We have stated earlier in the
text that there are sixty important maladies of the spiritual heart. The ninth
malady is ostentation (riyâ). “Riyâ” means to present
something in a manner opposite to its true nature. In short, it means
pretension, i.e., a person’s performing deeds for the next world to impress the
idea on others that he is really a pious person with earnest desire of the next
world (âkhirat) while in fact he wants to attain his worldly desires and the
wealth of this world.
In other words, it means to use the religion as a tool to obtain
worldly riches, or to bring oneself into other people’s favour by making a show
of one’s acts of worship. [If a person whose actions and words are intended for
hypocrisy possesses religious knowledge, he is called a hypocrite (munâfiq). If he does not possess religious knowledge, he is called
religious fanatic. Any enemy of Islam who does not possess scientific knowledge
but introduces himself as such in order to preach his own ideas as scientific
knowledge for the purpose of deceiving Muslims and undermining their beliefs
and religion, is called a sham scientist (zindiq). Muslims should distrust both
these types of people. Hypocrisy could only be permissible in case of ikrâh
(duress) which is mulji’ (coercive, compulsory). “Ikrâh” means to force someone
to do something which they do not want to do. If the duress subsumes threats to
kill or mutilate a part of the body, then it is called “ikrâh mulji’ (duress
which is coercive).”. [Violence perpetrated by racketeers and torment inflicted
by an oppressive government would be instances of ikrâh mulji’. At such
instances, it becomes necessary to do what one is coerced to do. Coercion which
consists of threats of jailing or beating is called light coercion. Light
coercion will not make hypocrisy permissible. Opposite of hypocrisy is ikhlâs,
which means to do the acts of worship only for the purpose of pleasing Allâhu ta’âlâ, without any worlly
considerations. A person with ikhlâs never thinks of showing his worships to
others. Others’ seeing a person with ikhlâs doing acts of worship will not
detract from his ikhlâs. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Worship Allâhu ta’âlâ as if you were seeing
Him! Though you don’t see Him, He sees you!”
Helping others in their worldly affairs in
order to obtain their love and praise is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy which is done
through worships is much worse than this. The hypocrisy which is done without
thinking the consent of Allâhu ta’âlâ is the
worst of all of the above. Performing worships so that one may ask assistance
from Allâhu ta’âlâ for worldly affairs would not
be hypocrisy. For example, performing prayer for rain, or performing istihâra
prayers for the purpose of seeking guidance from Allâhu
ta’âlâ is not hypocrisy. Some scholars also said that the following
actions do not constitute hypocrisy: getting paid for being a religious leader (Imâm)
or preacher or teacher or for
reciting
âyats of the Qur’ân in order to get rid of worldly troubles like distress,
sickness, or poverty. These actions contain both intentions of worships and
worldly benefits. Going on a pilgrimage (hajj) for commercial or
business purposes also does not constitute hypocrisy. If these actions did not
include intention of worshipping at all then they would be hypocrisy. If the
intention of worshipping outweighs other intentions then one will also be
rewarded for them. Showing one’s worships to others in order to encourage them
to do the same or in order to teach them also does not constitute hypocrisy. On
the contrary, it is a very good deed and one will earn much thawâb for doing
so. Fasting during the “Ramadân” month does not constitute hypocrisy. If one
starts to perform (the daily prayer called) namâz for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ but later on sinks into hypocrisy, that
later materialized hypocrisy will not harm that person. Obligatory (fard) prayers
performed with hypocrisy will still be acceptable (sahîh),
and one’s duty of doing them will be counted as accomplished but one will not
get thawâb for them. It is not permissible (jâiz) to slaughter an animal for
the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ while one’s true intention
is to obtain his meat supply. Also, it is not permissible (jâiz) to slaughter
an animal with both intentions, i.e., for Allâhu ta’âlâ
and for a man. Any animal not slaughtered for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ but slaughtered for the sake of a
person returning from the holy war or from the pilgrimage (hajj)
or in order to give a warm welcome to a leader will be a carcass. It is harâm
to slaughter an animal with the so-called intentions, and also it is harâm to
eat its flesh. It is not permissible to give up performance of worships because
of fear of hypocrisy. If a person starts to perform namâz for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and then only thinks of worldly affairs
throughout the prayer, the prayer will be acceptable (sahîh).
Dressing in a manner which would cause widespread talk in the community would
be hypocrisy. Religious persons should wear clean and valuable attirements
because people look at their appearances. For this reason, it is sunnat for
religious leaders (imâms) to wear dear and precious clothes on
Fridays and during religious holidays (Iyd).
Writing books, preaching or giving advice to
others with the intention of becoming famous is also hypocrisy. Preaching means
encouraging good deeds (amr-i-ma’rûf) and dissuading from deeds which Islam
prohibits (nahy-i-munkar). Learning
and
studying for the purpose of winning arguments or for being seen superior to
others or for boasting also constitutes hypocrisy. Studying knowledge in order
to gain worldly possessions or ranks also constitutes hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is
forbidden (harâm). The knowledge which is gained for the sake
of Allâhu ta’âlâ increases one’s sense of fear
of Allâhu ta’âlâ. It causes one to see one’s own
defects and causes one to be protected against the deceits of the devil. Religious
men who use their knowledge as a vehicle to gain worldly possessions or ranks
are called wicked religious people (’ulemâ-i-sû’).
Their destination is Hell. Another example of hypocrisy is to perform the acts
of worship with thorough attention to detail in the sunnats when there are
people around and to perform them in a manner quite heedless of the sunnats
while praying alone.
It is permissible to present the
thawâb earned by way of worship to someone else, regardless of whether that
person is dead or alive. In the Hanafî Madhhab, the thawâb earned on account of
acts of worship such as hajj, namâz, fasting, almsgiving, (reading or reciting)
the Qur’ân al-kerîm,
(recitation of a certain eulogy of Rasûlullah, which is called) mawlid, dhikr and various invocations, can be
given as a gift to other people. It is not jâiz (permissible), however, to
perform these acts of worship in return for a fee or to bargain over these
services. Nevertheless, one may perform these worships only for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and accept the gift given. In
the Mâlikî and Shâfi’î Madhhabs, thawâb earned on account of deeds performed
with one’s property, such as almsgiving, zakât[1] and hajj, can be given
as a gift to someone else, although this thawâb-gifting is not jâiz when the
deeds performed are physical acts of worship. Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person walking (or driving or riding) by a graveyard recites the sûra (called) ikhlâs eleven times and gifts the thawâb he has earned for the
recitation to (the souls of) the people lying in the
graves, the thawâb he will be given (by Allâhu ta’âlâ) will be multiplied by
the number of the dead people.” A person
in the Hanafî Madhhab should gift the thawâb, and one in the Mâlikî or Shâfi’î
Madhhab should invoke a blessing on the dead people and
---------------------------------
[1] Zakât means obligatory almsgiving.
For detailed information, please see the first chapter of the fifth fascicle of
Endless Bliss.
entreat Allâhu ta’âlâ to forgive them their sins.
In order for worships to be
acceptable (sahîh) their intention has to be done
for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Intention is made with the heart. Intention made only with a
labial utterance is not acceptable. According to some scholars it is
permissible to intend simultaneously through the heart and by repeating through
the lips. If the intention in the heart is different from what is said through
the lips, the intention in the heart will be valid. The only exception to this
rule is the case of taking an oath. The oral utterance or the word that comes
out of the mouth in the case of the oath is valid. There is no information or
any hadîth which teaches us that the intention can be done by repeating with
the tongue. None of the religious leaders (imâms) of the four Madhhabs said so. The meaning of intention is not
only to remember through the heart what worship one is intending to do. Its
real meaning is the desire of doing that worship for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Intention is formed when one
is initiating a worship. If one, for example, intends to do a worship one day
before one actually carries out that worship, such an intention is not
accepted. That would be called a desire or promise but not an intention. In the
Hanafî Madhhab, the time of intention for performing fasting starts with the
prior day’s sunset and lasts by the time of “dahwa-i kubrâ” of the day of
fasting {Time of ‘dahwa-i kubra’ is one hour before midday.}
Sometimes not performing a “mubâh action”
(e.g. an action neither commanded nor prohibited by the “Sharî’at”), in order
to save others from committing a sin, is a better act. This rule does not apply
to “Sunnats” and “Mustahabs”. In other words, skipping peformance of the Sunnats
or Mustahabs
in order to save people from committing a sin is not permissible (jâiz).
For example, it would not be proper to give up using a miswâk or wearing a
(special length of cloth wound round the head, and called) turban or going
around bare-headed or riding a donkey lest others should commit backbiting,
(which is a sinful act). “Miswâk” is a piece of shoot cut from a “miswâk”,
olive or mulberry tree. It is as long as the span of the right hand and as
thick as a finger. It is also permissible (jâiz) for women to
chew gum instead of using “miswâk”. Anyone who is not able to find a “miswâk”
should rub his thumb and first finger on his teeth. Bishr al-Hafî
‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ used to walk around without
A person’s not committing a sin
while he would be able to do so is either due to his fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ in his heart or due to his fear
of shame of others or due to his fear of setting a bad example, i.e., if he
does it, others may start doing it too. The sign of one’s not committing the
sin because of the fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ is that one does not commit the same sin while one is alone and
not seen by anyone. The meaning of having shame (hayâ) is one’s being afraid of the ill-talk of people, e.g., if one
commits that sin, people will talk disfavourably about one. Causing others to commit
a certain sin is a much graver sin than committing that sin alone. The sin of
others who will be committing that sin until doomsday will also be recorded in
the book assigned for the originator of that sin. The following was said in a
hadîth, “If
a person hides his sin in the world, Allâhu ta’âlâ will also hide that
sin from others on the Day of Gathering (Qiyâmat).” The meaning of this hadîth does not include a person who hides
his sin from others in order to introduce himself as a person of wara’ but who
commits that sin while he is alone. That would be hypocrisy.
It is not permissible to feel shame if
others should see you performing worship. Shame means not to show one’s sins or
faults to others. For that matter, it is not permissible to be too shameful to
preach Islam, to encourage others to perform good deeds (amr-i-ma’rûf) and
dissuade them from wrongdoing (nahy-i-munkar), [to write or sell books teaching
Islam, (books of ’ilm al-hâl),] to serve as an imâm or as a muazzin, to read
(or recite) the Qur’ân al-kerîm, or to recite
the mawlîd. The meaning of “Hayâ” in the hadîth, “ ‘Hayâ’ is part of
belief (îmân)” is that one should be ashamed of committing
wicked deeds and sins in the presence of others. A Believer (Mu’min) first
of all should be ashamed of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Hence, he should perform his worships regularly and with sincerity. Once, one
of the scholars of the city of Bukhâra [a city in central Asia] saw the
children of the ruler (Sultan) playing an unpleasant game on the street.
He hit the children with his staff. The children ran away and complained to
their father. The ruler called the scholar to his presence and asked him if he
did not know that anyone who opposed the ruler would be jailed. The scholar
answered him by asking if he did not know anyone who opposed “Rahmân” (Allâhu ta’âlâ) would go to Hell. The ruler
asked
him how he had got the authority to make ’amr-i-ma’rûf. The scholar replied by
asking him who had appointed him ruler. The ruler answered that the Caliph had
appointed him ruler. Then, the scholar responded that Lord of Caliph had
assigned him the duty of ’amr-i-ma’rûf. The ruler said to him that he gave him
the authority for doing ’amr-i-ma’rûf in the city of Bukhâra. Thereupon the
scholar answered that in that case he resigned from that duty. The ruler said
to him that he was surprised by his rejection, and said to him: “First you say
that you are doing ’amr-i-ma’rûf without permission. When I give you permission
to do so, this time you give up and reject. What kind of business is this?” The
scholar answered, “You may give permission now but later when you don’t like my
applications you will take that permission back. But, when my Lord gives me the
duty to do ’amr-i-ma’rûf, no one can take away that authority.” The ruler was
pleased with his answer and told him that whatever he wished would be granted.
The scholar told him that he wished to have his youth back. The ruler said to
him that he could not do that. The scholar said to him that he should write an
order to the chief angel Michael (Mâlik), who is in charge of
the angels of Hell, that he should not put him into Hell. The ruler answered
that he could not fulfill that wish, either. The scholar answered that he had a
“Sultan”
who would give whatsoever he wished and who had never said, “I cannot,” about
anything he had hitherto asked for. The ruler asked him that he should include
him in his prayers and let him go.
The following hadîth-i-sherîfs communicate: “Those who perform
their ‘salât’ prayers beautifully while they are among others in order to boast
and then do not pray the same way while they are alone are insulting Allâhu ta’âlâ,” and “What I am most afraid of is that you may lapse into ‘shirk
al-asgari’, i.e., small ‘shirk’ or in other words it is hypocrisy ‘riyâ’,” and “To those who perform their prayers with hypocrisy ‘riyâ’ in this
world, will be said in the Day of Gathering ‘Qiyâmat’: O you, wicked person!
There is no reward for you today. Whomever you prayed for during your worldly
life go back and ask reward from them,” and “Allâhu ta’âlâ says: I do not have
any partner ‘sharîk’. Whoever attributes a partner to Me should seek his
rewards from him. Perform your prayers with sincerity! Allâhu ta’âlâ accepts prayers done
with sincerity.” The
purpose of worships is to obtain the consent of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Any worship performed for the
purpose of gaining someone’s favor or love would mean to worship that person.
We are commanded to perform our worships only for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. A hadîth communicates, “Allâhu ta’âlâ will be pleased with
anyone who believes in the oneness of Allâhu ta’âlâ and who performs his
‘salât’ and obligatory almsgiving ‘zakât’ with sincerity.” Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’
said to Muâz bin Jabal before he sent him to Yemen as a governor: “Perform your prayers
with sincerity. Any worship which is done with sincerity, even if it is not
much in quantity, would be sufficient for you on the Day of Gathering
‘Qiyâmat’,” and “Congratulations to
those who perform their worships with sincerity. They are the stars of guidance
‘Hidâyat’. They annihilate the darkness caused by instigations ‘fitnas’,” and “Worldly things that are forbidden by ‘Sharî’at’ are accursed. Only
those things that are done for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ are valuable.” Worldly possessions are transitory and their life span is very
short. Trying to obtain them by sacrificing one’s faith is idiocy. All men are
incompetent (’âjiz). Unless Allâhu ta’âlâ decrees, no one can do any
favor or harm to any other person. Allâhu ta’âlâ is sufficient for human beings.
One should have fear (khavf) of Allâhu ta’âlâ as well as hope of His Mercy. The hope (rajâ) should exceed the fear. Anyone having this right mixture of
states will derive great pleasure from his worships. Some scholars stated that
youngsters should have more fear than hope and the elders should have more hope
and expectation than fear. Unhealthy people should have more hope and
expectation (rajâ). It is not permissible to have one without the other, i.e.,
have hope without having fear or have fear without having hope. The former case
would mean certainty, and the latter means to lose one’s hope. In a hadîth
al-qudsî, Allâhu ta’âlâ
communicates to His beloved Prophet Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’: “I will meet My slave
the way he expects Me to.” Also, the fifty-third
âyat of Sûra Zumar of the Qur’ân communicates, “Allah forgives all the
sins of His slaves. He is the Forgiver and Merciful.” These communications tell us that the hope of Mercy should be
more than the fear. On the other hand, the hadîths “Who cries because of
the fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ will
not go to Hell,” and “If you knew what I know, you would laugh less than you cried,” inform us that the fear should be more than the hope.