Can a servant be a hypocrite to his Lord, while He knows what is within himself? And how can a servant guard against hypocrisy and conceit? And is a person a hypocrite if he cares about how people view him?

All praise is due to Allah.

We congratulate the questioner on his return to righteousness and give him the glad tidings that Allah has accepted his repentance and rejoices in it, as He says: “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” (Quran 39:53) And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah rejoices more over the repentance of His servant than one of you who finds his lost camel in a barren land.” (Agreed upon).

Your inner feeling of doubt—whether your acts of worship are hypocrisy—might be a feeling of inadequacy in the perfection of your devotion to Allah, or a weakness in your self-supervision, or it could be whispers from Satan to discourage you. You should know that fear of hypocrisy was a characteristic of the righteous predecessors. It is reported that Ibrahim al-Taymi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “No one is safe from hypocrisy but he who fears it, and no one feels safe from it but he who is a hypocrite.” And it is reported that Ibn Abi Mulayka said: “I met thirty companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), all of whom feared hypocrisy for themselves.”

However, this fear should not lead to despair or abandonment of good deeds. On the contrary, it should motivate you to strive more sincerely and devotedly to Allah, seeking His pleasure and fearing His punishment. It is Satan who wants to make you despair of Allah’s mercy and prevent you from doing good deeds.

Regarding your statement “crumbs of obedience” (فتات الطاعة), this is not an appropriate phrase. Any act of obedience, no matter how small, is accepted by Allah and rewarded, as Allah says: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” (Quran 99:7-8)

There is a difference between blameworthy showing off (riya’) and rejoicing when people become aware of one’s good deeds. The first is when one performs good deeds for the sake of people, while the second is when one rejoices because Allah has shown his good deeds to people, and people have come to know of them, so they follow his example. This is not blameworthy; rather, it is a sign of Allah’s acceptance of his deeds and His granting him a good reputation among people. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked about a man who performs a good deed and people praise him for it. He said: “That is the hastened good tidings of the believer.” (Muslim).

And Allah knows best.