The punishment for showing off (riya’)

Question

Showing off (riya’) in acts of worship has been called “lesser shirk” (shirk asghar) in the hadiths. Will the one who commits this lesser shirk also abide in the Fire forever, or will he be released after remaining in Hell for some time?

Answer

If in principle a person performs worship for Allah ﷻ, but some admixture of showing off creeps into it, this will not lead to abiding in the Fire forever. But it is extremely necessary to watch over one’s acts of worship so that they are completely pure of showing off, and for this, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) and supplication (du‘a’) are also necessary.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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