These people hid their deeds, so Allah the Most High hid for them that which no

eye has seen and no ear has heard. (Hassan Al-Basri)

Performing good deeds away from the scrutinizing eyes of people overwhelms a
believer with an aura of a special kind, a thrill and an indescribable closeness to
Allah

. No words can ever describe such a feeling as words are limited yet, the

proximity to Allah

is the complete opposite of that. Only those who struggle

to achieve this can experience it. An action done truly for the sake of Allah
,
with the intention of pleasing Him alone rather than awaiting the recognition and
appreciation of other people, is what leads to the manifestation of contentment
and absolute joy in the heart of a believer.
Moreover, in addition to the pleasure one feels when doing something solely for
the sake of Allah
, the solitude helps a believer rid themselves of a destructive
heart disease that if not treated as soon as detected, could eventually decompose
ones eeman, hence leaving them with a hard heart, naoothibillah.
And this heart disease is called Riya/Hypocrisy
It is when one pretends to be doing good but their intentions are actually evil and
corrupt. It causes a person to perform an action for other people to see and
applaud and not just for the sake of Allah

Allah
warns us in the Quran:
He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal
and what you declare. And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts. 1
Many a times, when we perform good deeds, we feel satisfied every time a
person notices and complements. However, that should not be our attitude to
praise. As scholars would always say, we have to learn to be uncomfortable with
praise. Naturally, but not all the time, excessive praise causes our intentions to
change, thereby leading us to perform a deed to please others and not just
Allah
. We become accustomed to it to the extent that future actions are done
for more praise to be earned rather than for the pleasure of our Creator. To
ensure that our intentions are always sincere and that our actions are solely for
the sake of Allah

, we should increase the number of deeds done in secret as

that would result in truthful worship: that which Allah

loves. Good deeds in

solitude teach us that Allah

is the only one worthy of our attention and that
we should expect our reward from Him alone, and no one else.
Story Time!
Inspirational stories, especially from the time of the Prophet
, are absolutely
important to refer to because not only are they informative, but
also transformative.

1) During the funeral of Sad ibn Muath

, Prophet Mohammed
was seen
to be lifting his thobe and walking on his tiptoes. When asked about it, he said he
couldnt lay his feet on the ground from the number of angels that have
descended from the sky to attend the funeral 70,000 angels they were. The
reason behind that? He used to perform an action just between him and
Allah
.2.SubhanAllah! It doesnt matter what the deed was, rather the fact
was that he maintained a private act with his creator and ensured that no one else
was aware of it. What a heavenly honor!
2) A man by the name of Daood ibn Abi Hind fasted for forty years without the
knowledge of his family. He would take some food with him in the morning and
would distribute it to the poor whilst heading to work (family members thought
he had breakfast at work while colleagues thought that he had already eaten at
home). When returning home after maghrib, he would eat with his family, for
him it was iftar while for them it was dinner. 3
3) At the middle of the night, on a daily basis, Ali ibn Hussain (also known as
Zayn-al-Abidin)
used to collect food in a large bag. Having his face covered
up, he would knock on the doors of the poor and needy and give them food. When
they stopped receiving food from the generous stranger, the poor rushed out of
their homes to see who had died, thus identifying him as Ali ibn Hussain
.
When shrouding his body, a black mark was spotted at his shoulder from the
heavy weight he used to carry every night. 4
4) Ibrahim Al Nikhay was a man who used to hide the Quran if a person entered
while he was reading from it. He wanted Allah
to be the only witness of his
action and to avoid peoples approving gaze. 5
How can we implement this in our daily lives?
1) If you visit some relatives or friends while fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
and were offered some food, rather than announcing to them that you are fasting,
try to say something else like: Im not feeling hungry or Im bloated. However,
avoid lying and try to excuse yourself politely yet smartly.
2) At night, when all family members are asleep, collect the remaining food and
give it out to those who are in need.
3) When making dhikr in a public place, hide your fingers from the sight of others
so that it may be a secret action just between you and Allah
.
4) Wake up at night and pray in solitude, even if it is just one rakah, but make
sure that only Allah

is aware of your action.

And

the

examples

are

endless
The sareera (hidden action) does not necessarily have to be big or small. The only
condition is that Allah

is the only witness. The pleasure one feels when

connecting with Allah

is infinitely superior to the pleasure felt when
receiving praise from other people. It is simply unfathomable!
*Important Note*
Do not confuse this with the concept of enjoining in good. When we find
ourselves performing good deeds, it is wise to remind others of them and as
Allah
says in the Quran:
And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers. 6
However, what is highlighted in this article are the spiritual benefits of hidden
good deeds: that is of strengthening ones eeman, purifying the intentions and
establishing a connection with Allah

as it is just between you and Him.

Please share your ideas and suggestions on the kind of good deeds we can

perform in secrecy. We would love to read your ideas.

khair.

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