Developing Khushoo' in Prayer (Part 3)

Developing Khushoo in Prayer (Part 2)

Developing Khushoo in Prayer

A Conversation with a Jinn: The Exorcism Experience

Taken from Muslim Matters


*Umm Reem describes her attempt at exorcism and the conversations that occurred during this experience. Please note that this questions of fiqhi nature may not be addressed, as this was not intended to be a course on the methodology of exorcism. Finally, please do not try this at home!*

We read and we believe in every word of Noble Qu’ran and the ahadeeth of the Prophet, sallallahu alihi wasalam. We believe, without ever doubting, in all that Qur’an and ahadeeth talks about although we may never witness it. However, sometimes by Allah’s Mercy, we get to experience something further which affirms our faith and satisfies our hearts, and we thank Allah azzawjal for allowing us such an opportunity. It is for this reason that I want to share an incident, hoping that may this be a beneficial and Iman-boosting read for everyone.

During my visit to Pakistan last month, I had the opportunity to read over a ‘possessed’ girl. I will not discuss the details, but my conversation with the jinn, a creation of Allah that we have heard of but never seen, is definitely worth sharing. The conversation was a mixture of Urdu and Punjabi and I tried to be as precise as I can with the translation. This is not the complete conversation but bits and pieces.

I started of with the adhaan and some recitation from Qur’an until it, or she to be precise, agreed to talk to me. She was a female Jinnee named Seeta who had possessed a Muslim girl for almost 6-7 years. It wasn’t a voluntary possession rather a case of black magic. As advised, I tried to invite her to Islam first. Apparently it was the first time anyone had ever invited her to Islam so she was a little shocked:

Seeta: How can I become a Muslim?

Me: Why not, anyone can become a Muslim.

Seeta: But I am evil and I have done many evil actions.

Me: It’s okay you will be forgiven if you truly repent. My Rabb is the Most forgiving!

Seeta: But I’ve been a Hindu for centuries, I cannot change now.

Me: Sure you can if you truly believe that Islam is the true religion. Why don’t you go around and see. You can travel very fast. Go around and you will find Muslim Jinns of your kind. Talk to them and ask them, they will teach you about this religion.

Seeta: Yes, I know. Their caravans pass by us and we make fun of them.

SubhanAllah, I was truly amazed when she said this. It reminded me of the first ayah of Surah Jinn: “Say (O Muhammad): "It has been revealed to me that a group of jinns listened (to this Qur'an). They said: 'Verily! We have heard a wonderful Recital (this Qur'an)!” And I pictured a “group” of Jinn and how they still travel in caravans!

Me: Haven’t you seen the angels when you go up on the heavens and tried to listen to their conversations?

Seeta: Yes. They throw stones at us. I’ve been hit by them many times. My right arm was broken because of that!!

My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t help but pause and just stare at the sky for few seconds. Up above those heavens, stern guards of Allah, the angels, are protecting the skies with meteor (‘stones’ as Seeta said), exactly how it is described in the Qur’an:

“And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush.” (Jinn: 8-9)

“Verily! We have adorned the near heaven with the stars (for beauty).And to guard against every rebellious devil. They cannot listen to the higher group (angels) for they are pelted from every side. Outcast, and theirs is a constant (or painful) torment. Except such as snatch away something by stealing and they are pursued by a flaming fire of piercing brightness.” (Saffat: 6-10)

I swear by Allah, I don’t see a reason why anyone’s eyes will not over flow with tears at this—tears of joy, a feeling of contentment, and a blissful satisfaction. SubhanAllah, a matter of ‘unseen’ was being described by someone who had seen it yet not believed in it, and was describing without realizing the effects it was having on the listener, not only just me but the others around and the ones who will hear it for as long as I shall live.

During our conversation, I learned that she was a Sikh but got married to a Hindu jinn (who died) and she adopted her husband’s religion and she insisted that husband’s religion is wife’s religion (wow talk about obedience to husbands!). But, she tried to cause confusion by insisting that she was an evil dead-soul (‘bad ruh’ the concept of which still confuses many Pakistanis). Previously she had everyone believed that she was an evil dead-soul, but when I rebuked her a few times for lying and told her that she wasn’t dead yet, then finally she confessed.

In any case, she asked me to give her time to think. But when I reminded her of death and the Day of Judgment, she asked the same ‘legendary’ question that why will she get hurt in Hellfire when she is made of fire! At times she also said that she doesn’t want to change her religion. And finally she said what manifested her ‘nature’ and confirmed her reality:

“I know Allah is the Creator but I cannot bow down to him!”

La howla wala quwatta illa billah. Same arrogance, same pride. Didn’t Iblees refuse to make sajdah even though he was certain of Allah being the Creator:

“…Aba wastakbarah…”[And they prostrated except Iblîs (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers. 2:34]

I told her that she was doing exactly what her ‘master’ Iblees had done, and she replied:

“We are all of the same nature!” iyyadhobillah.

I sat there staring at her thinking to myself that this creation is low in intellect and high in arrogance and so even after seeing the clear Miracles of Allah azzawjal refuses to believe. On the other hand, humans cannot see what these jinns can see, but are blessed with a higher intellect. And perhaps that’s why humanity has more ‘logical’ and ‘reasonable’ proofs with the addition of the living miracle of Qur’an to see the truthfulness of Islam, yet if humans refuse then what good is that intellect which still leads to arrogance and ignorance!

We seek Allah’s refuge from the evil characteristics of arrogance, a trait of shaytaan.

Of the things that she said about Ibless was that he has a throne above the water!

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alihi wasalm, said:

“Iblees placed his throne on water then he sends out his emissaries…” (Muslim, 5023)

She also said that he has told them that he will wear a crown on the Day of Judgment.

He has also promised them of unlimited ‘rewards’. She said,

“Your Rabb has promised you rewards and our Iblees has promised us rewards.”

Surely his promises are nothing but lies, as mentioned in Qur’an:

“And Shaitân (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allah (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.).” (14:22)

And surely he will turn his backs on all those who obeyed him:

“Their allies deceived them) like Shaitân (Satan), when he says to man: "Disbelieve in Allah." But when (man) disbelieves in Allah, Shaitân (Satan) says: "I am free of you, I fear Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)!” (59:16)

She had a particular obsession with Iblees’s beauty and kept repeating how handsome he is, a’oodhobillahi minhu. She also uttered a lot of evil which can only be uttered by someone wicked, and I will not mention it here.

Let me mention that the spell was cast upon the girl out of sheer jealousy and sadly by a very close relative. That day, as I read Surah Falaq upon her and got to the last verse, wAllahi I felt like I was reading it for the first time. It was as if I could ‘understand’ the meanings of it: “And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”

I was able to see what jealousy can cause; I could see the dangers of the one who becomes jealous, iyyadhobillah. That day, I truly appreciated the du’as of protecting oneself from evil eye and jealousy, and the adhkar of day and night.

Let me also state a few things that I had previously learned about jinns, mainly from Bilal Philip’s book and from Sh. Yasir’s Aqeedah class, and were confirmed by talking to Seeta:

She mentioned that if she leaves that girl, then she would want to possess someone else, I asked her the reason and she said:

“Because it is fun and I enjoy bothering people!” a’oodhobiAllah!

She liked attention and perhaps that’s why she was so talkative. However, she was a liar who tried to cause as many confusion as she possibly could.

She had a strong hold on the girl while in the bathroom. To be honest, some of the incidents were quite scary and I won’t even mention them. My sincere advice is to never forget the du’a before entering the bathroom!

To conclude, I have some advice for myself and for everyone else. To have a strong faith in Allah azzawjal and placing one’s tawakkul in Allah alone is a strong weapon against shayateen. If I ever get the permission from this sister, I would like to write about how she was before when the Jinn possessed her and how improving her faith kept weakening the jinn in her.

The beautiful adhkaar and the du’as are indeed a fortress of a believer. To be quite honest, that is the only defense we have against them but it is the fortification if we read with certainty and belief.

Be punctual with the prayers and read Qur’an. Make sure you recite Qur’an, and if you cannot (for some reasonable reason) then have it recited in your house everyday. Read your dua’s before leaving and upon entering the house (so shayateen don’t enter with you), before eating, before entering the bathroom and especially before falling asleep. May Allah azzawjal protect us from the fitna and sharr of all the shayateen among men and jinn, protect our spouses, children, families and all the Muslims around the world.

Lastly and most importantly, may Allah azzawjal reward Sh. Yasir Qadhi for his valuable advice and for taking time out to assist me throughout the exorcism.

Twenty Ways to Show Off (Continuation 16 - 20)

This is the final part of an extract of an article by Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah General Supervisor of the IslamToday Website

16. Conspicuously neglecting one’s outward appearance:

This is one of the most subtle ways of falling into the sin of showing off. Satan might inspire an individual to go about with disheveled hair and humble attire and make an ostentatious display of asceticism and humility. The Sunnah, on the other hand, encourages a person to care about his appearance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to take good care of his hair. He would comb it and apply scent to it. It is , however,related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to forbid people from oiling their hair excessively. It is also related that he said: “Whoever has hair should honor it.” It is befitting for an Islamic worker to dress nicely, be tidy, take care of his hair, stay presentable, and smell nice. He should keep his hair combed and nicely arranged. He should take care of his appearance without going overboard and wasting his time on it.

17. Making a display of lowering one’s gaze:
A person can make turning away from something into a conspicuous act. When a man sees a pretty woman or some other sight that a Muslim should divert his eyes from, he not only diverts his eyes but lowers his head or turns away. Now, this is not necessary. All that is required from him is to divert his gaze. He does not have to make a big show of it. Such behavior is pretentious. It may be that Satan causes this same individual to continue to sneak discreet glances. Allah says: “Allah knows the treachery of the eyes and all that the hearts conceal.” [Sûrah Ghâfir : 19]

18. Abandoning one’s worship from fear of falling into hypocrisy:
Among the most serious of problems is when Satan fools somebody into abandoning his worship of Allah to avoid being a hypocrite or being called one. Take, for example, a reciter of the Qur’ân, a teacher, or an Islamic worker who falls into some unseen sinful acts on some occasions, like looking at someone unlawfully. Such a person should repent to Allah and try to avoid falling into the sin again. Satan, though, does not give up that easy. He suggests to that person that he is a hypocrite, since he presents an image of piety to the people but commits sins in secret.Now, Satan is not going to suggest as a solution that the person should strive to overcome his sins and rectify himself. Instead, Satan encourages him to give up the good works that he is doing and to forsake the company of righteous people. He encourages him to give up teaching others and leading prayers. His argument is that it is not fitting for that individual to do such outwardly good deeds while sinning inwardly. Satan may say to  him something like : “If the people know what you do when you are alone, they would spit in your face and avoid you like the plague.” Satan keeps at him like this until he gives up doing any good deeds. Allah says: “And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night. Indeed, good works remove evil deeds. This is a reminder for those who are mindful.” [Sûrah Hûd: 114]

19. Withdrawing from the company of others and going into seclusion:
A person may turn away from the company of his fellow men and eschew their company because he thinks he is better than they are. If he had, on the other hand, decided to avoid others so they could be safe from his harm and abuse, he may have had a point. This is what Imam Ahmad did when he limited his interactions with others at the end of his life. People said to him: “O Imam! It is being said that you are renouncing the company of others.” Imam Ahmad replied: “Who am I to renounce other people? Quite the contrary, it is the people who are renouncing my company.” It is wrong to renounce the company of people out of a sense of superiority to them. This is nothing but pride and arrogance. It is a way of praising oneself. In a hadîth it is related: “Whoever says: ‘The people are in ruination!’ is the most ruined of the lot."

20. Being deceived by some fleeting act of devotion:
Satan can trick a person into thinking that some singular act of devotion, like shedding pious tears, is good enough to suffice him. Some people bring themselves to weep during prayer in the nights of Ramadân – and maybe only one night out of the year – or maybe they will attend the Tarâwîh prayer, then Satan convinces them that this made up for everything wrong that they have so far committed. In this way, he encourages them to keep up their sinful ways.
We ask Allah to protect us all from the wiles of Satan and from this special type of polytheism that he likes to cultivate in our hearts. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our deeds.


CONCLUSION
We hope that we have made plain some of the ways the sin of showing off can sneak up on a person and make his deeds bereft of blessings. We hope from Allah that he blesses us with true sincerity and protects us from polytheism and from showing off, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously. Allah is the only one who can help us.
We conclude by saying: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. And may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions and upon those who follow their good way until the Day of Judgment.

Twenty Ways to Show Off (Continuation 11 - 15)

This is an extract of an article by Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah General Supervisor of the IslamToday Website


11. Refuting the people of knowledge:
A person may be incited by Satan to speak badly about the people of knowledge or to try to refute and contradict them. His purpose in doing so is to make himself visible by standing upon their shoulders. He wants people to say that he refuted or dumbfounded a certain scholar. He wants news to spread that he got into a debate with a certain prominent sheikh and overwhelmed him with his arguments.

He might succeed in bringing scholars down only to make himself more famous. While doing so, he might even offer a prayer for them to make a show of his affection and concern. He could say: “So-and-so – may Allah have mercy on him – said this and that.” He may even make a pretense of pity and compassion, saying: “Poor so-and-so, he has been afflicted with holding such an opinion.”

Another approach he may use is to feign a desire not to talk about him. If someone mentions to him the name of a certain scholar, he might say: “I do not wish to get involved with discussing that person” or “Leave him alone. May Allah conceal both his faults and ours.” or “Let us not talk about him. May Allah protect us from speaking badly about someone.” This is a very subtle way of putting that scholar down. Only the astute actually realize what is going on.


12. Seeking knowledge to acquire fame:
A person may be incited by Satan to seek religious knowledge and to study it extensively with the sole purpose of becoming a muftî who people will come to with their questions, or a scholar whose name will go down in history, or maybe an Islamic activist who people will rally around.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that three people would be the first on the Day of Resurrection to be scorched by the Hellfire. One of these three was: “…a man who acquired knowledge and taught it to others, who recited the Qur’ân. He will be summoned and asked what he did during his lifetime. He will say: ‘I acquired knowledge and taught it to others and I recited the Qur’ân for your sake. Allah will tell him: ‘You lie! You only acquired knowledge so people would call you a scholar and read the Qur’ân so you would be acclaimed as a Qur’ân reciter. These things were indeed said about you.’ At this point an order will be given and this man will be dragged on his face and cast into Hell.” The others mentioned in this hadîth were a man who fought in Allah’s cause and a man who gave in charity, both with the intention of showing off.25
A person like this, once he acquires the fame and status that he desires, will be approached with the people’s questions. There will be times where he will not know the answer. At these times where he should admit he does not know, he will instead fear the people and worry about their opinion of him. He will not want them to say: “How come you don’t know the answer and you are supposed to be such a learned person?” For this reason, he will make something up an answer in ignorance. He will in this way misguide himself and others.
Once a man of knowledge ascended the pulpit and was asked a questioned. He answered: “I don’t know.”
One of the people in attendance spoke up and said: “The pulpit is not a place for ‘I don’t know’!”
To this the man of knowledge said: “I have ascended to this position where I am with the knowledge that I possess. If I were to ascend on par with ignorance, I would reach the sky.”
Imam Mâlik once said: “Whenever a scholar abandons saying ‘I don’t know’, then he has met with destruction.”


13. Feigning humility:
Satan may incite a person to make a pretentious show of modesty and humbleness. He will clasp his hands together, raise his shoulders, and lower his head in an insincere and inordinate display of submissiveness. Often the behaviors exhibited in these displays go against the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).
`Abd Allah al-Qurashî relates that `Umar b. al-Khattâb once saw a young man lowering his head in prayer. `Umar said to him: “Raise your head. Humbleness does not increase on what is actually in the heart. Whenever people make their humbleness visible, they are just making a visible display of hypocrisy. 26
The Sunnah of how the worshipper should carry himself in prayer is well known. The correct thing for the worshipper to do is to focus his eyes on the place where his forehead will go in prostration. His hands should be folded over his chest or his diaphragm with the right hand covering the left. This is the position of the majority of scholars and is related in the hadîth related by Wâ’il b. Hajar, which is the most authentic hadîth in this regard.27 The worshipper should be balanced and moderate in standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating, as this is the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Satan might sometime comes to a reciter of the Qur’ân and encourage him to cry during his recitation with the notion of making the listeners feel humbled before his recitation and to inspire them to weep as well. Yet, the larger the congregation, the more he cries, until he comes to a point where he can hardly recite.
Then we have the supplication known as the qunût made by the imam in Ramadân at the end of the prayer. We can see and hear amazing things happening during this supplication. Tears are summoned up and wept out in torrents by a person who may have just finished reading the most powerful, fearsome, and awe inspiring verses of the Qur’ân without being moved in the least. Then when he comes to the supplication of the qunût, we begin to hear loud cries and sobs.
Ibn Jawzî devotes a chapter to this type of showing off in his superb book entitled Talbîs Iblîs (The Devil’s Deception). He writes:
Chapter: The Devil’s deception through false humility, lowering of the head, and establishing law
If fear embeds itself in the heart, the body will show it. Such a person will not even be able to conceal his feelings. What is reprehensible is for a person to make an effort to show humility, induce crying, and visibly hang his head in order to appear like an ascetic and have people come up to him to take his hand or kiss it or beseech him to pray for them. He prepares himself for supplicatio n as if he can bring down an answer from heaven.
We have mentioned how Ibrâhîm al-Nakha`î, the prominent student of the Companions, used to detest it when people asked him to make a prayer for them. Some people display so much fear that it makes them very shy and submissive, unable to raise their faces to the sky. This is not a virtue, because there is no humility greater than that shown by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). In Sahîh Muslim, there is the hadîth of Abû Mûsâ al-Ash`arî where he says that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to often raise his head to the sky. 28 This hadîth shows that turning one’s face to the sky is a recommended practice for the sake of drawing lessons from the signs in its creation. Allah says: “Do they not look at the sky above them, how We made it and adorned it and there are no flaws in it?” [Sûrah Qâf : 6] He also says: “Say: Look at what is in the heavens and on Earth. ” [Sûrah Yûnus:10 101]. This shows the falsehood of those Sufis who go years without ever looking at the sky out of what they claim to be a show of humility.
Abû Salamah b. `Abd al-Rahmân said: “The Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) were neither deviant nor were they like dead people. They used to recite poetry in their gatherings and talk about the times of ignorance. However, if you were to attack any one of them in matters of religion, his eyes would become like those of a madman.”
Kahmas b. al-Husayn relates that a man in the company of `Umar breathed sighing breaths as if he was trying to show grief, so `Umar struck him. `آsim b. Kulayb al-Jarmî relates: “My father met with `Abd al-Rahmân b. al-Aswad who had a habit of walking along the side of the wall out of false humility. My father said to him: ‘What is it with you that you walk against the wall like that? I swear by Allah, when `Umar walked, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. He made his voice heard when he spoke.”
Abû Khaythamah relates that al-Shifâ bint `Abd Allah saw some young people walking meekly and speaking slowly. She asked them: “What is this?” They replied: “We are ascetics.”
To this she said: “I swear by Allah, when `Umar spoke he made himself heard, and when he walked he walked briskly, and when he hit someone, he inflicted pain. And he was an ascetic for real.”29


14. Overemphasizing certain conspicuous works, even to the point of going against the Sunnah:
Some people become fixated on a certain type of work to the point where Satan can incite them on account of it to go against the Sunnah or to violate Islamic law. Take jihad for instance, since some of our young people today have become very interested in it. No doubt it is a great act of devotion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are one hundred levels in Paradise that Allah has prepared for those who engage in jihad for the cause of Allah. The distance between any two levels is like the distance between the sky and the Earth.”30 He also said that the pinnacle of Islam is jihad in the way of Allah. 31
Allah makes jihad the greatest of works when he says: “Do you consider the giving of drink to the pilgrims or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to the service of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and strive[A] with might and main in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah; and Allah guides not those who do wrong. Those who believe and emigrate and strive with might and main in Allah’s cause with their wealth and their lives have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. They are the people who shall achieve success. Their Lord gives them glad tidings of mercy from Himself, of His good pleasure, and of Gardens for them wherein are delights that endure. They will dwell therein forever. Verily with Allah is a great reward.” [Sûrah al-Tawbah:19-22]
The gate of jihad is one of the great gates of Paradise, but jihad has its causes, its rules, and its conditions. A person who wishes to participate in jihad should learn the laws regarding it. He should learn how, where, and when to engage in jihad. He should know under whose banner he should fight. Moreover, such a person must first engage in a personal jihad to purify his intention. How many people are killed in the ranks of the believers and Allah alone knows their intentions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever fight so that the word of Allah is the highest word, he is the one who has fought in the cause of Allah.”32

A man had fought along with the Prophet (peace be upon him) until he was slain. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I saw him in the Hellfire.”33 Later, he then mentioned that he saw the man being punished in a cloak that he had stolen.

Then there is the case of another man who fought alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was severely wounded and in agony, so he placed the base of his sword on the ground and its point against his chest. Then he killed himself by falling upon it until it came out through his back. The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his Companions that that man was in the Hellfire.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we purify our intentions and acquire the requisite knowledge before engaging in such work.
We have seen the children of the Islamic Awakening going fourth in ranks into the fiercest of fighting. They have demonstrated the utmost heroism, bravery, and mastery over the world. We saw the young men who had lived lives of recreation and comfort, pull themselves away from it suddenly, departing their lives of leisure and luxury and the places of fun and games, looking for death in the cause of Allah in the mountains and ravines of places like Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya, and Bosnia. We have books and cassettes filled with their many heroic stories.
This shows the truth of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said when he informed us that jihad would be going on until the Final Hour, despite all the changing circumstances and despite how much the Muslims might lag behind in the world. He said: “There is no emigration after the conquest of Mecca but there is jihad and intention. If you are called upon to fight, the go forth.”34
At the same time, it should be known that jihad requires the express permission of one’s parents. Some of our young men, unfortunately, leave for jihad without first receiving their permission[B]. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked which deed was most beloved to Allah, he said: “Prayer on its time.” Then when asked what came next, he said: “Honoring one’s parents.” Then when asked what came next, he said: “Jihad in Allah’s cause.”35
The Prophet (peace be upon him) placed honoring one’s parents before jihad. Once a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and sought his permission to participate in jihad. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him if his parents were living. When the man replied in the affirmative, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him: “Your jihad is in serving them.”36
On another occasion a man approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I have come because I want to go in jihad along with you and seek the countenance of Allah and the abode of the Hereafter. I have come and left my parents weeping.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Go back to them and make them laugh just as you have made them weep.”37
Satan entices people to go against Allah’s Law in this way. For instance, he tricks some people by beautifying a given Islamic duty, though other Islamic duties may be more serious, goading him on with it until he abandons those more important duties. He might deceive a person into thinking that some work is an individual duty on every Muslim, when in fact the decision to engage in such duties is one of those difficult matters that requires the discretion of qualified people of knowledge. This person may even be deceived into condemning those who do not participate in the same works.
It is possible for one of these people to start talking to others about his experience while engaged in jihad, mentioning things that he saw and did and talking about miracles that he had experienced, though such events may never have actually taken place. I saw someone who had his hand bound up and who claimed that he had been shot in the hand during a battle. When his matter was investigated more closely, it turned out that it was all a charade.

The scholars of the early generations – the Salaf – were the strictest people in guarding against the tendency to show off, especially when it came to jihad.
`Abdah b. Sulayman al-Marwazî relates: “We went on an expedition against the Romans. One Roman came forth who was very strong and severe. No Muslim could draw near him without being struck down by his sword. The Muslims became very afraid of him. Then a shrouded man went to attack that Roman, striking him with his sword until he cut through him. He then hurried back to the military camp. I followed him and opened his shroud to find that it was none other than the great philanthropist and eminent scholar of Hadîth and Law, `Abd Allah b. al-Mubârak! He became very angry about what I did and said:
‘Even you defame us!’” (`Abd Allah b. al-Mubarak meant by this that the man made his dentity and his deeds known to the public) Look at how he tried to conceal his good deeds. See as well how `Abd Allah b. al-Mubârak was able to join together many types of good works, like acquiring knowledge, fighting in jihad, and spending in charity.


15. Making a show of religious zeal:
A pious person begins to talk about sinners. He speaks at length, describing, nit picking, and bewailing. He might even go so far as to curse people and threaten them. He exaggerates matters to the extreme as if he is trying to say: “I am very zealous about the sanctity of the religion, righteously indignant when it comes to my Lord, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers” . What he does not realize is that the way he is showing off is a far graver sin than many of those that he is discussing and condemning so viciously.

Twenty Ways to Show Off (Continuation 6 - 10)

This is an extract of an article by Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah General Supervisor of the IslamToday Website



6. Conspicuous humility:
A person might make a show of deprecating himself, stating all the time how deficient he is. He says how he does no good works and how his deeds are not enough. All he means by all this is to make a display of his humility.
Whether or not he actually believes himself deficient, he goes on in this way until Satan makes him believe that he is free from showing off, when actually Satan has been accompanying him in his absurd display all along. What is needed for a person to be balanced, neither deprecating himself for public viewing, nor praising himself.



7. Bringing attention to the faults of others:
Satan can approach a person by way of the faults of others. By criticizing someone else’s mistake, a person implies that he is free from the same.
A man might say: “You know – God forbid! – so-and-so never gets up at night to offer prayers!” Translation: “I pray at night.”
“I never saw such-and-such fast a day in his life.” Translation: “I fast a lot.”
“Whats-his-name never gives in charity, though he has much more money than I have.” Translation: “I am not like him. I give in charity.”
If this person had any sense, he would say as a poet once said:
Because of myself I weep, not because of others,
For myself, from myself. Bother the people!
Or maybe he should say as al-Shâfi`î said:
Let not your tongue mention the shame of another,
For you yourself are covered in shame and all men have tongues.
If your eye falls upon the sins of your brother,
Shield them and say: O my eye! All men have eyes!”
Those who busy themselves with the shame of others have many specialized ways of backbiting at their disposal to help elevate them above those they criticize. Ibn Taymiyah,in his Fatâwâ24, mentions a number of these:
One strategy is to frame one’s slander in the form of concern for the religion and for reform. Statements of the following sort ensue:
“Now, it is not my general practice to say anything but good about other people. I hate backbiting and lying. I only wish to inform you about this person.”
“I swear by Allah, he is a good man, but he does such-and-such.”
“We must pray for him. O Allah! Forgive us and forgive him.”
With these statements, a person can ridicule another while at the same time seeking to deceive Allah about what he is doing, as if that was possible.
Then there are those who belittle others just to make themselves look good. A person like this might say: “If only I prayed for him yesterday, I would not have heard this horrible thing about him today.” To make himself appear clever, someone might say: “So-and-so, you must understand, has a weak intellect.”
Another person makes his slander of others appear in the form of jest, as if his only intention is to make others laugh. However, what he does to make his companions laugh is ridicule another person, belittle him, and mock him.
Another uses amazement and astonishment an excuse to say something bad about someone else. He might say: “I am startled that so-and –so does not do that!” or: “How it is that he can do such a thing!” In this way, the slanderer maligns the name of another with the excuse that he was overcome with amazement.
Someone else feigns concern or pity in order to get in his nasty remarks. He might say: “Poor so-and-so, I am so sorry about what happened to him. It is a pity what he got himself involved with.” Someone who hears this might think the speaker is genuinelydistraught about what happened to that person. In reality, though, he would probably increase that person’s miseries if he was able to do so. He might even say these words in front of that person’s enemies in order to give them the chance to take their revenge on him. This is a very serious sickness of the heart and a horrible form of deception. Then there is the person who makes a show of anger nd righteous indignation in order to backbite another. He may use the most eloquent words possible with the seeming intent of condemning an act of wrongdoing, but his true intentions are vile indeed.



8. Safeguarding one’s status and reputation:
When a person becomes known for righteousness and piety, he tends to love building his reputation further in the same manner. He begins to fear losing the esteem of others that he presently enjoys. He guards himself from any apparent laxity in his conduct. He makes sure to keep pace with others or to outdo them in the good works that he performs, or at least in what he shows to them. He does not do this out of any religious devotion, but merely in order to maintain their respect. He may speak to them, preach to them, and exhort them to do what is right, not because he feels that they need it but because he feels that they expect it from him. The meaning of what he says is not his concern. It is only his reputation and status that matter.
This trap is a subtle one and an easy one to plunge into. Actions are but by intentions. A person is either doing these things for Allah’s sake – for which he will be rewarded – or merely to save his reputation.



9. Speaking about matters in a way that alludes to the idea that one is engaged in them:
A person might say the following: “If a worshipper recites the Qur’ân a lot, it becomes easy on his tongue, and he reads with more fluidity, especially when he prays late at night.” Translation: “I did this act and had this experience.”
Likewise, a person might say: “Some people think fasting is tiring and difficult.” Translation: “I am in the habit of fasting.”
A person’s secret devotions can become public in this manner. A man says: “You know, so-and-so made the call for the Morning Prayer a half hour before its time.” In this way, he reveals to everyone that he is in the habit of getting up before this time.
Let us look at how the scholars of old handled a similar situation. Sa`îd b. Jubayr asked his fellows: “Which of you saw the shooting star that went across the sky last night?” Husayn b. `Abd al-Rahmân added: “I did.” Then he quickly added: “I had not been praying; I had been stung by a scorpion.”
The reason he mentioned that he had been stung by a scorpion was to dispel the obvious conclusion that his companions would come to: that he had been praying throughout the night. The early Muslims were very careful to avoid praising themselves and did not like mentioning their own virtues.
Those who mention such things in order to show off may earn the people’s praise, but their deeds lose all blessings. If, however, somebody makes such statements without the intention of showing off, then their secret devotions still become public. He will be rewarded for them, but the blessings of those devotions will be less.



10. Putting oneself on a pedestal:
A person embarks upon learning about a certain religious topic. He delves into it deeply, investigating every minor issue and every subtle detail. He commits whole texts to memory and learns the opinions of many authorities. Then, when he sits among a large number of people, he begins to speak. Of course, he speaks on that very topic that he investigated so thoroughly, rattling off the names of different scholars and what they had to say, giving every citation from memory, down to the page number. He pours out to them everything he has memorized. What is the reason for all of this? It is so people will point to him and call him a scholar.
He may have the pretension to use turns of phrase reserved for true people of knowledge.
He might say things like:
“I see the matter to be such-and such…”
“What is quite evident to me is that it is…”
“The stance that we take on this issue is…”
He has the audacity to speak in the manner of an authority in the field, while he is a mere beginner. A poet writes:
They say: “This is, in our opinion, impermissible”
Who are you, though, to have an opinion?

Twenty Ways to Show Off

This is an extract of an article by

Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah

General Supervisor of the IslamToday Website

1. Publicizing one’s good deeds:
Some people go around intentionally taking about the things they have done, boasting about their virtues. They cannot sit with others without saying: “I did this and I did that… I spent so much in charity.” Sometimes they can be a bit more subtle, like saying: “Actually, I cannot stay up in prayer at night more than two hours…” or: “Unfortunately, I cannot cope with fasting every day, so I must suffice with fasting on Mondays and Thursdays…” In this way, they want to show others just how much they are praying and fasting.

They only publicize their good works and make sure to perform them in front of others in order to earn the people’s praise. This is why it is preferable for most acts of worship to be done in private. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said : “O people! Pray in your homes, for truly the best prayers are those that a person prays are at home, with the exception of the prescribed prayers.”18 It is, therefore, preferable for voluntary prayers to be made in the privacy of one’s own home. This protects the worshiper from the whispers of Satan and makes certain that the prayers are not being performed for show. It also prevents the home from becoming like a graveyard where no prayers are made. A further benefit of praying at home is that it impresses the children of the house with the importance of prayer. However, voluntary prayers that are supposed to be made in congregation are an exception to this rule, like the eclipse prayers, the prayer for rain, the Tarâwîh prayer, and the two `خd prayers (if we deem the `خd prayers to be voluntary).

The same goes for charity. Allah says: “If you make public your charity, it is well, but if you conceal it and give it to the poor, then it is better for you.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 271]

A person should always give charity in secret and not give it publicly unless he can make sure not to fall into showing off and sees that making it public will bring about some greater good. Sometimes public charity can encourage others by example. In the case of spending on the war effort, it can make the enemy cower.

Some people do charitable works publicly to get their names printed in the papers or to receive official recognition for their works. If the intention of such individuals is to garner more public support for the charitable efforts in question, then it is good. Otherwise, it is merely showing off. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intentions, and every person will only get what he intended.”19 Allah says: “Whether you hide your words or make them known, He certainly has full knowledge of what is in the hearts. Should He who created not know, and He is the Subtle, the Aware?” [Sûrah al-Mulk: 13-14]

2. Making false claims:
There is a type of person who likes to boast about things he never did. He may claim that he struggled for Islam with patience and forbearance. He may even claim to have suffered persecution and hardships in the path of Allah. If he meets someone who does not know about his past, he goes on to tell him: “I used to do this and I used to say that…”, speaking about a past more embroidered than true.

This person goes on like this in front of others in order to earn a reputation for himself. This behavior is worse than the one we have just gotten through discussing, since it combines between two evils: showing off and lying. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A person who claims to be given things he has never been given is a double liar.”20

One trick is for a person to leave his own country and go to another so he can pass himself off to them as some great martyr by embroidering tales about himself.

A poet wrote:

Claims not backed by solid proofs
Turn their claimants into braggarts.

Then there is the poser who wishes to pass himself off as a learned person. He claims that he spent years studying with a certain sheikh and that he was one of his nearest and dearest disciples.

I know a person who claims that he memorized the Qur`ân with its seven different styles of recitation. He would say to people : “I learned from a number of sheikhs” then go on to mention the names of the leading scholars of our time. I know this person, and I know he cannot even read the Qur’ân properly from a book, forget about his reciting it by heart or knowing different styles of recitation.

Some people, though, are more insidious than that. They speak about the scholars of our time – especially those among them who have died – as if they were his colleagues, not his teachers. They tell anecdotes about those sheiks as if they had experienced them firsthand. By doing so, all they are trying to do is fabricate a relationship between themselves and these sheikhs that does not exist. This is a sickness of the heart that becomes only more horrendous when it afflicts those who are supposed to be people of knowledge.

3. Becoming a show off after having been sincere:
A person begins doing something for the sake of Allah alone, like offering prayer, spending in charity, or glorifying Allah in an audible voice. Then he realizes that people can see him. This makes him do even more. He prays a little longer, spends a little more, or glorifies Allah with even greater eloquence. When a person finds himself in this situation, he should fight against the urge to show off. He should say what the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Abû Bakr to say to ward it off: “O Allah! I seek refuge with you from associating partners with you knowingly and I seek your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly.”21

If the intention to show off establishes itself in his heart and he continues to increase his efforts to impress the people, then his works will fall under one of the two following outcomes:

If his deeds were of a nature that they could be divided into separate acts, then he will be rewarded for what he did for the sake of Allah and will be sinful for what he did to show off to the people. For example, a person gives two hundred pounds in charity. The first hundred he gave sincerely for Allah’s sake. The second hundred he gave to impress the people. He will be rewarded for the first hundred and be sinful for the second.

If his deed was of a kind that cannot be divided, like a single prayer, then his showing off nullifies the deed in its entirety.

Some people fall victim to the opposite affliction. They become so scared of showing off that they avoid performing good deeds because of it. They have jumped from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak.

True sincerity is to be concerned with Allah and to disregard the people altogether, neither performing deeds because of them nor abstaining from deeds on their account.

This brings us to the fourth way of showing off:

4. Abandoning deeds because of the people:
Al-Fudayl b. `Iyâd had harsh words for those who abandoned performing good works because of the people. He said: “Abandoning deeds because of the people is showing off. Performing deed for their sake is polytheism. Sincerity is where Allah protects you from both.”

Some people go to the mosque. Then when they get there and see the people there, they become afraid of showing off. They start to come to the mosque late because of this and sometimes might miss the prayer altogether. This becomes their habit. Coming to the mosque early becomes one of the most difficult things for them to do.

Some people who read or memorize the Qur’ân, when they see that others are listening to them, become afraid of showing off. They stop reading the Qur’ân. This is tragic, especially when the people who do so are among those who have memorized the Qur’ân or who teach it to others.

Abandoning one’s good deeds is a grave error. What the worshipper must do is cease to worry about created beings altogether, neither performing anything for their sake nor abstaining from anything for their sake.

One of the reasons for this behavior is that the person who is supposed to perform a given deed has an exaggerated view of his own importance and the importance of what he is about to do. He may ha ve to give the Friday sermon or give a small talk after prayer where he can encourage what is right and discourage what is wrong. He begins to imagine that what he is doing is some great deed and that people will start quoting his words. Maybe he thinks that what he has to say will become the talk of the town. He may become a bit impressed with himself at this point, and here is where he starts to fear showing off. He sees the only way to play it safe is not to talk and not to act.

This is one of the devil’s tricks. The only way for a person to stay immune to it is to accustom himself to doing good deeds and to see those deeds as small and insignificant when he does them. He must at the same time accustom himself to not attaching any importance to what people say. He must be able to recognize his own faults and realize the shortcomings in his works. Then, when someone offers him unwelcome praise, it will not harm him in any way. It will be as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…glad tidings being presented to the believer early.”22

5. Making worship noticeable in a subtle way:

A person might conceal his worship, or at least seem to be doing so, while making sure people know about it in a roundabout way. For example, a man might be busy with praising Allah or seeking his forgiveness. He keeps his remembrances quiet, but he moves his lips in a conspicuous manner so that anyone who sees him will know that he is engaged in the remembrance of his Lord. He might even raise his voice once in a while ever so slightly to bring attention to himself. What he desires is for people to praise him for what he is doing. Actions are but by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended. Therefore, if a person inadvertently draws attention to himself, not meaning to show off, then there will be no harm. However, if he does something ever so subtle with the intention of drawing attention to himself, then he has not only showed off but made a pretense of sincerity while doing so. And Allah says:

“Whether you hide your words or make them known, He certainly has full knowledge of what is in the hearts. Should He who created not know, and He is the Subtle, the Aware?” [Sûrah al-Mulk: 13-14]

A person, when food is presented to him, abstains from it and says: “Today is Thursday” as if to imply that he always fasts on Thursdays. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed us that when food is presented to us, we should eat it if we are not fasting, and if we are fasting, we should make a small prayer for the one who offered us.23 A good prayer would be something like: “May Allah bless you in your food and drink and in what Allah provides for you.”

(to be continued, Insya Allah)