The Hidden Shirk

Riya can be defined as making one’s actions known and seen so that people will praise the doer for them. The Prophet ﷺ described it as one of the most subtle and dangerous things that can afflict a believer:

إنَّ أخْوَفَ ما أخافُ عليكم الشِّركُ الأصْغَرُ، قالوا: وما الشِّركُ الأصْغَرُ يا رسولَ اللهِ؟ قال: الرِّياءُ؛ يقولُ اللهُ عزَّ وجلَّ لهم يومَ القِيامةِ إذا جُزِيَ الناسُ بأعمالِهم: اذْهَبوا إلى الذين كنتُم تُراؤون في الدُّنيا، فانظُروا هل تَجِدون عِندَهُم جزاءً؟!

“The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is minor shirk?” He said, “Riya (showing off). Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will say to them on the Day of Judgment, when people are being rewarded for their deeds: ‘Go to those for whom you used to show off in the worldly life, and see whether you find any reward with them.’”

— Grading: Hasan | Narrator: Mahmud ibn Labid al-Ansari | Graded by: Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut | Reference: Takhrij al-Musnad, 23630

One of its dangers is the fact that it nullifies any good deed you do, as Allah warns us:

{ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُبۡطِلُوا۟ صَدَقَـٰتِكُم بِٱلۡمَنِّ وَٱلۡأَذَىٰ كَٱلَّذِی یُنفِقُ مَالَهُۥ رِئَاۤءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا یُؤۡمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡیَوۡمِ ٱلۡـَٔاخِرِۖ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ صَفۡوَانٍ عَلَیۡهِ تُرَابࣱ فَأَصَابَهُۥ وَابِلࣱ فَتَرَكَهُۥ صَلۡدࣰاۖ لَّا یَقۡدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَیۡءࣲ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا یَهۡدِی ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ }

“O you who believe, do not nullify your charity with reminders and injury, like one who spends his wealth to be seen by people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like a smooth rock covered with dust — a heavy rain strikes it and leaves it bare. Such people gain nothing from what they earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.”

— Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:264

It is also one of the attributes of the hypocrites:

{ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقِینَ یُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَـٰدِعُهُمۡ وَإِذَا قَامُوۤا۟ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ قَامُوا۟ كُسَالَىٰ یُرَاۤءُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ وَلَا یَذۡكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِیلࣰا }

“Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing off to people, and they remember Allah only a little.”

— Surah An-Nisa, 4:142

Likewise the Prophet mentioned that the first people to entire the hellfire, even before the disbelivers will be the people of riya:

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: أول خلق الله تسعر بهم النار يوم القيامة ثلاثة: عالم، ومجاهد، وغني. يؤتى بالعالم يوم القيامة فيقال له: ماذا عملت فيما علمت؟ فيقول: يا ربي، نشرته في سبيلك. فيقال له: كذبت، إنما علمت ليقال فلان عالم، وقد قيل، خذوا به إلى النار. ويؤتى بالمجاهد فيقال له: ماذا عملت فيما أنعم الله عليك من قوة؟ فيقول: يا ربي، قاتلت في سبيلك. فيقال له: كذبت، إنما قاتلت ليقال فلان مجاهد، خذوا به إلى النار. ويؤتى بالغني فيقال له: ماذا فعلت فيما أنعم الله عليك من مال؟ فيقول: يا ربي، أنفقته في سبيلك...

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The first of creation for whom the Fire will be kindled on the Day of Judgment are three: a scholar, a fighter, and a wealthy man. The scholar will be brought and asked, ‘What did you do with what you knew?’ He will say, ‘O my Lord, I spread it for Your sake.’ It will be said, ‘You have lied — you only sought knowledge so it would be said, so-and-so is a scholar, and it has already been said. Take him to the Fire.’ The fighter will be brought and asked, ‘What did you do with the strength Allah blessed you with?’ He will say, ‘O my Lord, I fought for Your sake.’ It will be said, ‘You have lied — you only fought so it would be said, so-and-so is a fighter. Take him to the Fire.’ The wealthy man will be brought and asked, ‘What did you do with the wealth Allah blessed you with?’ He will say, ‘O my Lord, I spent it for Your sake...’”

Thus, we can summarize that the evil effects of riya are that:

1. It nullifies good deeds.

2. It brings about lowliness and disgrace, as Allah punishes the person with the opposite of what he was seeking.

3. The person is constantly afflicted with stress and anxiety. Before the deed, searching for people who will praise him and for the most impressive action to perform; after the deed, anxious to know whether he truly impressed them and earned their praise.

4. It can lead to major shirk, which removes a person from the fold of Islam.

5. It is the opposite of the very purpose behind our creation.

As Al-Ghazali notes, the love of prestige and high position is the root cause of riya. It is tied to giving undeserved importance to how people view us in this life, and to worldly benefits such as admiration and attention. The more a person is attached to this worldly life, the more susceptible he is to riya.

If someone finds himself placing great importance on titles, positions, and being treated in a particular way, these are signs of riya, because this tendency makes a person more likely to perform actions that should be done only for the sake of Allah (khutbahs, lectures, Hajj, etc.) to maintain and grow the status he has achieved.

Another sign of riya is being lazy and lethargic in doing good deeds while alone, but increasing them only when people are watching.

Constantly seeking the pleasure of others and wanting to be seen close to people of importance and fame is also a sign.

A subtle form of riya that many students of knowledge fall into is learning a piece of information with the intention of publicizing it and becoming known for mentioning it. We must always examine our intention while studying, making sure it is for our own betterment first and foremost. Not simply to share, and certainly not to become known for it. This is contrary to the way of the Salaf, as Ash-Shafi’i beautifully said:

الشافعي: وددت أن الناس تعلموا هذا العلم ولا ينسب إلي شيء منه أبدًا؛ فأوجر عليه ولا يحمدوني

Ash-Shafi’i said: “I wish that people would learn this knowledge without any of it ever being attributed to me — that I would be rewarded for it, without them praising me.”

Being overly obsessed with one’s looks, clothing, and how others perceive them is another sign, as is using overly complex language to impress others.

One of the greatest signs and warnings that someone is highly likely to fall into shirk is having bad assumptions of Allah. Underestimating Him while overestimating and glorifying the creation. As Ibn al-Qayyim said:

قال ابن القيم: الشرك والتعطيل مبنيان على سوء الظن بالله تعالى، لأن الشرك هضم لحق الربوبية، وتنقيص لعظمة الإلهية، وسوء ظن برب العالمين. ولهذا قال إبراهيم إمام الحنفاء لخصمائه من المشركين: أَإِفْكاً آلِهَةً دُونَ اللهِ تُرِيدُونَ فَما ظَنُّكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Shirk and denial (of Allah’s names and attributes) are both built upon having an evil assumption about Allah, the Exalted — for shirk diminishes the right of Lordship, belittles the greatness of divinity, and reflects a poor assumption about the Lord of the Worlds. This is why Ibrahim, the leader of the monotheists, said to his opponents among the polytheists: ‘Is it falsehood — gods other than Allah — that you want? Then what is your assumption about the Lord of the Worlds?’” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:86–87)

— Ighathat al-Lahfan min Masayid ash-Shaytan, 1/60–62

What Ibn al-Qayyim is indicating here is that when someone has bad assumptions about Allah, thinking that He is not capable of all things, that He is not truly the only one in control of their rizq (provision), or overly glorifies creation, believing that created beings can actually bring them good or remove harm from them. Whenever these assumptions creep into someone’s heart, consciously or unconsciously, this individual is very likely to start seeking things from creation instead of the Creator. Their hearts become attached to creation instead of Allah. This is what Ibn al-Qayyim mentions:

قَالَ ابْنُ الْقَيِّمِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ:
أَسَاسُ الشِّرْكِ وَقَاعِدَتُهُ الَّتِي بُنِيَ عَلَيْهَا التَّعَلُّقُ بِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ، وَلِصَاحِبِهِ الذَّمُّ وَالخِذْلَانُ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا﴾، مَذْمُومًا لَا حَامِدَ لَكَ، مَخْذُولًا لَا نَاصِرَ لَكَ.
— مَدَارِجُ السَّالِكِينَ
“The foundation of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the basis upon which it is built is attachment to other than Allah. Its companion earns blame and abandonment, as Allah the Exalted said: ‘Do not set up with Allah another god, or you will sit condemned and forsaken’ (17:22) — condemned, with no one to praise you, and forsaken, with no one to help you.”=

Imam al-Ghazali warns of this as well:

اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الرِّيَاءَ يَتَوَلَّدُ مِنْ تَعْظِيمِ الْخَلْقِ، وَعِلَاجُهُ أَنْ تَرَاهُمْ مُسَخَّرِينَ لِلْقُدْرَةِ، وَتَحْسَبَهُمْ كَالْجَامِدَاتِ فِي عَدَمِ قُدْرَتِهِمْ عَلَى إِيصَالِ الرَّاحَةِ وَالْمَشَقَّةِ، لِتَتَخَلَّصَ مِنْ مُرَاءَاتِهِمْ، وَمَتَى حَسِبْتَهُمْ ذَوِي قُدْرَةٍ وَإِرَادَةٍ لَنْ يَبْعُدَ عَنْكَ الرِّيَاءُ
“Know that showing off (riya’) is born from glorifying creation. Its remedy is to see them as subjugated under [Allah’s] power, and to regard them as being like inanimate objects, unable to bring ease or hardship — so that you may free yourself from performing for them. And as long as you regard them as possessing power and will [of their own], showing off will not be far from you.”

Hence why we find numerous passages in the Quran where Allah is reminding us of his greatest and sole ability to bring good and remove harm, in comparison to the creation and what people worship besides Allah, which are completely impotent:

{ وَلَىِٕن سَأَلۡتَهُم مَّنۡ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰ⁠تِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ لَیَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُۚ قُلۡ أَفَرَءَیۡتُم مَّا تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِنۡ أَرَادَنِیَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلۡ هُنَّ كَـٰشِفَـٰتُ ضُرِّهِۦۤ أَوۡ أَرَادَنِی بِرَحۡمَةٍ هَلۡ هُنَّ مُمۡسِكَـٰتُ رَحۡمَتِهِۦۚ قُلۡ حَسۡبِیَ ٱللَّهُۖ عَلَیۡهِ یَتَوَكَّلُ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلُونَ }

[Surah Az-Zumar: 38]

And if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they will surely say, "Allah." Say, "Then have you considered those whom you invoke besides Allah? If Allah intended harm for me, could they remove His harm? Or if He intended mercy for me, could they withhold His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allah. Upon Him alone the ones who trust place their trust."

An important note: a very subtle form of riya is fearing criticism or humiliation, and displaying good deeds only out of fear of people’s blame — for example, someone attending the mosque or a lecture simply so people will not think badly of him for missing it, in order to maintain an image he has built for himself.

Cure 1:

One of the greatest cures for riya is realizing the weakness of people compared to the greatness of Allah, truly understanding that people cannot do anything for you except by Allah’s permission, and that no one can stop what Allah has willed. So why seek anything from them?

Abu al-Abbas Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports:

“One day I was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ when he said, ‘Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of Allah. If you need help, seek it from Allah. Know that if the whole world were to gather together to help you, they would not be able to help you except with what Allah had already written for you. And if the whole world were to gather together to harm you, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already written against you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.’”

— Related by At-Tirmidhi

Cure 2:

This ties directly into the second cure: realizing that only Allah can truly give you what you are seeking. If you focus on Him, everything else falls into place:

قيل لمعروف رحمه الله: ما الذي هيجك إلى الانقطاع والعبادة وذكرت الموت والبرزخ والجنة والنار؟ فقال معروف: إن ملِكاً هذا كله بيده، إن كانت بينك وبينه معرفة كفاك جميع هذا

It was said to Ma’ruf (may Allah have mercy on him): “What moved you to devote yourself fully to worship, and to remember death, the barzakh, Paradise, and Hellfire?” Ma’ruf replied: “There is a King in whose hand all of this rests. If you have a true acquaintance with Him, that is enough for you to be spared all of this.”

Cure 3:

Another powerful cure is internalizing that everything will come to an end, and that only what was done for the sake of Allah will remain:

{ كُلُّ مَنۡ عَلَیۡهَا فَانࣲ }

“Everyone upon it [the earth] will perish.”

{ وَیَبۡقَىٰ وَجۡهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلۡجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ }

“And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.”

— Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:26–27

Even if a person achieves fame and status, it will all leave him in the grave and on the Day of Judgment, as Imam Malik said:

ما كان لله دام واتصل، وما كان لغيره انقطع وانفصل

“What is done for Allah endures and continues; what is done for other than Him is cut off and comes to an end.”

Cure 4:

A key way to protect ourselves from riya is to cut off one of its main root causes: love of this dunya. Wanting people’s admiration and feeding one’s ego stems from love of the dunya. The more connected you are to the Hereafter, the less you will care about these things:

{ تِلۡكَ ٱلدَّارُ ٱلۡـَٔاخِرَةُ نَجۡعَلُهَا لِلَّذِینَ لَا یُرِیدُونَ عُلُوࣰّا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا فَسَادࣰاۚ وَٱلۡعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِینَ }

“That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.”

— Surah Al-Qasas, 28:83

Cure 5:

Understand that trying to impress and please everyone is impossible; one of the beauties of tawhid is that it frees you from being enslaved to people’s impressions, opinions, and demands. Doing things for the sake of people, on the other hand, leads to anxiety, depression, and a constant state of unease. As Allah says:

{ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلࣰا رَّجُلࣰا فِیهِ شُرَكَاۤءُ مُتَشَـٰكِسُونَ وَرَجُلࣰا سَلَمࣰا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوِیَانِ مَثَلًاۚ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِۚ بَلۡ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُونَ }

“Allah presents an example: a man owned by quarreling partners, and a man belonging exclusively to one man. Are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah — but most of them do not know.”

— Surah Az-Zumar, 39:29

Imam Ash-Shafi’i captured this beautifully in poetry:

رضا الناس غاية لا تدرك، ورضا الله غاية لا تترك، فاترك ما لا يدرك، وأدرك ما لا يترك

“The pleasure of people is a goal that can never be reached, while the pleasure of Allah is a goal that must never be abandoned. So leave what cannot be attained, and hold onto what must never be let go.”

Cure 6:

Always be in a state of checking and verifying your intention — even in the middle of an action. The tabi’i Sulayman al-Hashimi said:

ربما أُحدِّث بحديث واحد ولي نية، فإذا أتيت على بعضه تغيّرت نيتي، فإذا الحديث الواحد يحتاج إلى نيّات

“Sometimes I narrate a single hadith with one intention, but by the time I reach part of the way through it, my intention has changed — so that a single hadith ends up requiring several renewed intentions.”

Cure 7:

It’s also essential to realize that only Allah can truly save us from sins, especially riya. This is why the Prophet ﷺ gave us a dua as a cure for it, one that should be frequently on our tongues:

يا أبا بكرٍ، لَلشِّركُ فيكم أخْفى من دبيبِ النَّملِ، والذي نفسي بيدِه لَلشِّركُ أخْفى من دَبيبِ النَّملِ، ألا أدُلُّك على شيءٍ إذا فعلتَه ذهب عنك قليلهُ وكثيرهُ؟ قل: اللَّهمَّ إنِّي أعوذُ بك أن أُشرِكَ بك وأنا أعلمُ، وأستغفِرُك لما لا أَعلمُ

“O Abu Bakr, shirk among you is more hidden than the crawling of an ant. By the One in whose Hand my soul is, shirk is more hidden than the crawling of an ant. Shall I not show you something that, if you say it, will remove its small and great amounts from you? Say: ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from associating partners with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know [of it].’”

— Narrator: Ma’qil ibn Yasar | Graded by: Al-Albani | Source: Sahih al-Adab al-Mufrad

Cure 8:

Pondering the foolishness of riya is likewise a powerful cure. As recorded by Abu al-Layth as-Samarqandi in Tanbih al-Ghafilin, it was said:

“The likeness of the one who performs good deeds to show off and build a reputation is like a man who goes to the marketplace and fills his bags with stones, so that people say, ‘Look how full this man’s bags are!’ He gains nothing except what people say about him, and if he tries to trade those stones for something of value, he will get nothing in return. In the same way, the one who does good deeds for show and reputation gains no benefit from them beyond what people say about him, and no reward awaits him in the Hereafter.”

Cure 9:

Understand that Shaytan will always attack you with whispers of riya while you are performing an action. The correct response is not to abandon the action, but to fight off the thought, telling yourself: “It doesn’t matter whether people know of my worship or not, for Allah knows best about it, so what is there to gain from anyone else knowing?” This is why some of the spiritual masters said that abandoning an action out of fear of riya is itself a form of riya, since it shows that you took people’s perception into account in the first place. Had you been sincere, their looking or not looking would not have affected you in the least.

Cure 10:

Purposefully keep some acts of worship private, known to no one:

قال الزبير بن العوام: مَنِ استطاعَ منكم أنْ يكونَ لَهُ خَبْءٌ مِنْ عمَلٍ صالِحٍ فلْيَفْعَلْ

Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam said: “Whoever among you is able to have a hidden good deed, let him do so.”

Cure 11:

Avoid and delete social media unless it is necessary (for business, etc.), and even then, do not linger on these apps. Assess your intention periodically, both before and after posting.

Cure 12:

Always remain aware of your own shortcomings, and do not believe the hype others give you. As its mentioned:

قال أحمد بن حنبل: كان سفيان الثوري إذا قيل له إنه رئي في المنام، يقول: أنا أعرف بنفسي من أصحاب المنامات

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “When Sufyan ath-Thawri was told that he had been seen [favorably] in someone’s dream, he would say, ‘I know myself better than the people who have the dreams.’”

Cure 13:

When people do come and praise you, remember that they are simply praising the cover Allah has placed over your shortcomings and sins, which they do not see. Imam Malik said:

واعلم أنَّ الناس إذا أُعجِبوا بك، فإنما أُعجِبوا بجميلِ سترِ اللهِ عليك

“Know that when people are impressed by you, they are only impressed by the beautiful covering Allah has placed over you.”

Ata’ullah said:

من أكرمك فإنما أكرم فيك جميل ستره، فالحمد لمن سترك ليس الحمد لمن أكرمك وشكرك

“Whoever honors you has only honored the beautiful covering [Allah placed over you]. So praise belongs to the One who covered you — not to the one who honored and thanked you.”

Cure 14:

Understand that anything people praise you for — whether intelligence, looks, or achievements — is in fact solely due to Allah’s mercy and blessing. This is why we say Alhamdulillah: all praise belongs to Allah, for He is the One who truly gave us the very thing being praised.

Cure 15:

An important point to understand is that riya is a disease linked to the love of fame (al-jah). Al-Ghazali writes that jah (fame/status) and wealth are the two main pillars of worldly life, and that love of both is naturally instilled in the hearts of men, but jah is loved even more than wealth, which can be seen in the fact that people spend money in order to achieve fame. A remedy for riya therefore requires also addressing one of its roots: the love of fame. The remedy for the love of fame is twofold:

Knowledge-based: Understand that the root cause of wanting fame is often a desire to control and have influence over others. But even if a person were to achieve this, death would still come and take it all away. Likewise, understand that fame looks attractive only until it is achieved; when you look closely at famous people, you find them constantly complaining about the discomfort and difficulties that come with it. Remind yourself that the more importance you give to this world, the more it entangles you in a web of never-ending desires and ever-expanding ambitions that trap you in its fleeting pleasures.

Action-based: Take active measures to avoid exposing yourself to fame, for example, not purposely putting yourself in the limelight unless necessary, and making time to withdraw from people, events, and activities. At the end of the day, no matter how famous someone is, out of sight is out of mind. Especially in this fast-paced world, people will easily forget you if you occasionally step away and spend time with loved ones and hobbies instead.

Riya is a disease of the heart that thrives in secret, feeding on our love for status and fear of people's opinions,

yet its cure lies in one simple truth: only Allah truly sees, rewards, and matters. The more we anchor our hearts to Him alone, seeking neither the praise nor the fear of creation, the freer and more sincere our worship becomes.