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-Will he who embraced the fundamental principle of faith, yet was hypocritical in some of his deeds, enter Paradise from the outset?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Vituperation of showing off (riya') is mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah, including His, the Almighty's, saying: (Those who show off) [Al-Ma'un: 6], and the hadith: "I am the Most Self-Sufficient, having no need of a partner."

The effect of showing off on a deed: 1. Pure showing off: The deed is purely for the sake of showing off to creatures for a worldly purpose, like the hypocrites. This deed is void, and its doer deserves punishment. 2. A deed for Allah, but showing off is involved: If showing off is involved in the very origin of the deed: The deed is void and fruitless, as in the hadith: "I am the Most Self-Sufficient, having no need of a partner." If the origin of the deed was for Allah, then showing off occurred: If the thought of showing off was repelled: It does not harm the deed. If one succumbed to showing off: Scholars differed, and the preferred view is that the deed is not invalidated by it, and one is recompensed based on the initial intention. This applies to deeds where the end is connected to the beginning, such as prayer. As for deeds without such a connection, like recitation and remembrance, the deed is cut off by the sudden intention of showing off and requires renewing the intention. 3. A deed purely for Allah, then Allah bestows praise upon the doer: This does not harm it, and it is "the immediate good news for the believer."

Showing off is a minor shirk (associating partners with Allah). If one dies upon it without repentance, their matter is with Allah, the Almighty. This is the belief of the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah regarding those who commit sins.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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