Avoid Show off

I tell you truthfully that you will not find a person better than a man of God who does a good deed and wishes that no one knows about it.

I have read a story about a divine in Tadhkiratul-Auliya’ that there was a divine in need. He delivered a sermon, during which he also said that he needed some money. ‘I need funds for religious purposes, but there is no money. I seek help from someone.’ Listening to the divine’s sermon and the need for funds for religious work, and considering him a righteous person, a person donated ten thousand rupees. The divine collected the money and greatly praised him for his generosity and benevolence. He said, ‘God shall greatly reward this person.’

Hearing these comments, the donor felt saddened that as he had been praised in this world, he might be deprived of the reward on the Day of Judgment. He left the gathering but returned after a short while and proclaimed, ‘I made a mistake in giving you the money as was not mine. In fact, it belonged to my mother and I was not entitled to spend it. I had brought the money without her permission, and she does not want to donate it. She is demanding her money, and therefore, please return me the donated amount.’

The divine returned the money. However, people in the gathering denounced the donor. They said that it seemed that there was an ill intention. ‘It looks like he became emotional on hearing the sermon and donated the money. Now, the love of money has made him change his mind, and he has made a lame excuse.’ Anyway, the donor took his money and left.

A short while ago people were praising him, and now they were denouncing him, saying that he was unwise. ‘Why he did not ask his mother for the money before coming here.’ Some said that he was a liar; he felt terrible after donating the money and fabricated this excuse, etc., The meeting concluded, and the divine also left.

Time passed, and it was dead of the night. The donor quietly arrived again at the house of the divine at two in the morning. He awoke him from sleep, gave him the same ten thousand rupees, and submitted that the money was donated for the sake of God and not to seek any praise from you. ‘You openly praised me and deprived me of the reward on the Day of Judgment. It was not my intention. I resolved to shun temptations of the devil and made an excuse. This money is yours, but my name should not be mentioned to anyone. Now I ask you to swear that you will not mention this donation till death.’ On hearing this, the religious man started weeping.

The donor asked, ‘Why did you weep.’ He replied, ‘I wept because of your keeping the matter secret, you will be criticized as long as these people are around. Everyone knows what happened yesterday, but no one knows that you returned it to me. They are unaware of the reality which you have asked not to disclose’, the divine said. The donor replied, ‘I am happy to accept these curses as I want to avoid hypocrisy’, and left.

Eventually, God disclosed the entire story to the public. God gives respect to those who secretly develop a friendship with Him. A righteous person fights with his inciting self and tries to hide his [good] deeds. He keeps his [good] deeds secret but God always discloses such secrets.

A wicked person wants to hide his evil deeds after committing them, similarly, a righteous man worships in secret, and fears that no one sees him. A truly righteous desires a kind of secrecy. Righteousness has many degrees and it requires inconvenience, and the righteous are always in a state of war, but a pious has finished this battle. As I have mentioned above about show-off as an example, a righteous person has to fight it at all times.

(Malfuzat, Vol. 6, p. 335–336; see also Malfuzat, Vol. 8, p. 389–390; see also Malfuzat, Vol. 1, p. 22–23; see also Malfuzat, Vol. 10 p. 409)1