Salam alaikum,i have some questions regarding showing off. 1. Is it showing off, when you are entering the masjid and you are ashamed of not praying tahiyat al-masjid, because it would be very unusal and strange for the others? If yes, what is, if you are thinking at that moment, that praying tahiyat is better anyway, because it is sunnah and so you pray it with both intentions combined?2. When you are Imam for your family or some brothers, who are visiting you and your iman is weak at that moment and you would not recite a surah after al-fatihah, if you would pray alone, but you are Imam so you are reciting a short surah after al-fatihah, because you are ashamed and it is very uncommon to recite only al-fatihah when someone is imam. Is that showing off? What is if you are thinking, ok it is better anyway and you try to have also the intention to recite because it is sunnah?3. I have read from ibn uthaymeen, that he says that a prayer becomes invalid if you are showing off. What does it mean exactly? In which case becomes it invalid? Do you have to repeat it?Jazakumullahu khayran

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is clear from your previous questions that you suffer from obsessive whispers, so we recommend that you repel these whispers and not pay any attention to them. You should be careful not to respond to the plots of the devil and as a result abandon worship for fear of showing off. Fearing showing off is praiseworthy, but is blameworthy if it leads to obsessive whispers.

The fear of showing off leads the person to perform more acts of worship and strive to do good deeds as well as being vigilant with his heart and perceptive of the tricks of the devil and his plots against people. This is the fear that our Salaf (righteous predecessors) had. As regards fear that destroys the person, makes him lazy in performing acts of obedience and leads to hopelessness and despair of Allaah's mercy, such fear is reprehensible.

You should be fully aware that abundant questions and elaboration in this regard will not give you any more benefit and healing but only more doubts, whispers and affliction. So be very careful not to let the devil cast whispers into your heart, and remember the words of Al-Fudhayl : “Abandoning actions of worship for the sake of people is showing off, performing acts of worship for the sake of people is Shirk, and Ikhlaas (being sincere to Allaah) is when Allaah protects you from both of them.”

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 92308 and 23080.

As regards what Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said about the invalidity of worship, such as prayer and other acts of worship, if they are affected by showing off, it relates to two situations: “The first situation is if the ending of the act of worship does not depend on its beginning; then its beginning is valid in any case and its ending is invalid. An example of this is that a man had a hundred riyals which he set aside for charity; he donated fifty riyals with sincerity and the other fifty riyals to show off – the status of the first fifty is that it is valid charity and the remaining fifty is invalid.

The second case is if the end of the act of worship depends on its beginning and the person was content with showing off and did not repel this feeling of showing off; in this case the entire act of worship is invalid, because its end depends on its beginning and is connected to it. For example, a man prays two Rak‘ahs sincerely for Allaah and in the second Rak'ah he gets a feeling of showing off because he sensed that someone was looking at him, and so he was content with that and desired it – his entire prayer is invalid because it is interconnected.

There is a third case when worship, like the prayer and other acts of worship, becomes invalid: for example, if the original motivation for performing the act of worship was to show off, like if someone stands up to pray for the purpose of showing off and he did not intend to do it for the sake of Allaah – this is Shirk and the act of worship is invalid.” [Summarized from Al-Qawl Al-Mufeed by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen]

This statement of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen suggests that if an act is invalid then it must be repeated. The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads:

“Ash-Shaatibi explains this by saying: Invalidity here has two meanings:

1. That the effects of the act are not a consequence of it in this world, as we say about the acts of worship that they are not valid, do not clear one's liability and do not remove the obligation of performance and so are invalid in this sense because they are contrary to what the Sharee'ah intended by them. They could also be invalid because of a deficiency in some of the pillars or conditions, like lacking a bowing or prostration (in the prayer). We also say about the customary acts that they are invalid in the sense that their benefit is not realized Islamically, such as the realization of possession (of an item), lawfulness of sexual intercourse or the right to use a desired object.

2. The second is that the effect of the act of worship does not result in any consequence in the Hereafter, i.e. in a reward. Here, the act of worship is invalid according to the first sense and so it does not result in reward because it is not in conformity with what the command requires, like someone who worships to show off – it is not sufficient and does not result in reward. But it may be valid according to the first sense and also not result in reward, like if someone gives charity and then follows it up with reminders and abuse. Allaah says (what means): {O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allaah and the Last Day.} [Quran 2:264]” [End of quote]

A footnote to the Encyclopedia reads: “The act of worship not being sufficient due to showing off is a controversial issue. Ibn ‘Aabideen said: "If someone prays to show off or seek fame, his prayer is acceptable in terms of its legal consequence (in this world), because of the fulfillment of its conditions and pillars, but he does not deserve reward. Abu Al-Layth said in An-Nawaazil: Some of our Shaykhs (previous scholars) said, showing off does not affect any of the obligations."”

Allaah Knows best.