7. Hide your deeds!

Dear Islamic brothers! The seventh cure for this disease of showing off is to hide your good deeds. If only we could hide our good deeds as we hide our bad deeds and be satisfied with just this thought that Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ is aware of our good deeds. We should keep an eye on our Nafs after we have performed good deeds, especially the hidden ones as our Nafs may desire to reveal this worship and say things like: If people are informed of this great deed of yours then they may also begin to perform this worship. Why are you hiding your deeds? In this way, people will not become aware of your status and rank. As a result, they will not have respect for you and will be deprived of your obedience. How will you then become their spiritual leader? How will the call towards righteousness be spread? etc. If one faces such a situation, he should make Du’a to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ for steadfastness by turning your attention to the eternal favour of Paradise that will be given as a reward for good deeds that are performed. He should be afraid that the one seeking something from the creation of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ in exchange for the worship of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, faces Divine wrath.

Furthermore, it is also possible that a person shows himself to be pious to get close to the people by revealing his deeds to them but be is disliked by     Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, causing his deeds to be ruined. He should also make it clear to his Nafs that he cannot ‘sell’ his deeds in exchange for praises of the people who are themselves helpless and powerless, and they cannot give him sustenance nor have any power over life and death. If we have such a Madani thought, then اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ it will become easy for us to get rid of this disease.

(Nayki ki Da’wat, pp. 96)

نیکیاں چُھپ کر کریں ایسی ہِدایت دے خدا

ہم کو پوشیدہ عِبادت کی تو لَذّت دے خدا

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب       صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد