An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
4. Sincerity
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it. Do not acquire it in order thereby to enhance
yourselves. Otherwise a time will come when
learning will be used as an adornment in the
manner of clothes.
LUST FOR FAME THE WORST SINGLE
DANGER-FOR MAN
On his deathbed Shaddad ibn Aus said to those
around him: “What I fear most for this community
is ostentation and the harbouring of secret desires.”
The meaning of” secret desires” was explained by
Sufyan Thauri: “It is the fondness of praise for one’s
good deeds.” When the Prophet himself was
questioned on this subject, he said that” secret
desires” were harboured, for example, by those
who sought knowledge because the idea that
people would then come and sit at their feet was
pleasing to them.
(JAMI‘ BAYAN AL-‘ILM)
ACTING ‘TO BE SEEN BY MEN’
Abu Hurayrah records the Prophet as having
exhorted his followers to seek refuge from the Pit of
