Is Telling Others about One’s Obligatory Worship Considered as Showing-Off?

Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra

Question

Is saying to others that we perform our obligatory acts of worship (for example, the five daily prayers) considered ostentation?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is not ostentatious to tell others that you perform the obligatory acts of worship because there is no show-off in doing what everyone must be doing as a moral duty. These can also be performed publicly since others can take a beneficial example from this. Any worry, guilt, or misgivings in this regard should be ignored. [Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din]

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.