The Different Forms of Showing-Off

Shaykh Zubair Marjalvi حفظه الله said:

If you want to find out if you are afflicted with the disease of showing-off, see if any of the following scenarios fit your situation. If they do, then you must seek its cure.

Hypocrisy

This person shows people that he is apparently a Muslim while concealing disbelief in his heart. This act of showing-off is contrary to Tawheed and disbelief in Allah.

Insincerity

This person does not perform an act for Allah’s sake, hoping that people will recognize his efforts and achievements. If sincerity for Allah’s sake is not intended here, this is a form of hypocrisy, opposing Tawheed.

Compliments

This person performs a deed for Allah’s sake, then feels content when people start to complement him for his worship, hoping for their complements to keep on increasing. This feeling of contentment and happiness from being praised and complemented and wishing for this to increase is from the hidden characteristics of showing-off.

Body

This person shows the paleness or yellowness of his face and the weakness of his build so that people see him as a devout and pious worshiper who has been overcome with fear of the Hereafter. Sometimes, this person also shows-off by lowering or numbing his voice so that people become aware that he is fasting or he is hungry.

Clothes

This person wears a defected Islamic attire so that people refer him as an ascetic, or he dresses himself in an attire worn specifically by a group of people who people consider to be amongst the scholars, so his intent is to be called a scholar as well.

Actions

This person shows-off his prayers by taking his time when bowing and prostrating, attempting to show his focus and serenity. He shows-off in his recitations, speeches, fasts, pilgrimages, charities etc.

Speech

This is found in those ‘religious’ individuals who memorize narrations of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions, only to engage in advising and exhorting people through arguments, disputes, debates and boasting about one’s knowledge.

Meet & Visit

This person goes through a lot of difficulty to meet a scholar, so that it is said that so-and-so went to meet so-and-so! This person also invites these scholars, so that it is said that religious people visit this person.

Self-criticism

This person criticizes and belittles himself in front of others, so that the on-lookers or listeners consider him a humble individual and relay their views to others. This person hopes that people praise and glorify him, which helps his status and rank to increase. This is from the minute forms of showing-off.

Fame

Also from the minute forms of showing-off is that a person conceals his good deeds, hoping that people don’t learn about it, nor is he pleased if people do learn about it. Despite this, when he looks at others, he hopes that people rush to greet him, be in a happy mood, respect him, praise him and describe him to others, fulfill his needs warm-heartedly and be lenient with him when he buys or sells anything. If this does not happen, he feels sorrow and pain in his heart, as if he desires that his good-deeds were recompensed with people’s praises and respect.