ذَمُّ الرِّياءِ The Censure of Showing Off

1ـ رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): ويلٌ للذينَ يَجتَلِبُونَ الدنيا بالدِّينِ ، يَلبَسُونَ للناسِ جُلودَ الضَّأنِ مِن لِينِ ألسِنَتِهِم، كلامُهُم أحلى مِن العَسَلِ وقُلوبُهُم قُلوبُ الذِئابِ، يقولُ اللّه‏ُ تعالى: أبي يَغتَرُّونَ؟!

1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Woe betide those who trade their religion for the life of this world – in front of people they are soft-spoken and their words are sweeter than honey, but they are wolves in sheep's clothing [lit. their hearts are wolves' hearts (ed.)], and Allah says regarding them, 'Are they trying to pull the wool over My eyes?' [A`alam al-Din, no. 295]
 

2ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنّ المَلَكَ لَيَصعَدُ بعَملِ العَبدِ مُبتَهِجاً بهِ ، فإذا صَعِدَ بحَسَناتِهِ يقولُ اللّه‏ُ عزّوجلّ: اجعَلُوها في سِجِّينٍ إنّهُ لَيسَ إيّايَ أرادَ بِها.

2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily the angel [charged with man's deeds] rises up with man's good deeds, delighted on account of them, but as he is lifting up his good deeds, Allah tells him, 'Go and place them in the Sijjin [Sijjin: proper name given in the Qur'an to a written record of the evildoers' deeds (ed.)], as he did not perform these deeds for Me.’[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 295, no. 7]
 

3ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنّ المُرائيَ يُنادى يَومَ القِيامَةِ: يا فاجِرُ! يا غادِرُ ! يا مُرائي ! ضَلَّ عَمَلُكَ ، وبَطَلَ أجرُكَ ، اذهَبْ فَخُذْ أجرَكَ مِمَّن كُنتَ تَعمَلُ لَهُ.

3– The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The show-off will be called on the Day of Resurrection: O shameless liar! O treacherous one! O show-off! Your deeds are lost, and the reward for your deeds is lost. Go and get your reward from those you intended to please by your actions.’[Munyat al-Murid, p. 318]
 

4ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): يقولُ اللّه‏ُ سبحانَهُ: إنّي أغنَى الشُّرَكاءِ فَمَن عَمِلَ عَمَلاً ثُمّ أشرَكَ فيهِ غَيرِي فأنا مِنهُ بَرِيءٌ ، وهو لِلَّذِي أشرَكَ بهِ دُوني .

4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Allah, glory be to Him, says, 'I am the most self-sufficient of partners, for whoever performs a deed for Me as well as for someone else alongside Me, [know that] I am free from need of his action and I leave it for the one that he associated with Me.’[`Auddat al-Da`ai, p. 203]
 

5ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنّ اللّه‏َ لا يَقبَلُ عَملاً فيهِ مِثقالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِن رياءٍ.

5– The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily Allah does not accept a deed that is performed with even an atom's weight of showing off in it.’[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 1, p. 187]
 

6ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ حِينَ سَـألَهُ رَجُـلٌ: يا رسولَ اللّه‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ، فِيمَ النَّجاةُ ؟ ـ: أن لا يَعمَلَ العَبدُ بطاعَةِ اللّه‏ِ يُريدُ بها الناسَ.

6– The Prophet (SAWA) was once asked, 'Where does salvation lie?' to which he replied, 'In that the servant must not perform acts of obedience to Allah whilst intending them for other people [to see].’[Tanbih al-Khawatir, p. 186]
 

7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ما أقبَحَ بِالإنسانِ باطِناً عَليلاً وظاهِراً جَميلاً!

7– Imam Ali (AS) said, 'How ugly the man who is sick inwardly and beautiful outwardly.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9661]
 

8ـ رسولُ اللهِ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): اللّهُمّ إنّي أعوذُ بكَ مِن أن تَحسُنَ في لامِعَةِ العُيونِ عَلاَنِيَتِي ، وتَقبُحَ فيما اُبطِنُ لكَ سَرِيرَتي ، مُحافِظاً على رئاءِ الناسِ مِن نَفسِي بجَميعِ ما أنتَ مُطَّلِعٌ علَيهِ مِنّي ، فَاُبدِيَ لِلناسِ حُسنَ ظاهري واُفضِيَ إليكَ بِسُوءِ عَمَلِي ، تَقَرُّباً إلى عِبادِكَ وتَباعُداً مِن مَرضاتِكَ.

8– Imam Ali (AS) said, 'O Allah I seek refuge in You from looking good in the gleaming mirror of people's eyes whilst my inward self that I conceal [from others] be ugly in front of You, and from guarding myself [against sins] only for show in front of people whilst You know all there is to know about me, such that I may display my good side to people, leaving the bad deeds for You, in seeking nearness to mere servants of Yours and getting further and further away from Your good pleasure.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 276]
 

9ـ الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن كانَ ظاهِرُهُ أرجَحَ مِن باطِنِهِ خَفَّ مِيزانُهُ .

9– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'He whose outward appearance is superior to his inward self will have a very light scale of good deeds.’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 398, no. 8]
 

10ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إيّاك والرياءَ؛ فإنّهُ مَن عَمِلَ لِغَيرِ اللّه‏ِ وَكَلَهُ اللّه‏ُ إلى مَن عَمِلَ لَهُ .

10– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Beware of showing off, for whoever performs good deeds for anyone other than Allah, Allah relegates him to the one he acted for.’[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 293, no. 1]