Showing Off in Worship
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Among the conditions for any good deed to be acceptable is that it should be free of any kind of showing off , and that it must be in accordance with the Sunnah . One who performs an act of worship , like praying , in order to be seen by other people is a mushrik / polytheist/ , and his deed unacceptable
.
Allah says
:
"
Verily , the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah , but it is He Who deceives them . And when they stand up for prayer , they stand with laziness and to be seen of men , and they do not remember Allah but little
. "
[Surah an-Nisaa` (4):124 ]
Similarly , the person who does a good deed so that news of it will reach other people has also fallen into the sin of shirk / polytheism / . The threat of punishment for the one who does this was reported in the Hadeeth / Prophet Speech / narrated by Ibn Abbaas , in which the Prophet :salla: said
:
"
Whoever does things to be seen and heard by others , Allah will cause him to be seen and heard as an example to others
. "
[ Reported by Muslim , 4/2289 ]
If one does any act of worship seeking the pleasure of people as well as that of Allah , his deeds will be unacceptable , as is ststed in the Hadeeth / Prophet Speech / Qudsi / A Hadeeth Qudsi is a Hadeeth in which the Prophet :salla: relates something from Allah , said in the 1st person /
:
"
I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate . Thus , he who does a deed for someone else`s sake as well as Mine will have that deed renounced by Me to him who he associated with Me
. "
[ Reported by Muslim , no.2985 ]
It may happen that a person stsrts to do a deed for the sake of Allah , but then the urge to show off comes over him . If he resists that impulse , his deed will still be acceptable , but if he submits willingly to it , then in the opinion of most of the scholars his deed will be unacceptable
.
