'Ar-Riya' and 'Sumrah': Sins of Vanity

We should never make a display of our good deeds. Islam attaches great importance to sincerity. This is one of the reasons why we have been warned against what is called Ar-Riya and Sumrah.

Ar-Riya is commonly called “ostentation”, “vanity” or “doing deeds to show others.” Sumrah on the other hand refers to a deed we do for the sole purpose for others to talk about it.

One of the ways the Devil poisons the sincerity of a believer is by getting him to tell others about his good deeds, that is to say, to “make it public”. Here are some examples where a person consciously (or unconsciously) commits Ar-Riya or Sumrah by placing in his conversation to another person the following sentences:

1. “When I got up at 3 am for Tahajjud, it was cold.”

2. “Alhamdulillah, through the supererogatory fasts which I observed I managed to lose a few extra pounds.”

3. “I like to give alms when I get the chance ...”

4. “Verily Quran reading is a source of tranquillity. Every day after I finished reading the Quran after the Maghrib prayer, I feel like a weight off my shoulders...”

In several ahadith, the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) taught us that one of the qualities of a good believer is that he does not make known his good deeds in public. He (pbuh) said: “Seven people will be shaded by Allah on the Day when there will be no shade but His... a person who spends in charity and conceals it such that his right hand does not know what his left hand has given...” (Bukhari, Muslim).

'Killing of Innocents is against Islam'

The face of the Muslim world is increasingly stained with the blood of the innocents. In the recent past, imperial interventions over a number of Muslim countries have unleashed political consequences and  thereby, exacerbated sectarian tensions among different ethnic and religious groups. Trapped in the quagmire of the sectarian tensions between the Shias and the Sunnis,  in many States- Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, etc- a host of terror groups are operating  in the name of Islam- ranging from the Taliban in Afghanistan/Pakistan to the ISIL ( the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) under its Caliph Abu Baker al Baghdadi. These entities have poisoned the fair name of Islam by inextricably linking their quest for political power-grabbing with Islamic ethics. They make world headlines for all the wrong reasons in our times- including the destruction of historic monuments and cultural artefacts of enduring significance for the human civilization. They commit wanton and indiscriminate murders in the name of Allah. The targets of their attacks are not just the religious/sectarian/political opponents. The most brutal and heinous killing of innocents- women, children and even innocent civilians who have not taken arms against them- have been rightly described in the media as a crime against humanity. The victims of ISIL, for instance, include fellow brethren-in-faith, the Shiah Muslims and also the other religious minority groups in the region such as the ancient Yazidi community and the Arab Christians who over centuries, lived amicably among their Muslim brethren in the Middle East. 

In this complex, political and religious matrix, it is important to assert and reclaim Islam and its original, peaceful teachings that holds human life as a sacred responsibility. Unlike what  the ISIL in Iraq/Syria and the Taliban in Afghanistan/Pakistan assert, Islamic teachings promote social peace and tolerance of diversities under the rule of law- the maintenance of amicable relations among different, religious communities by recognizing the sanctity of life. In his Friday Sermon of February 27, 2015 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius eloquently explains the Islamic norms for the balancing and stabilization of social life and peaceful co-existence, with the framework of Islamic law recognizing equitable retaliation only for the purpose of meeting the exigencies of justice and for preserving social order against extreme evils.

The Instrumental Role of Divine Revelations

Revelation may be a single word but its meaning is immense, just like a drop of water rippling a whole ocean. The nature of revelation is various, and among the types of revelations, we have satanic whisperings also which are not to be confused with the spiritual truthful context of revelations, that is, Divine Revelations. Any person can receive divine inspirations, yet divine revelations, as pure and frequent as that received by messengers of Allah are of an exquisite nature, which leaves no doubt as to the source of this special light. Therefore, revelation in Islam is tantamount to the extraordinary connection which links an exceptional servant of Allah to His Lord. ( Inset: a depiction of the archangel Gabriel instructing Divine revelations to the Holy Prophet (sa), from the manuscript Jami' al-tawarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, AD 1307). 

This servant of Allah comes to taste of a special bond through which Allah reveals Himself to His servant, and little by little – just like a gardener who waters a newly planted seed into the soil to see it grow big, strong and productive – this servant of Allah through dreams, visions, divine inspirations and revelations grows from one spiritual state to the other and in capacity of exceptional blessed instrument of Allah, he gets to receive within him such light as to illuminate the whole world. His being becomes an object of light, a beacon of light as to attract those who are within the nexus of the pleasure of Allah to perceive his light, just like a radar emitting a powerful signal, to manifest his presence among the people of the earth, especially, those endowed with true knowledge. (Inset: Prophet Moses (as) with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, a painting by Rembrandt (1659).  

Very often, these people who are qualified as “Ulul’al-Baab” (People of understanding, people endowed with true knowledge) are very humble in nature. They may be viewed as hopeless and poor people in the eyes of men, whereas in the eyes of the Almighty, their status is most high. This is because they do not sell their consciousness and pure heart and faith to the attractions of this world; they do not let themselves be attached to it. A person also can be rich and be among the true Ulul’al-Baab because despite the money and riches he earns, yet he is not greedy for it, and canalise this wealth in its proper channel, that is to say, he obeys the instructions and commandments of the Quran and he shares his wealth to the poor in the proportions made obligatory to him by Allah, and also those parts of his wealth that he gives in charity, with good faith as a voluntary action due to tenderness of his heart to help the less fortunate and also the community of believers in Dawah Mission (Inviting and Bringing people to Allah, to Islam).

Therefore, the Ulul’al-Baab, whether rich or poor, or in-between (neither too rich nor poor) captures the signal emitted by the special radar sent by Allah, so that within the circle of this exquisite connection one may be able to reach to Allah without any doubt. This Messenger of Allah, the Holder of Light, the guidance to the world comes to teach people how to get this connection with Allah. And this he is able to do with the help of the Ruh-il-Quddus (Holy Spirit).

Like I have always told my disciples in Mauritius ever since the beginning of the Divine Manifestation, connection with Allah comes with a purification of the heart, and it is in that state of purification – whereby there is no doubt as to the truthfulness of the Spiritual Guide (that is, this humble self) and the Divine Manifestation – and with belief, faith, and trust that the God who has sent His Messenger with the Holy Spirit has indeed the power of speech despite having no tongue to talk, that the person in question can reach to Allah. I am talking for the current Divine Manifestation of this age, because I have been sent in this era to you all to guide you to Allah, and thus, belief, faith and trust in the veracity of this humble self is essential if someone wants to get to the exquisite proximity of Allah taking this humble self as guide and mentor.