Condemnation of desiring fame

fame, or wealth. “He has no share in the Hereafter” because his actions were not performed for it.

From this we learn that a show-off is deprived of reward, albeit his action remains valid according to Islamic law. For example, when such a person prays, the obligation of prayer is fulfilled, but there is no reward for it. That is why Allah said: ‘فِی الآخِرۃِ’ (i.e., he has no share in the Hereafter).^{^[1]}

Dear Islamic brothers, we too should refrain from performing actions to show off, to earn praise, or to gain social recognition. Instead, we should perform good deeds solely to please Allah Almighty, earn reward, and to improve our Hereafter.

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: “If a person performs a deed inside a solid rock where there is neither a door nor window, that deed will still become apparent, and whatever is destined will come to pass.”^{^[2]}

The famous Quranic exegete, Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه explains this Hadith:

The purpose of this blessed saying is: why waste your reward by showing off? Perform actions sincerely and secretly; Allah Himself will reveal your good deeds to people. Their hearts will begin to acknowledge your piety. This has been proven time and again; some people secretly perform tahajjud, yet others, without knowing, refer to them as “those who offer tahajjud”. The light of tahajjud, rather the light of every good deed appears on the face and can be witnessed day and night. People refer to Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī and Khawājah Ajmerī رَحِمَهُمَا الـلّٰـهُ as

[1] Noor-al-‘Irfan, p. 774

[2] Musnad Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 57, Hadith 11230

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