signs, symptoms and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart
In plain terms, it is showing off, doing something to gain notoriety. The Prophet ﷺ referred to this behavior as "the lesser idolatry." The most nefarious form of ostentation is when a person performs rites of worship merely to obtain a place in the hearts of others.
The essence of ostentation is being occupied with people instead of God.
The first two are laziness and lack of action for the sake of God when one is alone and out of view of others. When alone, such a person becomes lethargic, unable (or unwilling) to perform acts of devotion, such as reading the Qur'an at home; but in the mosque, in the presence of others, he finds the drive to recite. This is not to suggest that one should not respond to the inspiration one receives when in the company of people who are doing good deeds...
Another sign of ostentation is increasing one's actions when praised and decreasing them in the absence of such praise. In Islamic sacred law, encouragement is not censured.
The root source of ostentation is desire, wanting something from a source other than God.
Performing acts of worship in order to be entrusted with the wealth of an orphan and then misusing it for personal needs. This is hypocrisy, one of the most despised characteristics and most damnable.
Ostentatious display of piety to take advantage of an endowment established for religious purposes and using it for something else. The same is true for any fundraising for religious objectives, which is diverted to other ends. The level of depravity in such fraud is staggering.
A lesser form of ostentation is displaying good works to keep the scorn and criticism of others at bay.
The Imam then speaks of a subtle matter involving people finding pleasure in worship, and how some people are motivated to worship for the purpose of seeking out this pleasure.
There are people, who find this pleasure so compelling that they perform acts of worship for the sake of experiencing it. Some scholars warned against this. God has placed pleasure in rites of worship as a reward for their constant practice, for there is a blessing in worship, and seeking it out should not be belittled, since it is from God Himself.
Imam Mawlu̅d mentions these various opinions[...], perhaps, to alert the worshipper of what people might say to one who seriously treads the road to finer and more meaningful worship of God.
A person performs an act of worship for the sake of God but is pleased when he finds out that others have learned of it. Some scholars consider this ostentation. According to others, it is not ostentation as long as his intention when performing the act was sincerely for the sake of God.
Imam al-Jazu̅lı̅ warns that if a person reads something and comes across some abstruse matter, and thinking it would be good to mention in public, he writes it down or memorizes it, with intention of preparing for the grand moment to unleash this newfound knowledge before people—this is ostentation. Scholars in particular are in danger of this kind of ostentation.
Exceptions: when a worshipper sees that people have abandoned good actions, and so he does them publicly as a way of admonition and as a reminder. For instance, Ibn 'Umar and Ibn Mas'u̅d were known to go to the mosque before dawn in order to perform the night vigil prayer (tahajjud) [...] to encourage others to do the same.
Abandoning a good act out of fear of ostentation is worse than engaging in ostentation itself.
Engaging in remembrance of God (dhikr) with one's tongue, even if the heart is heedless, is better than abandoning it altogether. What a person repeats on his tongue might eventually reach the heart, even if the heart is not yet engaged, for the heart of man lies under his tongue.
The Imam says that the cure for ostentation is the same as the cure for reckless compromise (muda̅hana, see Fear of Poverty). It is to actively and sincerely seek purification of the heart by removing four things: love of praise; fear of blame; desire for worldly benefit from people; and fear of harm from people. This is accomplished by nurturing the certainty (yaqı̅n) that only God can benefit or harm one. This is the essence of the Islamic creed.
Traditionally in the Muslim world, knowledge was the spiritual wealth people wanted to be associated with, not material wealth. It is a remarkable fact about the Muslim world that there were impoverished scholars who achieved great status in the world solely because of their knowledge. Sadly, such is often no longer the case.
God's will cannot be thwarted. Only He possesses the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and only He recompenses people for their actions "in the two abodes," this world and the Hereafter.
A showoff is invariably discovered, humiliated, and then scorned. And ultimately, he is bankrupt because insincerity is not acceptable to God.
Intentional veiling of one's actions from the eyes of people. This way, one's intentions are protected from vanity. This does not mean that one should never perform deeds in front of people, but that one should also do them when others are not watching. Each person is the shepherd of his or her own heart. The night prayer vigil (tahajjud), engaging in dhikr litanies (remembrance of God), reciting Qur'an, and the like are excellent works to perform in privacy.
It is recommended to recite often Sura al-Ikhla̅ṣ (the 112th sura of the Qur'an), which affirms the oneness of God and negates the possibility of there being anything comparable to Him. The Arabic word for "sincerity," ikhla̅ṣ, comes from the root khaluṣa, which means "to be pure", as in pure honey or pure milk. As for one's piety, it can never be pure unless free of ostentation. In the Qur'an, there are two words that point to sincerity: mukhliṣ and mukhlaṣ. The latter is the [passive] participle, which indicates that the agent of purification is external; that is, it is a blessing from God. Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, a thirteenth century scholar, said that it is possible for anyone to have sincerity in what one does and in what one believes, irrespective of creed. However, being mukhlaṣ, purified by God, is reserved for those who have a system of belief and deeds that are concordant with what God has revealed. God loves this kind of human being. Imam Abu al-Ḥasan al-Sha̅dhilı̅, a thirteenth century scholar, once prayed, "O God, make my bad actions the bad actions of those whom You love, and do not make my good actions the good actions of those with whom You are displeased"
Imam Mawlu̅d recommends that one repeat regularly a beautiful supplication of the Prophet ﷺ, known as sayyid al-istighfa̅r (the master supplication for forgiveness). The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever says this when he arises in the morning and [again] in the evening and then dies either that day or that evening will enter the Garden."
"I do not fear that you will worship the sun, the stars, and the moon, but I fear your worshipping other than God through ostentation" (The Prophet ﷺ).
"What I fear most for my community is doing things for other than the sake of God" (The Prophet ﷺ).
"When a believer hears somebody praising him, his faith [ima̅n] increases" [not his pride] (The Prophet ﷺ).
"If the kings knew the pleasure we are in, they would send their armies with swords to take it away from us" (Imam Abu̅ Ḥanı̅fah).
"Whoever loves to do something and loves to be known for it has committed idolatry [shirk]" (Aḥmad ibn Abı̅ al-Ḥawa̅rı̅).
"Whoever desires people to know what is between him and his Lord is in a state of heedlessness" (Sa'd ibn 'Abd Alla̅h).