Q: An ustaad said here in a sermon about the characteristics of people that have riya (besides showing off ibadah), kindly answer yes if any of this is true:
1.) If a person is always concerned about other peoples opinion, then he is not free from riya.
2.) If he has a desire in his heart and is eager to be praised, noticed, appreciated & admired by the people then he is not also free from riya.
3.) If he is always concerned about how to please people, then he is not free from riya.
4.) If he fears the criticism of (un-Islamic) people, he is not free from riya.
5.) If he constantly worrys about what people might think about him , he is not free from riya.
6.) If a person is free from any of the abovementioned, then he can assure that he is safe from riya. This kind of shocked me because I thought riya was just showing off your ibadaah to people.
A: These are not confirmations of riya but it is possible that these may have some element of riya.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)