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Sayyidunā Imām Muhammad Ghazālī عَـلَـیۡـهِ رَحْـمَـةُ الـلّٰـهِ الۡـوَالِی explained this point to us using the following example: If you sit in front of another person whilst reclining (in an object) or with your legs crossed and then the man’s servant appears and you suddenly straighten yourself and sit properly, then you are giving the servant preference over his master and this is most certainly an insult to the master. A show off is like this, in that he too offers Ṣalāĥ beautifully in the presence of other people but not in solitude, as if he gives preference to people over their Creator عَزَّوَجَلَّ. (Iḥyā-ul-‘Ulūm, part 2, vol. 3, pp. 372)
Someone asked A’lā Ḥaḍrat, Imām-e-Aĥl-e-Sunnat, reviver of Sunnaĥ, scholar of Sharī’aĥ, Ash-Shāĥ Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān عَـلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ الـرَّحْمٰن, ‘If a person offers Ṣalāĥ with humility when he is alone in order to practice offering with humility in front of others then is he showing off or not?’ He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه answered, ‘This is also showing off because his heart contains the intention (to please someone) other than Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.’ (Malfūẓāt, part 2, pp. 166)
Shar’ī ruling: This type of showing off is less severe than the first, this person will receive reward for his actual Ṣalāĥ but not for the beauty of his Ṣalāĥ, although even in this case he has committed showing off.
It is stated in Baĥār-e-Sharī’at part 16 page 239: The second type (of showing off) is for a man to not show off in his actual worship, meaning he would offer Ṣalāĥ regardless of whether or not anyone sees him, but he shows off in the attribute of Ṣalāĥ, meaning even if nobody sees him, he would still offer but not as beautifully. This second type is less severe than the first, he will receive reward for the essence of his Ṣalāĥ but not for offering it in an excellent way because the adornment was done with an intention of showing off and not out of sincerity.
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