What is the reality of showing off In Ibadaat(Riya)? (By Sheikhul Islam Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB)
It is said that Riya (showing off in Ibadaat) occurs when you intend to show your deeds to others, when you perform actions for the sake of people. If you are doing something with this purpose that others may consider you a good worshiper or waliullah, then without a doubt, this is Riya.
However, if your intention is not this, you will not become a show-off simply because people say so. Do everything for the sake of Allah. This is why the Auliya ALLAH have said (and this is something worth remembering) that just as doing something for the sake of people is Riya, doing something to please them is also showing off, which is unlawful and prohibited.
Similarly, leaving an action for the sake of people is also Riya. For instance, if someone has the urge to perform a good deed and an opportunity arises, but they refrain out of fear that people will think he is showing off, this is known as leaving an action for the sake of people, and it too is considered Riya.
One should not leave an action for the sake of others. For example, if a person has a habit of offering Nafl prayer at a particular time in daily routine, but at that time people arrive, or he find himself in a place where people are watching, sometimes Satan puts this thought in his heart that if you continue with your usual prayers, people will see and you may fall into Riya, so you should abandon the action.
However, the AuliyaALLAH have said that no!!! one should not abandon his actions(Ibadaat).
What you regularly do should be completed. If someone considers you a show-off, let them think so. Just as performing an action for the sake of people is Riya, abandoning an action for the sake of people is also Riya.
(Source: Dars-e-Shu’ab Al-Iman, Volume 1, Page 122)