Chapter: On Sincerity and Avoiding Show and Fame

باب فی الاخلاص وترک الریاء والسمعۃ — اخلاص اور ریاکاری سے بچنے کے بارے میں

بَابٌ فِي الْاِخْلَاصِ وَتَرْكِ الرِّيَاءِ وَالسُّمْعَةِ

On practising ikhlāṣ (sincerity) and abandoning deeds done for show and fame.

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَمَآ اُمِرُوْٓا اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّيْنَ حُنَفَآءَ ۔

(al-Bayyina 98:5)

Vocabulary: wa-mā umirū — and they were not commanded, they were not given the command; illā — except; li-yaʿbudū Allāh — that they worship Allah and be His servants; mukhliṣīn — sincere, those who keep no admixture, with sincerity; lahu — for Allah; al-dīn — obedience, belief; they were commanded [only] to worship Allah with sincerity; ḥunafāʾ — single-minded, turned to one side.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And they were commanded only this: that they serve Allah with ikhlāṣ (sincerity of heart), single-mindedly (turning their faces away from all besides God).

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: كَالَّذِيْ يُنْفِقُ مَالَهٗ رِئَآءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ فَمَثَلُهٗ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَاَصَابَهٗ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهٗ صَلْدًا لَا يَقْدِرُوْنَ عَلٰى شَيْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوْا وَاللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكٰفِرِيْنَ ۔

(al-Baqara 2:264)

Vocabulary: ka-lladhī — its likeness is like that of the person; yunfiqu mālahu — who spends his wealth, gives it; māl — everything to which a person's heart inclines; riʾāʾa al-nās — to show people; rāʾā, yurāʾī, murāʾāt, riʾāʾ — making a show; wa-lā yuʾminu bi-llāh — and he does not believe in Allah; wa-l-yawm al-ākhir — nor in the Day of Resurrection; he neither considers God the giver of reward nor is he certain of receiving recompense in the Hereafter; fa-mathaluhu — his likeness is; ka-mathali ṣafwānin — like a smooth rock, a smooth stone; ʿalayhi turāb — upon it is some soil; fa-aṣābahu wābil — then a heavy rain fell upon it, a pouring downpour struck it; fa-tarakahu ṣaldan — then left it, made it clean, and what little soil there was came off. In such a state what crop could there be? And what benefit would reach it? ṣald — a hard stone on which nothing grows; raʾs ṣald — a head on which hair does not grow; lā yaqdirūna ʿalā shayʾ — they will have power over nothing, they will get nothing, nothing will come into their hands; mimmā kasabū — from what they earned; they will draw no benefit from their earnings; wa-Allāhu lā yahdī — and Allah does not guide, does not make successful; al-qawm al-kāfirīn — the unbelieving people, the deniers, those who conceal the truth.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Like someone who gave charity for show — he has neither faith in God nor certainty of the Hereafter. His likeness is like a smooth stone on which there is a little soil, and a pouring downpour of rain fell upon it; then, as it had been a smooth stone before, it became a smooth stone again. They got nothing from their earnings. Allah does not guide the (pre-eternal, azalī) unbelievers.

عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ اِلٰى صُوَرِكُمْ وَاَمْوَالِكُمْ وَلٰكِنْ يَّنْظُرُ اِلٰى قُلُوْبِكُمْ وَاَعْمَالِكُمْ ۔

(Reported by Muslim; Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah Most High does not look at your forms or at your wealth; rather He looks at your hearts and at your deeds (how the deeds are and what the intention is).

عَنْ جُنْدُبٍ ـ اَبِيْ ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ سَمَّعَ سَمَّعَ اللّٰهُ بِهٖ وَمَنْ يُّرَائِيْ يُرَائِي اللّٰهُ بِهٖ ۔

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim]; Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)

[reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him): Whoever has done a deed in order to make others hear of it, Allah too will make [others] hear about him; and whoever does a deed for show, Allah Most High will show (his faults) to others.

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ قِيْلَ لِرَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَرَاَيْتَ الرَّجُلَ يَعْمَلُ الْعَمَلَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَيَحْمَدُهُ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ وَفِيْ رِوَايَةٍ وَيُحِبُّهُ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ تِلْكَ عَاجِلُ بُشْرَى الْمُؤْمِنِ ۔

(Reported by Muslim.)

Translation: It was submitted to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: What do you think of a person who does some good deed and people praise him for it — and in one narration, people love him because of it? He said: That is ready-in-hand glad tidings for the believer.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا اَنَّهٗ سَمِعَ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ مَنْ سَمَّعَ النَّاسَ بِعَمَلِهٖ سَمَّعَ اللّٰهُ بِهٖ اَسَامِعَ خَلْقِهٖ وَحَقَّرَهٗ وَصَغَّرَهٗ ۔

(Reported by al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Whoever makes people hear of his deeds, Allah too will, because of this, convey his (faults) to the ears of creation, and will make him contemptible and abased.

عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَا اَنَا فِيْ بَيْتِيْ فِيْ مُصَلَّايَ اِذْ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ رَجُلٌ فَاَعْجَبَتْنِي الْحَالُ الَّتِيْ رَاٰنِيْ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَحِمَكَ اللّٰهُ يَا اَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ لَكَ اَجْرَانِ اَجْرُ السِّرِّ وَاَجْرُ الْعَلَانِيَةِ ۔

(Reported by al-Tirmidhī, who said: This is a ḥasan [good] ḥadīth.)

Vocabulary: muṣallāya — my place of prayer; fa-aʿjabatnī al-ḥāl — that state pleases me; laka ajrān — for you there is a double reward.

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he submitted: O Messenger of Allah! I am in my house on my prayer-mat when suddenly some person comes to me, and the state in which he saw me seems pleasing to me. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O Abū Hurayra, may Allah have mercy on you! For you there are two rewards: the reward of hidden worship and of open worship. (al-Tirmidhī)

عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ شِرَّةً وَّلِكُلِّ شِرَّةٍ فَتْرَةً

فَاِنْ صَاحِبُهَا سَدَّدَ وَقَارَبَ فَارْجُوْهُ وَاِنْ اُشِيْرَ اِلَيْهِ بِالْاَصَابِعِ فَلَا تَعُدُّوْهُ ۔

(Reported by al-Tirmidhī.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): For every thing there is a burst of zeal, and after every burst of zeal there is a lull. Then if that zealous person kept to the straight path and stayed close [to it], then I have hope from him (of his being on the straight path); and if people begin to point at him with their fingers, then do not count him in any reckoning. (al-Tirmidhī)

عَنْ اَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّ الْعَبْدَ اِذَا صَلّٰى فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ فَاَحْسَنَ وَصَلّٰى فِي السِّرِّ فَاَحْسَنَ قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى هٰذَا عَبْدِيْ حَقًّا ۔

(Reported by Ibn Mājah.)

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet ﷺ said: Indeed, when a servant prays openly and prays well, and then prays in private and prays well, Allah says: This is truly My servant. (Ibn Mājah reported it.)

عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ اَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ اَنَّهٗ بَكٰى فَقِيْلَ لَهٗ مَا يُبْكِيْكَ قَالَ شَيْءٌ سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ فَذَكَرْتُهٗ فَاَبْكَانِيْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ اَتَخَوَّفُ عَلٰى اُمَّتِي الشِّرْكَ وَالشَّهْوَةَ الْخَفِيَّةَ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ اَتُشْرِكُ اُمَّتُكَ مِنْ بَعْدِكَ قَالَ "نَعَمْ" اَمَا اِنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْبُدُوْنَ شَمْسًا وَّلَا قَمَرًا وَّلَا حَجَرًا وَّلَا وَثَنًا وَّلٰكِنْ يُّرَاءُوْنَ بِاَعْمَالِهِمْ وَالشَّهْوَةُ الْخَفِيَّةُ اَنْ يُّصْبِحَ اَحَدُهُمْ صَائِمًا فَتَعْرِضُ لَهٗ شَهْوَةٌ مِّنْ شَهَوَاتِهٖ فَيَتْرُكُ صَوْمَهٗ ۔

(Reported by Aḥmad, and by al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān.)

Vocabulary: wa-al-shahwa al-khafiyya — hidden desire.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was weeping. He was asked: Why are you weeping? He said: I heard something from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; I remembered it and it made me weep. I had heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: I fear for my umma shirk (associating partners with Allah) and hidden desire. Shaddād said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Will your umma commit shirk after you? He said: Yes! But they will not worship the sun, nor the moon, nor stone, nor idol; rather they will make a show with their deeds. And hidden desire is that someone begins the morning fasting, then one of his desires presents itself to him and he breaks (abandons) his fast.

وَعَنْ اَبِيْ سَعِيْدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ نَتَذَاكَرُ الْمَسِيْحَ الدَّجَّالَ فَقَالَ اَلَا اُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَا هُوَ اَخْوَفُ عَلَيْكُمْ عِنْدِيْ مِنَ الْمَسِيْحِ الدَّجَّالِ فَقُلْنَا بَلٰى يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ قَالَ اَلشِّرْكُ الْخَفِيُّ اَنْ يَّقُوْمَ الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّيْ فَيَزِيْدُ صَلَاتَهٗ لِمَا يَرٰى مِنْ نَّظَرِ رَجُلٍ ۔

(Reported by Ibn Mājah; likewise [Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ].)

Vocabulary: natadhākaru — we were discussing among ourselves.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him): He said: One day the Prophet ﷺ came out to us while we were talking of al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl (the Antichrist). He said: Shall I not tell you of something which, in my view, is more fearsome for you than al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl? We submitted: Why not, O Messenger of Allah! He said: Hidden shirk — and it is that a man stands up to pray and lengthens his prayer (begins to pray a long prayer) because some person is watching him.

عَنْ مَحْمُوْدِ بْنِ لَبِيْدٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا اَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ اِنَّ اَخْوَفَ مَا اَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الْاَصْغَرُ قَالُوْا يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ وَمَا الشِّرْكُ الْاَصْغَرُ قَالَ الرِّيَاءُ ۔ (رواه احمد وزاد البيهقي في شعب الايمان) يَقُوْلُ اللّٰهُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ يُجَازِي الْعِبَادَ بِاَعْمَالِهِمْ اِذْهَبُوْا اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ كُنْتُمْ تُرَاءُوْنَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَانْظُرُوْا هَلْ تَجِدُوْنَ عِنْدَهُمْ جَزَاءً وَّخَيْرًا ۔

(Reported by Aḥmad; al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān added [the rest].)

Vocabulary: inna akhwafa — indeed the most fearsome, the most dreaded; al-riyāʾ — showing off, ostentation.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Maḥmūd ibn Labīd (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ said: The most fearsome thing that I fear concerning you is al-shirk al-aṣghar (the lesser shirk). People submitted: What is the lesser shirk? He said: Riyāʾ (showing off). Imām Aḥmad reported this, and al-Bayhaqī with this addition: On the day when servants are given the news of their deeds, Allah will say to them: Go to those people to whom you used to do good deeds in the world for show, and see whether you find any recompense or good with them.

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اِنَّمَا الْاَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَاِنَّمَا لِامْرِئٍ مَّا نَوٰى فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهٗ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ فَهِجْرَتُهٗ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهٗ اِلٰى دُنْيَا يُصِيْبُهَا اَوِ امْرَاَةٍ يَّتَزَوَّجُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهٗ اِلٰى مَا هَاجَرَ اِلَيْهِ ۔

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim].)

Vocabulary: wa-innamā li-mriʾin — and for a man there is only this much; mā nawā — that which he intended.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ said: Deeds are only by intentions, and for every man there is only what he intended. So the person whose hijra (emigration) is towards Allah and His Messenger (in respect of intention), his hijra will be towards Allah and the Messenger in respect of recompense; and the one whose hijra is towards the world, he will obtain it, or towards some woman, he will marry her. So his hijra will be towards that towards which he emigrated (in respect of his intention).