Adapted from the book "Shirk ke Chaur Darwazay" by Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi and Hafiz Mahmood al-Khudri
Such practices gradually strip the soul of sincerity, making one void of ikhlāṣ fi al-dīn. This deficiency eventually penetrates even the fundamental obligations and pillars of the religion, where riyā’ (showing off) begins to dominate—a sin the Prophet ﷺ identified as shirk asghar (minor shirk).
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الأَصْغَرُ ... الرِّيَاءُ))
“The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk.”
The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is minor shirk?”
He ﷺ replied, “Riyā’ (showing off).”
Musnad Ahmad 5/428, Hadith 23630 – Graded ḥasan by Shu‘ayb al-Arna’oot, and also by Ibn Hajar in Bulugh al-Maram, p. 302; Mundhiri graded it as good in al-Targhib 1/69
When riyā’ becomes deeply rooted in the heart, it weakens the fear of Allah, allowing satanic deception to gradually lead the person into major shirk.
Allah reveals in the Qur’an:
(قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ)
Surah Sad: 82–83
“Iblis said: ‘By Your Might! I will surely mislead them all—except Your sincere servants among them.’”
Riyā’ is the antithesis of sincerity. Once it settles in the heart, the person becomes susceptible to shirk under the influence of Shayṭān.
A dangerous trait of innovation is that it removes the fear of Allah. When people of bid‘ah are warned about their shirk-based or innovative practices, rather than trembling in fear and turning in repentance upon hearing the commands of the Qur’an and Sunnah, they:
This is the hallmark of hearts hardened by innovation and riyā’.
Islam Mein Bid‘at o Ḍalālat ke Muḥarrikāt, pp. 26–27 (with slight adaptation)
✿ The Creation of Innovations (Aḥdāth)
Innovations (بدعات) are not merely deviations in worship—they serve as a ladder to showing off (riyā’) and a gateway to shirk. The people of innovation do not perform their acts with the intention of earning Allah’s pleasure; instead, their motivation is often self-promotion, vanity, and competing with others in public religious displays.Such practices gradually strip the soul of sincerity, making one void of ikhlāṣ fi al-dīn. This deficiency eventually penetrates even the fundamental obligations and pillars of the religion, where riyā’ (showing off) begins to dominate—a sin the Prophet ﷺ identified as shirk asghar (minor shirk).
The Danger of Riya’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:((أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الأَصْغَرُ ... الرِّيَاءُ))
“The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk.”
The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is minor shirk?”
He ﷺ replied, “Riyā’ (showing off).”
Musnad Ahmad 5/428, Hadith 23630 – Graded ḥasan by Shu‘ayb al-Arna’oot, and also by Ibn Hajar in Bulugh al-Maram, p. 302; Mundhiri graded it as good in al-Targhib 1/69
From Riyā’ to Shirk Akbar
When riyā’ becomes deeply rooted in the heart, it weakens the fear of Allah, allowing satanic deception to gradually lead the person into major shirk.Allah reveals in the Qur’an:
(قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ)
Surah Sad: 82–83“Iblis said: ‘By Your Might! I will surely mislead them all—except Your sincere servants among them.’”
Riyā’ is the antithesis of sincerity. Once it settles in the heart, the person becomes susceptible to shirk under the influence of Shayṭān.
The Response of People of Innovation
A dangerous trait of innovation is that it removes the fear of Allah. When people of bid‘ah are warned about their shirk-based or innovative practices, rather than trembling in fear and turning in repentance upon hearing the commands of the Qur’an and Sunnah, they:- Offer baseless justifications,
- Become enraged at the truth,
- And persist in their corrupt acts even more openly and stubbornly.
This is the hallmark of hearts hardened by innovation and riyā’.
Islam Mein Bid‘at o Ḍalālat ke Muḥarrikāt, pp. 26–27 (with slight adaptation)