatever such insinuations come into his consciousness.
Such insinuations of ostentation are threefold. They may either come to mind in one go, or
present themselves in succession.
The first insinuation concerns knowing that others have taken notice of one’s action and
hoping that they might take notice of it. This is then followed by the soul’s strong desire for
other people’s praise and for obtaining a position amongst them. This is followed by a strong
desire for the soul to accept it, to be confident with it and to be resolved to achieve it. The first
is a state of awareness (ma`rifa), the second is a state of pleasure and desire, and the third is
an intention and resolve.
The greatest form of strength lies in suppressing the first insinuation and driving it away
before it is followed by the second. If this occurs, the person concerned should drive such
notions away by considering that regardless of whether other people know about his act or
not, Allah nevertheless knows his state. So what benefit is there in other people’s knowledge of
his act?
If a person longs for the joy of being praised, he should remember the defect of ostentation
which permeated his heart before, and remember his exposure to Allah’s loathing on
Judgement Day. Knowledge of the defects of ostentation will arouse a dislike capable of
opposing that desire. Desire calls him to accept ostentation, while dislike calls him to reject it,
and the soul will inevitably obey that which is stronger and overwhelming. Hence, in order to
drive away ostentation one needs [to be able to recognise] three things: namely, an awareness,
a dislike and a rejection. Rejection is the result of dislike, and dislike is the result of
awareness.
You may ask this question: ‘[What about] someone who dislikes ostentation and rejects it, but
who is nevertheless still not free from an inclination towards it, a love of it and an inner fight
against it? This even though he dislikes such love and inclination. Is this person still to be
counted among the ostentatious?’
[In response] you should know that Allah has charged His servant only with what he can
endure, and it is not in the servant’s power to stop Satan’s evil insinuations, nor to suppress
any natural disposition to the point that he does not incline towards desire. All that a person is
required to do is to meet his desire with a dislike, and if he does so, then he has accomplished
the goal behind fulfilling what he is [legally] bound with.
This is evidenced by the Companions’ complaints to the Prophet - peace be upon him. One of
them once said: “It would be better for us to be thrown down from the sky than to repeat
some of the things that occur to our hearts.” The Prophet - peace be upon him - asked: “Does
this occur to you?” “Yes!” he replied. “That is the solid iman”, he replied.(23) [Note that] they
experienced only evil insinuations and felt a dislike for them. Now, it cannot be said that the
Prophet - peace be upon him - referred to these insinuations as ‘the concrete iman’. Therefore,
the only interpretation of the meaning of this expression is that it refers to having devilish
insinuations which one follows with a dislike.
Despite being vile, ostentation is less grave than devilish insinuations with regard to Allah,
exalted is He. Now, if the harm of something vile is driven away by simple dislike, what is less
serious is more likely to be easily driven away by the same.

Wariness of Satan

If you were to say: ‘One cannot be safe from Satan’s evil insinuations; therefore, should one
be on guard before he is present so that one might be wary of him? Or, should one rely on
Allah so that He be the One Who drives him away? Or, should one busy oneself with worship
and forget about him?’
With regard to these questions three different opinions are held. A group [of scholars] from
Basra were of the opinion that the [spiritually] strong do without such a wariness of Satan,
because they have devoted themselves to Allah and have preoccupied themselves with His
love, and as a result Satan leaves them alone, having despaired of them. Another group [of
scholars] from the Levant held the view that vigilance, in wariness of Satan, is necessary only
for those whose certainty [in Allah] is weak and whose reliance [tawakkul] is lacking.
This is because the one who has certainty that there is no partner with Allah in His providence
will not be wary of any other than Allah, exalted and glorified is He. Yet another group of
scholars advanced the view that wariness of Satan is indispensable, and that the Basran
opinion is almost tantamount to a satanic deception. This because the Prophets themselves -
peace be upon them - were not immune from Satan’s enticements and evil insinuations, so
how could others be immune from these things?
Furthermore, not all evil insinuations concern pleasures and love of the world; they can also
be about God’s attributes and names, and about innovations, misguidance and other things.
No-one is immune from the danger of such things, which is why Allah, exalted is He, says: {Yet
whenever We sent forth any apostle or prophet before thee, and he was hoping [that his warning
would be heeded], Satan would cast an aspersion on his innermost aims: but God renders null
and void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by
themselves - for He is all-knowing, wise}.(24) And the Prophet - peace be upon him - said: “My
heart does sometimes feel slackness and heedlessness ...”,(25) and this despite the fact that his
shaytan had become a Muslim and would not command him to do anything except that which
was good.
Now, anyone who thinks that his preoccupation with the love of Allah is greater than that of
Allah’s Messenger - peace be upon him - and that of all the prophets - peace be upon them - is
in the grip of vainglory. Even in their complete immersion in divine love, none of these people
felt immune from Satan’s ruse. It is for this reason that Adam and Eve were not spared it
[even] in Paradise which is the very abode of peace and joy. Furthermore, Musa, peace be
upon him, said, as reported by Allah, exalted is He-: {... “This is of Satan’s doing!”...}; (26) and
this is why Allah warns all His creatures against him when He, exalted is He, says: {O children
of Adam! Do not allow Satan to seduce you in the same way as he caused your ancestors to be
driven out of the Garden...}.(27) Moreover, the whole Qur’an, from beginning to end, is a
warning against Satan; and this being the case, how can anyone be safe from him?
On the other hand, a wariness of Satan does not contradict one’s preoccupation with the love
of Allah, as part of this love is to obey Allah’s command, exalted is He, to be wary of
unbelievers and of Satan. Nor does this wariness of Satan contradict complete reliance [on
Allah, exalted is He].
Wearing armour, using weapons, gathering an army and digging a trench did not impair the
reliance [tawakkul] of Allah’s Messenger - peace be upon him - so how can taking guard from
that which Allah has warned against impair reliance on Him? This is the opinion of al-Harith
al-Muhasibi - may Allah have mercy on his soul - and it is the right opinion which is attested
to by the light of knowledge, whereas other opinions seem to be the words of servants whose
knowledge was not vast.

Revealing one’s devotional acts as a legal concession (rukhsa)

In keeping one’s acts secret there is the benefit of sincerity and safety from ostentation, while
in revealing them there is the benefit of inspiring imitation and awakening other people’s
desire to do good; and yet this may entail the defect of ostentation. It is for this reason that
Allah, exalted is He, praises [the use of] both secrecy and openness when he says: { If you do
deeds of charity openly, it is well; but if you bestow it upon the needy in secret, it will be even
better for you...}.(28)
The showing of [one’s acts] is of two divisions: one concerns the action itself, and the other the
disclosure of the action to others.
The first division
This concerns showing the action itself, such as openly giving alms, in order to awaken other
people’s desire to do so, as was reported about the Ansari who had come with a bag of money,
so that upon seeing him other people followed suit, with the result that the Prophet - peace be
upon him - said: “Whosoever introduces a good sunna which is carried on by others, will have
a reward for initiating the deed and also the equivalent reward of all those who follow his
example.”(29) This applies to all actions.
The one who shows his action has two duties. The first is to show it where he thinks that his
example is going to be followed, or at least likely to be followed. Many a man is imitated by his
family and not by his neighbours, or perhaps by his neighbours and not by those who
frequent the marketplace. Showing deeds for others to follow is valid only if done by a person
who is in a position to prompt others to imitate his deeds.
The second duty is for this person to keep his heart in check, for it may well harbour a love of
hidden ostentation. Such a love would induce him to show his action under the pretext of
awakening other people’s desire to follow suit, while his real desire is to brighten his own
reputation through displaying his deeds and through being imitated by others. This is the
state of all those who disclose their deeds, except for the sincere and strong; and they are very
few. The weak should not deceive themselves with such notions, which would destroy them
unawares.

The second division

This concerns disclosing one’s deed after completing it. The ruling on this is the same as the
case of disclosing the action itself. In fact, the danger inherent here is more serious because
speech is easy on the tongue, and it may well happen that one exaggerates what happened.
The soul finds great joy in disclosing claimed actions, although if ostentation does creep in it
would not invalidate the devotional act already performed. In this sense it is less serious than
disclosing the action itself.
The ruling on such disclosure is that it is permissible, indeed praiseworthy, provided that the
person who does so has a strong heart, that his sincerity is complete, that he pays little
attention to other people and that their praise and condemnation are of equal weight to him.
That is, so long as the intention is pure and the action free from all defects.
A similar situation to this was reported from a group of strong salaf. `Umar, may Allah be
pleased with him, said: “I do not care whether I get up in the morning to face hardship or
comfort, because I do not know which is better for me”. Ibn Mas`ud said: “I never reached a
state and wished for another.”
All these are examples of the disclosure of exalted states, and such utterances can entail
serious ostentation if they come from a person who speaks thus for the sake of display, just as
there is in them the ultimate awakening of people’s desire for goodness if they proceed from
someone who is imitated in his deeds.
Indeed the ostentatious disclosure of devotional acts brings much benefit for others,
particularly if the latter do not know that it is ostentation. But it has evil consequences for the
ostentatious themselves. Many a sincere person imitates, because of his sincerity, the one who
is ostentatious in the eyes of Allah.
It is reported that a certain man used to hear the voices of people praying as they read the
Qur’an from their houses every morning as he passed through the roads of Basra. Someone
then wrote a book on the subtle aspects of ostentation, so those people gave up reading the
Qur’an out loud and consequently people’s desire for it waned. They used to say: ‘We wish
that that book had never been written!’
Hence the disclosures of an ostentatious person may carry much good for others - that is if his
ostentation is not known - and “Indeed Allah may support this din with the help of the corrupt
man,”(30) and also “... with the help of people without any share [of the good things of the
Afterlife]”(31) .

Concealing sins, and resentment at their being noticed

A person is rarely free from committing sins with either his heart or limbs, and he always
tends to conceal these and to dislike their being noticed by others. He might think that their
concealment is a prohibited act of ostentation while it is not. What is prohibited, however, is
concealing sins so that other people think he is pious, and this is what constitutes the
concealment of the ostentatious.
A person may well conceal his offences and have a valid intention in doing so. Equally valid
may be his anxiety when other people take notice of his offences. This is due to different
considerations, some of which are as follows:
First, he should be delighted with Allah’s concealment of his sins owing to the hadith:
“Whensoever Allah conceals someone’s sin in this world, He shall conceal it for him in the
Afterlife,”(32) and this emanates from a strong iman.
Second, he knows that Allah dislikes the disclosure of offences, preferring instead their
concealment. Hence, even if he has committed an offence, his heart will not be devoid of liking
what Allah likes. This grows out of a strong iman in Allah’s dislike of the disclosure of
offences. The sign of sincerity in all this is when the person equally dislikes other people’s sins
being disclosed.
Third, shame (haya’) is a noble trait and a praiseworthy attribute. The Prophet -peace be
upon him - said: “Shame (haya’) is good on all accounts.”(33) Therefore, the one who engages
in vice and does not care if it is revealed to others, has added insolence and lack of shame to
the sin itself. Such a person’s state is worse than that of someone who commits sins but is
ashamed of committing them and who conceals his offences.
Fourth, he should be wary of his sin’s disclosure, lest others dare do the same so that he has
set a bad precedent.

The error of abstaining from devotional acts for fear of ostentation

Some people abstain from good works for fear of seeming ostentatious. This is wrong, and is
an attitude which is a submission to Satan. Abstaining from an action for fear that it might be
said: ‘he is ostentatious’, is in fact itself a form of ostentation. This because if one did not love
other people’s praise and fear their condemnation, one would not have minded their opinion
that one was ostentatious or sincere.
Furthermore, what difference is there between abstaining from an action for fear of being
accused of ostentation and performing an action for fear of being accused of heedlessness and
neglect? In fact, abstaining from the good action is more serious. All this is part of Satan’s
ruse against ignorant worshippers (`ubbad).
You should know that it might be that a man spends the night somewhere with other people,
and they, or some of them, happen to get up for the night prayer (tahajjud), and upon seeing
them his desire to follow their example is aroused, beyond what he normally performs in the
way of night prayer. Or, it may be that he joins those people in their prayer when he is not
accustomed at all to praying at night. This could well be considered as ostentation, and may
require that this person does not join in.
But such is not the case. This is so because each believer desires to worship Allah, exalted is
He, to pray at night and to fast during the day, but he may well be obstructed from doing so.
His work may stop him from engaging in such acts, or it may be that heedlessness has
enchanted him. Hence, it may well be that seeing others brings an end to his heedlessness, or
that all obstacles and preoccupations cease in some places and his resolve be aroused.

What the disciple (murid) ought to do before, during and after an action

The first thing that a disciple needs to restrain his heart with at all times is his contentment
with Allah’s knowledge about all his good acts. No-one shall be content with Allah’s exclusive
knowledge but he who fears Allah and whose hope is towards Him. As for the one who fears
other than Him and whose hope is directed towards other than Him, he desires that others
take notice of his good state of affairs. If one is at this level, one should force one’s heart to
hate it from the point of view both of reason and of iman, owing to the danger of exposing
oneself to Allah’s loathing.
One should keep oneself in check while performing great, hard devotional acts which others
are unable to perform. This because the soul is then almost boiling for want of divulging such
acts. In such matters, one needs to keep one’s feet firmly grounded, and remember that in
return for one’s great deeds, there will be the greatness of the kingdom of the Afterlife, the
bounty of Paradise and its everlasting bliss; but that there shall be the rigour of Allah’s wrath
and loathing for the one who seeks a reward from mere creatures by means of His obedience.
One should hold one’s heart to this truth after completing the action so that one does not
disclose it or speak about it to others. And even when one has done all this, one should remain
afraid for one’s deeds, and be in fear that they have been tainted with hidden ostentation of
which one was entirely unaware.

Notes
1 - Al-Qasas: 83.
2 - Hud: 15-16.
3 - Narrated by Muslim with the following wording: "Many a dishevelled man who would be
turned back from people's houses, were he to adjure Allah to do something He would bring it
to pass for him".
4 - Bukhari and Muslim.
5 - Yusuf: 55.
6 - Al-Ma`un: 4-6.
7 - Fatir: 10.
8 - Al-Insan: 9.
9 - Al-Kahf: 110.
10 - Bukhari and Muslim.
11 - Narrated by Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi.
12 - Narrated by Malik without the expression “I disavow the doer” and also narrated by
Muslim and Ibn Maja.
13 - Bukhari and Muslim.
14 - Yusuf: 55.
15 - Narrated by Muslim.
16 - Al-Munafiqun: 1.
17 - Al-Baqara: 204-205.
18 - Al `Imran: 119.
19 - Al-Nisa’: 142-143
20 - Narrated by Muslim.
21 - Bukhari and Muslim.
22 - Cf. the section on status above.
23 - Narrated by Muslim.
24 - Al-Hajj: 52.
25 - Narrated by Muslim, and the continuation of the hadith is “... and I do seek forgiveness
from God a hundred times a day.” Commenting on this hadith al-Qadi `Iyad says that it refers
to an abatement about and distraction from the dhikr that he used to practise continuously.
He used to consider distraction from such supererogatory acts a sin from which he had to seek
forgiveness.
26 - Al-Qasas: 15.
27 - Al-A`raf: 27.
28 - Al-Baqara: 271.
29 - Narrated by Muslim.
30 - Bukhari and Muslim.
31 - Narrated by Muslim.
32 - Narrated by Muslim.
33 - Narrated by Muslim.