Is a person considered a hypocrite if their prayer and ablution are better in the mosque and in the presence of people in order to avoid whispers (waswas) and strange movements? And is the prayer invalidated if whispers occur after the intention to perform the act, without verbalization, but one disregards them and immediately says "Allahu Akbar"? And is a deed invalidated or its reward diminished if a person likes people to know about it, or fears their blame, while intending to complete it whether people know or not? What is the ruling on lying when answering questions about prayer, and does it necessitate making up previous prayers? Does excessive spitting after rinsing the mouth invalidate the fast in Ramadan? Does prolonging prostration for pleasure invalidate the deed? What is the ruling on intending to wake up for Fajr prayer with the aim of academic activity for the service of Islam?
Hypocrisy (Riya') is more dangerous than the creeping of an ant. Its cure is through the supplication: "O Allah, we seek refuge in You from associating anything with You knowingly, and we seek Your forgiveness for what we do not know." Abandoning an action for the sake of people is hypocrisy (riya'), and performing an action for their sake is polytheism (shirk). Spitting does not invalidate the fast, nor do spiritual pleasures invalidate acts of worship. We advise those afflicted by these whispers to ignore them, for they are ill, and there is no blame upon them. For religion is ease, and Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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