By: Sayyid Ahmad al-Fahri
1. So, woe unto the worshippers, who are neglectful of their prayers, those who (want only) to be seen (by men), but they refuse (to supply even) neighborly needs. (Qur’a-n, 107:4-7)

2. And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Alla-h, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith). (Qur’a-n, 98:5)

3. Is it not to Alla-h that sincere devotion is due? (Qur’a-n, 39:3)

4. Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds, and in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as (His) partner. (Qur’a-n, 18:110)


Pretension in traditions:

In his book Al-Ka-fi, according to isna-d to Yazi-d ibn Khali-fah, the author cites the narrator saying that Abu- Abdulla-h, peace be with him, said to him, “Every form of pretension is shirk. One who works for the sake of pleasing people is to be rewarded by them, and one who works for Alla-h will be rewarded by Alla-h.”

1. In his book Al-A-ma-li, al-Sadu-q says that the Messenger of Alla-h (ص) was once asked, “What will bring us salvation in the life to come?” He (ص) said, “Salvation then will be in not attempting to deceive Alla-h so He lets you be deceived, for anyone who tries to deceive Alla-h will himself be deceived. Conviction will be extracted out of him, and he actually deceives none but his own self.”

He was asked, “How can anyone try to deceive Alla-h?!” The Prophet (ص) said, “He acts upon what Alla-h has enjoined, then by the same action he tries to impress others. So, fear Alla-h and avoid pretension, for it is shirk against Alla-h. A pretender will be called upon the Day of Judgment with four names: O Ka-fir (apostate)! O Fa-jir (debauchee)! O Gha-dir (deceiver)! O Kha-sir (loser)! Your deeds are void, your reward is cancelled, and there is nothing good for you this Day; so, seek your rewards from those for whom you used to work!”

2. In Wasa-‘il al-Shi-‘ah by al-Hurr al-`A-mili, quoting Qurb al-Isna-d, through isna-d traced to the Commander of the Faithful (ع) , the Messenger of Alla-h (ص) has said, “One who makes himself look good by doing what Alla-h loves then in secrecy defies Alla-h by doing what Alla-h hates will find Alla-h angry with him in the Hereafter, holding him in contempt.”

This sacred tradition will later be explained, so wait. There are many such traditions, and what we have stated must suffice and serve the memory.


Meaning of “Pretension”

The word “riya-” (pretension) is derived from “ru’ya” (vision, eyesight), just as the word “sum’a” (reputation) is derived from “sam`'” (hearing). In essence, the meaning of pretension is that one seeks, through the medium of his good deeds, distinction and prominence in the hearts of people, even if this can be achieved through good deeds. But the term, according to the Shari-`a, requires this intention to materialize in the rituals and in the deeds intended for seeking nearness to Alla-h as a condition for their acceptance according to the Shari-`a.

Thereupon, the meaning of pretension is “doing what is supposed to be a deed for the sake of nearness to Alla-h with the intention to seek a status among the people”. The leading ima-m, al-Khomeini, may Alla-h prolong his shade, has made a statement in this regard. Its gist is that pretension, according to him, is not exclusively relevant to an act of worship but is broader than that. He says, “Be informed that pretension is showing people some good deeds, or commendable attributes, or true beliefs in order to achieve a status in their hearts and fame among them that he is kind, sound of belief, trustworthy and pious without truly seeking to please the Almighty. This materializes in certain levels:


First Level:

It has two degrees: In the first degree, one shows off the true beliefs and divine branches of knowledge so he will be famous for being pious and will have a status in people’s hearts such as he may say, “I see none effective in existence save Alla-h,” or he may say, “I rely on none save Alla-h”. Or he may identify himself as being associated with true beliefs by either affiliation or reference. This type of pretension is the most widely circulated. For example, when either reliance on Alla-h or accepting His decree is discussed at a gathering, the pretender will then sigh or move his head to beckon that he is on the path of those who rely on or who accept the decree of Alla-h.

In the second degree, he clears himself of or puts it above false beliefs, seeking distinction and prominence in the hearts whether explicitly or implicitly.


Second Level:

It, too, has two degrees: In the first degree, one demonstrates the commendable attributes and the virtuous faculties seeking distinction and prominence. In the second degree, he holds himself as being above contradictions, clearing himself of contemptible attributes and foul faculties for this same purpose.


Third Level:

It is the pretension known to exist among the faqi-hs, may Alla-h be pleased with them. It, too, has these two degrees: one of them is doing what is required by the Shari-`a or legislated adoration, or doing what is rationally commendable seeking showing them off to people and winning their hearts in a wider sense than doing so through what is meant by pretension when doing the same, or in the way he does it, or in meeting its condition or a portion thereof according to what they have stated in the books of fiqh (jurisprudence). The second is leaving a job for the same.” This is what the ima-m, may Alla-h prolong his shade, describes while classifying norms of pretension.

A scholar of the hereafter has mentioned another classification for pretension after having defined pretension, saying it is what the servants of Alla-h fare with obedience to Him, dividing it into five types:

1. pretension about the faith with the use of the body


3. pretension in speech

4. pretension in action

5. pretension in companionship and in friendliness with the public



You may see this pretender lowering his voice when he speaks so that the listener may be duped into believing that lowering the voice is due to abundance of adoration, or his lips are withered because of continuous fast. It is for this reason that Christ, peace be with him, said, “When one of you fasts, let him oil his head, tidy his hair and use kohl (arras) for his eyes.” The reason why he, peace be with him, said so was out of fear of Satan insinuating pretension.



Another class seeks acceptance among the people of righteousness and the people of the world such as businessmen and the elite. These poor folks feel embarrassed and alarmed because if they wear luxurious clothes, the ascetics and the servants of Alla-h will reject them. And if they wear old worn out clothes, they will perhaps fall in the eyes of the people of this world and in the eyes of the rich. They want to combine between the acceptance of the people of faith and that the people of this world; therefore, they choose clothes the weaving and the fabric of which are valuable, hence the value of their clothes is similar to that of a rich man’s clothing, but its form and color give the impression that it is worn by the righteous.



During a public meeting, he busies himself with repeating holy statements although if he sits alone for hours, his lips do not utter anything of the mention of Alla-h. His denunciation of what is detestable is intense before the public; he expresses sorrow for people committing transgressions, and he is amazed at how they dare to disobey Alla-h. Thus, people may get the impression that he does not commit a transgression, nor does he have the courage to undertake it. The branches of speech pretension exhaust a great deal to mention.

As regarding pretension in action, such as a praying person showing off how he prolongs his standing during the prayers reciting lengthy chapters, especially if he is an ima-m of a group, so that people may recognize his distinction and that he has memorized many chapters of the Holy Qur’a-n, and they envy him for standing so long during his adoration. If he prays at home or outside it, where he is not seen by anyone, he will be satisfied with reciting the shortest chapters. His condition is the same during solemnity and submission as well as lengthy prostration during the prayers. When he is seen by the public, he does so more than during his solitude especially if he is the ima-m of a group.

He goes overboard in showing off his deep adoration, prolonging his prostration especially during the “sajdat al-shukr”, thanksgiving prostration, after the prayer ritual. He may remain prostrating till all those praying behind him disperse. The same applies to the rest of his acts of adoration such as fast, charity and pilgrimage.






If he cannot attract them to visit him, he himself goes to visit the scholars and worshippers so it will be seen that he met many scholars and worshippers from whom he benefited, so he brags about them. If the kind ones and the righteous are mentioned, he sighs and says, “Yes! How often I have met these kind ones, served them and was glad to be at their service!” so the listeners may get to know that serving the friends of Alla-h and the righteous does not go unrewarded by them, that they must definitely have overwhelmed him with their goodness.


Had people come to know the truth, they would have thought ill of him, their belief in him would have departed, and they thought that he committed something ugly by thus sitting at home due to his mind being confused. He was not satisfied with Alla-h’s knowledge of his innocence and the purity of his heart; rather, he is deeply grieved. He may abandon isolation and adoration and comes out to the society. This poor man, though having no desire for people’s funds nor for their companionship, looked forward to their good thoughts of him, their praise of him, so the love for prominence set its roots in his heart, and his poor soul felt satisfied with this much pleasure.

This is a collection of the things that entertain pretenders’ minds. They all seek prominence and recognition in the hearts of people. Pretension has other sources the mention of which is lengthy, and one who is loved by Alla-h may feel alert about them, for if Alla-h loves a servant of His, He enables him to see his own faults.


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