Riya in Islam

Riya in Islam

Riya in Islam

Riya in Islam

First of all, we will discuss what the meaning of Riya is in Islam. Riya is an Arabic word that means showing off, which means doing something to please others or to gain their approval and admiration instead of focusing on receiving Allah's approval, satisfaction, and pleasure. Riya is the opposite of the Arabic word "ikhlas" (purity of intention).

 

5 things to know about Riya 

1) I got up at 2.00 in the night and performed the Tahajjud prayer. When I feel like doing the Tahajjud prayer, I post it on social media. I know that if I post at this time, no one will see the post. However, I wanted someone to know about my Tahajjud prayer. Who doesn't like to get people's praise? Later, I did the post. I wrote in the post.    

 "Alhamdulillah! I have performed the Tahajjud prayer. After a while, inshallah, I will perform the Fajr prayer. You should also wake up and perform the Fajr prayer."

♦Yes, that's Riya.

 

2) My friend called me Salaam and asked what I was doing. I said, I am cooking after finishing my prayers. My friend said, "Wow! You pray?" I said, "Yes, I pray five times." A friend said, Waqt Namazi? I said, Hmm. And in my mind, I feel very good to hear the praise of my friend, and I wonder how many people these days pray five times like me.

♦Yes, that's Riya.

3) Nafal fasted. But I could not eat Sahri. So I fasted without eating Sahri. I remembered one thing. I thought I fasted without eating Sahri. How many people can do this? How many people do not fast? And I did not eat sahri. I have fasted, Nafal. Suddenly, my friend sent me a message on Messenger. I thought I told him that I had fasted without eating Sahri. But I told him a little trick. I asked my friend, Listen, if you don't eat Sehri, what will you be fasting? The friend said yes. It is Sunnah to eat sahri. But Why? I said, Don't talk anymore. I couldn't eat sahri today. So I kept fasting without eating. My friend said, Alhamdulillah! Very good.

♦Yes, that's Riya.

 

4) I have a big job. I earn like 1 lakh rupees a month. If I don't donate anything to the poor in a situation like Corona, then people will call me stingy. I did it. And I took a picture of the donation and uploaded it to social media. Within moments, my social media friends started commenting, saying wow! Very good work. You are a very good-hearted person. Thank you for standing next to helpless people like this. What can I say? Who does not like to be praised by people?

♦Yes, that's Riya.

 

I have invited some gentlemen to my house to feed them. But what will they think about me if I go naked in front of the gentlemen? So I feel like wearing a hijab today, and I will serve them food. But I don't have a burka. She remembered that there was a housekeeper next door. Let's get it from him today.

♦Yes, that's Riya.

 

Riya is to do good deeds and worship to gain the satisfaction of people. In the hadith, Riya is called small shirk. And shirk is to associate someone with Allah. All our actions will be to gain the pleasure of our Lord. But if our worship and good deeds are done to show people, then it will be Riya. And Allah will never accept the period in which there is Riya. He is as much a prayer, a charity, and a hadji, even if he is a martyr in the path of Allah.

According to Bukhari, "every action depends on the intention." So whoever makes an intention will get karma according to that intention.

 

There are several hadiths about Riya.

“What I fear most for you is minor shirk or shirk al-asghar," declared the Prophet (PBUH). 'O Messenger of Allah, what is slight shirk?' the Companions questioned.' He replied, Surely Allah will say to the people on the Day of Resurrection, "Go to those whom you worked to show in the worldly life and see if you can collect anything from them." (Ahmad, Bayhaqi, Tabarani, Baghawi)

On the authority of Hazrat Jundub (RA), the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

Whoever does any deed to make people listen and to gain fame from people, Allah Ta'ala will make his condition known to people. (That is, on the Day of Resurrection, he will expose his faults in front of all the people and insult and defame him.) And whoever acts to show people, Allah subahana wa Ta'ala will punish him as a Riya. [Bukhari: 2/962, Muslim: 2/412, Tirmidhi: 2/61, Ibn Majah: 2/310, Musnad Ahmad: 3/40, Shuabul Iman: 5/330, Targhib: 1/31, Meshkat: 454]

 

The Prophet (S'A'W) said,

"On the Day of Resurrection, when Allah Ta'ala will reveal His essence, all the believing men and women will prostrate before Him. But only those people will refrain from prostration, who used to perform prostration (prayer) to show people in the world and to get praise. They will want to prostrate, but their backs and loins will become stiff as planks of wood, so they will not be able to  prostrate."Bukhari, Muslim, Mishkat: 5308.

May Allah make our hearts free from Riya. Ameen.