Riyāʾ
Definition
Riya — showing off or performing acts of worship for the sake of human recognition — is the disease that ikhlas is the cure for. Al-Ghazali's analysis of riya is one of the most psychologically sophisticated sections of the entire Ihya. He identifies its spectrum: from the obvious (performing extra prayer when someone is watching) to the almost undetectable (feeling a slight additional motivation to do good when one knows others will hear of it). He introduces the terrifying concept of 'al-shirk al-khafi' — hidden association — to describe the most subtle forms of riya, in which the heart is nominally performing for God but is actually performing for the reflected approval of creation.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
3 books in the library
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