This Subtle Mindset Could Ruin All Your Deeds
You may be intoxicated without realizing. Here’s how to know.
Imagine devoting countless years to doing good deeds. Praying five times a time, refraining from eating and drinking in Ramadan, and giving poor people a portion of your wealth with your Zakat and Sadaqah. Years of discomfort… And now imagine that it’s all for nothing, and no single deed, you hoped to get rewarded for, is accepted.
This would be like a person working and saving in his lifetime to buy a house, and as he signs the contract, he finds out that all his money was counterfeit. Worth nothing but to be burnt. How scary of a scenario, isn’t it?
There’s a type of thinking that renders all of your good deeds void, just as the money of the hardworking man in the example was worthless. This is such of an intoxication that it may not only turn your hereafter literally to hell, but also make you a horrible personality. I’m talking about Riya.
What does it mean?
Shortly, Riya means showing off and doing actions for the praise of others instead of for Allah (SWT). This topic is highly connected with Niyyah (intentions).
It can be thought of two different scenarios for a man, who is praying in the mosque. He may be doing it out of the hope of getting a greater award on the day of judgement. Or he may be doing it, because he wants to impress the people and show them how religious and disciplined he is. In either case, the man will get what he wants.
In an eminent Hadith, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,
“The deeds are considered by the intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention. […]”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
This lengthier Hadith continues by stating that the intention of the emigration (Hijrah) and the reward will be of the same kind, meaning that one will get what he has hoped, whether it be Jannah or women. This shows how important intentions are and how they can render a tremendous deed like emigration void.
We are as human as the immediately addressed people in the before mentioned Hadith. Our intentions can also be blurred. Without doubt, one of the biggest players in this problem is ego.
Role of ego
We inherently love getting attention. Who doesn’t like being praised by others? But wise people know that their value is not based on how many people know how great of a work he is doing. Wise people rather focus on their work and don’t waste time talking about it. As Ryan Holiday puts it:
Talking and doing fight for the same resources.
One can only talk or work at a given time. It’s an “or” question rather than an “and”.
A conscious Muslim will do his deeds only for the sake of Allah (SWT). Doing something for showing off is a sign of a weak and shallow personality. It’s usually utilized by people that have low self-esteem, and no way of giving back to the society. This makes working on ourselves essential.
Tips to combat Riya
- It all boils down to your intentions. The next time, take a moment to scrutinize why you’re really doing something. Remember that everything done other than for Allah (SWT) will be worthless on the day of judgement. Allah (SWT) knows the inside of everybody.
- Sometimes, Shaitan can try to challenge your good intentions. A question I used to ask myself is: “Would I do this, even if no single person would observe me?”. Answer this question genuinely and your intentions will become crystal clear to you, إن شاء الله.
- Do your deeds in secret. It’s always better not to give opportunities to Shaitan. Some deeds are better done secretly, for example giving Sadaqah and praying non-obligatory (nafilah) prayers.
- Bring variety to your deeds and observe its effects on you. To give you an example, if you’re someone, who regularly prays in the first rows of the mosque, pray in the last rows for a couple of times. If you feel humbled, a bit of arrogance may have been in your deeds.
- Don’t mistake feelings for intentions. If someone happens to compliment you on your actions, it’s completely normal to feel flattered. This is part of human psychology. As long as you keep your intentions noble and don’t fixate on the compliment, it will be of no harm إن شاء الله.
Intentions may be the most important aspect of our actions, as they make or break the reward. Don’t be one of those with shallow personality, and don’t build your character on showing off. Focus on your work and deeds, from which you should perform some secretly. And if your intention is good, ignore the doubts implanted by Shaitan.
May Allah (SWT) help us in keeping our intentions noble.
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