Riya': Difference between revisions

Riya’ [“hypocrisy”] means showing off and pretending to do good actions, without having the real intention for doing it. It is mentioned in the Qur’an five times. Riya’ in worship means that one worships not for God, but intends to show off.

According to verses of the Qur’an, riya’ in prayer is among the characteristics of hypocrites and a sign of hypocrisy. Riya’ is prohibited and invalidates the action.

Riya’ is derived from the root “Ra-Aa-Ya” meaning that a person does an action to attract people’s attention. It is also used meaning “to pretend and show off to others”. The meaning of riya’ in religious context is that a person does a good action to pretend and show off to people, not for the sake of God. Riya’ may happen both in worship such as in prayer and also in other than worship such as in infaq [“giving”].

== In the Qur’an ==

The word riya’ is mentioned five times in the Qur’an: three times as infinitive and twice as verb and in all the five times, it has been used in religious usage.

* Riya’ in infaq: “O you who have faith! Do not render your charities void by reproaches and affronts, like those who spend their wealth to be seen by people and have no faith in Allah and the Last Day.” (2: 264)

* Riya’ in fighting with the enemy: “Do not be like those who left their homes vainly and to show off to the people, and to bar [other people] from the way of Allah” (8:47) In this verse, God considered pride and riya’ among the drawbacks of power in battlefields.

* Riya’ as an independent concept: “those who show off” (107:6)

The Qur’an has mentioned examples for those who show off:

* Those who have no faith in Allah and the Last Day. With regards to the interpretations made for this verse, God, the Almighty likens those who do charity and then make reproaches and affronts to faithless pretentious ones who invalidate their charities; meaning that a hypocrite’s action is invalid since its beginning, because such a person basically has no faith in God and the Day of Judgment so that his action could at all be evaluated.

* Hypocrites: According to the Qur’an, pretending in prayer is among characteristics of hypocrites and the signs of hypocrisy.

== Ruling of Riya’ ==

Ikhlas [sincerity] is the requirement for validity of worship and having riya’ in it is forbidden and invalidates the action.

== Different Types of Riya’ in Worship ==

Riya’ invalidates the worship and it does not make any difference whether it happens in all parts of an act of worship or only in a part of it. Also, it does not make any difference between obligatory and recommended parts; even though, some faqihs have not considered riya’ in recommended parts of worship such as qunut invalidating worship.

Riya’ in requirements of worship and other actions which are not regarded as worship does not invalidate the worship itself; for example, if someone goes to mosque pretentiously, but he performs the prayer with sincerity, his prayer is not invalid.

If someone has sincerity in his act of worship, but some of the characteristics of his action are for riya’ and showing off, some believe that his worship is invalid and some others do not believe so; such as a person who performs his prayer in congregation or on time for riya’.

== Subjects of Riya’ ==

Riya’ has different types:

* In the faith itself: meaning that the person says shahadatayn [testimonies of faith] in appearance, but in his heart, he denies them. This riya’ is disbelief and hypocrisy.

== Riya’ in Recommended Actions ==

According to verses and hadiths, some of the consequences of riya’ are:

It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that, “any riya’ is polytheism, for anyone who acts for the sake of people, his reward is upon them and anyone who acts for the sake of God, his reward is upon Him.”

Some of the ways of treating riya’ are:

* Reflecting upon the wrath of God toward riya’

* Thinking about worthlessness of people’s rewards and praises in comparison with the reward of God, the Almighty.

* Considering the fact that riya’ spoils rewards of one’s actions in the hereafter.

In many cases, performing action openly is not considered riya’ and is even recommended; such as performing good and righteous actions for the purpose of motivating others, preaching religion or fighting temptations of Satan.