Question: Does it cause kufr (disbelief), as it is riyaa’, to perform salat properly in the presence of my father-in-law-to-be or to perform the sunnat of Salat al-Asr in the presence of him though I usually abandon it in his absence? I have read a hadith-i sharif saying that riyaa’ is minor shirk. Is it riyaa’, too, to go on hajj for commercial purposes?
ANSWER
A person who stains his acts of worship with riyaa’ (ostentation, doing acts of worship for show) will have the rewards of them reduced. If he does acts of worship purely and simply for ostentation, he cannot earn any rewards, but he does not become a kafir (disbeliever). Performing acts of worship so that one may ask assistance from Allahu ta’ala for worldly affairs would not be riyaa’. For example, performing salat for rain or performing Salat al-Istikhara for the purpose of seeking guidance from Allahu ta’ala is not riyaa’. The following actions do not constitute riyaa’: receiving payment for being the imam of a mosque and for being a Qur’an teacher, or reciting verses of the Qur’an in order to get rid of worldly troubles like distress, sickness, or poverty. These actions contain intentions of both worship and worldly benefits. If these actions did not include intention of worshiping at all, then they would be riyaa’. If the intention of worshiping outweighs other intentions, then one will earn reward. Showing one’s worships to others in order to encourage them to do the same or in order to teach them does not constitute riyaa’. On the contrary, it is a very good deed, and one will earn many rewards for doing so.

If one starts to perform salat with the sole purpose of gaining the pleasure of Allahu ta’ala but later on sinks into riyaa’, that later materialized riyaa’ will not harm that person. Obligatory acts of worship performed with riyaa’ will still be valid, and one’s duty of doing them will be counted as accomplished. However, one will not get reward for them. It is declared in a hadith-i sharif:
(To a person who performs his act of worship with riyaa’ will be said in the hereafter, “Go back and ask reward from that one [for whom you performed acts of worship].”) [Ibn Majah]

A person who goes on hajj for both trade and hajj gets reward if hajj occupies the major part of his intention. If his intention for trade is greater or if the two intentions are equal, he cannot attain reward for hajj. But if he fulfils its precepts, he will be considered to have done the fard only. Thus, he will escape the torment for not having done the fard. So is the case with the reward for any act of worship or pious deed which is done for ostentation. (Durr-ul-mukhtar)

Question: People praise me for going to the mosque, and I get a lot of pleasure from their words of praise. For this reason, I go to join the jama’at so that everybody commends me. But I have learnt that what I do is riyaa’. Is it better for me not to go to the mosque to stay away from riyaa’?
ANSWER
You must perform fard salats in the mosque even if there is a danger that it will cause ostentation. Mosques are built in order for people to perform salat there. Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani stated:

“One must perform voluntary acts of worship secretly. Thus, there will not be the danger of ostentation. However, this ruling does not apply to performing salat in jama’at. One must offer obligatory acts of worship publicly and show them to everybody because obligatory acts of worship do not contain the stain of show-off. Therefore, it is appropriate to perform obligatory salats in jama’at” (Vol. 1, Letter 288).

Question: Most of the time I neglect to perform the sunnat salats of Salat al-Asr and Salat al-Isha out of laziness. But whenever in company with my friends, I feel obliged to perform them. If I were alone, I would not perform them. As my performing sunnat salats lest they condemn me is an act of riyaa’, I, in order not to commit riyaa’, only pretend to be performing salat without making niyyah (intention). Is what I do correct?
ANSWER
It is not correct. You should perform sunnat salats in the way as they were prescribed. We perform salat for the sake of Allah, not our friends. That is, you must intend salat for the pleasure of Allah. There is no problem if you perform salat with the goal of winning Allah’s pleasure.

If salat is performed for the pleasure of Allah but at the same time contains riyaa’, this riyaa’ does not constitute shirk (associating others with Allah in worship), nor will this salat be useless or in vain. When a Muslim is doing a deed for Allah, riyaa’ may surface in him. However, doing an act of worship with riyaa’ cannot be termed shirk. Similarly, doing an act of worship for a benefit does not constitute shirk or kufr. For example, even if the intention of a person going on hajj is to earn money or bring cheap goods from there, it cannot be termed shirk.