Niyyah, riya', and refusing to diagnose anyone else's heart
The Prophet ﷺ said that actions are only by intentions. He also warned that riya' — showing off — is a subtle form of shirk. This lesson takes both seriously, without giving anyone permission to diagnose another person's motives from the outside.
Overview
What you will learn: how the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ describe niyyah and riya'; why the hadith that 'actions are only by intentions' was framed in the first person and is not a tool for judging other people; the distinction between public action and performative action; and how to think about visible charitable work — including social-media fundraising — without cynicism.
Sahih al-BukhariBook: Book of the Beginning of Revelation№ 1Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic)Graded by Al-Bukhari (by inclusion in his Sahih); the opening hadith of the Sahih
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended. So whoever's emigration was to Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was to Allah and His Messenger; and whoever's emigration was to attain some worldly gain or to marry a woman, his emigration was to that for which he emigrated.”
Context: Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab. Parallel narration in Sahih Muslim (no. 1907). Included as no. 1 in Imam al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith. This narration is the classical proof-text on niyyah across all four Sunni madhhabs.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari.
What this means
Umar's narration is placed by al-Bukhari at the very opening of his Sahih, and by al-Nawawi as the first of his Forty Hadith. The wording is precise: actions are by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended. The Prophet ﷺ then gives his own example — the emigration that looks identical from the outside is not identical to Allah, because the emigration for Allah and His Messenger is not the same as the emigration for a worldly gain or a marriage. The hadith is entirely first-person. It does not authorise the listener to inspect anyone else's motives.
Al-Baqarah · 2:264
O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders [of it] or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day.— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Translation source: The Qur'an — English translation of the meaning.
What this means
Al-Baqarah 2:264 warns against charity that is invalidated by riya' — spent only to be seen. Ibn Kathir reads this alongside Surah Al-Ma'un's short, blunt indictment of those who make a show of their deeds. Both passages address the giver, not the observer. The Qur'an is warning us about our own hearts. It is not equipping us with a lens for judging our neighbour's.
Al-Ma'un · 107:4
So woe to those who pray —— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Translation source: The Qur'an — English translation of the meaning.
Al-Ma'un · 107:5
[But] who are heedless of their prayer —— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Translation source: The Qur'an — English translation of the meaning.
Al-Ma'un · 107:6
Those who make show [of their deeds]— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Translation source: The Qur'an — English translation of the meaning.
Musnad AhmadBook: Musnad of Mahmud ibn Labid№ 23630Ḥasan (good)Graded by Judged hasan by supporting chains by later scholars including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani; used by al-Suyuti in Jami' al-Saghir. Some chain-grading noted as weak in isolation; the meaning is corroborated by multiple parallel reports.
“The thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk. They said: 'What is the lesser shirk, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Riya' — showing off. On the Day of Resurrection, when people are recompensed for their deeds, Allah will say to the show-offs: Go to those whom you used to show off for in the world, and see whether you find any reward with them.'”
Context: Narrated by Mahmud ibn Labid. Standard classical reference for the concept of riya' as al-shirk al-asghar (lesser shirk).
Source: Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
What this means
The narration in the Musnad of Ahmad names riya' as al-shirk al-asghar — lesser shirk — and describes it in the most sobering possible way: on the Day of Resurrection, those who acted for the sake of being seen will be told to seek their reward from the people they were performing for, and to see whether any reward is to be found there. Al-Ghazali's Ihya' — particularly the Book of the Condemnation of Status and Showing Off (Kitab Dhamm al-Jah wa al-Riya') — treats this as one of the central diseases of the soul, and works through it with striking psychological honesty.
What this means
The classical framing distinguishes public action from performative action. Public action is action done in front of others because that is where the action happens to occur — praying at the masjid, teaching a class, running a food distribution. Performative action is action shaped by the desire to be seen — done more elaborately, more visibly, or done at all, because someone is watching. The first is not riya'. The second is.
What this does not mean
This lesson does not diagnose the intentions of donors, volunteers, influencers, charities or fundraisers. Al-Ghazali is explicit that the ruling on riya' concerns what is in a person's heart, and only the individual and Allah know what is in it. A visible fundraising campaign is not proof of riya'; a hidden gift is not proof of ikhlas. Social-media fundraising is not condemned in this lesson, and neither is donor recognition — the previous lesson on private and public giving already covered both. What this lesson does is name the disease so each person can examine themselves.
Connecting the concern to dignity and accountability
Two connected concerns follow. First, recipient dignity: performative charity often uses the person receiving help as a prop, which the lesson on The Dignity of the Person Receiving Help addresses directly. Second, truthful impact reporting: a charity that reports what it actually did is telling the truth about visible action, and truth-telling is not riya' — it is a fiduciary duty. The Ethical Storytelling in Charity lesson keeps the line between accountability and exploitation.
Application today
This week, before giving publicly, ask yourself a specific question rather than a general one: 'If nobody sees this gift, would I still make it, at the same amount, this week?' The question is not a test to pass; the answer is between you and Allah. But the practice of asking it — even sometimes — is one of the small disciplines the tradition of niyyah is built for.
Reflection
What is one act of charity or worship in your life that would look different — smaller, less frequent, or entirely absent — if no one else could see it?
