How pure is our intention?

Purity of Intentions

The Arabic term riya' is roughly translated as "showing off," which means doing something to please others or to gain their approval and admiration, instead of focusing on receiving God's approval, satisfaction, and pleasure. Riya' is the opposite of the Arabic term ikhlas [purity of intention].

According to Islam, riya' could make a pure act of worship, such as prayer, void of any reward and could even result in God's punishment.

The Qur'an mentions this when describing the lazy state of the hypocrites as they go to prayer, dragging their feet, only so that people can see them performing prayers:

[Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah save a little.] (An-Nisaa' 4:142)

The Qur'an also mentions riya' in respect to charity, as people sometimes pay charity to appear generous:

[O you who believe! do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his property to be seen of men and does not believe in Allah and the last day; so his parable is as the parable of a smooth rock with earth upon it, then a heavy rain falls upon it, so it leaves it bare; they shall not be able to gain anything of what they have earned; and Allah does not guide the unbelieving people.] (Al-Baqarah 2:264)

This means that if the intention is not sincerely to please God, then the reward for charity could be washed away just like rain washes away soil off a smooth rock, thus stopping any chance of plantation on it.

Once Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was describing some of the signs of the Day of Judgment, one of which was the false messiah. Then he said that there was something he feared more than the false messiah, which was "hidden polytheism." Hidden polytheism is due to actions which are done for the purpose of showing off, like a person who lengthens his prayer so that people see him (As-Suyuti).



Mentioning the attitude of riya' and how ridiculous and pompous those who have it are, the Muslim scholar Ibn Al-Jawzi related a story in one of his books. Once a man was praying in what appeared to be a devoted manner, so people praised him and commented on how righteous and sincere he was. On hearing them the man felt so proud that while he was praying he turned to them and informed them that he was also fasting.