Reference: Fataawa Noor ‘alad-Darb – Question No.6185, Pages 11-12, Volume 12
Question: What is the [best] way to purify our actions for the Sake of Allaah Ta’aala – making it free of [any] arrogance, showing off or pride?
Response: The way to [achieve] that is for a person to worship Allaah [alone], hoping for the reward [for doing so] from Allaah [alone]; and he must not do so hoping to be praised by the people, or for them to have good dealings with him.
Secondly, he must know the people will not benefit him with anything other than what Allaah has already written for him, and [likewise] they will not harm him with anything other than what Allaah has already written for him, in which case he should not be concerned about them [in any way] – whether they come to know of his acts of worship or not, and whether they praise him [for that] or not.
However, Shaytaan tends to whisper, and when a person wants to do an act of worship he will say to him: ‘You are about to do that [act of worship] seeking to show off’ – and as a result he abandons the thought of doing so; and this is Shaytaan [merely] jesting with him!
So that which is required [of the Muslim] when he feels this, is to say:
«أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْم»
«I seek refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan the accursed»
…and he should then continue with his act of worship. And he shall find when he continues upon this path, any feeling of showing off he feels within himself will disappear [in shaa.-Allaah].
