The Deceptiveness of Outward Appearance
Many people who suppose they are making spiritual progress on the path of Sufism (taṣawwuf) actually fall into a grave error by merely conforming their outward appearance to a religious mold. ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Geylānī (may Allah sanctify his secret) sternly warns these hypocrites who reduce religion to mere form. Expressing that beautiful words uttered by the tongue, wearing a patched cloak, and bowing the back hold no real value in Sufism (taṣawwuf), al-Geylānī states: "It does not come about through your hypocrisy (nifāq), your eloquent speech, the beautiful words from your tongue, the paling of your face, nor is this state attained by donning a patched garment, drawing the shoulders together, or bowing the back." Committing sins where people cannot see while pretending to be an ascetic before the public is utter spiritual bankruptcy. He exposes this hidden shirk (associating partners with God) with the words: "Alas, you withdraw behind a curtain so that the servants do not see you. But you have not seen the Creator."
The Urgency of Purifying the Heart (Qalb)
The acts of worship of a person whose inner world is polluted with ostentation, arrogance, and hypocrisy (nifāq) are like a dead corpse. Those who live a hypocritical life await a fiery end in the Hereafter. Al-Geylānī (may Allah sanctify his secret), drawing attention to this danger, immediately calls believers to self-reckoning: "O hypocrite, you have been kneaded with two faces. Soon, this state of yours will become fire. Save your heart from that state. Strive to purify your heart by force." A person must tear off the false masks worn for fame before people and make it their greatest concern to purify only their heart (qalb), which is the locus of the gaze of the Real (al-Ḥaqq), Exalted is He.