What is the ruling on showing off (riya') in sciences of instruments such as literature and language? And is one sinful who learns them for show so that it may be said of him that he is eloquent or a historian?
Non- sciences do not require sincerity to Allah, unlike Sharia sciences, which must be sought for the sake of Allah. Non-Sharia sciences are divided into praiseworthy, blameworthy, and permissible. Praiseworthy sciences are related to worldly interests like medicine and arithmetic; some are a communal obligation (fard kifaya) and some are a virtue. The blameworthy include magic and sorcery. The permissible include poetry and history. Ostentation (riya') in non-Sharia sciences is not absolutely forbidden like ostentation in acts of worship; rather, its ruling is the same as ostentation in non-worship matters, and it has details: it may be permissible, an act of obedience, or blameworthy, depending on its purpose.
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