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Day 26 – Not Leaving a Good Deed Fearing Riya

No. 26 – Bite Size Ramadan 1444 -2023

Day 26 – Not leaving a Good Deed Fearing Riya

Translated

By

Abbas Abu Yahya



From Abdullaah bin Amr -RadhiAllaahu anhu- who said I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam saying:

“مَن سمَّع الناسَ بعملِه؛ سَمَّعَ الله به مَسامعَ خَلقِه، وصغَّرَه وحقَّرَه”.

‘He who makes the people hear of his actions, then Allaah exposes him in front of all His creation, and Allaah makes him small and belittles him.’

[Collected by Tabarani in ‘al-Kabeer’ with Asaneed, one of them is Saheeh also collected by al-Bayhaqi. Authenticated by Al-Albaani in Saheeh Targheeb no. 25]


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An Explanation

Not leaving a Good Deed fearing Riya

Ibn al-Atheer -Rahimahullaah- said: 

‘The meaning is that if a person wants to perform a good deed and has a correct intention for it and the Shaytaan whispers and says, ‘Indeed you want to show off with this deed’, then this should not prevent him from that deed.’

[an-Nihayyah fee Ghareeb al-Hadeeth wal-Athar 5/286]

Shaykh ul Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah -Rahimahullaah   – said:

‘Whoever has a legislated regular good deed which he does, like Salatul Duha (an optional prayer in the morning), or Qayyam al-Lail (optional prayer in the night) etc, then he should pray that where he is. He should not leave his legislated regular good deed due to him being among the people – because Allaah knows from his heart that he is doing it secretly for Allaah – along with striving to be secure from showing off, and those matters which corrupt sincerity. Whoever prohibits a person from carrying out that which is a legislated matter with the claim that it is ar-Riya (showing off) then his prohibition is rejected back to him. Deeds according to the Sharia are not prohibited from being performed fearing ar-Riya, in fact they should be ordered with and should have Ikhlaas (sincerity).

[Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 23/173-174]

Whoever leaves off good deeds fearing ar-Riyyah

The learned scholar Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqiti Rahimahullaah said:

‘Indeed some of the scholars have mentioned that when a person does a good deed secretly, and then when some people arrive, he leaves off that deed due to fearing ar-Riyyah due to them, then he has indeed fallen into Ar-Riyyah.

This is because his intention towards Allah is impacted by weakness, resulting in him leaving a good deed and taking him away from Allaah, in addition to increasing his hardship.’

[Al-Adwa 9/118]


ARABIC

قال ابن الأثير رحمه الله تعالى: المعنى: إذا أراد فعلًا وصحت نيته فيه فوسوس له الشيطان فقال: إنك تريد بهذا الرياء، فلا يمنعه ذلك عن فعله؛ اهـ[4]،

وقال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله: ومن كان له وِردٌ مشروعٌ من صلاة الضحى أو قيام ليل أو غير ذلك، فإنه يصليه حيث كان، ولا ينبغي له أن يدَع ورده المشروع لأجل كونه بين الناس – إذا علم الله من قلبه أنه يفعله سرًّا لله – مع اجتهاده في سلامته من الرياء ومفسدات الإخلاص…ومن نهى عن أمر مشروع بمجرد زعمه أن ذلك رياءٌ فنهيه مردود عليه…والأعمال المشروعة لا يُنهى عنها خوفًا من الرياء، بل يؤمر بها، وبالإخلاص فيها؛ا.هـ[5].
4 النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر 5/ 286.

[5] مجموع فتاوى شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية 23/ 173 – 174.

من يترك العمل خوفا من الرياء…
︎قال العلامَة: محمد الأمين الشنقيطي رَحِمَـﮧُ اللَّـﮧُ تعَالـﮯَ
قَدْ ذَكَرَ بَعْضُ العُلَماءِ: أنَّ مَن كانَ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلًا خَفِيًّا، ثُمَّ حَضَرَ بَعْضُ النّاسِ فَتَرَكَهُ مِن أجْلِهِمْ خَشْيَةَ الرِّياءِ، أنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ فِي الرِّياءِ؛ لِأنَّهُ يَضْعُفُ فِي نَفْسِهِ أنَّ يُخْلِصَ النِّيَّةَ لِلَّهِ، وفِي هَذا بُعْدٌ ومَشَقَّةٌ.
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